In the last few generations, the USA has led the world in increasing acceptance and accessibility for people with disabilities, both physical and intellectual.

In fact, thanks to USA disability services, the life expectancy for people with conditions like Down Syndrome has nearly doubled in the last 30 years. My cousin had Down Syndrome.

Here are some of the programs that help build a safety net in America for those who need assistance due to disabilities.

Social Security

In addition to providing deferred funds to retired seniors through taxes, the U.S. Office of Social Security also facilitates the release of funds to people who need to receive disability compensation, such as people who have been injured to the point that they are no longer able to work, or victims of strokes or severe heart attacks.

Medicare

Medicare is another wide-ranging government program that was established in the mid-20^th century. Most people associate it with the provision of medical insurance for seniors over the age of 65. In addition to this essential service, it also provides insurance for people with disabilities, regardless of age. Those that qualify must apply and wait for approval. But once approved, they can receive primary medical insurance if they or their parents are not otherwise uninsured.

If they already have primary insurance, Medicare acts as secondary insurance, which generally covers much higher percentages of prescriptions and other medical expenses, and in many cases, eliminates co-pays. Medicare insurance is subject to annual renewal, and periodic visits and evaluations from state professionals. Medicare is sometimes confused with Medicaid, which provides insurance assistance to low-income individuals.

Respite and Waiver Programs

In addition to medical insurance, state Medicare providers may also provide waiver programs that extend additional resources to qualifying individuals. These can provide respite care for families of people with disabilities. This means that Medicare will pay a designated and vetted person an hourly wage to care for a person with disabilities up to a certain amount of time per month, in an off-site location to give families a break from the additional care they provide. Waiver programs can also provide in-home visits to people with disabilities and other services if necessary. These also require applications, paperwork, and annual reviews.

It is encouraging to see that with these and other initiatives, we have moved towards a more inclusive society, taking care of those among us with the most need. The US government and the private sector have both taken up this mantle to champion people with disabilities. But we still have so far to go.

Dental implants are a great restorative option for many patients. Patients report that they can chew with their dental implants as well as they can with natural teeth. Some say that they cannot tell a difference between the implant and the surrounding natural teeth and forget that it is there. These natural-looking restorations have come a long way in recent years and can last the patient a long time when properly cared for. For patients who have Brooklyn dental implants placed, there are some important steps to take in caring for them. These recommendations are much like care tips for natural teeth, adding to the convenience of dental implants. 

Brush the Implant and Surrounding Teeth

An implant is placed into the bone and a natural-looking crown (cap) is attached to the implant. You should brush this area just like you would your natural teeth. Be sure that you are brushing all the way to the gum line so that you are not missing plaque that is sitting around the bottom of the implant crown. It is important to note that although you should brush the tooth all the way to the gum line, you do not want to scrub on your gums as this can abrade them over time.

Floss Around the Implant Crown

Flossing is an important part of your daily oral hygiene routine. You must floss to remove plaque between your teeth where your toothbrush has limited access. It is especially important that you floss around your implant; plaque can be wedged between your implant crown margin and your gums and can wreak havoc on the success of an implant over time. Meticulous oral hygiene should be observed by all people but especially those with dental restorations.

See Your Dentist Regularly

Your dentist can take X-rays of your dental implant that show things that cannot be seen just by looking in the mouth. It is important that you follow your dentist’s recommendations on care of your implant and their schedule for taking X-rays of this area. Regular dental appointments are important for all people but especially for those with implants so that the success of the treatment can be evaluated over time.

Implants are a dental restoration that can benefit patients for many years if they are properly maintained. Be sure that you protect the investment you have made into this treatment by following all recommendations about the care of your implant.

Whether 13 or 30, maintaining a skincare regimen should be a priority for you. The sooner you build good habits, the more youthful and healthier your skin can look later in life. While you don’t have to commit yourself to a 10-step plan like the Korean skincare routine, paying attention to some key areas can make a world of difference to your skin. Take the time to review this guide to help your skin out today.   

For Your Whole Face 

The first big investment on any skin regimen should be a good moisturizer. A staple to any facial care plan, moisturizers help your skin maintain a youthful tightness and can ensure much-needed water helps keeps your skin hydrated. There are a variety of types of moisturizers to choose from, so it is worth doing your research to get one that meets the needs of your skin. Then commit to using it every day.   

To Take Care of Your Eyes 

It may seem obvious, but your eyes need extra love. From fine lines to more sensitive skin areas, investing in eye care should be one of the first steps you take. When trying to choose the best eye cream, look for one that will work with your skin type, can target concern areas and help to bring moisture to the skin. Before purchasing, be sure to note what the cream is for and when to use it. Taking care of the skin around your eyes should be a priority in any skincare plan.  

To Prep Your Skin

Once you have your moisturizer and eye cream, it is worth considering adding a toner to your morning routine. Think of toner as a clarifying pre-cleanse to prep your skin for the rest of your products. Modern toners clean up dead skin, remove leftover makeup, clarify your skin and get it ready to absorb all the goodness from your other products. There are a lot of varieties of toner, so be sure to pick the one that works best for you. 

As you get your day started, take the time to add a couple of extra minutes to give your skin the love it deserves. Just applying some toner, moisturizer and eye cream is an easy way to maintain fabulous skin, without losing out on too much time. Your skin will thank you when you give it the time and care it needs.   

What really makes a great teacher? If you’re looking to get into teaching or are already an educator, this definitely a question that has crossed your mind at least once. Unfortunately, there is no single straight answer, which means that different educators take different teaching approaches. Furthermore, results from studies and research into effective teaching only create confusion and contradicting ideas in the field of teaching.  

However, through the chaos, some useful attributes and behavior of a good educator sometimes emerge. Some teaching styles come and go, but there are still a few teaching practices that seem to stick around. Below is a list of some of the main factors that contribute to effective teaching.

How Well You Know Your Students

Before deciding on a teaching style, you should make an effort to know your students. Doing this will help you prepare for the challenges along the way and also understand the kind of students you’ll be dealing with.

First, you need to identify their academic weaknesses and strengths; nowadays, there many different ways you can do that. I-Ready, for instance, is a convenient and effective way to gauge each of your student’s academic strengths and struggles. The i-Ready answers that you get from having every student take an i-Ready test can provide you with valuable insights into the classroom, helping you formulate and customize a result-oriented teaching plan.  

In addition, learning about your students’ academic needs can help you personalize some of your teaching processes to reach every student. It’s also essential to appreciate and acknowledge that every student is unique and may need to be taught differently.  

Knowledge in The Subject

It’s much easier to teach a subject that you’re already familiar with and know a great deal about. If whatever you are teaching is entirely new to you, make sure you learn the material extensively before showing it to the students. The point is, you should not be learning new things at the same time you are teaching a class.

If you’re not familiar with what you’re teaching, you’ll probably have trouble with your delivery. There is even a chance that you might relay the wrong information. And it gets even worse if the students realize that you don’t understand the subject, which may come as a shock to them. Besides, you’ll be more confident when teaching ideas and concepts that you know very well. 

Level of Engagement with Students

Teaching is an involved process, and it helps to involve the students themselves as well. Engage with your students in and outside the classroom to ensure that whatever you say or demonstrate gets through to them. Ask questions, and encourage suggestions and feedback during every lesson or class session. Create a friendly and safe atmosphere where students feel motivated to participate in the lesson.

Engaging with your students also helps create meaningful relationships with the class. This means that the students won’t shy away from openly discussing academic or even personal matters affecting their learning abilities, which is one sign of a progressive classroom. 

Your Enthusiasm and Passion

If you’re going to take on the role of teaching or educating, you need to be passionate about it from the very start. Although some teachers may see their roles as just another job, there is a lot more to teaching than the occupation. If you love your job, you’ll probably be good at it and will not be deterred by the challenges you may face; the same is true for teaching. A teaching career can be very challenging at times; it helps to have the heart to see things through.

You’ll come across many practical tips for improving your teaching skills, but keep in mind that it mostly comes down to the students in question. You’ll probably have to define and reevaluate your teaching style depending on the qualities of the students.

It’s already clear that modern students are familiar with and eager to use existing and emerging technology. As teachers, this brings up a lot of exciting chances for teachers to integrate their teaching methods with specific forms of technology. Along the way, teachers may find that their jobs are at least a little bit easier, and students may be more engaged in the learning process. Are there other benefits as well?

Increased Student Engagement

Before moving on to a few of the many benefits of bringing technology into the classroom, take a closer look at how student engagement is improved. One great example of this is the variety of tools that allow teachers to ask a question and receive answers from every student in the class and, in some cases, even students who aren’t in the physical classroom. Similarly, students can ask questions without posing them in front of the rest of the class and receive answers from the teacher.

Improved Retention of Information

Interactive presentations are visually appealing and capture the interest of students who are used to speedy clips of information. These presentations may include virtual field trips to art museums, underground caves, magnificent examples of architecture, courtrooms, music halls, and scientific laboratories. In addition to field trips, this technology makes it possible for biology teachers to take students deep into the human body and for astronomy teachers to give students glimpses of outer space. When students are interested and engaged in the learning process, they are more likely to remember what they’ve learned.

Preparation for Use of Technology

At least one of the goals of education is to prepare students for entering the workforce. In today’s environment, familiarity with and comfort using technology is a must. Students must be prepared to put together presentations, understand and send emails, practice appropriate online etiquette, fill out forms, and recognize reliable sources of online information. Experienced teachers may find that they are learning along with students when it comes to these skills.

Logistical Convenience and Time Savings

Online word processing programs allow teachers to receive student papers without worrying about the assignments getting lost or students leaving their names off the pages. Instead of writing notes on the chalkboard for students to copy, notes can be sent directly to students. Teachers could also choose to lecture while students type notes directly into their computers. Assigning and correcting assessments is also simpler when delivered online. Digital records of student performance can also help a teacher show parents the progression of their students’ efforts and results.

For many teachers, one of the most impressive benefits of modern technology is the chance to work with students individually, so they can learn at their own paces. There are so many ways for students to learn that teachers are often required to present information in a variety of formats. Modern tools and resources offer solutions for this challenge.

Better Use of Teachers’ Time

Of course, teachers’ time is extremely valuable. With so many hours spent at the front of the classroom, it’s hard for teachers to find enough time to correct assignments, prepare new information, and engage in their own continuing education. With modern tools that simplify tasks such as preparing grades and creating presentations, teachers have more time to devote to related, outside of class activities. 

The internet and related technology have drastically changed the ways people teach and learn. As emerging generations of students are already engaging in the use of technology, it’s crucial that teachers keep pace. The benefits of using modern tools include better results, increased retention (and scores), time savings, and more convenience for teachers. Are you already using modern technology in your classroom? What benefits have you experienced?

If you’re looking for a great profession with a recession-proof demand and upward mobility for those dedicated to education and professional development, there are a lot of opportunities in the medical field. For many, nursing represents one of the most accessible careers in the field, because nurses are always in demand and the wide range of roles they play provides graduates from Grand Canyon University Nursing with a broad selection of career opportunities when they get into the workforce.

Continuing Education and Advancement

While you can get into the profession with a two-year training program and degree, nursing involves a depth of medical understanding that relies on the continuing education of nurses. For some, that just means staying on top of the professional development that keeps you up to date on protocols and best practices. For others, it means crafting a degree path that opens up opportunities for teaching, greater managerial responsibilities, or even an eventual role as an independent nurse practitioner. The upward mobility of the career means you can not only carve your own path through the profession, but you can also rise to any level you wish with the right ambition and timing.

A Career That Matters

From nurses who care for the seriously ill in hospital and residential settings to those who help with outpatient procedures and maintenance treatments for the chronically ill, nurses are responsible for helping patients access the care they need at every level. They are often the primary point of contact between patients and medical institutions during stays, and they also provide doctors with important information about the development of a patient’s individual case. It doesn’t matter if that case is minor recovery after a procedure or an ongoing fight for health, your career matters. So does the place you go for training.

Features of a Great Nursing Program

With all the options for your education and career training, you need to know how to tell the best of the offerings from the rest. Here are the key features of a well-designed program you should look for when picking out the schools you want to apply to.

• Continuing education for those seeking advanced degrees in nursing
• Career placement in the community
• Accessible locations to your home and the community you want to work in
• Experiential learning opportunities at all levels

Grand Canyon University nursing professionals find themselves well-prepared for the various roles they take up because they know to seek out a program that allows them to reach their dreams through education, support, and professional mentoring. Whether you’re looking for a program in the area or seeking one in a community elsewhere in the country, the model for a good nursing program remains the same.

Keep Searching for Your Best Fit

Not every program is suited to every applicant. Some great schools only offer very traditional schedules for those pursuing a full-time degree. Others specialize in fitting the program to your schedule, allowing you to keep your current career active until you’re ready to make the switch into nursing. It’s all a matter of what fits your life right now. If you’re trying to figure out whether a program is going to work for your schedule and lifestyle, you need to develop questions to ask when you query for more details. Keep these in mind as you search:

• How flexible is the scheduling?
• What internship opportunities are available?
• What experiential learning opportunities are there beside the mandatory hands-on classes?
• Which employers draw from the applicant pool?
• Are there any specializations the school excels with? Are they the ones you want?

There’s no replacement for having the right information when you apply, but you need to start with the right questions. Begin your search today.

Peptides (from Greek language πεπτός, peptós “digested”; derived from πέσσειν, péssein “to digest”) are short chains of amino acids (very small proteins) linked by peptide (amide) bonds.

Peptides serve a variety of functions within the human body. They can be extremely beneficial for your physical and mental well-being.

An experienced professional in the field, like Ryan Smith Lexington KY, can help you design a plan to use peptides in a way that makes sense for your body and lifestyle.

I love adding peptide powders to my morning smoothies and I can really tell a difference in my appearance and skin quality. My vitality is improved lately too!

Weight Loss

Peptides are a fantastic tool for losing weight, especially when you also eat healthily and exercise. Ipamorelin in particular works especially well to elevate your levels of growth hormone, and as a result, your body will become more efficient at breaking down fat. Improved body composition will, in many cases, lead to greater mental acuity as well.

Beautiful Skin

Are you looking for a way to eliminate fine lines and wrinkles? As you age, your body produces less collagen, which causes the skin to lose elasticity and become more fragile. This effect is exacerbated by factors including sun damage, the use of tobacco, and exposure to pollution. Depending on what you would most like to improve about your skin, you have a wide variety of peptides from which to choose. Acetyl hexapeptide-3, a common active ingredient in anti-aging skincare products, has an effect similar to Botox, smoothing out and greatly reducing the appearance of wrinkles. Palmitoyl tetrapide-7 and palmitoyl oligopeptide, meanwhile, are excellent choices to protect against damage from UV rays.

Lower Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, which affects a high percentage of the American population, can have harmful effects. People with high blood pressure are more likely to experience heart disease, stroke, and memory loss. Peptides can be helpful in reducing blood pressure, and they are most effective when the person using them also makes lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking and reducing the amount of sodium in his or her diet. If reducing your blood pressure is the main benefit that you are seeking from peptides, you should look into using milk-derived or fish-derived peptides.

No matter what your health goals may be, you can achieve them by making healthy choices and using an appropriate peptide supplement.

Do you use peptides? What’s your favorite way to take peptides?

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

The holidays are coming and that means parties, hanging out with friends over brunch or drinks, sweaters and boots, and celebrating!

Stella & Dot has all your holiday essentials from makeup, jeweled accessories, and pretty sweaters.

I love unique details that make sweaters POP!

Buttons, puff sleeves, and different fabric panels are like built-in accessories. Pair these lovely sweaters with unique and classic jewelry from Stella & Dot for the perfect look for any occasion!

My favorite sweaters:

The Side Button Sweater

55% Cotton, 25% Viscose, 20% Nylon

I love classic black and white that goes with anything. Buttons are a great detail!

The Puff Sleeve Pullover

Updated with an elongated sleeve cuff to create long, sleek lines and in a super durable and soft Scuba Knit fabrication.

Just like Anne of Green Gables, I love a puff sleeve! The long cuffs are elegant.

The Chevron V Pullover

Front Panel: 77% Nylon, 23% Cotton, Back Panel / Sleeve: 50% Nylon, 50% Cotton

I adore V necklines and this pretty fuzzy feminine pink!

Feminine sweaters with fun details and designs make the holidays warmer.

Shop the Ultimate Edit Collection on Stella & Dot Today! Share What You Love! Get the Digital Access kit and become a S&D Ambassador for $99!

Every home needs a facelift every so often to help keep it looking and feeling fresh. If it’s been a while since you’ve freshened up your home with a new look, it may be time to start looking into different home decor and design trends that you may be able to try around your home. 

Go Gray

Gray is a timeless color for a reason. Its muted simplicity is a great way to pull together several different color schemes and can serve as a base color for just about any template. In addition to providing a calming effect, it can also provide a pop of color in just about any room when used correctly. If you’re tired of looking at the same, boring walls, try giving your room a fresh coat of gray paint and watch it transform into a beautiful, tranquil place. 

Be a Natural

Being in nature is a relaxing way to calm your mind and get in touch with your outdoorsy side. However, there are times when you simply can’t get outside as much as you’d like, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the outdoors from the comfort of your own home. Use plants as a natural way to bring a touch of nature indoors. Plants provide more oxygen in your home and can spruce up a space while giving it a calming vibe. Some people are even ditching the plastic tables and chairs in favor of natural woods, which make it feel even more natural and inviting. 

See the Light

Natural lighting is a great way to brighten up your space and make your home look and feel warmer and inviting. If you’ve been using the same, tired heavy drapes in your home for years, consider swapping them out in favor of something that will allow more natural light to filter into your home. If you’re concerned about privacy, you can invest in bottom-up shades, which allow light in your home while still providing you the privacy you and your loved ones need. You can find custom-made blinds by contacting Next Day Blinds professionals. At Next Day Blinds, you’ll find several options to suit just about all your needs and can be customized with several color schemes to fit your home’s decor scheme. 

Mix it Up

If you have an eclectic style and want to be sure your home showcases that style, consider mixing materials around your home. You can have metal furniture in the same room as natural wood and fur to give your room an interesting appeal and truly original vibe. You can even go retro with your choice and hit up local thrift stores to find truly unique pieces that will showcase your style while saving you money on your home’s decor. 

Paper It

Wallpaper is making a comeback as people are looking to breathe new life into their walls aside from traditional paint. If you’re looking to liven up your living space and love funky prints, look into using wallpaper in your home. You can find several prints that you could use for a statement wall to really make a statement and get people talking about your unique style. With so many great styles to choose from, you’re sure to find something that fits your personality.

Giving your home a fresh new look doesn’t have to be stressful or cost an arm and a leg. When you tap into your personal style, take advantage of the latest trends, and know where to look to find deals, you can make your home look and feel great without putting a major dent in your wallet. Give these home design and decor tips a try and watch as your home is transformed into a beautiful, trendy space for you to relax and enjoy your loved ones.