Philosophy Essay

1. How do philosophical questions differ from scientific or factual questions? – Philosophy specializes in questions that cannot be answered scientifically, mainly because there are not elements of the question that can be measured or tested empirically. Philosophy questions things and the answers are sought to be more opinionated and based on certain points of view. Philosophy focuses on questions similar to â€Å"how does this work. † A philosophical question that is beneficial is anything that has to do with life, death, or the universe. Philosophical questions do not possess definite answers, and they do not require measurements. For instance, a question could read, â€Å"What makes a great dad? † One person may answer the question saying, qualities that make a great dad would include spending one on one time with the child, always attending school functions and events, and always making time for the children. While this answer could be true for that individual another individual could answer the question saying, a great dad is one who provides all necessities for the family through financial stability, and actions that prove he cares. Both of these answers can possess the capability of being correct because the question is based on personal opinions and there is no definite way to define this. The science approach attempts to answer all the questions that it can empirically, but this is sometimes not possible. The reason some of the times it is not possible is because the questions increase over time and with the advances in technology. As technology expands the more questions that it rises to science and the more questions that are left without a scientific answer. The specific feature of science is to measure and weigh everything. Factual is evidence in themselves and are therefore established. Philosophy and science have much in common. Many of the greatest philosophers were also scientists, or possessed the quality to be categorized as one in his or her time period. Philosophers approach questions similarly to the way scientists do with his or her critical thinking. Scientists formulate theories and then test them against what they can observe or reason. Scientific questions implies that an individual is inquiring about the world around him or her and expecting precise answers. A scientific question possesses an independent variable and a dependent variable in it. A factual question is a question about a fact, â€Å"where did this event happen? † is factual because it is asking for facts. But a scientific or factual question are ones that possess the ability to be answered through verification which will produce some types of definite answers that are measurable and concrete proof. An example of this type of question would include, â€Å"how tall is sally? † The answer that an individual comes up with will be accurate because he or she takes the scientific measurements to answer the question to eliminate speculations. However, speculations could occur while answering how tall Sally is because one could say well is that Sally’s accurate height, because when an individual first awakens they are taller than they are in the evening. When an individual first awaken his or her body has had time to relax and stretch out for the evening sleep, and if measurements were taken during the day or at night the body has not maintained the ability to stretch out causing the individual to be shorter. Personally the way around this would be to measure Sally three times once in the morning, the middle of the afternoon, and finally in the evening. 2. How did the approaches to philosophical inquiry progress from the Pre-Socratics to Socrates, Plato, and finally to Aristotle? How do these changing approaches reflect cultural influences that affected the philosophers of ancient Greece? – The philosophical inquiry process during the pre-Socrates era was based mainly on metaphysics which asks what the nature of being is. The Socrates era began to question viewpoints that began asking and answering questions to stimulate an individuals’ critical thinking and in turn illuminating ideas, this began to form a debate and inquiry between individuals’ opposing this view. The dialectical method is a process that the Socrates began and involves oppositional discussions. This method involves oppositional discussions that defend one point of view against another point of view. One individual may lead others to contract his or her point of view in turn strengthening the inquirer’s view point. Plato began to challenge the paradox dialectical method of education upon examining it, â€Å"if one knows nothing, then how will one come to recognize knowledge when he or she encounters it? † The Socrates of Plato came to a different conclusion. The Socrates began to use a slave boy and demonstrate through geometry lessons that every individual acquires even the smallest amount of knowledge, and the knowledge serves as a window into the individual’s eternal and omniscient soul. By communicating with the slave the teacher could contest the student’s false opinions until he came to a true opinion that withstood severities of critical examination. Although the individual’s soul is the warehouse of the knowledge each individual must learn how to access the knowledge and recall it. Plato began to dwindle from the Sophists by Plato distanced himself further from Sophists by separating knowledge from opinions. The scientific method came around after the introduction from Aristotle. The scientific method is the development and explanation of rules for scientific investigation and reasoning that is not clear-cut. The scientific method is a hot topic for many severe and frequent debates throughout the science’s history. Many of the natural philosophers and scientists argue for the primary of a single approach that will establish scientific knowledge. Many debates that surround the scientific method is centered on rationalism. Empiricism is the main component of scientific tradition according to Aristotle. Aristotle felt that individual can gain the knowledge of universal truth through particular things such as induction. In some measures Aristotle brings together abstract thought with observations. Aristotelian science is not empirical in form, and many individuals commonly mistake this implication. Aristotle denies that individuals develop knowledge through induction and possesses the ability to be considered scientific knowledge. The main preliminary to scientific business enquiry is induction, this provides the preliminary grounds for scientific demonstrations. The main job of philosophers was to examine and discover the truths causes and to demonstrate universal truths. Even though induction was satisfactory for discovering universals by simplification, it lacked the ability to successfully identify the causes. Aristotle sought after identifying the causes and began using deductive reasoning in the form of syllogisms. Using the syllogisms, scientists possessed the capability of inferring new universal truths from ones that have previously been established by other philosophers. Personally upon learning about these different philosophers. I think the different inquiry processes empowered each philosopher to think out of the realm of normality and not except the norm which enabled Greece and even other cultures to answer questions and in turn gain more knowledge. 3. How are philosophical opinions justified? – Epistemology contains the theory of justification and struggles to nderstand justifications of proposals and beliefs. Philosophical opinions are justified because of epistemology, which is associated to philosophies including justification, beliefs, and truths. Epistemology deals with the means of the production of knowledge. According to Plato, justification is the final component of knowledge and without it individuals only have a true opinion. Belief is a state of mind on which an individual can often fickle and liable to change. Justification is the factual rationalization of true opinions, reality is the thing that grounds it (Baker, 2013). Justification based theories of knowledge are categorized into two subsections, irrationalism and panrationalism. Irrationalism is something that draws to irrational principles and authorities, including an individual’s feelings. Panrationalism is rational criteria and principles including reasoning and observation. I believe that philosophical opinions are justified in various ways. Philosophical opinions not necessarily justified but are guided by personal experiences and religious beliefs. When beliefs are justified there is always a justifier or something that justifies the belief. Different things can be justifiers for example the following three items are suggested, the first is solely beliefs, beliefs that are together with other cognizant mental states, and finally beliefs, cognizant mental states, and other realities about individuals and his or her surrounding and the environment, which individuals may or may not possess the access to. As with every philosophical ideas there is criticism following the theory of justification. Held by critical rationalists W. W.  Bartley, David Miller, and Karl Popper, non-justificational criticism is the major opposition that is against this theory. Criticism to the justificationism is trying to prove that the claims lack the ability to be reduced to the influence or criteria that it influences appeals to, it states that justification is a primary claim and the claim itself is secondary. Nonjustificational criticism strives to attack the claims themselves. The first being guided by personal experience is because individuals tend to associate his or her philosophy on the basis of experiences they have encountered. An example that one can contribute to this is old policies that an individual has seen work effectively and as a result an opinion or philosophy is developed believing that it is the only way or best way because it worked for the individual. Another way philosophical opinions are justified is through religious orientation and is believed to be the most significant majority of the time. From birth individuals are drilled about right and wrong according to his or her religious views. Religious orientation affects an individual in all philosophical areas. Some include what to eat, creation and what is acceptable or not and because it is based on faith instead of facts, religion really shapes and individuals life because it effects ones choices in life. I think that justifying an individual’s ethical and moral beliefs is unnecessary, I think that individuals are entitled to believe and have certain opinions on what they choose. If these individuals try to justify his or her moral beliefs then they are clarifying an issue and answering a question.

Civil Liberties & Civil Rights Essay

Civil Liberties & Civil Rights 1. The clause in the First Amendment of the US Constitution that prohibits the establishment of religion by Congress. 1. The Free Exercise Clause is the accompanying clause with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. 2. The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures, along with requiring any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause. 3. The 5th Amendment states that a person can be tried for a serious federal crime only if he or she has been indicted (charged, accused of that crime) by a grand jury. No one may be subjected to double jeopardy – that is, tried twice for the same crime. All persons are protected against self-incrimination; no person can be legally compelled to answer any question in any governmental proceeding if that answer could lead to that person’s prosecution. The 5th Amendment’s Due Process Clause prohibits unfair, arbitrary actions by the Federal Government. 4. The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that sets forth rights related to criminal prosecutions. The Supreme Court has applied the protections of this amendment to the states through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. 5. The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights (ratified 1789) prohibiting the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines or cruel and unusual punishments, including torture. 6. The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution each contain a Due Process Clause. Due process deals with the administration of justice and thus the Due Process Clause acts as a safeguard from arbitrary denial of life, liberty, or property by the Government outside the sanction of law 7 . The 14th amendment is a very important amendment that defines what it means to be a US citizen and protects certain rights of the people. There are three important â€Å"clauses† in the 14th amendment  ·Citizenship Clause – the citizenship clause gives individual born in the United States, but especially at that time, African Americans the right to citizenship.  ·Due Process Clause – the due process clause protects the 1st amendment rights of the people and prevents those rights from being taken away by any government without â€Å"due process.†  ·Equal Protection Clause – This part of the fourteenth amendment states that there may be no discrimination against them by the law. 8. The incorporation of the Bill of Rights (or incorporation for short) is the process by which American courts have applied portions of the U.S. Bill of Rights to the states. 9. Prior restraint (also referred to as prior censorship or pre-publication censorship) is censorship imposed, usually by a government, on expression before the expression actually takes place. An alternative is to allow the expression to take place and to take appropriate action afterward, if the expression is found to violate the law, regulations, or other rules. 10. Symbolic speech is a legal term in United States law used to describe actions that purposefully and discernibly convey a particular message or statement to those viewing it. Symbolic speech is recognized as being protected under the First Amendment as a form of speech, but this is not expressly written as such in the document. 11. In United States criminal law, probable cause is the standard by which an officer or agent of the law has the grounds to make an arrest, to conduct a personal or property search, or to obtain a warrant for arrest, etc. when criminal charges are being considered. 12. The exclusionary rule is a legal principle in the United States, under constitutional law, which holds that evidence collected or analyzed in violation of the defendant’s constitutional rights is sometimes inadmissible for a criminal prosecution in a court of law. 13. Some of the things you can do in the â€Å"real world† you cannot do in school. 14. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonpartisan non-profit organization whose stated mission is â€Å"to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States. In the years following World War I, America was gripped by the fear that the Communist Revolution that had taken place in Russia would spread to the United States. As is often the case when fear outweighs rational debate, civil liberties paid the price. In November 1919 and January 1920, in what notoriously became known as the â€Å"Palmer Raids,† Attorney General Mitchell Palmer began rounding up and deporting so-called radicals. Thousands of people were arrested without warrants and without regard to constitutional protections against unlawful search and seizure. Those arrested were brutally treated and held in horrible conditions. 15.  Ã‚ ·A wharf owner sued the city of Baltimore for economic loss occasioned by the city’s diversion of streams, which lowered the water level around his wharves. He claimed that the city took his property without just compensation in violation of the Fifth Amendment.  ·Gideon is a landmark case in United States Supreme Court history. In the case, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that state courts are required under the Fourteenth Amendment to provide counsel in criminal cases for defendants who are unable to afford to pay their own attorneys, extending the identical requirement made on the federal government under the Sixth Amendment  ·The Supreme Court decision in Miranda v. Arizona required (for the first time) that someone accused of a crime be informed of his or her constitutional rights prior to interrogation. This protected the rights of the accused, or the defendant, in two new ways: 1) It educated the person about relevant constitutional rights; and 2) It inhibited law enforcement officials from infringing those rights by applying the Exclusionary Rule to any testimony/incriminating statements the defendant made unless he intentionally waived his rights.  ·State Courts are held to the same standard as Federal Courts when evidence is obtained without the use of a search warrant, ensuring material obtained without a legitimate search warrant or probable cause cannot be used to prosecute a defendant in any court. This was an important application of the Bill of Rights to criminal procedure.  ·Gitlow v. New York was a decision by the United States Supreme Court decided on June 8, 1925, which ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution had extended the reach of certain limitations on federal government authority set forth in the First Amendment—specifically the provisions protecting freedom of speech and freedom of the pressâ€⠀to the governments of the individual states. 16. The U.S Constitution safeguards the rights of Americans to privacy and personal autonomy. Although the Constitution does not explicitly provide for such rights, the U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted the Constitution protect these rights, specifically in the areas of marriage, procreation, abortion, private consensual homosexual activity, and medical treatment. State and federal laws may limit some of these rights to privacy, as long as the restrictions meet tests that the Supreme Court has set forth, each involving a balancing of an individual’s right to privacy against the state’s compelling interests. Such compelling interests include protecting public morality and the health of its citizens and improving the quality of life. In Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479 (1965), the State of Connecticut convicted two persons as accessories for giving a married couple information on and a prescription for a birth-control device. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the co nvictions and found the Connecticut law to be unconstitutional because it violated a right to privacy in the marital relation. Civil Rights 1. The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments were important to the Civil Rights Movement. 2. Its Equal Protection Clause requires each state to provide equal protection under the law to all people within its jurisdiction. This clause was the basis for Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Supreme Court decision which precipitated the dismantling of racial segregation in United States education, and for Reed v. Reed (1971), where the Supreme Court struck down a law based on gender (with no â€Å"rational relationship to a state objective†) — the first such application based on sex. 3. Legislation frequently involves making classifications that either advantage or disadvantage one group of persons, but not another. States allow 20-year-olds to drive, but don’t let 12-year-olds drive. Indigent single parents receive government financial aid that is denied to millionaires. Obviously, the Equal Protection Clause cannot mean that government is obligated to treat all persons exactly the same–only, at most, that it is obligated to treat people the same if they are â€Å"similarly circumstanced.† Over recent decades, the Supreme Court has developed a three-tiered approach to analysis under the Equal Protection Clause. 4.  Ã‚ ·There were 3 thing said that day that would chage the way people looked at slavery -The court said that dread Scott had no right to sue because the framers of the Constitution (founding fathers) didn’t intend for blacks to be treated like citizens. Congress had no right/authority to take away a person’s property. (Slaves often thought of as property) An if slaves were property the federal government could not restrict the slave master from bringing an housing the on federal land that been off limits to slave owners. The Missouri compromise was unconstitutional .  ·The Plessy case does not impact society . It was overturned by Brown vs. Board of education in 1954. However, as a contributor commenting on this post, I must say that it led to further dispute over civil rights which eventually led to the Supreme Court reconsidering their decision in Brown v. Board of education and eventually overturning it.  · Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark United S tates Supreme Court case in which the Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional.  ·U.S. was an important United States Supreme Court case dealing with the busing of students to promote integration in public schools. After a first trial going to the Board of Education, the Court held that busing was an appropriate remedy for the problem of racial imbalance in schools, even when the imbalance resulted from the selection of students based on geographic proximity to the school rather than from deliberate assignment based on race. 5. They deliberated for a year, at which point they issued a second ruling, Brown II, which avoided specifying what sort of racial balance might constitute compliance. Brown II stated that desegregation should be carried out with â€Å"all deliberate speed.† 6. De jure (Latin for â€Å"from the law†) segregation is the separation of people on the basis of race as required by by law. For example, after the Civil War and the ending of slavery by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution (1865), the governments of the former slave states found new ways to discriminate against black Americans. They enacted laws to require separate public facilities for blacks and whites. Blacks were required, for example, to attend separate schools, to use separate public rest rooms, and to use separate public drinking fountains. The separate facilities for blacks were supposed to be equal to the facilities provided for whites. This â€Å"separate but equal† doctrine was endorsed by the Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). In reality, however, the facilities for black people were rarely, if ever, equal in quality to those provided for whites. Racial separation that exists as a matter of custom rather than as a legal requirement is known as de facto (Latin for â€Å"in fact†) segregation. For example, one neighborhood may include only white families, and another nearby neighborhood may include only black families. However, this racial segregation may have developed informally in response to social and economic factors, not as a requirement of the law. De jure segregation has been declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. In Brown v. Board of Education (1954) the Court ruled against de jure racial segregation in public schools. In subsequent cases the Court outlawed racial discrimination in other areas of public life. In 1964 Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, which outlawed de jure segregation. 7. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 enacted July 2, 1964 is a landmark piece of civil rights legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities, and also women. It ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace and by facilities that served the general public known as â€Å"public accommodations†. 8. The 1965 Voting Rights Act was a natural follow on to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Ironically, the 1964 Act had resulted in an outbreak of violence in the South. White racists had launched a campaign against the success that Martin Luther King had had in getting African Americans to register to vote. The violence reminded Johnson that more was needed if the civil rights issue was to be suitably reduced. 9. The Twenty-fourth Amendment prohibits both Congress and the states from conditioning the right to vote in federal elections on payment of a poll tax or other types of tax. The amendment was proposed by Congress to the states on August 27, 1962, and was ratified by the states on January 23, 1964. 10. White primaries were primary elections in the Southern States of the United States of America in which any non-White voter was prohibited from participating. 11. Shaw v. Reno was a United States Supreme Court case argued on April 20, 1993. The ruling was significant in the area of redistricting and racial gerrymandering. The court ruled in a 5-4 decision that redistricting based on race must be held to a standard of strict scrutiny under the equal protection clause. On the other hand, bodies doing redistricting must be conscious of race to the extent that they must ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act. The redistricting that occurred after the 2000 census was the first nationwide redistricting to apply the results of Shaw v. Reno. 12. Korematsu v. United States was a landmark United States Supreme Court case concerning the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066, which ordered Japanese Americans into internment camps during World War II regardless of citizenship.In a 6-3 decision, the Court sided with the government, ruling that the exclusion order was constitutional. Six of eight Roosevelt nominees sided with Roosevelt. The lone Republican nominee, Owen Roberts dissented. The opinion, written by Supreme Court justice Hugo Black, held that the need to protect against espionage outweighed Fred Korematsu’s individual rights, and the rights of Americans of Japanese descent. (The Court limited its decision to the validity of the exclusion orders, adding, â€Å"The provisions of other orders requiring persons of Japanese ancestry to report to assembly centers and providing for the detention of such persons in assembly and relocation centers were separate, and their validity is not in issue in this proceed ing.†) During the case, Solicitor General Charles Fahy is alleged to have suppressed evidence by keeping from the Court a report from the Office of Naval Intelligence indicating that there was no evidence that Japanese Americans were acting as spies or sending signals to enemy submarines.

Intramuscular Injection

An intramuscular injection is an injection given directly into the central area of a specific muscle. In this way, the  blood vessels  supplying that muscle distribute the injected medication via thecardiovascular system. Purpose Intramuscular injection is used for the delivery of certain drugs not recommended for other routes of administration, for instance intravenous, oral, or subcutaneous. The intramuscular route offers a faster rate of absorption than the subcutaneous route, and muscle tissue can often hold a larger volume of fluid without discomfort.In contrast, medication injected into muscle tissues is absorbed less rapidly and takes effect more slowly that medication that is injected intravenously. This is favorable for some medications. Precautions Careful consideration in deciding which injectable route is to be used for the prescribed medication is essential. The intramuscular route should not be used in cases where muscle size and condition is not adequate to support sufficient uptake of the drug.Intramuscular injection should be avoided if other routes of administration, especially oral, can be used to provide a comparable level of absorption and effect in any given individual's situation and condition. Intramuscular injections should not be given at a site where there is any indication of  pain. Description Intramuscular (IM) injections are given directly into the central area of selected muscles. There are a number of sites on the human body that are suitable for IM injections; however, there are three sites that are most commonly used in this procedure.Deltoid muscle The deltoid muscle located laterally on the upper arm can be used for intramuscular injections. Originating from the Acromion process of the scapula and inserting approximately one-third of the way down the humerus, the deltoid muscle can be used readily for IM injections if there is sufficient muscle mass to justify use of this site. The deltoid's close proximity to the radi al nerve and radial artery means that careful consideration and palpation of the muscle is required to find a safe site for penetration of the needle.There are various methods for defining the boundaries of this muscle. Vastus lateralis muscle The vastus lateralis muscle forms part of the quadriceps muscle group of the upper leg and can be found on the anteriolateral aspect of the thigh. This muscle is more commonly used as the site for IM injections as it is generally thick and well formed in individuals of all ages and is not located close to any major arteries or nerves. It is also readily accessed. The middle third of the muscle is used to define the injection site.This third can be determined by visually dividing the length of the muscle that originates on the greater trochanter of the femur and inserts on the upper border of the patella and tibial tuberosity through the patella ligament into thirds. Palpation of the muscle is required to determine if sufficient body and mass i s present to undertake the procedure. Gluteus medius muscle The gluteus medius muscle, which is also known as the ventrogluteal site, is the third commonly used site for IM injections. The correct area for injection can be determined in the following manner.Place the heel of the hand of the greater trochanter of the femur with fingers pointing towards the patient's head. The left hand is used for the right hip and vice versa. While keeping the palm of the hand over the greater trochanter and placing the index finger on the anterior superior iliac spine, stretch the middle finger dorsally palpating for the iliac crest and then press lightly below this point. The triangle formed by the iliac crest, the third finger and index finger forms the area suitable for intramuscular injection.Determining which site is most appropriate will depend upon the patient's muscle density at each site, the type and nature of medication you wish to administer, and of course the patient's preferred site f or injections. Preparation Before  administering medication, a health care practitioner verify the medication order for accuracy and prepare the medication from the vial or ampule. * First, ensure you have identified the patient and assist them into a position which is comfortable and practical for access to the njection site you have chosen. * Locate the correct area for injection using the above guidelines or those taught during medical training. Clean the site with an alcohol swab or other cleansing agent. * Prepare the syringe by removing the needle cover, inverting the syringe, and expelling any excess air. Approximately 0. 1–0. 2 ml of air should be left in the syringe so that the air in the top of the syringe chamber, when the  syringe and needle  are pointing down, forces the entire amount of medication to be delivered.This also prevents medication residue from being left in the needle, where it can leak into the subcutaneous and dermal layers when the syringe a nd needle are removed from the muscle. * When ready to inject, spread the skin using the fingers of the non-dominant hand. Holding the syringe with the thumb and forefinger of the dominant hand, pierce the skin and enter the muscle. This process should be done quickly with sufficient control so as to lessen the discomfort of the patient.If there is little muscle mass, particularly in infants or the elderly, then you may need to pinch the muscle to provide more volume of tissue in which to inject. * Aspirate at the injection site (while syringe and needle are within the muscle) by holding the barrel of the syringe with the non-dominant hand and pulling back on the syringe plunger with the dominant hand. If  blood  appears in the syringe, it is an indication that a blood vessel may have been punctured. The needle and syringe should be immediately withdrawn and a new injection prepared.If no blood is aspirated, continue by slowly injecting the medication at a constant rate until al l medication has been delivered. * Withdraw the needle and syringe quickly to minimize discomfort. The site may be briefly massaged, depending on the medication given. Some medication manufacturers advise against massaging the site after injection, as it reduces the effect and intention of the medication by dispersing it too readily or over too large an area. Manufacturers' recommendations should be checked. * Discard the used syringe and needle intact as soon as possible in an appropriate disposal receptacle. Check the site at least once more a short time after the injection to ensure that no bleeding, swelling or any other signs of reaction to the medication are present. Monitor the patient for other signs of side effects, especially if it is the first time the patient is receiving the medication. * Document all injections given and any other relevant information. Aftercare Monitor for signs of localized redness, swelling, bleeding, or inflammation at injection site. Observe the p atient for at least 15 minutes following the injection for signs of reaction to the drug. ComplicationsMost complications of intramuscular injections are a result of the drug injected and not the procedure. However, it is possible that localized trauma of the injection site may result as part of the process. Minor discomfort and pain is common for a short period following the injection, but usually resolves within a few hours. Results The optimal outcome is a situation in which the medication is safely and effectively delivered to the patient via intramuscular injection without signs of complications or discomfort. Safety for the health care provider is also paramount. Health care team rolesThe health care provider is obliged to undertake the following when administering an intramuscular injection: * Inform and educate the patient on the need and effect of the medication being delivered. * Ensure the correct identification and verification procedures are followed. * Provide privacy for the patient during the procedure. * Understand the theory behind selecting appropriate injection sites. * Demonstrate correct technique when undertaking the procedure. * Monitor for complications. * Document all relevant information and ensure safe disposal of equipment.

Analysis of Earth Hour's Branding Campaigns Essay

Analysis of Earth Hour's Branding Campaigns - Essay Example However, the purpose of this campaign and its analysis is to give present detailed report and a clear conclusion comparing it with the mere recommendation administered from the Earth Hours efforts. WWFs global Initiative – Earth Hour 2014 – is making waves as far as its campaign mission is taken into account. The worldwide fight to bring issues to light about environmental change is in its sixth year in the nation and will be commended tomorrow, March 29. The message of Earth Hour 2014 is to do the switch to renewable vitality. This incorporates the parts and obligations regarding people, associations and the legislature. While the past supporters have incorporated any semblance of Sachin Tendulkar, Abhishek Bachchan, Amir Khan, Vidya Balan and Ajay Devgn, in the not so distant future Arjun Kapoor have been at large in support of this campaign. Alongside Kapoor, a group of territorial stars including Mir (Kolkata), Anirudh (Chennai), Tilak (Bengaluru) and Ram Charan (Hyderabad) have been making great ideas well known in distinctive districts to propel the campaign worldwide (Gorn, 2013). Highlighting his sponsorship for Earth Hour, Arjun Kapoor, tending to the media in Mumbai, states that he is respected to be some piece of such a correlated cause as Earth Hour – a crusade against environmental change that has the backing of a large number of individuals universally. His companionship with Earth Hour he believed that will accumulate him close contact with one of the nations principal protection associations that has been steadily battling against the unfavorable effect of environmental. The worlds heading sexual prosperity-brand has brought out a short film on how engineering, as opposed to bringing individuals close, has prompted expanding division. The understanding they dealt with has been focused around information that demonstrated that 12 for every penny individuals have addressed their telephones throughout sex, and Twitter clients are

Evolution of Health Care Information Systems Paper Essay

Evolution of Health Care Information Systems Paper - Essay Example An information system may simply be defined as an arrangement of people, technology, processes and data that interact to gather, process, store, transfer and provide output in form of useful information that supports the organization. The HCIS (Health Care Information System) traditionally was developed to primarily manage financial and administrative data with an aim of supporting management functions as well as general operations of the organization that deals in healthcare services (Tan, 2005). Administrative applications of HCIS include admission, transfer and discharge registration, scheduling, accounts receivable and patient billing, utilization management, payroll, staff scheduling, material management, general ledger and accounts payable administration (Tan, 2005). The clinical information system on the other hand contains clinical/ health related information that is related to diagnosing, monitoring and treating patients. Clinical applications generally consist of the ancillary information system and other systems which include nursing documentation, medication administration, tele-health and telemedicine, electronic medical record and provider order entry. Changes witnessed in healthcare systems have become real, more as a result of advancements in information systems, medical technology and healthcare delivery, and management practices (Tan, 2005). Up to the early 1980s, HIS (Healthcare Information Systems) were more oriented towards information â€Å"supply† for purposes of conducting business. Attention however shifted over time to a system that is more â€Å"demand† oriented; information and its importance. This led to the gradual replacement of pencils, calculators, paper and cards, mechanical punches and people for performing vital tasks (Dudeck, Blobel, Lordieck & Bà ¼rkle, 1997). The typical office in the healthcare facility then was characterized by cumbersome and labor intensive work methods. These methods and systems were later

I'M NOT SURE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

I'M NOT SURE - Essay Example One of the things outsiders are most interested in is the philosophies. Thus, names like Laozi and Zhuangzi are now better known than before. This paper shall focus on the philosophies of these two, hitherto, less known philosophers. In the paper I shall explain their philosophies, draw comparisons and contrasts, and then endeavor to point out the superior philosophy among the two. Laozi was born and died during the reign of the Zhou dynasty. He was a firm believer in Taoism. He was a philosopher in then ancient China. His best work was the Tao Te Ching. This has led to him variously to be anointed as the founder of Taoism (pronounced as Daoism). There are many controversies regarding his main work referred to above. There are those who believe that the Tao Te Ching was a compilation of several Tao sayings by several other people over time (Ivanhoe & Norden 113). There is also a side that believes that this was entirely the work of Laozi. This is a situation very much like what Shakespeare faces today. However, there is no contention that he was incredibly gifted. To show how influential he might have been during his time, there are works that seem to suggest that Confucius consulted Laozi on matters of morals. There are even myths regarding his birth. Zhuangzi on the other hand, also referred to as Master Zhuang was born in 369 BCE and died aged 83 years old. He is said to have been greatly influenced by the Daoism espoused by Laozi. Therefore they shared several philosophical viewpoints but inevitably there were differences too. His main work was also named after him (Ivanhoe & Norden 135). Unlike Laozi, less is known about Zhuang. Conversely however, when the researcher starts to find material relating to these two philosophers, Zhuangzi’s philosophies are more readily available. They are also better explained than those of Laozi. The main reason why this is the case is because many people see Zhuangzi as the inheritor of Laozi’s crown.

Unit VI project domestic terrorism Research Paper

Unit VI project domestic terrorism - Research Paper Example For a period spanning to almost two decades, Theodore John Kaczynski waged a solitary terrorist war in United States of America. He is a former professor of mathematics in Harvard and Berkeley. According to reflections of his childhood as presented by his family, the Unabomber preferred solitude. Nonetheless, his IQ was regarded above genius, a condition that presumably led him to win a scholarship to study at Harvard when he was aged 16 years. His solitary preference became evident at age 26 when he relinquished his teaching duties at Berkeley University. He suddenly isolated himself from the society (McCann, 2006). Kaczynski rolled out his first attack three days immediately after his 36th birthday. He used letter bombs to target university professors in the field of computer science, engineering and biology. He also targeted the owners and managers of airlines. In a given case, Ted aimed at hitting a businessman who ran a small computer store. To scare away investigators, he used pieces of small of his bombs marked with the initials FC. FC is the initial for Freedom Club, which is the infamous terrorist group objecting all forms of scientific and technological advancements (McCann, 2006). Essentially, Kaczynski wanted to pass a message that he was opposed to technological advancements. According to the tip received from his brother, David, Ted’s Manifesto was entitles Industrial Society and its Future. It claimed strong attachment with anarchists and the environmentalists who objected the application of technology in the production processes. His specific targets were businessmen, scientists as well as innocent people. Several accounts of terrorist charges were leveled against him following his arrest in 1996 including 16 letter bombs that ended up killing three people and injuring 29 more. A massive manhunt was set-up in pursuit of the Unabomber. It is

Compare and Contrast Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Compare and Contrast - Research Paper Example This paper is a comparison of two Islamic arts: The Great Mosque of Cordoba in Spain and the Mamluk Glass Oil Lamp. Enameled as well as gilded glass lamps were custom-made in big numbers for most Cairo built mosques by Mamluk Sultans as well as their Amirs. Lamp donation was contemplated as respectful act towards God. Such an act connects to a Koran text that explains that God is the Heaven’s as well as Earth’s light. This verse explains further that the light of God happens to resemble a niche within which one can find a lamp. This lamp is glass made while the glass resembles a brilliant star. The Mosque lamp also is decorated using bold encryption frieze that contains Sayf al-Din Shaykhu al-Nasiri’s names as well as title, also his heraldic device that joins a red cap is situated at the roundels center on the neck as well as the lamp’s underside. The wealth as well as influence of Shykhu made him a Cairo’s significant art as well as architecture patron (Over 11 Mosque lamps that are inscribed similarly. It is most likely that these are from the mosque of Shayk hu at Citadel’s foot in Cairo that got completed in the year 1349 as well as taken as among its time’s finest (British Museum). The great Mosque of Cordoba which is as well known as Mezquita, is among the Islamic civilization Jewels. Unlike the malmuk lamps that were of the 14th century, the temple was began in during the 8th century by the Emir Abd al-Rahman I, in the year 745, added in the year 833 by   Abd al-Rahman II and in the 10th century ended by the Vizier  al-Mansur and al-Hakam II. The most decorative as well as striking of the 4 phases is the one by al-Hakam that contains the mirhab (niche within the wall that faces Mecca) ( Khan Academy). The great mosque’s growth was a symbol of the increasing power of the city and came in hand with population growth hence need for

Anaheim Mayor Jailed for Drunk Driving and Possession of Cocaine Assignment

Anaheim Mayor Jailed for Drunk Driving and Possession of Cocaine - Assignment Example The car was weaving wildly from lane to lane, nearly colliding with parked vehicles.† The police conducted a traffic stop and administered a sobriety test, and they found that Mayor Hillman exceeded the legal limits for blood alcohol content. Mayor Hillman informed the police that he was Mayor of Anaheim and asked if he could leave. The police rejected his request due to his conditions. They further decided that there was a probable cause for conducting a search. They found two grams of substance, which a field test proved to be cocaine. Apart from cocaine, the police also arrested a female minor with the Mayor on charges of public intoxication. She was released to her parents. Officer Parra declined to comment on the identity of the minor. The Mayor’s spokesman, Ryan Nguyen, replied to these allegations against the Mayor. Nguyen said: â€Å"We’re just sorting through the details. I can tell you that the mayor is willing to face the consequences of his actions, but at this point he is not admitting to any of these criminal charges.† He stressed that people should not make hasty assumptions: â€Å"Remember, in our system of justice everyone is innocent until proven guilty.† When asked about the young woman with the mayor, Nguyen answered: â€Å"Knowing him, I’m sure there’s nothing improper involved with her being in the car. Again, don’t rush to any judgment.†

How does a post colonial reading of Jane Eyre expose the authors deep Essay

How does a post colonial reading of Jane Eyre expose the authors deep anxiety regarding the idealogy of imperialism - Essay Example Jane’s Experiences The character of the protagonist Jane Eyre is the center of a struggle that is purely based on class. As an orphan, Jane suffered the consequences of poverty even though she is educated. Getting meager income from being a governess, she found herself in a low social standing -- hence, powerless. As a woman, she also experienced the vicious treatment from men in a patriarchal society (Morris, 1999). Due to these experiences, Jane identified herself with the millions in fervent yet in silent revolution against such inequalities. By studying her dialogues, it can be observed that Jane compared herself to a champion for the slaves who struggled hard for the attainment of freedom and the eradication of oppression, in a very indirect way. In her own terms, she fought against the notion that men are superior to women, and attempted to subdue that men's unjust treatment towards the women can always be justified. Although Jane acknowledged the fact that the social an d economic as well as cultural inequalities are realities that she needed to embrace, she remained firm in her belief that a time will come when ‘people will be liberated from such hell-like conditions’ (Glen, 1997). A feminist in her own right, Jane remarked: Women suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex. (Dunn & Bronte, 2001, p.99) Britain’s Colonial Rule The Victorian era marked Britain’s international expansion of power, wealth and culture. The empire, which included India, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Hong Kong Gibraltar, Rhodesia and several islan ds in the West Indies and various colonies in the African coast, was the biggest in the world during the period. Generally, the prevailing attitude of the British about the view that the English was destined to rule the world and that they had the supreme responsibility to instill culture to the ‘uncivilized’ was a key factor in its exploration and subjugation of peoples. This was heavily examined by Bronte, which can be gleaned from her works particularly in Jane Eyre (Berg, 1987). Although the author distanced herself on the issue of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, she still tackled slavery in some of her works. In the novel, Jane eventually inherited the wealth of her uncle which was derived from Madeira, a fictitious British colony. In an honorable manner, she divided the amount and the estates she obtained among her cousins. However, it should be pointed out that because of this inheritance sourced from slave colonies, Jane obtained the freedom that she longed for ( Bell, 2008). Mr. Rochester, Jane’s husband, was depicted to have worked and found his fortune in the West Indies. There, he found himself attracted to a half-Creole and Jamaican-raised Bertha who he saw

Propeller Governor Operation and Maintenance of Propellers Article

Propeller Governor Operation and Maintenance of Propellers - Article Example With the suspension method, the propeller is hanged by cord and the imbalance noted by the eccentricity between the disks attached firmly and the cylinder that is attached to the part under test (FAA, 2012). However, the suspension method is not used frequently as compared to the knife edge method which is simpler and accurate to carry out. The knife edge method involve the use of two hardened steel pieces that are mounted so that there is free rotation of a propeller (assembled) in between them. The setting of this knife edge test should be done in a room or area free from air motion and other form of hard vibration. Whenever a propeller is balanced statically, it remains in that position as compared to the one that is not statically balanced (FAA, 2012). It should be noted that during the balance check, the blades must be at the same angle. This is necessary because it would enable the person checking to have finite details. The propeller should not rotate to any other position unless specified by the manufacturer, as this will avoid damaging the entire propeller

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Essay Example for Free

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Essay Tony Morrison became the prominent American writer of the second half of the 20th century mainly because of her novel â€Å"The Bluest Eye† published in 1970. The novel is narrated by a young black girl, Claudia MacTeer and the reader realizes through her perception the atmosphere in the family of her friend Pecola Breedlove. The family relations in the Pecola’s family are very hostile. The topic of racial inequality is one of the central topics. African Americans and their tragedy of the lost culture are in the center of the novel.   The novel is built on the passionate desire of Pecola to be loved by her family and her school friends. Pecola thinks that the reason of the hostile attitude towards her is her black skin and she wants to resemble the American idols like Shirley Temple. Shirley Temple is just an ideal created by the mass culture, an idol which is a part of American dream. The conventional American perception of beauty is connected with the blue eyes and white skin like those of Shirley Temple. Tony Morison studies the position of the blacks in America. She names the things which sometimes are not in public but in minds. American society is divided according to the racial principle and nobody can do anything with it.    The author states that America treats its black citizens like people of a lower grade, pariahs, â€Å"There are several levels of the pariah figure working in my writing. The black community is a pariah community. Black people are pariahs. The civilization of black people that lives apart from but in juxtaposition to other civilizations is a pariah relationship. In fact, the concept of the black in this country is almost always one of the pariahs. But a community contains pariahs within it that are very useful for the conscience of that community.†(The Bluest Eye. Review). American culture has produced a utopian image of America, called â€Å"an American Dream†. It is not bad at all; it indicates, at least the standards to be reached and the goals to be gained.   This collective image is an image of a rich country populated with the nice successful people. There is only one problem in this image. The country is rich and the society is successful, but people personifying this success are narrated with the blond hair and white skin. This is just what great American Martin Luther King said about. The racial inequity is in the very essence of the American society. Pecola identifies her personal position in the community with the position of the black community in the American society, i.e. as soon as the Blacks are pariahs in the society; she feels herself a pariah within the community. What is more, she understands the position of the black community in the American society and naively associates it with her personal position in the black community. Her dream of blue eyes is a naà ¯ve attempt to break through the concept of the faceless, i.e. it is a protest against her position of a pariah. Tony Morison intentionally uses a dream of a small girl which would never come true to underline the improbability of such a dream to resemble an American icon Shirley Temple in the same way as black community would never become an equal part of the society. The values of the society imposed on the black children are destructive. Pecola is morally suppressed by the values she accepts. These values are dominant and black children are not able to evaluate them critically. Pecola is destroyed by the cultural values she has to adopt. The white culture influences the personalities of the black people especially young ones. The Anglo Saxon standards of beauty follow the children outside the class. Movie blondes with blue eyes catch their sight from the cinema screens, billboards, newspapers and magazines. There is no place to hide from the bluest eyes. These beauties keep telling the children that if they were white with blue eyes they would achieve success. This destroys the girl’s identity. She mistakenly associates her physical appearance with the wealth and happiness. White mass culture shows white skin, blue eyes and blonde hair in association with wealth, happiness and success and a young girl realizes erroneously that her life is defined by her appearance. Pecola’s admiration of Sherley Temple is one of her personal tragic illusions. The success of the movie star Temple poisons the life of Pecola. The mass culture shows the physical beauty in the context of prosperity. This self humiliation develops the complex of inferiority of the girl. â€Å"Long hours she sat looking in the mirror, trying to discover the secret of the ugliness, the ugliness that made her ignored or despised at school, by teachers and classmates alike, She was the only member of her class who sat alone at a double desk.†( Tirell, Lynne) A utopian desire to resemble an American idol became an obsession for Pecola. â€Å"Each night, without fail, she prayed for blue eyes. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ She would see only what there was to see: the eyes of other people.†( Morrison, Toni, p.45) The Pecola’s aspiration to resemble the American idol drives the girl crazy. She looses the connections with the reality. As soon as the world does not understand her desire and does not want to give her a chance to become closer to her idol she decides to lock in herself and find a piece of mind keeping her dreams in herself without letting them out. The hate of people, ideal dream on the movie star physical appearance, the hostile atmosphere at school and in the family and the rape by her father followed by the hate of her mother made the girl crazy. But she is still dreaming of her ideal. It is not the white community that has directly destroyed Pecola, but the black community and her parents. They should have insulated her from the white communitys values and have protected her (Hinda Barlaz). The words of narrator about the destructiveness of the physical beauty and romantic love are given in the context when Pauline, pregnant black American woman was watching history of romantic love in the movie theatre. She broke her tooth then as if recapitulating the comparison of romantic love in the movie with her current position. The image of Jean Harlow from the screen destroys the Pauline’s identity as a woman, her belief in American dream and her own beauty. The broken tooth symbolizes her belief in happiness which is destroyed. Toni Morrison and a great American Martin Luther King, Pecola and Pauline, Hero of the Doctorow’s Ragtime and The Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, all of them have the common feature. They are all looking for identity as well as other best representatives of the humanity. Martin Luther King and Pecola, no matter how strange it may seem had the same dream, a dream of equality for all disregarding the color of the skin. Hero of the Doctorow’s novel and Oedipus Rex were looking for their lost identity. John Lennon joined Great American King in his dream of â€Å"a brotherhood of men† in his â€Å"Imagine†. Martin Luther King was looking for the identity of the black people of America and paid his life for it. Pecola was looking for her own identity and paid her mentality. John Lennon was looking for a â€Å"brotherhood of men† and paid his life for his search. These principles can not come from the outside; they should be in the people’s mind which is an identity. A hero of one Russian classic (Bulgakov, The Heart of the Dog) kept threatening himself, â€Å"there is a devastation in the country!!!† and he got a respond â€Å"this devastation is in your mind†. The same could be said of identity. We create the identity in our minds and then we apply it to the entire society. Bibliography I Have A Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr, Delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. Source: Martin Luther King, Jr: The Peaceful Warrior, Pocket Books, NY 1968, available at http://www.mecca.org/~crights/dream.html, retrieved 7.04.2005 Tirell, Lynne. â€Å"Storytelling and Moral Agency.† Toni Morrison’s Fiction: Contemporary Criticism. Ed. David Middleton. New York: Garland, 2000. 3-25. Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Penguin, 1994. Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye, Review, available at http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/lit_term.html#pv Hedin, Raymond. The Structuring of Emotion in Black American Fiction. Novel 16 (1982): 35-54. Edmund A. Napieralski, Morrisons The Bluest Eye., 1994 Heldref Publications, The Explicator, Fall 1994 v53 n1 p59(4), available at http://www.cofc.edu/~farrells/Farrell/oedipus.html, retrieved 6.04.2005 Hinda A. Barlaz, A Reading Guide to Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, available at http://students.adelphi.edu/learningcenter/pdfs/tonimorrison.pdf, retrieved 6.04.2005 Trudy Mercer. Female Childhood Icons in Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye, available at http://www.drizzle.com/~tmercer/write/morrison/bluesteye.shtml Chris Booker, The Social Status of the African American Male: 1999, available at http://www.pressroom.com/~afrimale/status99.htm Gibson, Donald B. (1989), â€Å"Text and Countertext in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye†, Taylor, Paul C., Journal of Aesthetics Art Criticism, MALCOLMS CONK AND DANTOS COLORS; OR, FOUR LOGICAL PETITIONS CONCERNING RACE, BEAUTY, AND ,  , available at http://www.lib.tjfsu.edu.cn/ymwx/essay/The%20Bluest%20Eye1.htm Bjork, Patrick B. The novels of Toni Morrison: the search for self and place within the community. NY: P. Lang,1996.

Understanding The Human Resource Analytics Model Commerce Essay

Understanding The Human Resource Analytics Model Commerce Essay Human Resource is defined as the division of the organization that deals with recruitment which include the hiring and firing, setting the organizations salary scale and other related benefits, staff performance, staff training and general issues that concern the employees of the organisation. The main objective of human resource is to assist the organization to meet its intended purpose by motivating, and retaining employees and also being able to manage them effectively and efficiently That is to say that the Human Resource approach seeks to ensure a balance between the administration of an organizations workforce, and the entire deliberated administration of the company (Marcus1999). Analytics models referrers to the approach that the human resources apply to ensure that the organizations are getting the best results in all areas concerned. This essay will focus on the existing models of human resources and try to bring out the best-applied models for efficiency and profitability of any given organization. Analytics models helps in various ways, potentiality and organization measurement systems in the absence of analytics models can be compared to someone searching for an item where theres light, and not necessarily where the item is likely to be found. Improvement in information technology often provides technological competence that is far beyond the capacity of the decision science and procedures to utilize them appropriately (Jeffrey P. (2002). Therefore it is quite usual to find organizations that have focused substantial resources creating sophisticated study and technology presentation within the measures of effectiveness, or measures that largely originate from the accounting system. The irony is that real insights are most likely to be found in location where there arent regular accounting systems. The substantial development in HR contracting out, where efficiency is often the core value intention and IT technology is the main device, has worsened this subject matter. Yet with faulty measures meant for the correct point may be more shinning than very sophisticated measures forecasted in the wrong points. First of all a lot of commentators describe the behaviour of human resource specialists as sway from one problem to another. Trying to settle down disputes is one of the tasks involved, especially when conflicts are likely to explore. It is the duty of human resource gurus to take preventive measures, by initiating guidelines and training the staff on how to comply with those set guidelines, this is a good tool to use in managing crisis and risks. However a sincerely strategic duty for HR has shown elusive to most people (Marcus 1999). Being sincere, many HR experts earn their living by first looking down upon HR as not being limited on strategic contribution, and thus offering a solution, which can be used to bring out a concrete solution. Most of these solutions include scorecards or dashboards of tracking down and reporting the results of realizing the proposed policies. There are a number of theoretical models which go way beyond the recording model of measurement, to critically check the reason why the use of the particular measures. This method is known as HR analytics. In the recent years HR analytics has been on the forefront with the view of many publications introducing official models. Theoretical explanations and some study outcome have been stressed, and the procedural standards required in setting up the need of HRM programs and participation. A totally efficient HR ability, nonetheless, is able to deliver substantial approach towards the difference between human resource management implementation and programs involvement in the overall employees and organization performance. Among other outcomes, an effective HR will be able to give priority to human capital on the basis of the organizational value, which they produce; it should also provide essential input towards the financial and operational strategy (Brian and David 2001). This should also be able to recognize that the organization have the people potentiality in order to be able to meet the adjustment in business environment and structure. It should also be able to support large number of employees in revolution, where the traditional HR, training and growth roles are restructure and put in with the new business plans. According to the LAMP model, there are four major components, which are critical to strategic change. These components include: Logic, Analytics, Measures and Process (Cascio and Boudreau 2008). It is believed that lack of proper logic, and then it will not be possible to predict the future. The logic component of any measurement system gives the story behind and the relationship between the numbers and the effects and the results. A good examples take account the components of revenue costs, the elements which determine the value of better selection, and the connections that associate employee well-being and crucial business end products. Improper logic is always the reason behind the why most HR experts use proper measurement systems, but dont make sense at all to the involved parties. Where proper logic is in place then, it is quite easy to assist other managers outside the HR career to comprehend and utilize the measurement systems to improve their judgment (Casicio and Boudreau 2008). In the measuring the employee turnover, there has been much argument in relation to suitable guidelines to be used in calculating turnover and its costs, or the accuracy and the probability on how employee turnover should be calculated. The current turnover-reporting systems may be estimated as turnover rates for almost any employee group and business section. Equipped with such systems, heads of departments slice and dice the statistics in various ways, each supervisor following his or her own best theory regarding turnover and why it matters. In most cases, the theories are never good enough and thus measures may not help, thus, LAMP model does not support good measurement. The other element, which the LAMP model focuses on, is process. Whereas measurement have influence on decision making and performance, and those take place within a huge organization, knowledge of structure, and organizational social customs. Consequently, efficient measurement method must match with a change management procedure that replicates values of training and transfer of knowledge. Thus, human resource measures and the reason that supports it are part of change process. The first step in effective measurement is to make managers to understand that HR investigation is achievable and helpful. The way forward is not automatically to present a very complicated analysis. Rather the best method could be to present fairly straightforward measures and analyses that correspond with the psychological models, which might be already in use. Estimating turnover costs can show how millions of dollars can be conserved with decline on turnover (Cascio and Boudreau 2008). Other managers outs ide HR have said that a turnover-cost analysis was the initial step in realizing that skill and company decisions had substantial outcome on the profits and accounting procedures, which they can relate with. Apparently, measuring only the cost of turnover is not enough for proper decision-making. Managers may trim down the number of applicants who should be interviewed by raising the criteria for selection. The lower the standards, the bigger the number of applicants will apply and the lesser interviews will be carried out to fill a vacant position. Obviously, reducing the standards will bring issues that far overshadow the cost savings by conduction less interviews! However, the process element of the LAMP framework is a reminder that the best way to introduce a change process may be first to look at the turnover costs, to establish early awareness that the same method used for accounting, operational, and marketing investments can also be used in human resources. According to the Human Capital Management HCM model, any organization that intends to get the best results has to connect investments in workforce to bottom-line organization outcome. Some evidence has proved the link between employee development and strategic profits. For example, companies that devote proper HR strategies seem to attain enhanced profits compared to the ones that use other ancient approaches. Although it still not clear whether a good HR management enhances better financial performance or whether better financial performance enables a more strategic tactic to HR management similar problem is there in the research for employee motivation. Thus, the ability of success in organizations that pays well and facilities than other organization can lead employees high turnover rate in the poor paying organizations (Fitz-Enz 2010). Secondly, from the investment point of view, it is also required that measures be useful. Managers would like to know where to invest for future -both in terms of the type of talents that the employees require in order to accomplish the companys long-term plan. In terms of the type of human resources potentiality the organization requires to achieve, nurture and maintain employees with such talents. For example, HR managers and their colleagues in accounts and marketing want to evaluate the risks related to people in relation to the latest technology, new markets and new requirements. The higher performance needs managing human capital currently and even for the future to be able to manage in a way that is in line with the companys strategic goals (Fitz-Enz 2010). Both the LAMP model and HCM model agree on the issue of measurement. The only difference is that the HCM model puts more weight on expansion against increase is a subject of both aggressive environment and planning, but following its ability to produce value is a limited set of abilities or implementation drivers, for example, its capability to come up with new ideas, to fulfill customers needs and to produce quality. The challenge of effectively linking human capital development to financial performance is three-phases: first of all measures must take into account direct and indirect consequence, secondly the procedure must be straightforward, repeatable and gives a possible result; and lastly outcome require to be put together so that strategies and prediction can depend on it. While LAMP model cconcentrates on more time and interest is given to improve the quality of HR measures, based on issues such as suitability, comprehensiveness, consistency and reliability. These are definit ely essential principles, but missing a framework, they can be performing far beyond their optimal standards or they can be applicable to areas where they have less effect. It continues to say that accuracy alone is not a solution. There are a number of ways that human resource can be able to measure more precisely and accurately. These measures involve finances, which should be focused on where it has the biggest profit, not just where progress is quite noticeable. Companies mostly give more interest to some fundamentals of their tangible stocks more than others. Sure enough, a famous theory is the 80-20 rule which implies that 80 percent of the crucial difference in stocks costs or quality is usually determined by 20 percent of the tangible stocks (Cascio Boudreau 2008). That is to say, whereas companies actually aim at 100 percent of their stocks, they end up with the significant 20 percent with more accurate, more reliable, and with bigger responsibility decision-making. The employee turnover is not equally significant all over. But becomes significant where turnover costs are extremely high, or it corresponds to a significant risk to profits or crucial companys possessions. For example when an employees leaves the organization and goes with a good number clients with them or when they have a wealth of knowledge that is not easy to replace, it is alright to trace turnover keenly and with greater accuracy. However, this is not to say that you keep on reporting on turnover. It simply implies that the turnover measurements in such conditions should look particularly on what more important. If turnover is a threat because to the loss of major capabilities, then the rate of turnover should be stratified to identify those with unique talent from others. If turnover is a threat because of losing clients when the employees leave, then the rate of turnover should not look on differences on talents, but rather should be stratified in accordance with the risks of losing clients. In the absence of a general logic on how turnover affects organization or its growth, managers may have assumption which may be wrong or harmful (Cascio and Boudreau 2008). Conversely Education is also a very important aspect of change process. The return-on-investment (ROI) principal from finance is essentially a powerful instrument for enlightening leaders on the major equipment of financial assessment. Similarly, it is considered that HR measurements will be used more and more to inform components and will become surrounded within the organizations training and awareness frameworks. In human resources career, there are many logical structures, which include remuneration framework, employees motivation models, and also job contracts. All these are very handy, but they are not adequate enough to link decisions about investments in human resource agendas to the set results. On the other hand, some have opted for a service-value-profit structure in regards to customer care. This framework requires a closer look to the relationship between HR and management customs, which affects the employee motivation and in the long affect the customer relation. In the case of affected customer relation the sales turnover is also affected and the general strategic goals. In my view, measuring is very important, but what should be measured is the major question. Most managers lack the knowledge of what is to be measured and how it should be measured. With proper training in place, all managers should be able to know how to handle these issues, be able to motivate and nurture employees to reduce the rate of turnover in order for the organization to realize maximum profits. With good incentives, employees can be retained and thus the organization will benefit from the wealth of knowledge and experience that these employees possess. It is better to have employees with good experience background in that field than to keep on training them of the job requirements and they are not retained, the organization ends up being a training ground and the turnover rate is still on the increase. Therefore I would prefer the LAMP model to HCM.

Reshaping Care For Older People In Scotland Social Work Essay

Reshaping Care For Older People In Scotland Social Work Essay This project centres on the response from a group of service users who have been diagnosed with dementia and attend a day care service in the Perth and Kinross area to a consultation regarding the future delivery of care for older people in Scotland. Clearly, the Scottish government has stated that with the population of people aged 65 and over in Scotland expected to increase by up to 21 per cent by 2016 and 62 per cent bigger by 2031, as well as the increasing cost of funding health and social care hospital and care homes particularly, there is an urgent need to do things differently in order to be able to continue to provide sustainable and affordable and high quality care for older people in Scotland (Scottish Executive 2010). With the projected growth in the number of older people expected to create additional significant demand on care and support services; the question thus arise; what is to be done to reshape the delivery of care services in the future given these projectio ns? The consultation exercise focused on two main areas; responsibility for paying for the personal care of older people and the type of care that service users prefer. Free personal care for older people (aged 65 and above) was introduced in Scotland in 2002 after the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002 (hereafter referred to as CCHSA 2002) received royal assent. The background for the introduction of the policy is in the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Long Term Care (1999) which states that personal care should be available after assessment, according to need and paid for from general taxation. Scotland alone as Bowes and Bell (2007) noted, of the jurisdictions of the United Kingdom implemented the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Long Term Care (as above). In respect of the CCHSA 2002 which is the legislation that implements the policy of free personal care, personal care is defined under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 as including help with continence management, personal hygiene, mobility, assistance with eating, support and counselling services, personal assistance such as help getting up and out of be d, as well as help with medication. Many social policy commentators and researchers as well as various stakeholders have described Scotlands free personal care policy in various ways. Blair (2002) for instance views the free personal care policy as representing the very least that could be offered to older people with enduring ill-health, while Age Concern Scotland (2009) described the policy as successful in helping older people remain living independently in their own home instead of moving into residential care. While Dickenson et al. (2007) viewed the advent of the policy as a defining moment in the development of political devolution in the United Kingdom, Bowes and Bell (2007) described it as a flagship policy of the Scottish Parliament and representing a considerable investment by the administration. In a much less enthusiastic tone however, Ferguson (2005) noted that the recommendation made by the Royal Commission on Long Term Care (stated earlier) was initially rejected by the Scottish Executive as being too c ostly and that it was later accepted by the Scottish Executive in order to avoid parliamentary defeat. However, despite the success of the policy thus far and its political impact as briefly highlighted above, there is a growing concern in relation to its long term sustainability especially with the projected growth in the population of older people in Scotland (mentioned earlier) and the concomitant pressure on the public purse. For example Sutherland (2008) and Bowes and Bell (2007) both highlight the inadequate consideration of the cost of the policy, as well as the report of the Scottish Parliament Audit Committee (2005) which was very critical of the Scottish Executives failure to fully understand the cost of the policy. Bell et al. (2006) noted that there had been an apparent shift in the balance of care towards increased provision of care at home in Scotland before the introduction of the policy of free personal care and has remained the case since the policy was introduced, and remains one of the strongest points in relation to the aims of the policy. Bell et al (2006) further posit that the free personal care policy may have served as a logical solution to what the Royal Commission on Long Term Care (1999) termed the particularly problematic boundaries between health and social care in relation to people with chronic conditions such as dementia whose social and personal care needs result from a medical condition. If we agree with Bell et al here, we can see implications of the policy of free personal care within the integrated services and processes such as single shared assessments designed to encourage and support flexibility in services thus providing better choice for service users, while al so promoting equity through standardisation (Alaszewski et al 2004). The main aims of the policy of free personal care according to Scottish Executive (2005) include; encourage and help older people to remain and stay in their own homes for as long as is practicably possible and reasonable to do so, as well as provide personal care services on an equitable basis based on an assessment of peoples needs. Only one of the service users (out of a group of twelve) who participated in the focus group consultation for this project said she would prefer to go into residential care rather than to receive care at home. This further highlights the already well documented preference of older service users for care in their own home rather than move into residential care a major aim of the policy. Why the Policy is important: The policy of free personal care has been shaped by, and since its inception has shaped other policies in a number of ways both expected and un-anticipated. This interaction with other policies has been mainly in community care and spans social care and health, pensions and benefits, housing, rights and citizenship settings. One of the policy aims pursued by government in the United Kingdom has been the de-institutionalisation of social care; whereby social care is moved away from institutional settings to the community which according to Godfrey et al. (2004) reflects the general preference of older people to receive care at home and within their own communities (also expressed by the focus group participants for this project). The free personal care policy can be seen as a very important policy therefore as it supports care at home (a view shared by the focus group participants for this project) by providing older people with a lot more choice; for exa mple, they can choose when and if they will move from home care into residential care. According to the John Rowntree foundation (2006) the policy of free personal care for older people in Scotland has created a fairer system of care as well as well as reduced means-testing and money worries for those families with modest or limited means. This is also one of the important issues raised by some of the service users who participated in the focus group I facilitated for this project. Some of the participants revealed that things would definitely have been very difficult for them if they did not get assistance with personal care. To further buttress the above point, some of the service users who participated in the focus group were not in support of the government being responsible for the provision of personal care but did however support the provision of free personal care for those with limited means or who do not have a family to support them. One of the points also highlighted by service users during consultation was that the free personal care policy has helped thei r carers (informal carers) as well because it allowed them more time to carry out other less hands-on support and tasks such as social outings. Some of the issues the policy aims to address include; a greater understanding of the role of the family, the provision of informal care and the mechanisms which can be further developed to provide support for the provision and recognition of the important contribution s of informal care. The overall design of the future social care makes looking at the policy of free personal care very important because of its direct and indirect interaction with other policies and areas of social care mad health, as well as housing, benefits and pensions, citizenship and rights. Some of the interactions of the policy with the wider objective of shifting the balance of care away from institutional settings towards care at home have already been mentioned. The policy of free personal care has implications for housing, for instance if more and more people are going to be receiving care at home, to be able to live independently with support therefore, perhaps a good number of houses would require adapt ations especially for those service users with mobility problems whose own houses may not have been built to barrier free standards. If also look at pension credits, for example, according to the Help the Aged (2005) one implication of the introduction of the policy of free personal care is that local authorities have directed increased efforts towards service users income maximisation meaning local authorities will want to make sure service users claim pension credit if they are eligible for it because it will local authorities will be paying less in fees and thus saving money. Erskine (1998) argues that the point of departure for thinking about social policy includes the consideration of social issues (for example, the changing demographic structure of society) and the experience of social groups (for example older people) and thus leads to social action (Alcock 2008) aimed at addressing the issues identified. One of the reasons I selected the free personal care policy for my project apart from the fact that it directly affects the service user group with whom I worked during my practice learning period, there is a wealth of evidence from research which suggests that the current system of adult social care is not sustainable in the longer term especially with the projected growth in the number of older people who will be needing care as well as the severe squeeze on public spending. Clearly, an increase in longevity would be regarded as a sign of success in the improvement of healthcare it also presents a huge challenge. Consequently, the provision of high quality care services and support for older people, given the demographic changes and reduced public finances is regarded as one of the three biggest challenges facing Scotland alongside economic recovery and climate change (Scottish Executive 2010). The policy of free personal care is part of the overall vision of the Scottish government to modernise adult care services, make it fit for purpose, a systems that gives choice and control to service users, is responsive to the needs of a 21st century Scotland and shifts the focus away from crisis response towards a more preventative approach (Scottish Executive (2010). The provision of high quality care and support for older people is a fundamental principle of social justice and is an important hallmark of a society that is both compassionate and caring, Scottish Executive (2010). This is one of the very reasons why the policy was selected for this project; to gather evidence from service users in relation to their views and opinions on the future of care services and support for older people in Scotland. The value of user involvement and participation in the planning and development of the services they receive cannot be over-emphasised as will be discussed in the next section of this paper. This project focuses on service users who have been diagnosed with dementia or a cognitive impairment and attend a day centre service in Perth. Part Two: Reflective Account Service users selection and involvement: One of the reasons I facilitated a response from the service users in my placement agency for the consultation and policy used in this project was because the service users themselves are important stakeholders and are at the receiving end of implementation they experience it on a daily basis. Service users can be viewed as experts by experience and as such their views and opinions are invaluable assets in the planning and delivery of adult social care services. All the service users who participated in the consultation live in their own homes and are in receipt of free personal care and thus have firsthand experience of the impact of the policy and are also in a good position as (service users) to share their perspectives on how adult care and support services can be further developed to meet future needs. After initial meetings with my Link Worker and the other members of staff during which the purpose of the consultation was discussed and ethical issues looked at, I spoke with service users individually (with the assistance of three members of staff) in the day centre. I discussed the purpose of the consultation, took the names of those who indicated their willingness to participate, and informed them about the consent form to be made available before the focus group, as well as negotiated a suitable time and date. My placement agency being a day care centre which the service users attend on a daily basis, what I did was to put up informa tion about the time, aims and date of the consultation on the notice board in the dining room as well as the one in the activity room from about two weeks before the date of the focus group. One of the reasons I did this was so that service users are constantly reminded of the date and details of the consultation. In relation to user involvement, as Ross et al. (2005) points out, there is no single blue print for user involvement as it calls for working with a diversity of perspectives. Importantly, as an emerging social worker who firmly believes in the principles of anti-oppressive practice or what Thompson and Thompson (2001) termed empowering practice I wanted an approach that would foster service user participation, and support their engagement as much as possible in the consultation. I decided to use Beresfords (2002) democratic model of user involvement as against the consumerist model because it is much more in line with the purpose of the consultation itself bringing about change through collective action as well as to give service users more say and control in decisions that affect their lives. In applying the democratic model of user involvement for instance, I encouraged open participation in the focus group. I did not select a particular service user to participate in the focus g roup discussion, rather what I did was to encourage everyone to participate and the response was very positive as twelve out of thirteen service users participated in the focus group discussion. Two of the participants in the focus group had special needs visual and hearing impairment respectively. I arranged with one of the three members of staff who co-facilitated the focus group to work the two service users using individual work sheets to record their views and opinions. I provided each participant with a copy of the aims of the consultation, as well as a copy of the agenda for the focus group discussion. I also used one of the pre-focus group meetings that I had with the service users to encourage their involvement; for instance one of the service users asked me if I would like them to tell me only what I wanted to hear during the focus group discussion and I told the service user that I was not looking for them to tell me only what I would like to hear, rather they should exp ress their opinions and perspectives on the issues we were going to discuss. I believe such an approach to user involvement is important for increasing the confidence of participants in the focus group. Data collection: I used a qualitative rather than a quantitative method of data collection for the project and this was mainly informed by a consideration of what Becker and Bryman (2004) termed the main concerns and preoccupations of the qualitative method actors (for example service users), meanings and descriptions, as well as an emphasis on flexibility, process and context. The main qualitative method I used was the facilitation of a focus group with the service users in my placement agency as participants. I used a focus group approach to gather data from the service users because it generates data in a narrative rather numerical form. It was also very important for the data collection method to be flexible and take account of the circumstances of the data subjects in this case the service users are elderly people with dementia or a cognitive impairment and it was very important to put this into consideration. The focus group approach was the most suitable method because it pr ovided a forum within which the service users could discuss important aspects of a policy which directly affects them, and their views on the future of adult social care services is very useful because they are important stakeholders. If we also look at it from the point of view of service user empowerment and anti-oppressive practice, the focus group approach also gives the service users control as they are able to share and discuss their experiences and the interaction amongst the different participants would generate a lot of data as well as being useful and enjoyable. Other sources of data used in the project include; government policy and legislative documents, literature review, as well as publications/evidence reviews from voluntary groups/organisations such as Age Concern Scotland and the John Rowntree Foundation. Ethical and effective practice: As part of the consideration of the ethical aspects of my work with the service users who participated in the focus group which I facilitated in the course of carrying out this project, some of the things I did include; encouraging participation was voluntary and that consent was obtained from all the service users who agreed to participate in the focus group. I provided each service user with a consent form which they signed as evidence that they consented voluntarily and that they had the right to withdraw their participation at anytime. I also made sure none of the service users was intentionally or indirectly excluded from participating in the focus group (as mentioned earlier), or disadvantaged. As mentioned earlier, I two of the participants in the focus group had special needs one was visually impaired but not blind while the other was hearing impaired and used hearing aids. Some of the things I did to enable their participation in the focus group for instance includes; providing written information in large print format as well as making arrangements for one of the co-facilitators to work with them. I also ensured that they were able to take part in the discussion; for example, asking them politely for their opinions while also making sure (given group dynamics) that the discussion was not being dominated by only those who could actively discuss. Part Three: Assessing the Impact on Users and other Key Stakeholders Several participants in the focus group revealed that the free personal care policy has been of help to them and has enabled them to remain at home rather than moving into residential care. Nearly all the participants agreed that personal care should remain free. However, there were strong responses from some of the participants in relation to responsibility for paying for personal care; one participant was very strong on his position that the family should be responsible for paying for personal care, another argued that while he was not against the idea of the family taking responsibility for paying for personal care, he was being considerate of those who did not have a family or who simply could not afford it because they had very limited or no means at all. The participant with the latter argument suggested that older people should be means tested for the receipt of free personal care. Another participant also argued that older people should continue to receive free personal care because they had spent their working years paying taxes and national insurance and should therefore be taken care of by the state. All participants in the focus group emphasized the important role of informal care and the support they receive from their family members, only one of the participants revealed that she would prefer to go into residential care her reason being that she lives alone in her home and would feel safer in residential care. Several participants said they would prefer to remain in their own homes for as long as possible and free personal care has been contributory to making this possible. There is a strong suggestion from the government documents consulted for this project and publications from key organisations such as the John Rowntree Foundation, that the free personal care policy has been very successful as confirmed also by the participants in the focus group for this project. However, there is also a strong tone of concern (in most of the government publications and evidence reviews) vis-a-vis the financial implications of the policy given the projected growth in the number of older people by the year 2032. For example, if we look at housing, a greater proportion of older people receiving care at home would perhaps increase the demand for housing and housing related services (Scottish Executive 2010). Age Concern Scotland (2009) noted with concern that much of Scotlands housing stock is not easily adapted for someone with mobility problems, and with the balance of care increasingly shifting towards care at home (with free personal care and personalisation as pot ent drivers) there are implications for local services and the design of communities in the future. Most of the participants in the focus group were diagnosed with an early onset of dementia meaning their dementia has not reached an advanced stage and so do not lack capacity. One impact of free personal care for this group of service users is that it has given them choice; they can choose to receive care at home or take up residential care. Nearly all the participants expressed preference for care at home, increased support, choice and flexibility for their family and informal carers, as well as support to keep them (person with dementia) in their own home for as long as possible even during advanced stages of dementia. Participants also said they would like to see more choice and control; some of the participants expressed disappointment in the fact that while they are often consulted with about their opinions, some of the important things they need are not provided. The service users would like to be more involved in decision making as one of the participants in the focus group said; I can tell you a problem that is niggling me and close to my heart and you can go away and promise to do something about it without doing it. Generally, the participants in the focus group appeared to be more concerned about the quality of the services they receive than the cost or who pays for it. The participants all said they wanted services that are reliable as well as responsive to their individual and changing needs. Two of the participants with other disabilities visual and hearing impairment respectively, also agreed that while the free personal care policy has added to the financial resources at their disposal, they still feel they have a number of unmet needs. For example, they mentioned transportation and being able to go on social outings, cleaning their homes as well as taking care of their garden as some of their needs which remain unmet. They also appear to have a holistic view of what free personal care entails; they believe it covers all aspects of care for older people. These two participants also noted that while the free personal care policy has enabled them to receive care at home, it is likely that as their conditions deteriorate they may still have to go into residential care and this may perhaps be the case for the larger proportion of older people with disabilities. In terms of the wider implications of the free personal care policy, one of main objectives of the reshaping care programme (Scottish Executive 2010) for which this project is based overall, as I mentioned earlier is a shift in focus from crisis response to preventative approaches, Scottish Executive (2010). This renewed emphasis on preventative and early intervention approaches by the Scottish government Dickinson et al. (2007) believe would be helped as free personal care may make older people more willing to contact their respective local authorities and thus provide some scope for early intervention and preventative work. As we can infer from the findings and evidence from research presented in this report thus far, the provision of free personal care is just one aspect of the overall picture of services and support for older people in Scotland. There are (as discussed earlier) significant implications for other key areas of public policy including housing, transport, pensions as well as employment. Part Four: Critical Analysis The introduction of the policy of free personal care in Scotland as Ferguson (2005) puts it, marks the beginning of policy divergence between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. Fergusons assertion also echoes Mooney and Wrights (2009) account of the difference in the way the four nations which constitute the United Kingdom view, experience and organise policy responses to their social problems. The policy has been largely welcomed and viewed by various stakeholders as part of a Scottish solution to Scottish problems. Drakes (2001) assertion that social policies are not created in a vacuum but are guided by values, principles and objectives is perhaps useful here when we look at the overarching principles and values which underlie the policy of free personal care. For example, Scoot and Mooney (2009) posit that the promotion of shared citizenship and social justice, as well as the alleviation of the effects of economic inequality are some of the essential principles of the p olicy. While these principles and values were never quite in doubt in relation to what the policy stands for, one of the points raised during consultation (in the focus group with participants from my placement agency) and as stated by the Care Development Group (2001) is the issue of equity of access for different user groups in this case for example, service users with dementia. According to the Care Development Group, free personal care is right in principle because it removes the discrimination previously encountered by older people with chronic or degenerative conditions such as dementia who require personal care. The findings in this project are critically analysed (in this section of the paper) in relation to the specific topics covered in the focus group. The three topics are; responsibility for paying for care, the preferred type of care, and planning for the future. Responsibility for paying for care: As I mentioned in previous sections of this paper, participants in the focus group expressed mixed views concerning responsibility for paying for personal care. Although most participants agreed that personal care should be provided for older people and paid for by the government, there were some participants who held very strong opposing views and argued that the family should either pay for personal care or at least make some financial contribution (co-payment) towards it. Another participant also suggested the introduction of means-testing to the policy so that only older people with limited means receive free personal care. Overall, participants in the focus group discussion did not appear to be too concerned about the cost or who pays for personal care. The participants revealed that they were more concerned about the quality of the services they receive, ensuring that such services meet their individual needs and are able to remain in their o wn homes for as long as possible and spend time with their families. Sutherland (2008) reminds us that while free personal care is currently available to older people at the point of delivery, someone still had to pay for it presently the taxpayer. On the question of who should be responsible for paying for personal care, findings from the focus group fall under two broad categories; selective access and universal provision. Both categories perhaps raise a number of interrelated issues including; rights, citizenship, choice, empowerment, as well as the redistribution of welfare resources which according to Hills (2008) is central to the appraisal of social policy. If we apply Drakes (2001) conception of the function of rights to the above findings from the focus group, most participants view free personal care as something they have a right to (as older Scots who had spent their working lives serving the country in different ways) receive and it confers certain benefits on them; choice and empowerment particularly as they can now choose whether to receive care at home or move into residential care as one participant even revealed at least I will not have to sell my house to pay for my personal care. While it was evident from th e focus group as I mentioned earlier, that service users had a holistic view of what free personal care entails, some of them were also not aware of or perhaps considered the wider implications of the cost of the policy for example the implications for housing as I also discussed earlier. The cost of the policy in the longer term has been highlighted in worrying terms by many writers and commentators on social policy, as well as the by Scottish government. Considered against the backdrop of Scotlands changing demographics, evidence from the literature consulted for this project suggests that the policy may not be sustainable in the long term. For example, in an independent report on the free personal care policy by Lord Sutherland (2008) it was argues that a more holistic view of public funding arrangement would be required because the policy is only sustainable (under the current arrangement) over the next five years after which the impact of a rapid increase in the number of olde r people and demographic change will begin to set in. The question then arises; why was the financial implication of the policy not strongly considered before the machinery of implementation was set in motion? There are a number of arguments emanating from several of the literature consulted for this project in relation to the financial cost of the policy and there are suggestions as I highlighted earlier, that costing the policy has been inadequate and that the policy had more of a political aim (Sutherland 2001; Eccles 2001). Blair (2002) posits that social policy plays a pivotal role in the construction of later life itself. Blairs argument that older people are often discussed and defined in reports through the psychological distance of demography, deficit and economics (Blair 2002) is evident in most of the reports and evidence reviews consulted for this project thus beclouding the reality that many older people are already doing well for themselves without or with very little state support as one of the participants in the focus group discussion said we are already doing enough to take care of ourselves but what is wrong with receiving free personal care, have we not worked for it? The preferred type of care: As I reported in previous sections of this paper, only one of the participants in the focus group said she would prefer to move into a residential home. She cited fear and insecurity when her health deteriorates as the main reason for her choice of residential care. As is already well documented in research (Dickinson et al. 2007) older service users would prefer to stay out of the formal system of care for as long as possible given the choice. Although participants in t