What Would YOU Like to Experience in a Patient Safety Culture?

B'SD

18 Adar, 5773

I'm still glowing with happiness from Purim. I helped to raise funds for a local charitable organization during the fun-filled day. Volunteers hit the streets with a particular T-shirt. I jazzed mine up a bit, as you can see.

On another topic, I wonder what YOU would respond if you were to answer the following question from a Help a Reporter Out (HARO) listserv (I removed relevant contact info so people don't bombard the message sender with unprofessional responses):

Biotech and Healthcare

1) Summary: Quantifying "soft" patient safety and hospital quality measures 

Name: Blanketyblank's Hospital Review

Category: Biotech and Healthcare 

Email: notyerbizness

Media Outlet: Blanketyblank's Hospital Review

Deadline: 5:00 PM CST - 1 March 

Query:

Many hospitals are focusing on creating patient safety cultures, engaging patients and improving quality. While clinical quality can be quantified according to different diseases and processes, how can the "softer" aspects of safety and quality, such as culture and patient engagement, be measured? How can hospitals quantify these aspects of care so they can determine their progress?

Okay, back to me, Yocheved: You just know how much you don't appreciate those awful patient gowns that let in every breeze or pair of eyes. And that tasteless hospital food? Rude doctors and technicians? What else needs to be improved? How?

Please share your recommendations for quality patient care and culture in the comments section below this blogpost.

I look forward to reasonable replies ;^ D

Buy the E-book or print edition today for your improved medical, mental health or disability care today!  

Click on the words EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical  Challenge. 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. 

Let's figure out this Quality Patient Care and Culture thing together!

 

Why Don't You Feel Better?

B'SD

17 Adar, 5773

Whew, I've been busy advocating for and otherwise assisting some people in very serious medical distress. I'm a bit tired from the efforts.

The toughest cases are the people who did not heed the good medical advice they received before contacting me,  plus people who've read EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge but failed to learn from it.

You know the joke about "If you can't figure out how to assemble that whatever-it-is on your third or fourth try, then read the directions"?

Some folks laugh, then forget the life lesson involved. It happens to all of us. 

If we're lucky, we eventually realize our error, slap our foreheads and exclaim "Hey, I knew that! OK, now I'll... (fill in the blank as necessary)."

Care to share a life lesson with the wider world? Make a comment below this blogpost. Let me know:

• Why you don't (or didn't) feel better despite having learned what to do to minimize or to prevent your problem. 
• How are you repairing the problem now? 
• If you took action some time ago, what did you to minimize or to end the problem?
• What advice or insight would you like to share with readers of this blog?
• What was the funniest part of your medical healing adventure?

No need to humiliate yourself publicly: All I ask is that you share a lighthearted look at how life can be lived much more easily with a bit of good sense ;^ D




Buy the E-book or print edition today for a solid sense of direction for feeling and doing better! Click on the words EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge.  

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. 

Read the directions your medical professionals gave to you. And keep re-reading EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge! 

Both of them can dramatically reduce your emotional, physical and financial suffering.


 

Publishers, Purim and I Want to WIN a Beauty Contest!

B'SD

12-13 Adar, 5773

Sorry for the late-in-the-day post.  Technical issues delayed progress a bit.

Check out a guest blogger post at Sneak Peek into The Comfort Foods Cookbook, then let me know if you're ready to eat the treats in store for you!

The publishing world is a bit like a beauty contest. Writers prepare book proposals designed to entice $ALE$ OPTION$ and hope for the best. It's a tedious, often counter-productive process and I want to bypass it as I achieve a different sort of publishing success.

I'm praying to bypass the misery of the proposal process and to attract a publisher with his or her eyeballs and online attention span.

Wish me success! Oh - you can catch a previous sneak peek at the book when you click on Good4U Comfort Foods.

I'm preparing whole grain and other organic goodies for Purim fun on Sunday. Friends have requested my home made breads and soups. They tell me that they literally feel better after dining on my wholesome foods.

Click this Quick Review of what the 

Purim holiday is about.

Want to cheer up someone sick in a hurry? Buy them E-book or print edition EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Use humor as an ally. Happiness promotes healing!

 

Knocking Out Anorexia

B'SD

10 Adar, 5773

I've spent time in a psych hospital, working on the patient records of people being treated for anorexia and other eating disorders. I came away with one distinct impression about that:

Absolute hell for all concerned.

If you or someone you know is suffering with an eating disorder, I highly recommend reading this blog and following it over time: Anorexia 101.

Here's Part 2: From Diet to Anorexia.

I'll be guest-blogging about comforting foods that don't damage waistlines in the near future. Stand by for updates about some nutritional news YOU Need to know!

Meanwhile, you can buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. It can do a lot for you and/or a loved one. Buy it at Booklocker! 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. 

You don't have to dig your grave with your mouth! Reach out to loved ones and medical professionals for necessary help.

 

Here's What to Do When People Insult Stressed-out You

B'SD

9 Adar, 5773

One of the complications about having a medical, disability or mental health problem is that people tend to run out of sympathy for the sufferers over the long term.

It is the sufferers responsibility, and opportunity, to improve their response(s) to their dilemmas and lingering issues. That's what maturity is all about. Mature people make cultured, reasonable responses to their overall situations and to the specifics of their problems. 

Whining is not an adult response to stress. Pity parties will happen from time to time, though. That's life, and a signal to strengthen your sense of self and inner strength.

But what can you do when criticism is aimed at struggling you as you work on mastering that cultured, mature response to whatever's ailing you? 

Share this story with the critic.

A young lady confidently walked 
around the room 
while leading and explaining 
 stress management 
to an audience 
while holding a raised glass of water. 

Everyone knew she was going to ask 
the ultimate question, 
"Half empty or half full?"

She fooled them all. 

"How heavy is this glass of water?" 
she asked with a smile. 

Audience members called out answers ranging from 8 ounces to 20 ounces.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it.  If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.

"If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. And that's the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden - holding stress longer and better after each time we practiced our coping strategies."

[Back to me, Yocheved, now] Now you can look your critic(s) in the eye and say "I'm doing the best I can given the situation. I'm making efforts to deal with stress better over time. I'd appreciate your patience and compassion the whole time.

Fulfill your intention to face stress with increased calm just as the sign-off message to this blog indicates: Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Buy the E-book or print edition that can help you to do so TODAY! Click on the words EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a MedicalChallenge. 

                         

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.

Face Your Future with Optimism.

Develop that mature, cultured response with suggestions in the book.

Need one more resource to boost your mood? Listen to http://www.newsforthesoul.com/ EFT tapping can be quite helpful.

Going for counseling to deal with your stress? Do what the EMPOWER Yourself book suggests: Rely only on clergy and therapists who display complete respect for your well-being. Avoid abusers.

Less stress and keep your cash, that’s the theme of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. It teaches you how to organize your medical and/or disability life, how to save money on medical costs and how to get your grin back in one reading. Buy it from Booklocker here. 

Start Your Weekend with A Sweet Story!

B'SD

5 Adar, 5773

I've heard people grumbling that this or that person does not appreciate "What I did for them!"

Well, I have a soothing story to calm you down. It goes like this:

An old, emaciated beggar walked into an ancient town, weakly begging for food. Alarmed citizens searched their cupboards, though they too, were poor.

One home owner offered dried out crusts of bread.

Another brought leftover porridge.

The contributions went on and on, meager as they were. Everyone was sad that the poor fellow remained hungry. Until...

One little child ran to the town square, delightedly holding out a delicious, fresh-baked pastry that had been hidden away for dinner that night.

The hungry man gratefully bit into the food and chewed appreciatively. The he let out a sigh of contentment.

"YOU're a hero!" the townspeople cried as they lifted the child to their shoulders for an impromptu parade.

The child chortled with happiness, unable to express a sense of feeling so appreciated. But...

The townspeople who'd surrendered their own meager scraps felt unhappy. They had nothing to show for having lost their needed food, and it sure didn't seem to matter to the once-hungry beggar.

Ah, but the now-satiated man looked about and called for everyone's attention. "I want you to know," he grandly announced, "That the fresh pastry the child gave to me is not only what saved my life. It is the food that all of you gave to me. Little by little, you filled my completely empty belly. There was only a smidgen of space left, and the pastry filled it. My strength is restored thanks to each and every one of you!"

That  put a different perspective on things. Everyone in the town stood straighter, smiled a bit more brightly and shared a sense of unanimous joy.

Hang on to the fable when you feel hurt that someone let you down with insufficient appreciation for your hard efforts. Share it whenever you wish (please use the link to this blogpost!)

Have a soothing weekend!

 

Sad about your medical, disability or mental health situation? Cheer up with humor-filled E-book or print edition EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge.

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Find ways to comfort yourself. Doing something for others is one delightful way to start.

 

Hug Time!

B'SD

Adar 4, 5773

Today's Valentine's Day around the world, though it's not celebrated by Torah-minded Jews. No matter your religion, that doesn't stop some people from feeling wistful about wanting to love someone else, to  be loved or to love yourself on a deep, spiritual level.

The whole concept of love is multifaceted. Wanna take some of the mystery out of it?

Rabbi Noah Weinberg z'l defines love as "The pleasure we experience when we identify someone with their virtues, while accepting them with their faults." (OK, singles and everyone else, heed the life-lesson and end some self-inflicted misery).

Worried that you're at odds with 

someone you're trying to love 

despite hardships between you?

Laugh. The experience can promote a sense of joy that turns the sense of terror and concern in our hearts and minds into harmless stuff. Your fears can melt away with the sense of restored happiness. You can even learn to laugh at them.

Go out and find something to enjoy. Listen to silly comic routines (try The 2000-year Old Man for starters), rejoice over someone's victories (babies have them each time they reach milestones), and coax yourself to be willing to loosen up a bit.

Competent therapists can help you if necessary.

OH - if you need to de-clutter, here are some handy hints to help you: 12 Myths about Cleaning a Mess.

Need to help someone (maybe yourself) to make peace and love with an illness or disability of some sort?  Click on the words EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge and buy it today.  THAT's a thoughtful gift any time of year!  

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. 

Learn how to love challenges in life. They make YOU a more valuable person for facing them with increasing courage, humor and good sense. Feel the self-respect grow! It's a emotional hug to reassure you.

 

A Tip for Travelers, PC Users and Anyone Sitting Down

B'SD

3 Adar 5773

I'm busy running around to prepare for the fun-filled PURIM Holiday (it happens in 1.5 weeks from today!) 

But some days I'm busy stretching to relieve my back from the stress of being at the PC too long. 

I tend to exercise at specific times of the day to minimize the problem and to prevent the pounds from collecting all over otherwise sedentary me. 

But what if you're normal, like me, and you slack off the exercise routine sometimes? OW, your back can end up sore.

Here's a tip about how to prevent backaches and strains, at Help for the Deskbound (that includes people traveling and stuck in their seats too long).

Let me know if this idea helps you if you're in a wheelchair.

When you're ready to resume some kind of exercise routine, check out 15 Tips to Restart an Exercise Habit - and Keep it!



Want doctor-recommended ideas for soothing your medical, disability or mental health life - even your wallet? 

Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge today!  

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. 

 

Here's How YOU Can Afford Medical Care - Even in the USA!

B'SD

2 Adar, 5773

Here's a chilling AssociateD Press headline for you: Need Surgery? Good Luck Getting Hospital Cost Info.


I've long referred to America's pending problem as ObaNOcare.  I saw the problems shaping up and blogged about them in the past.

Here's an affordable solution
to "Obamacare."

Need to soothe someone sick or disabled? Buy them a book medical and mental health professionals recommend: It’s MY Crisis! AndI’ll Cry If I Need To: EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 

The E-book and print edition hold soothing content, can-do exercises and tips for organizing a hectic medical or disability life.

Be sure to read the Global Resources section in the back. It clues you in to conventional medical innovations and alternative/complementary healing modalities worldwide!

Keep reading: You'll learn about charitable organizations willing to pay part or all of your specific medical bills, too.

Skip the politics. Buy the E-book or print edition today for a healthier, healing future: Click on the words EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

   

Less stress and keep your cash, that’s the theme of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. 

It teaches you how to organize your medical and/or disability lives, SAVE MONEY and to get your grin back in one reading. Buy it today and you just might feel better fast. 

Something Special in American Food

B'SD

1 Adar, 5773

[Feb 13 2012 - I'm pleased to let you know that this blogpost was shared at http://paper.li/GoodBlogPosts46/1318465543]

Sorry for my silence last week. This blog was hit by several hacking efforts and it took a while to clean things up. I had not intended to abandon you or to leave you wondering "What's going on?"

Let's get back to health.

This lesson in this TEDTalk video can probably save your life and/or the quality of your life. I recommend that you watch it to the end, then watch it again.


 

Want to learn another lesson on what pure foods can do for human health?  

The food chain has been sullied around the world. Even if we move to a different country, we take the effects of those health-compromising chemicals along.

Read all about how becoming an organic vegetarian restored my sight after I'd been blinded and doctors lost hope of helping me to ever see again after a benign brain tumor had crushed my optic nerves. 

They thought I was nuts. Then the doctors began to realize that that something was helping me to recover sight. GOD was certainly among those details ;^ D

I've been invited to interact with students at a neuro-rehab ophthalmology clinic next semester. My eyewear prescription has fallen many times in the past 7.5 years! Future doctors want to know why, and how they can help other people with the problems I'm overcoming.

The EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge book clues in readers how to help themselves physically, spiritually, emotionally and financially. Read it today!

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism.

Start your own healing team!