Category: Current Events

Use the Lockdown to Help Expand Your Knowledge, and to Learn and Improve

Three focuses of my blog are Current Events, General Education and Professional Skills/Development. Sometimes there are blessings in disguise. While the Coronavirus/Covid-19 Pandemic/Crisis has forced a nationwide lockdown, it has inadvertently created spare time for vast numbers of people. If the time is used wisely to learn new things for example, you can come out of this crisis better off on the other side. The following contributed post is entitled, Use the Lockdown to Help Expand Your Knowledge, and to Learn and Improve.

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During the lockdown, many people are finding themselves off work for the foreseeable future. Now, this can be tough, but it is also a great opportunity to be able to learn more and improve your knowledge and skill set. This is something you are going to need to get right as much as you can, so try to make the most of this moving forward, and come up with ideas that are going to help you in this regard.

You have plenty of free time here, and it is important to make sure you use it as best you can. There are a lot of options you need to consider here, and it makes sense to use this time wisely to work on improving what you know and trying to learn more in the process. So, here are some of the ideas and tips you can use to help you expand your knowledge and improve your life in the process right now.

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Learn a Language

There are a lot of things you can do to help pass the time during this lockdown, and this is something to think about. Learning a new language can do a lot to help you improve your brain power, increase your skills, and give you fresh cultural experiences. There are so many things you can use online, just like this tutorial on how to learn German, to help you learn a new language, and this would be a great way of passing the time during the lockdown process. Make sure you focus on doing as much as possible to learn a new language wholly and enjoy the benefits this can bring.

Find Out New Things

Make sure you do as much as possible to try to find out new things and use the internet as the ultimate resource for this. There is so much information out there, and no matter how obscure it might be, this is a great way of learning about the world and finding out new things. Whether you’re wanting to know about the trend in the lattice energies, or you’re thinking of learning about history once again, there are so many opportunities.

Master Something

It has often been claimed that it takes around 10,000 hours to master something, and this is a good challenge for you. Of course, nobody is expecting you to complete a full 10,000 hours of practice at something right away. However, this is something that you need can certainly make some headway into during the lockdown process. There are a lot of things to think about here, and choosing what you are going to attempt to master is something that deserves some thought and consideration. And you might like to uncover the benefits of using articulated speech as much as possible.

Read More

Reading is something we never seem to do enough of, and this is the perfect opportunity to be able to read more and expand your knowledge in the process. Whether it’s in paperback, hardback, or digital form, the lockdown has certainly freed up enough time to read more and discover new worlds and adventures as a result.

As you can see, there are a lot of things you can do to improve your knowledge and boost your skills during the lockdown process. This is something you are going to have to make the most of right now, and it is something you should certainly consider. There are a lot of elements that you are going to need to keep in mind here, and learning and improving can certainly enrich your life in the process.

Coronavirus Lockdown Doesn’t Make You Powerless. It’s Your Opportunity To Take Control

Two of the focuses of my blog are Current Events and Health/Wellness. The Coronavirus/Covid-19 Pandemic/Crisis has created unprecedented and complex circumstances for everyone. While the situation sorts itself out, you don’t have to let it be the end of your world as there are potential opportunities to better your life in the meantime. The following contributed post is entitled, Coronavirus Lockdown Doesn’t Make You Powerless. It’s Your Opportunity To Take Control.

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How are you, dear reader? It’s okay if you need a moment to answer that question. Like the rest of us, you’re likely dealing with a completely different paradigm in every aspect of your life and work. Your day to day is likely far removed from what it was even at the start of this year. You may be grappling with unforeseen expenses potentially combined with a loss of income. You may have either or a lot less free time on your hands. You may have assumed the role of teacher as you homeschool your kids using resources provided by their school. You may be sleeping a lot less easily, even if you’re lucky enough not to have been directly impacted by the virus itself or lost anyone to it.

Image by Julia M Cameron via Pexels

You may feel as though life has spiralled out of your control right now. But fear not, dear reader. This may feel like the end. But it’s actually just the beginning…

Lockdown liberation

While in lockdown you may feel isolated. You may be cut off from the people, places and and activities that bring you meaning. But look at this not as an incarceration but a liberation! No longer do you need to define yourself by the places where you shop or the products you own. You’re no longer the clothes you wear or the car you drive. This can be a very liberating opportunity for you to redefine and reinvent yourself. Whether it’s by giving your business a new marketing push or re-engaging with new hobbies or interests. Now’s the time to pare down the distractions and focus on what really matters.

Cut unnecessary costs and take control of your budget

Now’s the time to start thinking about all those wasted costs that quickly added up in your pre-lockdown life. From the monday morning latte to the beers with the team after work on Friday. Necessity is the mother of invention. Now’s the time to make budgeting your new best friend. See how much you could save on auto insurance with a pay-per-mile company like Metromile. Invest in preparing, cooking, freezing and reheating more homemade meals. See if you can save money by switching your energy, phone or broadband providers. You might just learn that you have more control of your household budget than you thought.

Rethink your diet

Speaking of home cooked meals, the long lines and bare shelves at the grocery store might just be the shot in the arm that you needed. Now that access tro sugary, salty and fatty processed foods is restricted, it’s time to take control of your diet and start making good on those health and fitness promises you made yourself at the start of the year.

Rediscover your creativity

To paraphrase a fictional character… You’re not the car you drive, the clothes you wear or how much money you have in the bank. You are the sum total of all the things that bring your life joy and meaning. If you’re able to get that in your work, fantastic! But if you’re not, it’s time to re-engage with your old interests and rediscover your creativity. Pick up a paintbrush, dust off that manuscript you were working on or get together with some friends over video chat to make a podcast.

Whatever brings you happiness or meaning, the COVID-19 lockdown isn’t going to remove your control over your life… it might just be what hands it back.

Tips For Introducing Remote Working

Three of the focuses of my blog are Current Events, Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. During this Coronavirus/Covid-19 Crisis/Pandemic, many businesses and organizations have been able to survive due to the ability their workers to perform their duties remotely. It’s not as easy as it sounds and takes some adjusting. The following contributed post is entitled, Tips For Introducing Remote Working.

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Remote working is something that many businesses are now starting to pick up on, and if anything, this Covid-19 virus is a wake up call for those companies who weren’t using it before. So if you want to introduce remote working in business, here are some tips that might help.

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Consider If It’s Possible For Your Business

Firstly, you want to check whether remote working is possible for your business or not. Usually, in order to do remote working, it has to be a job or have tasks where you’re working from a computer. The more practical-based jobs might not be as effective when it comes to remote working, or even possible. For those roles that require you to be on the phone, there are options such as diverting calls to a landline or mobile of the worker. There are lots of options worth exploring before you quickly dismiss the idea of remote working. It’s worth considering, especially as there are many benefits for you as a business to take advantage of it.

Trial It Out With One Or Two First

What tends to be an issue for those who have tried remote working is that they often roll it out to the whole company and suddenly everyone wants to work from home. Instead, trialing it out with one or two staff members is going to improve the rate of success that you have. There are going to be some staff members that take advantage of this company perk, and so you want to cherry pick those guinea pigs that will take it seriously and not take advantage of what’s been given to them. Remote working doesn’t have to be a company benefit for everyone, and for some, it’s not possible anyway.

Invest In The Right Equipment

To make remote working be as successful as it can be, it’s good to invest in the right equipment. That means making sure you have the right computers so that staff can access files and work on these devices to the same level of productivity that they would do if they were actually in the office. You might want to look at a company like www.solutionpartner.com who can help with the transition of helping staff work remotely, as well as providing ongoing support.

Monitor Staff’s Work On Remote Days

And finally, be sure to monitor your staff’s work on remote days. The reason why you should do this is that otherwise, some staff members might still take advantage of working from home or whilst traveling. Work still needs to get done, and so having the ability for line managers and supervisors to check in on staff to get updates on the work they’re doing is essential. There are plenty of systems out there that can help monitor this efficiently.

Introducing remote working is the future and should be an option for most businesses and the staff who work for them. Pandemics like this one, show that a backup such as remote working should be in place.

Believe It Or Not, The Current Public Health Crisis Is An Opportunity For Health Care Providers

Three focuses of my blog are Current Events, Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Throughout history, vast opportunities have been created out of crisis situations and the Coronavirus/Covid-19 Pandemic is no different. One area that is in the eye of this storm is the healthcare sector. The following contributed post is entitled, Believe It Or Not, The Current Public Health Crisis Is An Opportunity For Health Care Providers.

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Pixabay – CC0 License

With COVID-19 spreading like wildfire across the planet, the eyes of the world are on the medical sector. People are watching the industry like never before and, frankly, forcing it to do new things.

Take clinical trials, for instance. Usually, these take years to set up, conduct, and publish. But in the current context, they’re taking a matter of weeks. The nature of the emergency requires it.

Pixabay – CC0 License

The same applies to vaccines and drugs. It used to take the FDA the length of a career to approve specific medicines. Now the CDC is recommending that some Americans take virtually untested drugs in the desperate fight against COVID-19.

What is interesting about the current episode is the giant leaps that the medical establishment can make when it absolutely has to. Most of the time, it is sclerotic, dormant, and apathetic to the needs of patients. But when you suddenly add the scrutiny of public attention, things change fast. All of a sudden, you CAN deliver life-saving drugs in just a matter of weeks. Odd, isn’t it?

Of course, all this chicanery has a lot of people asking why this rate of progress wasn’t possible before.

Expect all the usual weasel words at this point. “There are processes that we must follow.” “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.” “We have the best healthcare system in the world.”

But, of course, everyone is going to remember this episode and demand that the sector change in the future. When the bureaucracy gets out of the way, it appears to improve patient satisfaction. Why can’t that continue?

Public attitudes will undoubtedly change going forward, creating opportunities for specific providers in the industry who stay on top of the current situation. People are looking for outfits that they can trust to get the job done – and without bankrupting them.

Shift Your Business Model

The opportunities for healthcare providers who get their message right, therefore, is tremendous. Already, we see big shifts in how the industry operates. Some clinics are offering patients flat fees for consultations, instead of milking the insurance system.

Others are looking for ways to make medical services subscription-based. You continue paying your doctor to keep you healthy. When you get ill, you stop paying and only resume payments once you’re back to normal.

Healthcare providers are also going to have to think much more about their hygiene messaging. While keeping things clean is important at any time, it is even more so in the aftermath of a pandemic.

Offer Patient Direction

Healthcare providers that can provide patients with clear guidance in the current crisis will be those that most successfully build their brands. Those who really understand how to react to the needs of their patients will emerge as a shining example to the rest of the industry. At times like these, patients need a considerable amount of help. Many people will still be getting sick from regular illnesses and need medical attention. Clinics who can orchestrate an effective response will be those that gain the most trust in the community.

The Remote Mistakes You Didn’t Even Realize You Were Making

Three of the focuses of my blog are Current Events, Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Due to the Coronavirus/Covid-19, many businesses, companies and organizations have shifted to have their work forces work from home remotely. Working remotely is a new concept to some and there are some keys to it. The following contributed post is entitled, The Remote Mistakes You Didn’t Even Realize You Were Making.

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In recent weeks more than ever, businesses have had to test whether they truly are prepared for any situation. Not only have marketing drives had to altogether change direction, but companies have also had to face the sudden reality of remote work.

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations. You’re past the worst of this working shift, and that’s a considerable achievement. But, you might not want to pat yourself on the back just yet. After all, you’re still a long way from being able to call yourself an established remote front-runner.

In fact, it’s possible that you’re still stuck making a few rookie mistakes which are preventing you from truly making a go of things. That’s bad news as it means that you’ll continue to struggle through the pandemic, and may even fail to maintain the remote processes you’d like once things return to normal.

To make sure that isn’t the case, keep reading to find out what mistakes you may be making, and what exactly you can do about them.

Too much of the personal

As they choose their own hours and settings, processes are inevitably going to become more personalized to your team. This is fantastic for productivity and is something you should be sure to encourage. What you definitely don’t want to encourage, however, is the use of personal phone lines/internet connections. Remember that, amidst all this madness, you still have a responsibility to keep consumer data safe. Personal connections like these simply don’t offer that. Instead, aim to implement business-based VPNs and even cloud phone services like those provided by lighthouseit.us. That way, you can guarantee that no unwanted listeners or unaccounted risks crop up along the way.

Washing your hands of the need to provide tools

Providing employee tools is essential in an office setting. It’s down to you to supply computers, office chairs, and desks at the very least. And, don’t think this responsibility is altogether over just because you’ve gone remote. While your team will need to use home desks/computers, you should still ensure they have everything necessary to complete tasks. In this instance, that primarily comes down to software tools like those outlined on https://www.proofhub.com. At the very least, this continued assistance on your end will keep employees happy. The chances are that it will also do a great deal to boost results.

Image by Christina Morillo: CC0 License

Too much trust in your employees

Lastly, you may well be putting too much trust in your employees to work hours whenever it suits, or even to get on with tasks without your oversight. Sadly, this often leads to even the best team members letting you down, and it’s something you need to avoid by remembering to do your fair share of managing. That means hosting meetings at set times, and always checking how things are progressing once a project is underway. Only then can you know, without a shadow of a doubt, that your team is continuing to work as well as they would have in the office.

Promoting Your Business In Challenging Times

Three focuses of my blog are Current Events, Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. With this Coronavirus/Covid-19 Crisis, many businesses are in an unanticipated tailspin. Every business owner must figure out how to survive this storm so that they’re still viable once it passes. The following contributed post is entitled, Promoting Your Business In Challenging Times.

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Image via Pexels – CC0 Licence

With the Covid-19 outbreak dominating the news and our daily lives, every single aspect of doing business has been plunged into chaos seemingly overnight. And while small businesses are generally used to dealing with challenges, this remains absolutely unprecedented in terms of scale and impact. And while the dust is still settling, any forward-thinking company with a goal for long-term survival is going to be focused on adapting to this new normal as quickly and possible and mapping out a viable way to keep the show on the road under incredibly hard circumstances. No matter the doom and gloom, people still have needs and there is still a market place out there – even if you need to work a little harder to reach it. All bets are off, but it must be said that it’s an extremely difficult landscape to try and market yourself out there. So how can you market your business during sensitive times?

Visualise Your Future Funnel

The companies who are going to manage to come through all this are the ones who are actively thinking ahead. While everyone is struggling to recover and fully understand the impact on their operations, those who are able to take a step back from the panic and think ahead towards times of recovery will be the ones who are able to benefit the most. It can be tempting in desperate times to try to secure a sales pipeline, but this messaging can come across as insensitive. Instead, use this immediate time to craft some sympathetic crisis communications checking in with customers and offering support in any way that you can. Then begin to plan a second phase where you can build up to something approaching normal marketing activity again. What channels will offer the best value? What SEO might you need to do on your site? How might you change your messaging to fit new circumstances?

Ensure Value For Money

Cashflow is going to be a serious matter for almost all businesses following this period of disruption, so now is a very good time to ensure that the return on investment for your marketing spend is going to deliver what you need. Review everything from your PPC campaigns which may not be living up to their conversion goals, to any outdoor advertising which may be going unseen as people stay indoors. Consider new channels which may have better reach in these times – such as forms of digital advertising or perhaps finding out about radio advertising here: howtoadvertiseonsiriusxm.com/.

Get The Tone Right

Tone is everything at the moment, as your audience navigates it’s way through difficult circumstances. Remember that people are worried and concerned, and that there may be more sales barriers to overcome than usual – ones you may not have handled before. Depending on what you do, you may be fielding more queries about hygiene, cancellation policies, payment terms and travel restrictions than ever before. Your tone should be reassuring, realistic and kind. During times of crisis, it is possible to foster deep customer loyalty with the right approach.

Community Quarantine: Working from Home During These Times

Two key focuses of my blog are Career Discussions and Current Events. The Coronavirus/Covid-19 Pandemic has at least temporarily changed workplace conditions around the world. While working at home sounds like a win-win, there are some caveats to it, especially if you aren’t used to it. The following guest post is entitled, Community Quarantine: Working from Home During These Times.

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Now that the country is under quarantine, with Luzon on enhanced community quarantine, working from home is now being implemented by the government and most companies in the private business sector.

Under the threat of the COVID-19 disease, the Philippine government is encouraging private companies to make adjustments to its processes and put in place a work-from-home structure. If you’re new to this scenario, here are a few tips to help you make the most of your time at home:

5 Ways to Be Productive as You Work from Home

1. Treat it as you would any normal workday at the office.

Simply because you’re working from home now doesn’t mean you need to make major adjustments in life. You still need to go about it as you would any normal day at the workplace.

Wake up early. Take a bath. Prepare your work station. Clock in at a certain time to start your workday. Focus on the day’s tasks and deliverables.

It will still pretty much be the same thing you do at work. The only difference is you’re getting all your work done from home. Establish a routine to maintain or even enhance your productivity.

2. Prioritize.

Take a look at your day-to-day tasks and prioritize them according to importance or degree of difficulty. If you are uncertain which ones are needed the most at the end of the day, give your supervisor or boss a call. Sure, you don’t have access to your PBX business phone systems but a text message or an email should do the trick. Knowing which tasks are priority helps determine how your day will go.

3. Organize your schedule and try to stick to it.

Once you have already identified which deliverables are urgent and which ones can wait, plot down your schedule according to these tasks.

Writing down your daily or weekly schedule helps establish the rhythm that you need to keep you on track. Working from home can give you plenty of distractions. You need something tangible to help keep you from getting off-course and keep you goal-oriented throughout the day and week.

4. Take breaks.

One of the things some people tend to take for granted is taking breaks. Breaks are essential to a person’s productivity. These help you recharge and refocus after lengthy periods. Taking a break is not exactly a luxury, but it is a necessity for any worker.

When you take breaks, it is recommended to step away from your workstation. Stand up, stretch a bit, walk around to get the blood flowing in your system, and enjoy a cup of coffee or a sandwich. Do whatever normal people would do at the office when on break.

5. Stop at the end of the day.

Like any other workday, you should stop at a certain time. One of the downsides of working from home is some people can no longer differentiate time for work and time away from it.

Clock out at the end of your day. Once you have already completed your eight hours, step away from your work station and move on to the finer things in life like spending time with your family or taking your well-deserved rest.

Working from home is a privilege. Do not take it for granted. Work when you need to work, stop when you should stop. Learn how to properly balance work and life. Learning how to manage that will make you more productive in the end.

Handling A Business Emergency

Three of the focuses of my blog are Current Events, Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. In some instances, catastrophic events emerge which adversely impact businesses just like people. The Coronavirus/COVID-19 Pandemic is such a case where people and businesses have been thrown into peril. Just as with humans, the health of sick businesses must be managed. The following contributed post is entitled, Handling A Business Emergency.

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We are living in the middle of a pandemic right now, and while it’s a scary time to live in with the media screaming and people panic-buying, we must think about business continuity. A pandemic is an emergency for a business. It’s going to need a comprehensive backup plan to be able to cope with the stock markets crashing and the economy going belly-up. It’s essential that in any disaster, you have a contingency plan for the business to keep afloat. Still, in a pandemic, when isolation is recommended, we need to do what we can to ensure that your business continuity plan is intact. Let’s take a look.

Image Source: Pexels

● Know The Threat
The biggest threat in the pandemic today is the fact that people are in isolation (depending on where you are in the world). So, if your business is one in the hospitality industry or one that has been forced to let staff work from home, you need a plan – and fast. Enabling home-working and remote access to servers is an excellent way to keep people able to earn money, and your business is still running. In other threats, you need to be able to recover quickly. For example, buying batteries from powRparts to ensure that your generators and equipment can keep running in the event of a blackout is just smart business. Knowing your threats is so important so that you can get that plan up and running.
● Assign Responsibility
We may be dealing with COVID-19, but the other disasters in the world include fire, terrorism, flooding, and magic sinkholes that can swallow up half a street. Assigning areas of responsibility to your staff is so important. This way, you’re not leading the charge by yourself when it comes to implementing your emergency plan. Training up your team to be able to handle an incident is a must, and they will be able to work with you to ensure that everyone else in the business is safe!
● Know Your Contacts
You need to know the best contact information for the assigned emergency leaders in your company. You cannot scramble for phone numbers in a time of worry. You need these to be accessible, and that should be a part of your plan!
● Business Recovery
You should have a whole team dedicated to the recovery of your business in a crisis. You should get in touch with a specialist IT team if your business needs to embrace home working, as this needs to be set up and ready to go in the event of an emergency situation. You should also have emergency equipment to hand on-site in at least three easy to reach locations. You want your business to recover well, and that takes establishing normal operations as soon as possible after a crisis.

Backing up your data and ensuring that your business is reliable as quickly as possible is the best way to ensure that your business recovers well from a crisis. You must get this done as early as you can – just in case.

Practical Tips For Supporting Vulnerable People Who Are Self-Isolating

Two key focuses of my blog are Current Events and Health/Wellness. As our world is dealing with the Coronavirus/Covid-19 Pandemic, people are being asked to practice “Social Distancing” and self-isolation. These new Coronavirus strategies aren’t necessarily healthy for people who are self-isolating even though they are necessary. The following contributed post is entitled, Practical Tips For Supporting Vulnerable People Who Are Self-Isolating.

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We live in scary and uncertain times. The coronavirus will have far-reaching effects not just for our healthcare system but for the global economy and business to say nothing of the potential long-term sociological effects. Yet, for those of us who make a living from caring for society’s most vulnerable, or those of us who care for elderly or infirm loved ones, our thoughts turn not to ourselves, but to those who rely on us. If you care for someone who is self-isolated, elderly or sick with a compromised immune system, whether you’re a medical professional or just a loving relative, here are some practical tips for protecting our most vulnerable and isolated in this difficult time.

Image by Matthias Zomer via Pexels

Encourage healthy eating

Those who are isolated tend to be less inclined to cook for themselves. Moreover, those who are in a state of stress or anxiety may experience a dramatic decline in appetite. At best, vulnerable people may sustain themselves with a variety of highly processed sugary, fatty or salty convenience foods. At worst they may eat nothing at all.

It’s essential to encourage, or even facilitate, healthy eating. Ensure that they eat a diet that is balanced with a good nutrient to calorie ratio. Make sure they have access to as much fresh fruit and veggies as possible. Not only is fresh produce packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein, it also contains phytonutrients which are believed to support immune function.

Plus, let’s not forget, food is a source of enjoyment as well as fuel for our bodies. Sharing delicious home cooked meals can make a huge difference to someone’s day.

Encourage them to wash their hands properly

We all know how important hand washing is in the current climate. As much as people seem to think that stockpiling alcoholic hand sanitizer will insulate them from the risk of coronavirus, there’s really no substitute for good old fashioned soap and water. In fact, the very act of washing your hands literally tears viruses apart. Viruses come packaged in a wall of fats and proteins. Soaps dissolve the bonds that hold viral cells together so when you wash your hands, you’re not just washing them down the drain, you’re wiping them out.

However, our charges who experience diminished cognitive functions or neurological impediments such as dementia may not be willing or able to wash their hands regularly. Where possible, it’s vital to ensure that they understand and use the proper hand washing technique. Medical professionals will already be well aware of this but family carers can check it out here. Where it’s not possible to educate your charge on proper hand washing technique, it’s up to you to ensure that their hands are clean especially before eating.

Ensure that they are continuously monitored

As hard and as diligently as you work to protect the person or people you care for, it’s okay to admit that you’re only human. Fortunately, technology can lend a helping hand to monitor charges even when you’re not on the premises. Continuous EEG monitoring equipment is appropriate both for home and hospital use. It offers real time monitoring of brain activity 24/7 to give carers peace of mind and inform ongoing therapy options. It can track seizure activity, provide a steady stream of data for review by your charge’s doctor or specialist physician and help medical professionals to make fast and effective decisions pertaining to therapies or drug treatments.

Help them feel cared for and supported

We’ve yet to encounter the true sociological cost of self-isolation. As friends and family members become separated from one another and married couples experience potential cabin fever that can put a strain on their relationship, we can expect to see some serious social fallout as a result of the coronavirus. However, for the people in your care, it may compound their existing feelings of isolation and vulnerability. The elderly and infirm are among the most isolated in our society and the most prone to anxiety, depression and even suicidal thoughts.

As such, perhaps one of the most important things medical professionals and family members can do is be there for our charges socially. Keep them chatting, let them know you’re available. Ask how they’re feeling and encourage them to share their thoughts and experiences with you.

Your emotional support, compassion and availability may be just as lifesaving as your health and hygiene precautions or the medication you administer.

This current pandemic can exacerbate the sense of isolation felt by the isolated and make them even more vulnerable. In this climate, the support you lend them is more important than ever!

There’s A Rocky Road Ahead. How Will You Take Back Control Of Your Finances?

Two of the focuses of my blog are Current Events and Financial Literacy/Money. Sometimes there are global and systemic events that have the potential to throw our personal finances into chaos. At the time of this blog post going live, the world is going through such an event with the Coronavirus/Covid-19 Pandemic. Everyone must come up with a plan for survival during this and other crises. The following contributed post is entitled, There’s A Rocky Road Ahead. How Will You Take Back Control Of Your Finances?

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As governments and markets around the world respond to the healthcare and economic implications of the coronavirus, it’s safe to say that most of us have a rocky economic road ahead. Already, many of us are learning that no job is as stable as we thought. No employer is as untouchable as we assumed and that the gig economy has no emergency exit. For many of us, joblessness is a very real and imminent prospect, and many more will face a reduction in their gross salaries at the very least. But in this digitally interconnected age, none of us are powerless. Each of us has the tools at our disposal to make money safely, grow our income and take back control of our finances, whatever capricious twists and turns economic forces may bring.

Image by Burak K via Pexels

Here we’ll look at some ways in which you can make a little extra money and regain control of your finances without even leaving your home…

Start your own dropshipping business

In this uncertain time, it’s likely that more and more people will increase the amount of online shopping they do. While high street stores may have already begun to close their doors, there’s a potential e-commerce boom on the horizon. And that means great opportunity for the quick witted and the enterprising. Dropshipping is a popular way to start a home business as it has the potential to start making money quickly with few or even zero overhead costs. Dropshippers buy items as and when needed and sell them directly to the consumer via trusted online channels, meaning that there are no warehousing costs involved and no liquidity tied up in stock that just sits untouched on the shelf.

Try out trading

In the current landscape, there are a wide range of economic forces in a state of flux. But even here there’s potential opportunity for the savvy investor. Of course, with any kind of investment comes a degree of risk. Nonetheless, with a wide range of digital trading platforms like Targets Trading Pro available, you can start out trading and get to know the futures markets with minimal risk. Invest small while you get a feel for the markets, then as you grow more confident and informed you can grow your investment in direct proportion to your confidence.

Jump on the affiliate marketing bandwagon

If you already have a blog, a YouTube channel, a successful Instagram account or any other kind of robust online presence, you might want to think about joining the fast-growing and eminently profitable world of affiliate marketing. With a potential rise in ecommerce on the horizon and a period of potential uncertainty it’s likely that people will gravitate towards trusted brands. Affiliate marketers make money on purchases made by their followers from brands that they already know and trust. Joining an affiliate scheme is easy, low risk and potentially very rewarding. Here are some of the best ones which you can try right now.

Who knows what the future will bring. But the tools above can help you to stay proactive and ahead of the curve, enabling you to take control of your finances and insulate your household from financial risk.