Grapes Of Wrath - Rose Of Sharon Essays - U.S. Route 66, Dust Bowl

Grapes of Wrath - Rose of Sharon Misfit to Madonna: Rose of Sharons Transformation When Rose of Sharon is first introduced in The Grapes of Wrath, we learn that she is expecting a child from her new husband, Connie Rivers. She is described as a mystical being whose primary concern is the well-being of her child, even at the almost ridiculously early stage of her pregnancy at the start of the novel. It is this concern that illustrates Rose of Sharons transformation from misfit to Madonna through the Joads journey. Rose of Sharon incessantly asks Ma Joad if itll hurt the baby throughout a majority of the novel, and adopts an attitude of superiority over others with her precious possession. She all but refuses to help the family pack the truck for California for fear of disturbing her fetus, even though she knows her help is needed. Her selfish antics and complaints are patiently absorbed by Ma, who tolerates her primarily because of her condition. Rose of Sharon knows that she is now an exception to the normal rules and exploits her position to its fullest potential. During the journey Rose of Sharon and Connie pass the time by dreaming of the idyllic life they will lead when they reach California. Connie says he will open a repair shop and buy a white house with a fence and an icebox and a car and a crib, all before the baby is born; all hopelessly idealistic and almost completely detached from reality. Every intention, though, is for the baby so that it may have a perfect life from the very moment it is born. In the face of hardships, Rose of Sharon comforts herself by remembering these dreamlike goals of her family and even reminds others of them, intending to lift the burden of reality. She does so when the sheriff threatens the roadside families to leave or be jailed. She tells Ma of Connies plans for California, which have nothing to do with the situation at that moment. This escape only proves to ultimately hurt Rose of Sharon and Connie; they learn that illusions dont support a life when survival is the priority. Rose of Sharons dreams of a perfect life start to fall apart when Connie deserts her suddenly. She can no longer find comfort in shared thoughts of a white-picket fence, and is forced to face reality. However, instead of concentrating on the Joad family crises, she diverts her worries fully to her baby once again. She reverts to childish antics such as refusing to dance at Weedpatch because she thinks it might be bad for the baby. Her life becomes superficial now, rather than illusory, in order to escape her harsh reality once again. When Rose of Sharons baby is finally born, she expects to be rewarded for every moment and thought devoted to the life of her child. Instead, the baby is dead; her energies have been wasted, overcome by the reality she tried so hard to avoid by plunging her actions into the care of her child. She finally, truly sees that she must accept and take on reality in order for life to go on. So, when the Joad family comes across the starving man and his son, Rose of Sharon sees it as an opportunity to redeem her misguided actions, and chooses to sustain life. The old man, to her, is a surrogate for her child, a chance to make up for her failure because she simply refused to accept reality. Her actions show this realization when she gives the dying man her milk, giving him a chance to live. She has finally matured and taken on responsibility, and realizes that life is the only important thing in their situation not personal happiness. Rose of Sharons pregnancy and the consequences it effects are the catalysts for her change in attitude, from misfit to Madonna, throughout The Grapes of Wrath. She first sees it as an excuse for her actions, but transforms her still-born child to a reason for positive change and preservation of existing life at the end of the novel.

buy custom Bodybuilding and Health in Athletes essay

buy custom Bodybuilding and Health in Athletes essay In athletics, the most important aspect of training schedule remains diet. Eating right things increases an athletes ability to train, not forgetting effectiveness. Carbohydrates, fat, protein and sugars are the core food groups that offer the body an adequate supply of energy. The right percentages of these nutrients in an athletes diet should be: 40% of carbohydrates like whole cereals, bread, potatoes and pasta, 40% of fruits and vegetables, 10% of proteins like fish and meat, finally 10% of fat which can be from milk and all dairy products. Currently, sports supplements are available on the market and many athletes have embraced their use because they have believed that they enhance their diet. Most athletes experience drastic changes in their bodies after taking these supplements, therefore, it is advisable that one consults a legal dietician or health officer before using any supplement. When most people hear about bodybuilding supplements, they quickly think of steroids that puff up peoples muscles in one night. This should not be the belief because supplements play a vital role in health and in enhancing performance in fitness exercises and weight training sports. The setback comes about in finding out the sfe ones to use and the right amount to be taken to in order to attain the intended result. Protein and creatine are among the most vital sport supplements available on the market today. Let us simply look at each of these two. Protein Protein supplement is a powder that usually contains: whey protein, vitamins and other nutrients. Whey is very useful to the body because it is easily absorbed. It is better than Soya or egg products and it is most efficient when taken as a solution; for example it can be dissolved in water or milk and taken before going to bed, in the morning and after exercise. It can also be consumed after exercise. Bodybuilders often take it before and after exercising and sometimes in place of normal meals. Protein is very essential for efficient growth and repair of muscle tissue; this being a reason as to why protein supplementation is very essential for athletes, especially bodybuilders to enhance their body mass. Creatine Creatine is an organic acid in the body that helps in supplying the muscles with energy. Most scientists have discovered that creatine reduces recovery time and mental fatigue, improves brain function, and increases energy, strength and muscle mass. CCreatine has an advantage over other supplements and even steroids because plenty of it can acquired in plenty from normal foods like beef and fish. Creatine is popularly used by body builders and rugby players .Creatine levels in the body are easily exhausted if the body is highly active and the body normally takes a long time to recover them. It is for that reason that creatine supplements are recommended for athletes to keep creatine in good levels for their muscles to withstand constant hard work. A percentage of the public have raised doubts over the effectiveness of creatine supplements in relation to performance but a great number of researchers have proved beyond doubt that it does meet the desired goal. However, the effects of this supplement vary in different athletes and this is the explanation as to why some are dubious and others are satisfied users. It is not obvious that creatine supplement works out well for everyone. In most cases, creatine makes the body unable to effectively breakdown large amounts of active ingredients. Intake of higher amounts of carbohydrate supplements in majority helps in creatine absorption. The side effects of creatine supplements are nausea and muscle cramps and to avoid these one must take a lot of fluids. Buy custom Bodybuilding and Health in Athletes essay

Hindu and Judeo-Christian myths Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Hindu and Judeo-Christian myths - Research Paper Example In all of the creation myths, there is the birth of the world and the birth of humans. In many of the creation stories, there is also a deluge – this means that the creator thinks that He or She made a mistake in creating the humans, so sent them back to the chaos of the Flood. The waters of the flood may also be a source of new birth. The archetypal characters who may appear in the creationism myths include the creator, who makes order out of chaos, sometimes by using his own bodily fluids, sometimes by conjoining with an equal and opposite natural power; the trickster, who is the negative force; the first man and first woman; and the flood hero, who looks for a new beginning after the great flood (97). The Hindu myths and the Christian myths diverge significantly, however, in how creation began. How are the two creation stories from different regions of the world inter-related? Hindu Myths   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hinduism is an extension of Veda, which i s the source of many Hindu rites and speculation (Renou, 105). Since this religion, which essentially â€Å"fed† Hinduism, is the source of mythology, this is a religion which may be explored to determine the creationist myths of Hinduism. In Veda, there are gods which function as represented, much like in Greek mythology. Among the gods worshiped by the Vedas, was Arya, who was the god of war; Agni, the god of fire; and Soma, the god of plant and liquor (105).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the myths for how the world began, according to the Veda, is the creation of the world from the soul (Renou, 107). In this myth, there was a soul that was in the form of the person. Because this soul was alone, he desired a second, and his self was split into two pieces – a   husband and a wife. From this husband and wife’s copulation, humans were reproduced. She then became a cow, and he a bull, and they reproduced. She became a mare, he a stallion, w ho reproduced. And so forth, on down to the ants. Whatever was moist in the world was created from semen, and was called Soma. He created his superiors, the gods. Therefore, according to this myth, the world was populated from one soul.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Rg Veda has another telling of how life was created, and that was through primeval incest. In this story, which may be simply an anthropomorphic retelling of the earlier myth about the One who creates a Second, which is the myth told above, a father impregnates his daughter. According to this story, when the father shed his seed in his daughter, his seed was spilled upon the earth (Doniger O'Flaherty, 167). Doniger O’Flaherty states that the Brahmanas also had a version of creation, as did the Upanisads. In this version of creation, there is also incest. The incestuous father’s name in this myth is Prajapati. In this story, Prajapati approached his daughter, who was alternatively the sky or the dawn. She was in the form of a doe, he as a stag. The others did not approve of this, and Prajapati was pierced, and flew upward as a deer. The arrow was in three parts, and was known as the tripartite arrow. Prajapati also had a chance to spill his seed, and his seed spillage became a lake. Cattle sprang up from the seeds when the Marutttsss blew upon it. Doniger O’Flaherty states that this is one version, and other versions have the sons of Prajpati committing the incestuous act with their own sister. In these other versions, the Rudra is born from the seed, and, in some versions, the Rud

Summary of 3 articles , comparison and discussion Essay

Summary of 3 articles , comparison and discussion - Essay Example Big data is viewed as an effective tool to deliver projecting likelihood of an event and analyze patterns. The long run success of an organization is determined by additional of organizational asset with data and information. The topic provides vivid explanation about the broader application of big data in society and management research. It is believed that experiential study in management can often deduces relationships such as two companies can link through customer-supplier relations, or collaborates in production or compete in same market. In the era of globalization and technological advancement, it has become imperative for organization to manage its data and information in an effective way. The additional use of big data is crucial to exemplify the significance of the topic to organization like NHS trust and data management community. The survey conducted by American Management Association in the year 2013 reveals that the need of building analytical skills within the organization is critical for development (AMA, 2014, p.1). The organization selected for analyzing and researching is the drawback of data management is National Health Service trust. The trust serves either on specialized service or geographical area. The NHS trust provides varied range of specialist and general services to patients. The new sy stem is being introduced to serve patients and maintain GP records. The use of powerful technology and massive influx of data are two reasons to increase the future use of big data in NHS trust. The three literature sources provide vivid explanation about big problems, opportunity and harness of big data. These articles discusses that firms enjoying success are able to implement big data to create new businesses and improve their existing trades. This rapid alteration results in authority shifting to decisions and analytics experts are

Sociology of Gender-sexual assault, abuse and crime Essay

Sociology of Gender-sexual assault, abuse and crime - Essay Example There are actual websites that suggest that if a woman says "no" she really does not mean it. According to the FBI "the rate of forcible rapes in 2007 was estimated at 59.1 offenses per 100,000 female inhabitants" (U.S. Department of Justice, 2008, p. 2). The FBI defines "forcible rape" as forcing a woman to have sex against her will. The greatest challenge for rape victims is that police do not always believe that this has happened to them. According to Fazlollah (2008) there is a growing body of evidence that suggests that police departments ignore rape because "women often lie." (par. 1). The evidence shows that many police departments " fail to report rapes, miscategorize and disguise them and manipulate statistics in order to simplify their work or bolster their departments or their cities images. Often, police believe that alleged victims are lying and categorize reports as unfounded." (par. 5). This has created more problems in women reporting the crime because when they are n ot believed it takes a very long time for an individual to come to trial and/or to be convicted of the crime. In these cases most of the precincts that are adopting this stance continue to be dominated by men. There are many theories about rape and most of them deal specifically with "why" someone commits the crime. For most feminists, rape is more about power than it is about sex. According to Ellis (1989) the feminist view involves a mans decision to "behave towards women in a possessive, dominating, and demeaning manner" (p. 11). Thornhill and Palmer (2000) have taken issue with the feminist viewpoint and devoted work to developing a different sociological theory. In their research they believe that rape is about sex because men are sexual creatures. Also they state these facts: Because of these issues Thronhill and Palmer suggest that rape is a " a natural, biological phenomenon that is a product of the human evolutionary heritage." (p. 2). They show evidence

Service Quality Standards in Health and Social Care

Service Quality Standards in Health and Social Care In health and social care services, quality is an essential component and a concept with many different interpretations and perspectives. It is important to both users of health and social care services and external stakeholders. While completing this unit I have gained knowledge of these differing perspectives and considered ways in which health and care service quality may he improved. I have tried to explore the requirements of external regulators and compare them with the expectations of those who use services. I have also learnt about few methods that can be used to assess different quality perspectives, and develop the ability to evaluate these methods against service objectives. I have also focussed on concepts of managing service quality with an aim of achieving continuous improvement and exceeding minimum standards. I have made a sincere attempt to understand strategies for achieving quality in health and social care services. By completing this unit, I sincerely hope that I have learnt basics of as to how to evaluate systems, policies and procedures in health and social care services. I have learnt about methodologies for evaluating health and social care service quality. TASK 1 Stakeholders are essential in health and social care regarding quality; discuss analysing the role of external agencies in setting standards. (1.1; 1.2) Stakeholder as one who is involved in or affected by a course of action. Patients are part of the stakeholder group that both pays for our health care system and are the end-user of it. The interests of health care organizations, medical professionals and other health care providers are represented through various government bodies, professional organizations and labour unions. We must try and understand quality considering the perspectives of staff and also perspectives of those who use services. Quality might have the same outcome but opinions of the health and social care staff and the patients might be quite different. In simple terms, quality is fitness for purpose. Quality is about meeting the service users requirements. If quality is about meeting service users requirements, it is important to discover what these requirements are. If we provide services with extras that service users dont want, we will not be adding quality. Stakeholders can be the external agencies eg Care Quality Commission; Supporting People; National Institute for Clinical Excellence; Health Service Commissioners; local authorities; users of services eg direct users of services, families, carers; professionals; managers; support workers. There are many organisations in the UK known as health and social care regulators. Each organisation oversees one or more of the health and social care professions by regulating individual professionals across the UK. These organisations, also known as regulators, were set up to protect the public so that whenever you see a health or social care professional, whether private or in the NHS, you can be sure they meet the standards set by the relevant regulator. To practise profession in health and social care, people must be registered with the relevant regulator. If they are not registered and still practise, then they are breaking the law and they may be prosecuted. These registers are made up of only those professionals who have demonstrated that they have met the standards set. These registers are open to the public. So if you want to check your professional is registered, you can do this either online or by calling the relevant organisation. In health and social care, professionals, clinicians and others, whose work is informed by traditional bodies of knowledge, are increasingly aware of the need for continuous personal development. High- quality services cannot be sustained unless health and care staff are consistently engaged in learning, individually and together. All care services need to work to standards and have a system for measuring that they are meeting standards. The health care system has audits which check that services meet quality standards, while social services have inspection units which register and inspect services. Standards are influenced by laws, subsequent regulations, codes of conduct and values. All organisations such as homes, day centres or community services, need a system to monitor how effectively services are being delivered and whether service users are having their needs met. Organisations may have their own quality monitoring systems. At a local level, quality assurance groups may seek to clarify, prioritise or set standards. Different parts of the system and external agencies need to work together, as part of a culture of open and honest cooperation, to identify potential or actual serious quality failures and take corrective action in the interests of protecting patients. Explain what the potential impacts of not appropriately managing quality in health and social care settings might be? (1.3) If quality in health and social care settings is not appropriately managed, this could lead to serious consequences. It could lead to inability to improve the health and social well-being of people in the area for which they are responsible; Planning and commissioning health and social care will be unable to meet the needs of people in that area. It will cause inability to secure the delivery to people in an area of health and social care that is safe, efficient, co-ordinated and cost-effective. Also the availability and quality of health and social care in that area will deteriorate. The development of standards, guidance and strategic targets will be stagnant. This would mean that local targets will not be achieved. It would mean that patient satisfaction will diminish and targets and expectations will not be met. Obviously, if the quality is inappropriately managed, it would have a significant impact on all three basic criteria. It would lead to poor clinical effectiveness. Safety of the patient ill not be guaranteed and this would lead to poor outcome in terms of patient experiences. Where the regulatory bodies find that providers are not meeting the standards, they require them to improve and has a range of enforcement powers they can use. These powers include warning notices, penalties, suspension or restriction of a providers activities, or in extreme cases, cancellation of a providers registration which effectively means closure of a service. Providers who train healthcare professionals also have a responsibility to deliver training in a safe and effective way in line with the standards set by the professional regulators. The professional regulators have an interest where the quality of training may put patients at risk. I. What are the major quality issues that were identified in the last State of Social Care (CSCI, 2009) standards report? What might be the implications for service users? (2.1) CSCIs report, The State of Social Care in England 2009, concludes that services do not meet the expectations. The report is believed to highlight that social care services are struggling to meet peoples needs. Fewer people are receiving the care they need to enable them to live independent lives in their own homes. It is all so understood that the report will say there are continuing and chronic difficulties in recruitment and retention of staff throughout the whole care sector. People, whether they pay for their care or are publicly funded, are not always getting the individualised help that they need to make decisions about their support which in the long term can be costly to individuals, family carers, councils and the NHS. People are not always getting quality personalised support, particularly those with multiple and complex needs, some of whom may have little, if any, choice about their care. There are concerns about people who are lost to the system because they are ineligible for publicly funded support or are self-funders. There is an increased demand and resources are limited which is putting a lot of pressure. The report states that people who have complex needs are not getting personalised care. It notes excellent examples of people receiving the support they need but adds that too many people are not getting the right amount of personalised care. Many people do not get the information, advice or support they need to help them make informed choices about their care. Implications for service users: Poor quality service can disrupt funding, damage the reputation of organisations and individuals and lead to inappropriate planning decisions. Improving quality improves patient care and value for money. It is important to improve quality because it will lead to preventing ill health and provide patient-centred care. It will also help to manage increasing demand across all programmes of care and to tackle health inequalities. Improved quality will lead to deliver a high-quality. People who would be affected the most because of poor quality will be mainly the older population, people with long-term conditions, people with a physical disability, maternity and child health, family and child care people using mental health services, people with a learning disability acute care and palliative and end of life care. There are many different approaches to understanding quality. Describe any three approaches of your choice highlight a particular strength of each approach. Different understandings of quality: A common quote is: Some things are better than others; that is, they have more quality. It is a grade of goodness or excellence. Quality therefore means free from defects. In my opinion, quality means patients satisfaction. After reading and learning more about quality, I have realised that quality can be understood with variour approaches. It can be measure in terms of the exceptional (highest standards) or in terms of conformity to standards. It can also be described as fitness for purpose, as effectiveness in achieving institutional goals; and as meeting patients needs. Quality as exceptionality This is the more traditional concept of quality. It is associated with the idea of providing a service that is distinctive and special, and which confers status on the owner or user. Many institutions emphasise that health and social care must have exceptional standards. However, it is not possible for the agency to condemn all other institutions. This approach is not always possible. Quality as conformance to standards The word standard is used to indicate pre-determined specifications or expectations. As long as an institution meets the pre-determined standards, it can be considered a quality institution fit for a particular status. This is the approach followed by most regulatory bodies for ensuring that institutions or programmes meet certain threshold levels. Quality as fitness for purpose This approach has the following questions Who will determine the purpose? and What are appropriate purposes?. The answers to these questions depend on the context in which quality is viewed. The purposes may be determined by the institution itself, by the government, or by a group of stakeholders. Quality as effectiveness in achieving institutional goals In this approach, a high quality institution is one that clearly states its mission (purpose) and is efficient in achieving it. This approach may raise issues such as the way in which the institution might set its goals (high, moderate or low), and how appropriate those goals could be. Quality as meeting customers stated or implied needs This is also a variation of the fitness-for-purpose approach. This is where the purpose is customer needs and satisfaction. Quality therefore corresponds to the satisfaction of the patients. Which approach to quality (you may choose one that isnt above) do you feel is more often used by providers of health and social care services users and why do you think that this is the case? (2.2) Standards-based understanding of quality In my view, I think health and social care providers use an approach which is conformance to the standards. Many regulatory bodies set goals and aims for a particular healthcare setting and the organisation works hard to achieve these goals. Implementing quality needs planning. There should be policies and procedures. Government should set some targets. An audit can be an excellent tool to check if appropriate quality of care is being delivered. There should be constant monitoring and review should take place at regular intervals. Good communication is the key to implement good quality. Proper information should be shared especially when shifts finish, hand over should be done adequately. We all should be open and ready for adapting to change. Standards: minimum standards or best practice should be the goal or certain benchmarks should be set. We must have measurable performance indicators. All health and social care settings should have codes of practice. There should be legislation in place which could either be local, national or European legislation. In the standards-based understanding of quality, health and social care institutions must demonstrate their quality against a set of pre-determined standards. These standards will set a threshold level of quality. However, quality assurance today has changed. While in the past quantitative criteria was enough to demonstrate that a standard had been met, more qualitative criteria is now incorporated and institutions may thus be able to more easily maintain their individuality. IV Suggest the potential barriers to delivering quality at this scheme and other health and social care services (2.3) There are a number of barriers to improving quality. It could be due to lack of proper implementation of documented procedures. There is a lack of incentives to change traditional ways of providing care. Also a lack of a patient-centered culture and values. One of the biggest problem is lack of relevant training and support. Also we dont have enough expertise in interpreting survey data. Sometimes it is just the resistance to change which can be quite difficult to overcome. We shall discuss relative impact of a range of potential barriers. The biggest constraint is the time available to focus on improving the quality of services, followed by a lack of leadership. People need to be identified, trained and supported to provide leadership and commitment. Lack of leadership in delivering quality is an important barrier. Training if not received properly could lead to poor quality in health and social care. We know there could be few health and social care workers who received no training, few who were trained in all the identified areas of quality, some who had been trained in only one area (predominantly clinical governance and audit) and the remainder received an inconsistent mix of training in different areas. A consistent package of core training in all facets of quality is needed for all NHS staff. Staff must be rewarded through the appraisal process, this could lead to a morale boost and lead to better quality of work. How does legislation (relating to quality) impact on the delivery of quality in health and social care service(s) offered in England and Wales? (3.1) Rules and regulations must be followed because safety depends on them. They usually come from one of two sources as they may be local and designed by the employer or they may have been designed by the government. Hospitals have their own policies and they also follow rules set by the NHS and the government. Wherever they come from, it is important that they are followed as they are put in place for the good of everyone. One of the main sets of rules and regulations is The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. This act provides the basis of health and safety law. It places general duties on all people at work, including employers and employees. All places of employment are subject to health and safety law. Employers must have relevant policies in place. These must be designed for health and social care so that all of the staff can follow them and comply with the safety laws. Most care establishments have the following policies like fire policy, lifting policy and hazardous waste policy. When running or managing a care service and carrying on a regulated activity there are certain things you have to do by law. Though the legislation should be used as guidance only, and is not legal advice. Another important act is Health and Social Care Act 2008. The Health and Social Care Act 2008 established the Care Quality Commission as the regulator of all health and adult social care services. It is important to be aware of all the up to date provisions. We should try to describe quality and safety from the perspective of people who use services and place them at the centre of the registration system. It is important that anyone registered to provide or manage a regulated activity is aware of the guidance that has been produced. It is very important to be aware of the legal side of things so that we can ensure the safety of patients and also ourselves. Identify other factors that might influence the achievement of quality in health and social care services (3.2) How to deliver high-quality healthcare in the most efficient manner possible is the question that is very important. In my opinion, healthcare delivery should be clinically effective, focusing on treatment outcomes, including survival rates, symptoms, complications and patient-reported outcomes. In my view, health and social care must be safe: avoiding harm, looking after people in clean, safe environments, and reporting any medical errors or adverse events. One main goal should be ensuring that healthcare is available to all according to need and avoiding financial barriers that prevent access to necessary care. It is important that health and social care is efficient: paying attention to value for money, avoidance of unnecessary interventions, and careful use of limited resources. Health and social care should be responsive: providing personalized, patient-centred care, delivered with compassion, dignity and respect; measuring, analysing and improving patients experience and satisfaction. How can health and social care workers ensure their knowledge base is up to date and that their work is of a quality standard and what role and responsibilities do health and social care service providers have in relation to this. (3.3) As health care or social care workers, we must endeavour to keep our knowledge base up to date and ensure that our work is of quality standard. Ideal care workers will go out of their way for patients, they try to understand what its like for the service user and carer; they are happy and interested in their work and knowledgeable about their jobs and are always ready to help. Good communication is the key. We must attend seminars, meetings, group discussions and do online studying along with regular text bok reading. Group discussions and team work will help us to realise the gaps in our knowledge. Care workers should have knowledge of services and legislation relevant to users and carers needs. They must know about the benefit system and sources of funding, or who to refer to if they dont. It is of utmost importance that they know when and whom to ask for extra help. Health and social care workers should know about the people they are caring for. They should be familiar with the roles of other people in relation to meeting service user and carer need. Health and social care workers must understand their limitations and have up-to-date knowledge. It is recommended that care workers review their learning over the previous 12 months, and set their development objectives for the coming year. Reflecting on the past and planning for the future in this way makes your development more methodical and easier to measure. Care workers may already be doing this as part of their development review with an employer. CPD is a personal commitment to keeping our professional knowledge up to date and improving our capabilities. It focuses on what we learn and how we develop throughout your career. As a professional, we have a responsibility to keep our skills and knowledge up to date. CPD helps us turn that accountability into a positive opportunity to identify and achieve our own career objectives. CPD is an opportunity to do ourselves some good; the nature and scale of the benefit depends entirely on us. I. Identify method used to assess quality, evaluate the method with two more methods of your choice (one external and internal (4.1) Measuring the quality of health care has become a major concern for funders and providers of health services in recent decades. One of the ways in which quality of care is currently assessed is by taking routinely collected data and analysing that data. The use of routine data has many advantages but there are also some important pitfalls. The Measurement of Quality: Methods for assessing quality can be various. We could use questionnaires, focus groups, structured and semi-structured interviews, panels, complaints procedures, feedback forms and road shows. Nice questionnaires should be prepared which should be given to the patients to fill in their own time. This could give us a fair and honest opinion about our services. Small focus groups and interviews can also be a good technique. To achieve good levels of quality service, we must have complaints procedures in place. Feedback forms could be an excellent measure for quality of any service provided. This could also prove beneficial in improving the quality by acting upon any suggestions made by the patients. Scientific methods of measurement are increasingly necessary. Evaluation requires good methods in order for the resulting data to be useful. Further, data from evaluations are being used to create significant change within organizations, so faulty data based on inaccurate measurement methods carry a great risk. Quality will not be improved simply as a result of inspection. It must be built into the people and the processes carrying out the work of the organization. In health and social care setting we must all define quality, measure its achievement, and create innovations to constantly improve. This requires active involvement of all within the organization, from the mailroom to the boardroom. Visible, supportive leadership is essential. II. If quality is about meeting customers or service users requirements, it is important to discover what these requirements are (Martin and Henderson, 2001 p. 178) Quality is most easily recognised in its absence and many public perceptions of healthcare are based upon measuring the absence of quality for example, waiting times, waiting list sizes, even illness itself are all measurements of the absence of quality. The client/patient: the client/patients view of the quality of their experience will depend upon two factors: a successful outcome and a positive experience before, during and after treatment. However, some procedures which may be deemed clinically desirable to maximise the probability of a successful outcome may be highly uncomfortable and inconvenient for the patient. Increasingly, the separation between these aspects is being questioned as it is recognised that clinical outcomes are influenced by a patients general state of well-being. This increases the need to take account of what has been traditionally considered as non-clinical aspects of care. Service quality is more difficult for patients to evaluate than goods quality. A patients assessment of the quality of health care services is more complex and difficult for them as well. Patients do not evaluate service quality solely on the outcome of a service; they also consider the process of service delivery. The antibiotics may have resolved the throat infection, but if discourtesy and an uncaring attitude marked the patients interaction with the provider, the perception may well be poor service quality. The patient defines the only criteria that count in evaluating service quality. Only patients can judge service quality; all other judgments are irrelevant. Patients requirements, in my opinion, are: Access: approachability and ease of contact. Communication: keeping patients informed in language they can understand. Listening to them is equally important. Less use of of medical jargon. Competence: possession of the required skills and knowledge to perform the service. Courtesy: politeness, respect, consideration, and friendliness of health and social care worker. Credibility: trustworthiness, believability, and honesty of the service provider. Reliability: the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. Responsiveness: the willingness to help patients and to provide prompt service. Security: freedom from danger, risk, or doubt. Understanding of the needs of a patient: making the effort to know patients and their needs. III. Service user involvement has become a buzzword in policy aimed at achieving quality. Discuss strategies used to involve service users and their effectiveness. (4.2) Service user involvement is a two way process that involves both service users and their service provider in the sharing of ideas, where service users are able to influence decisions and take part in what is happening Patients, carers, parents and advocates of the sick and vulnerable should have input into the kind of health service we have. They should be consulted about changes to services, and they should be involved in the design of those services. They should help to set the standards by which services are judged, and help to assess whether a particular aspect of the service meets those standards. At every stage, the users of the health service should be offered the opportunity to play an active part in developing, delivering and evaluating their service. Involvement can be achieved by using the following methods. Information sharing This may include letters, posters, newsletters, videos, tapes, text messages and forums. Listening This may include: one to one interviews, group interviews, focus groups, and service user meetings, one off events, questionnaires and workshops Consultation This may include: one to one interviews, group interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, one off specific focused events, workshops, and video or drama events. Participation This may include: user panels focused on specific topics, resident groups, inclusion in organising events, videos and other media to give information to other service users. Patients should be involved in making decisions about their own health care. They should be actively involved in co-designing services, redesigning services, developing services or change management. The government should be undertaking peer education and support. More patients should be taking part in research. These strategies could be used to involve service users.

Free Essays - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Free Essay on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn    In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain the main character, Huck Finn, grows and learns many lessons. Throughout my life I have learned many similar lessons. In addition, I have discovered that there is a relationship between Huck's life lessons and my life lessons. Also I have learned many different lessons that Huck was dispossessed from learning. Twain's character, Huckleberry Finn, and I can be compared and contrasted through lessons we both have learned and lessons that only I have learned. During my life I have learned that lessons are hard, complex, and above all else are universal. One lesson that Huck and I have shared in learning is that a person can choose to escape an unfair situation. Huck escaped his abusive father and was taken in by the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. I too escaped an abusive father. When I was six years old my mother divorced my father and I decided to live with her. Another lesson that Huck learns is to be his own pe rson. He learns this when he left Tom Sawyer and his gang for his own adventures. I learned this same lesson when some friends wanted to go to a concert on a night that I had school and a project due the next day. I did not go with them and even though my friends had fun, I was proud to be an individual. Additionally, Huck learns that friends are very important because they are always there for you. He and Jim become very close over their long trip down the river. They do things for each other that shows that they are friends. Tom helps Huck rescue their friend Jim from slavery. Huck and Tom free Jim because he is a good friend to them. I have also learned that friends are a tremendous part of my life. On various occasions, friends have helped me study for important tests. Consequently, Huck and I have learned similar important life lessons though the experiences were different. On the contrary, there are also a few lessons that I have learned that Huck has not learned. I have learned that you must deal with your problems instead of running away 12/19/98 from them.