Grandparents tips
With little ones around our ‘adult focused” homes, a pre-visit safety check might be in order to avoid mishaps, accidents or injuries:
1) Make sure that smoke and carbon monoxide detector are placed in strategic locations throughout the house and that batteries have been changed.
2) Pets and pet food should be kept out of a child’s reach.
3) Revisit your placement of fire extinguishers. Are they within easy to reach and in working order.
4) Put matches and fire starters well out of harm’s way.
5) If necessary, gates should be positioned at the top and bottom of stairs and kiddie proof or regular locks put on cupboards as well as potentially dangerous windows and doors.
6) Store medications (prescription and other) out-of-sight and out of reach of children and stored in child-resistant containers.
7) Stow your purse, money and personal items in a safe spot.
8) Cleaning products, make-up and personal care items should be out of reach.
9) If you’re planning on driving… be sure you have “right-age/weight” car seats. Test buckles and clasps before you buy the car safety seat since their ease of use varies.
Source: Healthy Children
Playing music is healthy
Over the years, music-based strategies have been investigated to support everything from hospital stays to improving sleep with often positive results. Music has also been shown to have therapeutic benefits for people living with dementia. However, while music is a safe, simple and inexpensive it continues to be an underused tool by family caregivers.
Experts recommend incorporating music for yourself or a loved one. Use it when you’re walking to improve your walking speed.. Music-based interventions—which generally involve listening to music and, in some cases, also making it— appear to have the potential to improve sleep quality.
Active music-making therapy may also improve cognitive functioning by a small but important amount in some older adults with cognitive impairment or mild to moderate dementia. Studies have shown that listening to music allows those living with dementia to be more relaxed and has the indirect effect of helping to reduce caregivers’ stress levels at times.
Simply put…playing music that you and your family member enjoy may just be a safe, non-invasive, cost-effective tool that can improve the day.
Resource: McMaster University
Compassion & customers
Despite living with Cerebral palsy, a condition that affects movement and speech, Michael Haines is determined to make a positive impact on society.
Haines travels throughout the Okanagan region of British Columbia, and hosts virtual zoom sessions to educate businesses. He provides tools and skills for improving empathy and providing better, more compassionate, service. There’s also an e-book, available on his website is called, “How to Serve Customers with Disabilities.”
Interesting, the motivation for doing this type of work stems from a disappointing experience Mr. Haines had 45 years ago in a pub, which spurred him to push for change. Haines has even offered his coaching services to Tourism Kelowna, where his training program has had a significant impact on local businesses. And, after working with him, the Tourisim office decided to upgrade Kelowna’s visitor centre’s accessibility by adding accessible automatic double doors, an accessible restroom, and a height-adjustable service desk. Haines emphasizes that the message is simple: “Everyone has different needs that need to be met, and if they’re not being met, they’ll go somewhere else.”
Source: Global News
