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Design for mental wellness
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesDecades of case studies and research studies have demonstrated ways that interior design can improve mental healthcare environments. Design interventions such as altering space layouts, improving lighting and daylighting, modifying colors, and introducing natural elements have been found to reduce anxiety and aggression in some mental health patients, leading to more constructive therapies, less violence and less need for medications to control behavior, among other benefits. A natural next step is to employ similar interventions to support and improve mental wellness in order to prevent the onset of mental distress or illness.
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Supporting social-emotional learning in today’s classroom
Sheilamary Koch EducationBefore students can really focus on math, science or any academic subject, they need to have their basic needs met, and one of those needs is emotional security. Today, students' stress may be related to economic uncertainty in the family, concern about an elderly loved one or even being able to log in for class. Even prior to today's pandemic-triggered upheaval, many educators were strongly advocating for social-emotional learning (SEL) to address bullying in the classroom as well as to help students develop the skills today’s employers are seeking such as the ability to tolerate unpleasant emotions.
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3 simple New Year’s resolutions for church staff
Deborah Ike Religious CommunityWe're near the finish line of 2020, with everyone ready to bid this chaotic year adieu. As we try to shake off a rough year, it's time to look ahead and consider how to start 2021. While COVID-19 isn't fully behind us, we can still take a few actions to make this new year better than the last.
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The meaning of the healthcare podcast revolution
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareWhen podcasts began appearing around 2004, capitalizing on the presence of MP3 players like the iPod, little did we know that they would eventually become a driving force in the wider culture, let alone in healthcare, nursing, medicine, and related fields. Podcasts have emerged as a leading technology for disseminating opinion, entertainment, and information. Through the expanding podcast sphere, laypeople and professionals are leveraging the power of digital audio to create content covering most every aspect of human endeavor.
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How educators can best focus on the social-emotional needs of boys
Sheilamary Koch EducationCreating safe spaces for youth, in particular boys and young men, to express what they’re going through and heal from trauma is one of Chad Reed’s overriding objectives. His personal history and work with nonprofits serving youth of color in the San Francisco Bay Area has made him a strong advocate for social-emotional learning (SEL), which he believes is a must before academic subject matter. While developing the soft skills reflected in CASEL’s five competencies can be challenging for all students, one's gender, socio-economic level and cultural background can shape how readily a student can integrate this learning.
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Survey: Older patients less likely to have elective procedures as COVID-19…
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareOlder patients continue their aversion to elective procedures during the continued onslaught of COVID-19, according to a survey by analysts at investment firm Needham & Company. The study, conducted in November, featured responses from several hundred people with an average age of 61. Only about a quarter (27%) of them are still willing to choose elective procedures. As economies shutter again — notably California and New York — these numbers are likely to continue until the pandemic is under control or effective vaccines reach critical mass.
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Travel nurse demand skyrockets as COVID-19 persists
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareTraveling nurses continue to be in high demand as COVID-19 spikes during the last two months of 2020. According to the staffing firms that recruit them for hospitals, high demand and short supply nationwide seem to be the order of the day. The tight supply of nurses available drives prices higher, too, in a real lesson of supply and demand. For example, average pay packages for ICU travel nurses in November were about $2,250 per week. That's about a 28% increase from 2019's average rates, according to recruiting firm NurseFly.
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Where inequality goes, so goes health
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareA robust body of literature supports the thesis that inequality and health are inextricably entwined. The fight against deepening inequality in the United States and around the world is one which simply cannot be ignored in the 21st century. It is, in fact, our moral and ethical duty to address these issues and steel ourselves to resolve them, especially in this time of a historic and deadly pandemic.
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Coffee or no coffee? An exploration of America’s morning beverage
Victoria Fann Food & BeverageIn the United States, over 150 million people drink coffee every day with the average consumption being three cups per day. That’s approximately 450 million cups per day! We love our coffee. In fact, it is rare to go anywhere these days — even in the smallest towns — without running into some kind of coffee shop, many of them serving freshly ground coffee and espresso. With that level of popularity, it’s a given that coffee is embedded into our lives. But, is this a good thing?
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Remote instruction: The importance of interest, attention, and memory
Howard Margolis EducationBefore COVID-19 ravaged the nation, countless struggling learners had a problem. They quickly forgot whatever was taught. Today, the problem continues. Some are bored; they give little if any thought to what’s taught. Others attend diligently but focus on the wrong information. And when they focus on the right information, they can’t remember much. The reason is simple: They don’t know how to remember. Now, in the era of COVID-19’s isolation and remote instruction, these problems have intensified. Teachers (and parents) are finding it increasingly difficult to create and sustain struggling learners’ interest and focus.
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