Positioning And Differentiation Strategies

Positioning And Differentiation Strategies The increasing competition that organizations are experiencing in the face of globalization and innovation has of late resulted to them seeking to enhance their competitiveness. This has been achieved through application of various management as well as marketing strategies. Some of those strategies are meant to enhance organizations as brands of choice through effective brand positioning. Consequently, differentiation has also become crucial as one of the key means of effectively positioning organizations relative to their competitors. In that respect, this analysis identifies UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint Inc. Group as two organizations in healthcare industry for analysis on their application of positioning and differentiation strategies. The analysis notes the best practices in positioning and differentiation strategies application as well as compares and contrasts the strategies application by the two organizations. Body Organizations Overview UnitedHealth Group is a parent company to various health insurance and health care service organizations. It is the second largest publicly traded US company in health insurance providing healthcare services worldwide in healthcare consulting, specialty services and healthcare management. Serving over 75 million people globally, the organization has a large scale advantage extending across its product lines which helps it attract new hospitals in its members list and in negotiating for low prices. The companys service is divided into two main business lines; Health benefits and Health Services with UnitedHealth care delivering Health benefits while Optum is in charge of Health services. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) On the other hand, WellPoint is among the largest health benefits organizations in US. The organization has over 36 million members in its affiliated health plans as well as 67 million being served by its subsidiaries. It offers a wide range medical services and products. (WellPoint, 2013a) Positioning Strategies Organizations are experiencing increasing changes in information technology, globalization and market competition that is changing the business landscape calling for them to implement effective positioning strategies to enhance their competitiveness. (Njuguna, 2009) Consequently, organizations apply positioning strategies which refers to the applications they use in defining their services and products to customers minds against the competitors brands. (Karadeniz, 2009) This is due to the fact that, positioning is a key element in the modern day marketing being crucial to organizations in growing their customer base as well as the brand equity. (Manhas, 2010) In that respect, an effective positioning of an organization involves considering: The target market. The difference with competitors. How the difference can be communicated to customers. The value of the difference to customers. (Manhas, 2010) In addition, organizations employ positioning strategies that seek to identify and address brands positioning and differentiation from comparing brands, identify opportunities for potential markets to introduce new brands and reposition the existing ones as well as identifying the underserved segments that the existing brands serve. (Gwin Gwin, 2009) Organizations also employ experiential positioning as a strategic process seeking to understand clients desires and needs and providing services that deliver certain experience and communicates an organization promises to clients in a different way from competing brands. (Padget Mulvey, 2009) Positioning strategies should follow the process of creation of competitive advantages, selection of the right competitive advantages and choosing a competitive positioning strategy. It also entails engaging in effective communication to the target market. (Kardeniz, 2009) In that respect, UnitedHealth and Wellpoint position their services to customers depending on transaction factors, packaging, availability, pricing, advertisement, and benefit factors. The strategies applied also depend on composition factors defining the quality of service and their consistency. (Manhas, 2010) Positioning their brands also relies on brand communication which seeks to help clients identify the source of the brand. They use distinctive qualities of their brands as additional stimuli to the brand name including color, symbols, taglines and advertising styles. (Ramoniuk et al, 2007). The positioning strategies applied by UnitedHealth and WellPoint include: Positioning within the market through differentiation of a product or service. In this case, the differentiated service share attributes to the competitors service but are superior in differentiated attributes. Positioning through creation or establishment of a new market from the competitors, a strategy that uses differentiation attributes to give a perception about the services different attributes from that of competitors. (Mita Bettman, 1989) In this consideration, UnitedHealth Group positions itself as an organization with all connections relevant to the healthcare including that of right doctors and patients, between right patient data and physicians, between right information and consumers as well as between patients and their needed medicine. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) The organization has also established itself as the national exchange centre for essential information entrusted with the globally largest clinical data. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) UnitedHealth also sets itself as a leader in healthcare technology system. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) Example is the organizations Health Coverage through which it directly provides various health insurance plans to students, families and individuals aged below 64 years through Golden rule Insurance. Through this service, the organization positions itself as a preferred service provider for the target segments. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) WellPoint WellPoint seeks to make health care easier through improvement to their system as well as improving the clients healthcare access. (WellPoint, 2013a) The organization uses health affiliated companies and healthcare plans to drive innovation, empower customers as well as control healthcare costs. (WellPoint, 2013a) Differentiation Strategies In a bid to establish competitive advantage, UnitedHealth and Wellpoint delivers services that provide valued features of quality, reliable delivery and flexibility. (Spencer, Joiner Salmon, 2009) It also entails developing of added value through remarkable differentiation to set the service apart from their competitors. Their differentiation is a component of their positioning strategies. (Barna Chapman, 1986) In that respect, their well positioned brands through differentiation bears the qualities of being different, creative and striking. (Karadeniz, 2009) Their products and service differentiation as a means of effectively positioning themselves has benefits in that brands have to be differentiated from the competitors for them to attract clients. In addition, it enhances their ability to maintain market share since more differentiated brands have loyal customers who are not much sensitive to competitors brands. (Ramoniuk, Sharp Ehrenberg, 2007) However, differentiation is dynamic in that, the porters generic differentiation strategy has developed to strategies including differentiation through service innovation, marketing and image management and customers responsiveness as ways of responding to environment complexity. (Spencer, Joiner Salmon, 2009) Thus organizations seek to establish their positioning through application of various types of differentiation that include service differentiation in which the service has different attributes from that of competitors, price differentiation and niche offers that establish segments which are different from the mass market. In addition, they carry out differentiation through added services by providing extra services which motivate customers as well as service differentiation through communication. (Grimm Malschinger, 2010) In that respect, United Health seeks to position itself through differentiation in its service provision through innovation. An example is the Health4Me mobile application that offers consumers health information regarding benefits, registered nurses information as well as physicians and hospitals locations. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) UnitedHealths cancer care is differentiated in transaction through a payment model that bundles payments to ecologists ensuring continuity of the patients care as well as improving their healthcare quality. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) UnitedHealths iPlan integrates health reimbursements accounts with highly deductible health plans. This expands ordinary plans to include employer groups health savings accounts. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) United Health also has differentiated service delivery through its care coordination. This channels resources to physicians and consumers eliminating the prior authorization. (UnitedHealth, 2013a) On the other hand, Wellpoint applies some differentiation to its service delivery with an aim of effectively positioning itself as a competitive healthcare service provider. Some of the differentiation strategies applied are noted below Operating in an industry where physicians face the challenge of having to incorporate a huge volume of articles and data into practice and putting them in operation in their patients care. In this respect, WellPoint has in collaboration with IBM established the IBM Watson application program that helps doctors analyze huge volume of data and get results in less than three seconds which has enhanced the organizations ability to deal with complex cases. (WellPoint, 2013b) Wellpoint also provides their clients with an online feedback tool through which they provide feedback on their experiences with physicians as well as rate their services. (WellPoint, 2013b) Wellpoint also provides a virtual enrolment centre which provides customers with a platform to engage the organizations employees. Through the platform, customers can also access benefit plans, healthcare plans as well as prescriptions information. (WellPoint, 2013b) Thus both organizations seek to position themselves as preferred healthcare service and benefits providers. To achieve this UnitedHealth seeks to focus on the target markets needs of healthcare information by offering differentiated service which has more information provided as added services and through healthcare education through Optum insights. On the Other hand, Wellpoint seeks to position itself as an organization whose services are easier and effective to access. This is done through the various innovations aimed at making consumer experiences as efficient as possible. However, both organizations have some similar strategies in their focus on effective utilization of healthcare data to position themselves as efficient providers of services based on informed decisions. This is clearly visible in UnitedHealths utilization of its large healthcare data while WellPoint utilizes the IBM Watson application program to access and analyze large volume of healthcare data. (WellPoint, 20 13b) Conclusion The analysis has demonstrated effective positioning as crucial in establishing successful brands that are capable of effectively competing in face of increasing rivalry in the healthcare industry. It has also brought out the need for firms to identify their target markets, their competitors brands competitiveness as well as their ability to deliver value to their target markets as a means to positions themselves favorably relative to their competitors. Differentiation has also come out as a key element of positioning strategies as it seeks to set an organizations brand apart from the competitors through various differentiation strategies. In conclusion, UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint Group have been demonstrated to be applying some similar positioning and differentiation strategies as well as contrasting strategies in a bid to set their brands as unique compared to the competition brands. Consequently, the strategies application has had a significant impact with both organizations having established themselves as the brands of choice in their respective locations and being nationally ranked position one and two in terms of market share and performance.

St. Francis Of Assisi Essay -- essays research papers

St. Francis of Assisi was born in Umbria in the year 1182. He was a child every father hoped for, he was filled with life, a determined and courageous individual. He was gifted with rather good looks, qualities that attracted friends and a gift of leadership. His father was an extremely wealthy merchant in Assisi. But this son, his favourite, was the one who broke Peter Bernardone’s heart. The boy turned on his father, and in a vicious event that eventually resulted into a public scene. St. Francis of Assisi stepped away from his father, his business and left his father in a state of immense emotional suffering. Francis joined the military at the age of 20. Prior to this date (1202), the favoured son showed his parents that he would like to follow his own life, not in the footsteps of his father. After his enlistment, he struggled heroically in one bloody battle, but his troop experienced defeat. Taken prisoner of war, he was held captive for several months, then released and sent home. His parents were joyful and made up to him for the long months of suffering by showering him with affection. Francis probably enjoyed receiving extra money the most from this. Being a prisoner of war did take a toll on Francis. His body became so sick that he almost died and it took over a year to recover. It was during this year that for the first time in his young life, he did some serious pondering. He explored the age old problems, "What am I?", "Where do I come from?", "Where am I going", "What is this world?" and "What is love?". St. Francis was an Italian Catholic and a talented poet. As an Italian, his heart moved naturally to deep affection, love and enjoyment. As a poet, he could see right through the outcome of those answers. One night during a dream, he saw his house turned into a palace. The walls of this palace were hung with glorious armory, banners, shields, and swords – all instruments of war. Suddenly he heard a voice, it explained that this was to be his palace, the gathering place for all his knights. The arms were theirs, the banners, and tokens of their countless conquests. To complete this wonderful dream, a gorgeous bride awaited him. St. Francis awoke charmed. A few days after that, he left Assisi to go to Southern Italy to enlist. He reached Spoleto, wh... ...Gospel with the greatest amount of individual liberty and the minimum of regulation. Cardinal Hugolino, the late Gregory IX, assisted Francis in the completion of the Rule of in 1223. All this effort took its tool on the health of Francis, he started realizing that he was nearing the end of his life. Since he believed he had lived like Christ, he pleaded to die like Christ. In 1224, accompanied by a few followers, he marched up the Alvernia Mountain, near Assisi to pray. At this time, Francis and Christ shared words with each other. Extreme exchanges were made between both sides. Francis told Christ about his request, to his wonder, the crucified figure of Christ surfaced to him. When Francis stepped back, he discovered that his body had wounds located in the same five areas that Jesus suffered on the cross. During the last two years of Francis’ life, his health was destroyed. He felt tremendous pain in his eyes, spleen, and liver, stomach and have contracted malaria. Francis knew his last days were nearing. He asked his attendants to sing to him, for Francis enjoyed the sound of music. St. Francis died on October 3rd, 1226, while singing his nature song, Canticle of the Sun.

Instructional Design :: essays research papers

The ultimate goal of Instructional Design is to quickly and effectively teach people a new skill, or system of thinking. Elliot Masie, editor of TechLearn Trends, suggests  ¡Ã‚ §all training is about behavioral stimulation that changes human beings on some level. ¡Ã‚ ¨ (Masie, 1998, p. 14) This is a tall order  ¡Ã‚ §to change human beings ¡Ã‚ ¨, and therefore, any professional instructor that accepts this challenge must ask plenty of fundamental questions first. These essential questions are part of a process known as Needs Assessment. This critical front-end work is going to 1. Provide information about audience capabilities and preparedness. 2. Establish that, indeed, there is a need for training. 3. Reveal information regarding the company culture. An instructor needs this information to choose tools for the program; the more you know your audience, both customer and learners, the more successful the program will be. There are several need assessment models to follow, but I will use  ¡Ã‚ §The Zemke-Kramlinger Model of the Major Human and Organizational Factors that Affect People Performance in an Organization ¡Ã‚ ¨. Their model asks hard questions in three different categories: Performer Skills „h What Abilities „h What Skill Level „h Job Knowledge „h Objective „h Needs Company Support „h Objective „h Expectations „h Reward „h Punishment „h Feedback „h Support Corporate Culture „h History „h Mission „h Goals „h Strategy „h Tactics „h Plans Without this information, the designer is only guessing. Once a designer is confident the needs assessment has provided a solid foundation to start building a program, different tools, or media, should be considered. The variety of tools ranges from simple (print) to high tech (satellite dish communication). The American Society for Training and Development has published a book that outlines an eight-step process for assisting in selection of the proper tools. The steps are as follows: 1. Understand all the training tools available with the benefits and drawbacks of their use. 2. List the media delivery that WILL WORK FOR YOUR AUDIENCE AT THEIR CAPABILITY LEVEL. 3. Evaluate your media list with the goals of training, and level of audience in mind. 4. Conduct a cost comparison. 5. Synthesize findings and establish  ¡Ã‚ §core media ¡Ã‚ ¨. 6. Consider auxiliary media that would augment your  ¡Ã‚ §core media ¡Ã‚ ¨. 7. Identify any implementation issues, organizational requirements, or technical limitations which could prevent successful use of your  ¡Ã‚ §core media ¡Ã‚ ¨. 8. Prepare your conclusion in a formal report for management. With all the preparation out of the way, just what tools are we talking about? Here is a list of possibilities: Manuals Handouts Video Tape Overheads Data Bases CD Rom Interactive Video Conference Internet Computer Base Training Satellite Distance Learning With information on the objectives, learners, the company, budget, constraints etc.

Essay --

Realms of Cognition in Middle Childhood Realms of Cognition in Middle School How has technology impacted cognitive development in middle childhood? What practical advice should helping professionals give to parents who want to protect their children from harm but also proved them with the advantages of technology? â€Å"For children at the start of middle school years, school and its peer group structure represents a new frontier† (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010, p. 176). â€Å"Another problems with children’s very early use of electronic media is that it displaces, or takes time away from, other activities that are more critical for positive development† (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010, p. 182). How has technology impacted cognitive development in middle childhood? Televisions, video games, and computer has impact on cognitive development. Children needs some form of activities outside of the home. Riding bikes, and play with their friends. Playing video games, and watching televisions requires no exercise. Televisions is ok for educational programs to watch. ...

Should Governments Sponsor Gambling?

Should Governments Sponsor Gambling? The government is now sponsoring gambling to raise revenues. By 2002 government-sponsored gambling brought in 11 billion dollars! â€Å"Winning means a life of luxury and happiness,† is only one of the many slogans the government uses to advertise gambling. Gambling has a lot of pros as to the economy and employing more citizens but it has a lot of cons as well. Should governments sponsor gambling? The answer is no! Governments should not sponsor gambling because it is a total money grab, it feeds gambling addictions, and it destroys families and exploits Canadian citizens.Gambling can be an expensive waste of time. Gambling is a complete money grab. Statistics show that the average household spends about $300 per year on gaming. The chances of winning the lottery are slim to none. The government promise a greater life if you win, but with chances that are extremely low, it is highly unrealistic. Gambling is a form of entertainment that giv es you hope for something. This can be dangerous as it can lead to over spending or dull judgement. Alcohol is mostly always associated with gambling.This can add to the high expense and even sway your choice to spend more and more. Many people say that the government should not sponsor an activity that can be strongly addictive. Statistics show that 3. 1 percent of Ontario’s population are Problem gamblers. â€Å"Ontario derives a huge portion of it's gaming revenue from problem gambler's. Therefore, government-sponsored gambling is contrary to the interest of the general populace, and therefore contrary to the purpose of the government. † Robert Williams, University of Lethbridge, Alberta, November 2004 .Government sponsored gambling feeds an unhealthy addiction that many people can have. These addictions can lead to theft and even suicide. Gambling is just like any other addiction, it completely takes over the person's life. This can affect your family and marriage. Always being at the slots or casino's funded by the government can make you lose quality time with your family. It can financially hurt you and hurt your family in the long run. Government-sponsored gambling is causing problems with your person life. It will exploit you for more and more money.It constantly brain washes you with it's advertisement of the amazing times you will have and how much better your life will be. This is not true. These people chase their losses by risking more money, thinking that somehow persistence will pay off. It rarely does. They suffer from depression, anxiety, financial and family breakdown. Governments should not sponsor gambling. It is a big money grab, it is highly addictive, and it can tear apart families. Gambling has an ill affect towards canadian citizens. The government says gambling is a form of entertainment.With such a low chance of winning, how is loosing money fun? In gambling, many people inherit a sense of hope. The small chance that y ou might win and go out with more money than you came with. This is an unlogical probability but, everyone is driven by this hope that they might win. Gambling does bring a lot of jobs and boosts our economy, but the problem to balance responsible gambling with generating profits to the economy. Impossible maybe but, better efforts have to be made so that gambling doesn’t take over canadians.

Care for the Elderly Essay

AIM/PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to address to family members or family carers for older people with dementia a range of perspectives, as understanding perspective of those affected. For the purpose of giving them an idea of knowing the early signs and symptoms of dementia and the suggested care by the experienced staff involved in this study. To know and identify the problems of the person having dementia, and as carers, to know how to respond to these problem. Thus, the older people would meet their needs and will be looked after. INTRODUCTION The definition of dementia is fairly simple. Dementia is a group of diseases that cause a permanent decline of person’s ability to think, reason and manage his own life. Dementia is caused by biological processes within the brain that damage brain cells. They cause a person to have impaired memory, forgetfulness and an inability to retain new information. To lose the ability to speak and be understood by others and the ability to understand written or spoken language. To lose the ability to plan, make good judgements and carry out multi-step tasks. To lose the ability to process and understand visual information. These losses mean that a person with dementia cannot manage his own day-to-day and personal care. The implications for a person with this diagnosis and her family can be staggering. Dementia, regardless of its cause, is a progressive condition. It is distressing and frightening illness for individual and heartbreaking for family members. The course of the illness may be gradual and sometimes subtle, as in classically seen in Alzheimer’s disease. It may be abrupt and  can be characterised by sudden episodes of deterioration as the case of Vascular Dementia, also known as multi infarct dementia. In Lewy Body Dementia, the course of the illness maybe punctuated by episodes of confusion, hallucinations, and delusions and in fronto temporal dementia by insidious personality or behavioural changes. Today there are more than thousands of people with dementia here in Ireland. If this current demographic trends to continue, this number is likely to rise substantially in the coming years. In the older population, dementia is the most frequent reason for long term care. Because most form of dementia cannot be cured, the aim of this treatment is to delay the disease progression And to maintain functioning and quality of life. The purpose of this research is to conduct a study to understand the perspective of those affected is crucial prior to the development of care people with dementia and the impact on all those affected, for example, the person with dementia,carers and family members. To understand the manifestation application in day to day life. DEMENTIA AS A DISEASE Dementia is a syndrome due to disease of the brain, usually of a chronic or progressive nature, in which there is disturbance of multiple higher cortical functions, including memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language and judgement. Consciousness is not clouded. The impairments of cognitive function are commonly accompanied, and occasionally preceded by deterioration in emotional control, social behaviour, or motivation. The syndrome occurs in Alzheimer’s disease, in cerebrovascular disease, and in other conditions primarily or secondarily affecting the brain. There are a number of different reasons – some neurological and others environmental – why people with dementia may exhibit challenging behaviours. Some behaviours, for example, are caused by a chemical imbalance in the  brain and may be directly related to the dementia but others may be precipitated by a myriad of psychosocial and environmental factors such as room temperature (too hot or too cold), the person’s fatigue or malaise, he or she being in pain, bored or frightened being surrounded by unfamiliar faces. Agitation, aggression, wandering and repeated questioning, for example, may be an expression of unmet need. The big paradox in dementia care is that people with dementia need much time. If you have dementia, or you are looking after someone who does, you will experience a range of practical issues. People with dementia can feel vulnerable as their condition progresses and they increasingly rely on other people to do things for them. It is important that people who have dementia feel reassured and supported, while retaining some level of independence. Although some symptoms are common to many people with dementia, each person’s experience of the disease will be different. When a person with dementia finds that their mental abilities are declining, they’re likely to feel anxious, stressed and scared. They may be aware of their increasing clumsiness and inability to remember things, and this can be very frustrating and upsetting for them. If you are looking after someone with dementia, you can help them feel more secure by creating a regular daily routine in a relaxed environment where they’re encouraged and not criticised. Involving the person you look after in everyday tasks may make them feel useful and improve their sense of self-worth. They could help with the shopping, laying the table or sweeping leaves in the garden, for example. As the illness progresses, these tasks may become harder for them to manage independently, and you may need to give them more support. How can we be help to people with dementia? Offer support sensitively and try not to be critical of their attempts. It can be very important for them to feel that they’re still useful. In the early stages of dementia, memory aids can be used around the house to help the person remember where things are. For example, you could put pictures on cupboard doors of what’s inside, such as cups and saucers. This may help to trigger their memory and enable them to retain their independence a little  longer. Keeping up hobbies and interests when someone has dementia Many people with dementia will still enjoy their hobbies or interests. For example, if they like cooking, they may be able to help make a meal. Going for a walk or gardening can provide exercise and fresh air. Or they may prefer listening to music or playing a board game. Caring for a pet cat or dog can bring a lot of pleasure to some people. If the person you care for was very sociable and outgoing, or if they have a large family, they may really enjoy visits from one or two family members or friends. But remember that they may struggle to keep up with conversations if they have a lot of visitors at the same time. Maintaining good health and nutrition in someone with dementia It’s important that the person you care for healthy foods and gets some exercise. The longer they stay fit and healthy, the better their quality of life will be. If the person you care for doesn’t eat enough or eats unhealthy food, they can become susceptible to other illnesses. People with dementia can become more confused if they get ill. Common problems for people with dementia include: not recognising foods forgetting what food they like refusing or spitting out food resisting being fed asking for strange food combination How can we help? Involve the person you care for. For example, if you feed them, you could put the cutlery in their hand and help guide it to their mouth. You could also involve them in preparing food if they are able to.Try to stay calm. If you feel stressed at mealtimes, the person you care for will probably be stressed too. Make sure you have plenty of time for meals so you can deal with any problems that arise. Try to accommodate behaviour changes. It’s  likely that the person you care for will change their eating patterns and habits over time. Being aware of this and trying to be flexible will make mealtimes less stressful for both of you. People with incontinence Incontinence can be difficult to deal with and can be very upsetting for the person you care for. It’s common for people with dementia to experience incontinence. A person with dementia may also simply forget to go to the toilet, or may forget where the toilet is. They may also have lost the ability to tell when they need the toilet. It’s important to be understanding, retain a sense of humour and remember that it’s not their fault. You may also want to try the following: Put a sign on the toilet door, such as a photo of the toilet Keep the toilet door open Make sure that the person you care for can access it easily make sure they can remove their clothes – some people with dementia can struggle with buttons and zips Look out for signs that they may need to go to the toilet, such as fidgeting and standing up and down. Helping someone with dementia with their personal hygiene People with dementia can become anxious about certain aspects of personal hygiene and may need help with washing. For example, they may be scared of falling when getting out of the bath, or they may become disorientated in the shower. The person may not want to be left alone or they may resist washing because they find the lack of privacy undignified and embarrassing, at which it is no longer safe to leave the person alone, and never leave the person alone in the bathroom. a).Coaching the person through each step of bathing, ex.: by asking him or her to hold a washcloth or shampoo bottle. Avoid asking the person to do a  task that is too difficult. †¢ Ask what time of day and what routine is best for  bathing given the person’s choices and previous   routines. †¢ Consider whether a person may be afraid of water  or have a depth perception impairment that may   make entering a bathtub frightening. †¢ Respect the person’s dignity by providing a towel  to cover his or her body throughout the process. †¢ Consider the frequency of bathing. It may not be  necessary for individuals to bathe every day. †¢ Be gentle. A person’s skin may be very sensitive.  Avoid scrubbing, and pat dry instead of rubbing. A hand-held shower may help to wash hard to   reach areas. †¢ Wash the most sensitive areas last, including the  head, face and perineal area. †¢ Washing the person’s hair may be the most People with dementia often experience disturbed sleep. They may wake up during the night or be restless. These problems may get worse as the illness progresses. People with dementia may also have painful illnesses such as arthritis that cause, or contribute to, sleep problems. Some medication can cause sleepiness during the day and interfere with sleep at night. Sleeping pills can be used with care in people with dementia. However, ‘sleep hygiene’ measures are best for people with dementia – for example, no naps during the day, regular bedtimes and avoiding alcohol or caffeine at night. DRESSING †¢ Others do not feel dressing up is important and this choice should be equally respected. Attempt to gather this information from family if the person with dementia is unable to communicate. †¢ Simplify clothing choices for the person according to his or her ability to choose. †¢ Give the person short, simple instructions while handing them an item such as â€Å"Put on your shirt.† Sometimes just handing the person an item of clothing (without saying anything) will facilitate dressing. †¢ Choose comfortable, simple clothing that easy to put on and take off. Consider cardigans, or other clothing that buttons in the front, rather than pullovers. Substitute snaps or zippers for buttons. Keep in mind that if you alter a familiar routine or method, the person with dementia may have difficulty learning something new, so try to follow  the same routine and use familiar fasteners for   as long as possible. †¢ Make sure the person has comfortable, sturdy non-slip shoe EATING AND DRINKING †¢ Dementia may lead to changes in eating or drinking (e.g. eating more or less) because those affected by it may not be able to prepare meals, remember to eat or drink, remember when they last ate, know or be able to say that they are hungry or thirsty, or smell and taste in the same way they did before. †¢ A person with dementia may not be able to initiate the task of eating, but if a spoon is placed in his or her hand, he or she may begin to eat. †¢ It may become more difficult for the person with dementia to swallow foods and liquids safely as dementia progresses. †¢ A person with dementia may refuse to eat or drink because of physical or emotional conditions at the end of life. . Help the person eat and drink what he or she likes, and provide food that meets dietary needs to promote health and safety. †¢ Help to make mealtimes pleasant and enjoyable; involve family when the person and family are amenable. Falls Falling is accidentally coming into contact with the ground or another surface, like a table. Falls may occur with or without injury and often result from a loss of balance. †¢ People with dementia have a greater risk of falling because they can have problems seeing, thinking, moving, and balancing. †¢ The cause of falls can be related to the person’s abilities or home environment. †¢ Personal risks include: history of falls, depression, vision problems, muscle weakness, fear of falling, multiple medications, being tired, blood pressure problems, incontinence, and being unable to move or having difficulty with movement. Environmental risks can include: †¢Confusing environment and clutter †¢Slippery footwear †¢Unsafe equipment †¢Lack of stable furniture or handrails †¢Surfaces (e.g. floor, stairs, or ground) that are uneven, slippery or have glare †¢Poor lighting, especially at night †¢ Weather conditions that may result in slippery surfaces, or heat exhaustion †¢Rugs and door mats Encourage safety and maintain a person’s ability to move within a living space by decreasing the risk of falls and related injuries. Encourage daily exercise to increase or maintain physical strength. Wandering Wandering describes the behavior of people with dementia who move about in ways that may appear pointless but often have purpose. Wandering, like all behavioral symptoms of dementia, happens for understandable reasons. It may occur as a result of an unmet need for social interaction or friendship, a noisy environment, pain or distress, boredom or other causes. Wandering is not necessarily a behavior that must be stopped. Wandering can help a person remain physically fit and in a better mood. It can help a  person sleep better at night. Wandering can be dangerous when a person leaves home alone or goes into unsafe areas. Physical problems, such as injuries, health risks agitation, or death Wandering may happen because of many things that the person with dementia cannot express, including: †¢ A need for food, fluids, exercise or the toilet †¢ Pain, a need to urinate, constipation, infection or medication effects †¢ A need for security or friendship †¢ Depression, anxiety, delusions or hallucinations HOW CAN WE BE OF HELP Help a person move about safely and independently and understand the difference between safe and unsafe wandering. †¢ Determine each person’s need and ability to move about †¢ Wandering patterns, such as time of day it happens, events or places that cause it †¢Other needs such as hunger, the need to go to the bathroom, or boredom †¢ Mental abilities, especially safety awareness and being impulsive by asking the person where is he/she at the moment, what is he/she doing in that place. †¢Vision and hearing, make sure he wears his hearing aid if applicable or eyeglasses. †¢Ability to move, do they need an aid for mobility like frame or stick. †¢Emotional conditions that may relate to wandering, such as anxiety or depression, or maybe substitute for another activity. †¢Environmental hazards such as poor lighting, throw rugs and uneven floors make sure all the surroundings are clear from having an injury. †¢The person’s footwear and clothing is safe for them, not too tight and not too loose or not too slippery. EVALUATION/ CONCLUSION This studies conducted to date does provide sufficient evidence of care or less costly care with effectiveness for any of the interventions or suggestions made of how can we be of help by knowing early signs and symptoms of dementia and that the carers would be more familiar with these if they have older people at home or relative. Most of this research studies and feed back from the participants, a nursing staff and a health care assistant, the implementations or help suggestions have a very positive effects in regards of the care for people with dementia. Therefore, we believe that most of the complex needs of the people with dementia and their family carers can be met by primary care services as well as community care services. However these services need to be individualized, comprehensive, accessible, flexible and delivered by competent well trained care provider. When we say community care, GP’s are the first point of contact for the individual and family members worried about the signs and symptoms of dementia. We believe that the sooner we identify the problem the sooner we respond to it thus preventing major problems could occur. Inevitably, some people with dementia would be unbearable for the family members, so some people might end up attending acute care or A&E care, or being admitted as in patients to these hospitals. Dementia care hence being implemented by professional and well trained nursing staff or health care assistant. Thus, dementia care is being met in acute setting with extra cost. Or some might end up that the family members could not cope up at home and they are already burdened so older people are being handed over to the care of nursing homes Therefore, the development of a more positive view of older people and old age and the broadening of the view of older life to encompass more than the health needs and the development of the view of responsiveness to needs is the best way forward to look after the elderly. RECOMMENDATIONS In terms of the care for people for dementia, greater levels of resources are needed to augment the availability, accessibility and usefulness of person centred dementia specific services that support the abilities of people with dementia. Specific health and social care are needed or must be revised to counter dementia. Families and carers must be involved in regards of planning and development of dementia. BIBLIOGRAPHY Books, ForestKnolls, CA Feil, Naomi. 1933. The Validation Breakthrough, Simple techniques for Communicating with People with dementia. Planning Guide with Dementia care at home: A reference Tool for Managing Care. Elements of Nursing 1985.

Ethnic and Racial Group overview Essay

While I have always believed myself to be reasonably educated about racial diversity, and non-prejudice against those who come from different ethnic backgrounds than my own, this course has taught me that there is much more to the history and reality of Americas struggle to overcome the all too real problem that is prejudice and discrimination. I have learned much about my own background and history that I was not previously aware of as well. The history of Prejudice and discrimination in America dates as far back as to the days of slavery. While to most this is a well-known fact, there are a few facts about my own ethnic history that were not well-known to me until I participated in this course. The fact that stands out the most is that German immigrants (such as my own grandparents) suffered a reality of segregation in schools and language barriers, not unlike that of today’s Mexican Americans. German Americans struggled to establish bi-lingual schools because they were a growing population in America, and the need was apparent. Knowing this opens up a whole new perspective of my understanding of just how equal we all really are. Because trends in immigration have grown steadily and will continue to grow well into the future, by the year 2050, the U. S. population will experience a culture of diversity so elaborate, and so completely wide spread; resulting in America having no choice but to unite, or suffer from mass self-destruction of the worst kind. The challenges of such a diverse America will be apparent in many ways, and there will be some of the same issues of discrimination and prejudice that have always been. With all of the different cultures coming together, there will be inevitable language barriers, which will result in a continued issue of segregation among children, and the added challenge of providing them with equal educational opportunities. In the same way that children have to face the challenges of diversity, so do the adults who will face discrimination and possible insufficient opportunity to move forward based on their race. On the other hand, when faced with such diversity, America as a whole will be forced to accept change, and perhaps finally overcome the issues that it has been faced with for so long. The opportunity will rise, with the variety of diversity, to become educated about those who are around us. Because there will be nothing else to do but find a way to work together, or to fail as nation, I think that the way that we all see one another is going to change significantly. The idea that others are inferior in any way to any other individual will begin to fade, because with so much diversity all around, there will not be a majority, nor a minority. Perhaps equality in racial group numbers will finally be the key to unlock the door to a prejudice-free America.