 IN
THIS ISSUE: Employees
Matter: Lifting programs that keep employees safe News
You Can Use: How to boost your self-confidence Communication
Corner: Personal space Just
for Fun: A family stress test Safe
Lifting Programs: What
You Need to Know According to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for nursing aides, orderlies, and
attendants is projected to increase by 25% by 2012—adding an estimated 343,000
jobs. Due to this ongoing demand for skilled care services, musculoskeletal injuries
to the back, shoulder, and upper extremities of healthcare professionals and
care givers is expected to increase. Indeed, heavy lifting
and repositioning of patients and/or residents is a major issue for healthcare
organizations. Factors that contribute
to the difficulty of lifting and moving a patient include the size and weight
of the patient, combativeness, and propensity to fall or lose balance. Keeping Healthcare Professionals Safe Many healthcare
organizations try to prevent back and musculoskeletal injuries by showing
employees proper lifting techniques. However, numerous studies have shown that
training caregivers how to use proper body mechanics to lift residents is not
an effective prevention measure because lifting the weight of adult patients is
intrinsically unsafe. Moreover, the effectiveness of back belts to lessen the
risk of back injury among uninjured workers remains unproven and may give
workers a false sense of security. Therefore,
the use of lifting equipment is a critical element to keeping staff and
patients safe and healthy. A lifting program that
includes mechanical lifting equipment, worker training on the use of the lifts,
and a written lifting policy is a three-prong approach that can reap several
benefits. Such a program can reduce the number and severity of staff injuries,
reduce workers’ compensation costs, and improve patient and resident safety.
Moreover, employees will benefit from improved job satisfaction, more energy at
the end of the work shift, and less pain and muscle fatigue on a daily basis Of course,
this type of program sounds wonderful in theory, but actually implementing it,
and getting staff to regularly use the equipment might be a challenge. If your staff is reluctant to use equipment,
try the following tips—they’ll help motivate your staff to use lifting
equipment now as well as in the long term.
The Importance of Putting It on
Paper A
written policy is also critical when it comes to enforcing your lifting
program. A written policy establishes the following:
Explain to all
applicable patients that your organization has a policy requiring the use of a
mechanical lift. It should be explained that the lift is for the safety of the patient
and the staff member. If a patient or resident refuses to be lifted with a
mechanical lift, caregivers or therapy staff should spend extra time with the patient
to secure their trust and to help them understand that the lifts increase both resident
and staff safety. Remember, if you make an exception for one patient or
resident (life-threatening situations excluded) then the rest will expect the
same treatment. Be consistent, and everyone will stay safe. “With regard to
excellence, it is not enough to know, but we must try to have and use it.” —Aristotle Boost Your Confidence: A Fast & Simple Plan A quick confidence
boost may be a lot simpler than you think. Below are some no-fail fixes for
when your self-esteem feels shaky. Build a trophy case. Fill a box or scrapbook with evidence of your accomplishments— touching
cards from friends, a great performance review from your boss, a drawing from
your toddler, a photo from the finish line of that 10 K race you powered
through. These odds and ends will help remind you that you're loved and
respected — and will give you a boost when you're feeling down. Fake it, until it becomes real. To find the real meaning of
confidence, and to get closer to achieving it, you first have to like and
accept yourself as you are today. If you act as if you like yourself — by
looking people in the eye, standing tall and proud, and presenting yourself as
a winner — eventually you'll believe it (and so will everyone else). The trick
is to mentally rehearse being confident until it becomes an actuality. Set challenging, but attainable goals. Your confidence will undoubtedly
grow when you reach outside of your comfort zone to attain a goal. You most likely won’t think twice about doing
certain things that you may have been hesitant to do before. Create a daily
to-do list and a list stating a few longer-term goals. Make sure your lists
include some tasks that are doable (i.e., exercising for 30 minutes) and others
that require a bit of risk-taking (i.e., asking your boss for new
responsibilities—or better yet, a raise). Surround yourself with good people. Positive, nurturing people make you
feel good about yourself, and will support your goals and dreams. On the
contrary, toxic people will only bring you down with their negativity and
critical judgment. If you have toxic friends, tell them that an attitude
change is a must if they want to remain a part of your life. Remember that you are always in
control. There are
some things you can't change in life, but you are always responsible for how
you respond. And once you begin to appreciate how big of an impact you can have
on what happens in life, you'll feel more powerful. Give
yourself a makeover.
There is a very strong link between feeling confident and looking good, but
nobody is quite sure which comes first. You can transform your image and build
your confidence by consciously planning how you would like to appear to others
and how you would like them to respond to you. Ask a friend what impression you
make with your clothes, demeanor, and body language and then work to alter
those outward signals until you become what you would ideally like to be. Confidence
is a vital ingredient of career success, and it invariably enhances all aspects
of our lives. When you are confident, you see difficult tasks as challenges and
persevere when things go wrong. By following the tips above, you will be well on your way to achieving this self-assured,
confident self. “Believe in yourself!
Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in
your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” —Norman Vincent Peale Respecting Others’ Personal Space Guidelines You Need to Follow Have you
ever been in a situation when someone invaded your personal space? Perhaps
someone has stood too close to you as you converse, or maybe you’ve been the recipient
of an unwanted hug. These situations most likely cause anxiety or just make you
feel plain uncomfortable. Furthermore, you probably find it extremely difficult
to concentrate and contribute to the conversation. However, in most cases the
personal space offender has no idea that he/she has made you feel this way.
This is because everyone has different boundaries for personal space. Some
prefer conversations from afar while some like to express themselves more
physically and at a closer range. Proxemics: A guide to personal space American
anthropologist Edward T. Hall developed a field known as “Proxemics,” which is
the study of a person’s behavioral use of space. He has assigned and titled
areas of personal space into four distinct zones:
Knowing these
basics of personal space can help you deal with co-workers, your social life,
and family. If an acquaintance has moved into the intimate zone, it is
completely acceptable to take a step or two back; the other person will most
likely get the point. If he or she doesn’t, it’s time to say something like, “I
can hear you just fine from here, there’s no need to get closer.” Furthermore,
by using this guide, you may be quicker to realize that a co-worker is feeling
uncomfortable with you. You can then adjust your proximity to help make your
conversations more effective. The ability to know when to “stay away” or “come
closer” ultimately helps us adjust to new situations and become better
communicators.
Many of us
definitely feel the stress of a busy social and family life. As with many
situations, laughter is a good remedy to relieve this stress. The stress test
below should give you a good giggle! Give a score to your answer
to the following statements:
Scoring: 30: A perfect score. Your
life is perfectly chaotic. Keep it up! 20-29: You are doing
reasonably well, but still have too little going on in your life. Crank it up. 10-19: You have mastered
some of the aspects of the stress-filled life, but still have a long way to go.
0-9: Enjoying all that
extra time? What do you do anyway?!! |