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Showing posts from 2014

A Review of "Nice Girl's Don't" by Sue Barnard

The timing of the release of this book is appropriate as it touches  on the topic of World War I which is very fitting in the 100th year anniversary of the beginning of  that conflict. After the death of his grandfather, Carl inherited letters and and an object that aroused his curiosity about his family history and he realised that there was much about his family that his grandfather had never revealed. Carl found unexpected help from his local librarian, Emily, and a regular visitor to the library, Mr. Sykes, an older gentleman with some experience of tracing family trees. The story is set in 1982 and makes us realise how far computer use has evolved in the past thirty two years as the main characters try to solve the mysteries of past family members and unwittingly discover more shocking secrets as they progress.  Without the use of genealogy websites they attempt to trace the complicated lives of Carl's ancestors back before the beginning of the first world war. While ass

"Sophia's Secret" by Julie Ryan - My Review

I really wanted to read "Sophia's Secret" as it is my dream is to retire to a Greek Island so the setting grabbed me right away. Although I occasionally struggled to remember who was who, I found the tangle of generations, unsolved mysteries, murder and intrigue absolutely fascinating. Kat, who the tale revolves around, returns to the island of her birth for a funeral, not realising that she will finally find the answers to questions she has carried since childhood and also discovers people she thought no longer had any part of her life. She also discovers that she is able to heal herself and her relationships in the process! Old traditions are touched upon and the challenges that were faced by previous generations in a patriarchal society that had a profound effect on women's lives. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more by Julie Ryan.

Review of "My Life in a Nutshell" by Tanya Peterson

To review a book like this is very special. It has affected me deeply because when I began the first chapter, I thought the book was about my son, not Brian, the narrative character. Tanya has managed to put into words the inner workings of the mind of so many people who experience a variety of anxiety based issues and this book cuts so close to home for myself and my son. This heart warming story of a man who is so talented but struggles with everyday societal mores, takes the reader on an unusual journey. Brian discovers unwittingly and unwillingly that he has become a major influence on a little girl named Abigail whom he can relate to so well. The events that follow from his meeting with young Abigail change his life and her's, dramatically. His previous avoidance of people leads to including them in his life and being included in their's which proves to be a somewhat traumatic journey! Brian discovers a gift he doesn't realise he has and the book demonstrates how e

Care of the Elderly - My Reaction to the Panorama Report

Having worked specifically in the area of Elderly Care for over six years and as a Health Care Assistant in both hospital and care home previously, I have observed many types of practice, both good and poor over the years. Following the news this morning about the appalling treatment meted out to care home residents in Essex by SOME members of staff there,  I was prompted to vent on this Blog about it and my feelings surrounding looking after elderly people, many of whom have Alzheimers or Dementia. There are many sides to this story and I want to look at it from a few of them. Firstly, health care assistants and carers are underpaid and undervalued. They have one of the most stressful jobs in the industry and receive the least amount of pay and recognition. When at work, they are frequently needed to be in five places at one time and have eyes in the back of their head. They have a limited amount of time to spend with patients who need time and patience to look after. Staffi

The Other Side of Morning by Jo Lambert

Review of “The Other Side of Morning” by Jo Lambert This story has everything from love and sex, to deception and violence, with a variety of  emotive scenarios in between. Set in opulent surroundings with luxury lifestyles, the reader is transported between the Pacific, England, and the European continent, at a pace guaranteed to cause whiplash! At first it was difficult to keep on top of the many characters whose lives are intriguingly braided together by family, friendship and, in most cases - loyalty.  After a few chapters it becomes easier to form a picture of the many colourful individuals as one gets to know them better, and remember who everyone is. This novel tells the tale of two strong willed personalities, Marco and Charlotte, who are so obviously meant for each other but  many obstacles stand in their way - primarily, Marco's step-mother, who has a hidden agenda centred around greed, with dire consequences!  The lengths that Therese is willing to go to jeo

Nutrition and Hydration Week Part 3

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In an ideal world...... all our underweight patients would be eating all their meals, drinking at least 2000 mls a day and have put on weight by the end of their hospital stay!  In some cases, that happens and it's great but unfortunately in many incidents, that is not even close to the result. What can we do when despite all our efforts, our patients don't want hardly anything? We watch them losing weight despite all our pleading, begging and the doctors asking us to "encourage oral intake".  Firstly, we can talk to them and find out what is stopping them.  Occasionally we discover medical reasons behind it such as "I get horrible heartburn when I eat", "I feel like I have a lump in my chest and food won't go down", "I feel too full", "I can't chew, it hurts".  Here we have possible examples of acid reflux, oesophageal problems, constipation or mouth ulcers. These can often be resolved with medical interventio

Nutrition and Hydration Week Part 2

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Dignity and meals: To continue with the subject of Nutrition and Elderly Care in hospital, one important fact is sometimes ignored - the dignity of the patient. I mentioned in Part 1 that some patients decline to drink enough as they "will want to go to the toilet". If a patient has urgency or continence issues, this is of great concern to them for obvious reasons. Low staffing levels, distance from toilet, mobility problems all contribute to the facts that patients do not want to find themselves in an embarrassing predicament. And there are other issues.... The term "feeding" is one I dislike intensely and really try not to use. "Assistance" is the correct term I believe unless someone can give me a better one. Many patients come to hospital following a fall unable to use an arm due to injury, or, may be so weak that lifting their arms requires too much effort although in the time prior to coming to hospital, they were perfectly independent a

Nutrition and Hydration Week 2014 Part 1

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                                                                In this month leading up to Nutrition and Hydration Week 2014, I am going to focus on the issues surrounding keeping our elderly nourished and hydrated.  This is not as easy as it sounds when many are suffering the effects of Alzheimer's, Dementia, Parkinson's Disease and other health related issues that frequently, exhibit their symptoms as people get older. Patients that arrive in our hospitals are often already malnourished and dehydrated and our job is to try and help them improve their condition prior to them returning to where they live. Assessment is the first part of the process. All patients are weighed upon admission and their MUST score checked using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool.  Patient's who are found to be underweight are then referred to the Dietician who carries out a nutritional assessment and suggests extra snacks and supplement shakes in between meals, or, prescr

A Review of "Resolutions" by Teri Riggs

"Resolutions" – by Teri Riggs Not for the faint hearted, "Resolutions" is a gritty and dramatic story about the IDEA’s battle with a Colombian drug lord and his cronies who have decided to take their usual cocaine business in a new direction – International Terrorism. It is up to Eve Taylor, and her associates to steal the vital information needed to incriminate the twisted cartel leader.  Things go wrong for Eve and she is captured and subjected to the evil abuse of Mendoza and his rather less than intelligent henchmen. The operative sent in to rescue her raises many emotions for Eve, as she and Mac have history and unresolved matters of the heart.  It seems that their passion for their work and each other has not waned since they last met although some of their earlier issues remain to be addressed. Can these be resolved? Can Mac swallow his alpha-male pride?   Their adventures lead them through the Colombian jungles and back to where Eve’s operation beg