Basics of Bed-rest: How to prevent Bedsores with Egg Crates

Understanding the Limitations and Advantages of Mattress Egg Crates

Bed sores occur when someone rests for a protracted period of time in a single position. Anyone caring for another person, for instance, an incapacitated or immobilized hospitalized patient, must help the patient turn to re-adjust weight at rest periodically in accordance with the health care institution’s nursing care guidelines.

Mattress egg crates won’t substitute for that type of hands-on assistance in a medical situation. Yet these useful, comfortable devices hold great value in a self-care home setting, and often in institutional settings as well. They enable fully mobile individuals who don’t require turning to enjoy a more comfortable night’s sleep.

What Are Bed Sores?

Bed sores essentially stem from the application of too-frequent pressure to specific locations. Some medical facilities today use special alternating pressure mattresses to help relieve the pain of bed sores. It startles some people to realize that simply reclining in the same position for a long period of time over the course of days or weeks will cause painful pressure sores to develop without intervention by caregivers. These wounds may occur on the back, hips, buttocks or other areas where a human body places pressure against the mattress for protracted periods of time.

When individuals lack the flexibility to move easily during the daytime, they may tend to remain in the same position for long periods at night during sleep. Even able-bodied individuals sometimes discover the early signs of bed sores stemming from a lack of mobility during sleep. Serious medical problems potentially occur if a bedsore grows infected. In immune-compromised individuals or the very young or very old, bedsores prove especially concerning. Caregivers should make every effort to avoid this problem.

The Value of Egg Crate Mattresses

Shaped like the proverbial egg carton, egg-crate mattresses offer a valuable tool in enhancing sleep comfort for a multitude of people. These flexible mattress toppers do not contain sharp projections, yet the varied soft surface contours help alleviate pressure points during sleep. This engineering feature gently helps prevent constant pressure on certain focal points as an individual reclines. An egg crate mattress certainly won’t prevent the development of bed sores by itself, but this device does enhance comfort for people suffering from sensitive pressure areas.

For this reason, egg crate mattresses help many people obtain a satisfying night’s rest. Even some premier cruise lines now offer egg crate mattress toppers to their guests. If you’ve experienced sleep comfort issues, an egg crate mattress might provide a great solution!

Creating a Diverse Work Environment: What to Know

Diversity has proven to be a huge benefit for not only the business, but for the workforce as a whole. Globalization and access to education have resulted in top talent coming from places that would not have been expected only 10 or 20 years ago. Minorities, such as women and Asians, are becoming key players in business.

Diversity is broader than many people realize. Including different groups of people requires more than just looking for different nationalities or genders. Cultivating real diversity means that you are considering peoples’ differing abilities, religions, cultures, age, socio-economic status, working style and sexual orientation. When you consider people of all different types and backgrounds, you gather an enormous amount of different experiences that can each be individually valuable to your company.

But, creating a diverse work environment is not just about making sure you hire enough people from each minority group. A diverse work environment highlights and celebrates the difference in opinions and perspectives that new faces bring to a team.

Creating a successful environment is about creating an inclusive environment. When all of your employees are valued, they will contribute more and perform better every day. The positive returns of an inclusive environment are almost limitless.

If you are unsure where to start building diversity, you might enlist the help of nonprofits dedicated to improving diversity in the workforce. There are many local and national organizations that are devoted to helping groups of minorities advance at work. They also provide coaching for companies who want to improve their workplace environments.

Another good place to start is with the job advertisements you post. If you want to attract a diverse talent, you need to write a job listing that reflects this. To do this, you need to make sure that you use open and inclusive language. You might ask people of different backgrounds to read it and give feedback on how they interpreted it to understand how many different ways a job posting can be read.

You might also consider writing a job description that describes what the candidate needs to do rather than the qualifications they must possess. This encourages high performers without a specific qualification to apply for jobs they might not otherwise consider.

Creating a diverse work space is important not only for your business but for the global economy. It does not need to be difficult. It requires only a culture of inclusiveness that values each individual for who they are and what they bring to the job.

Business Strategy: Why You Should Consider T-Shirt Marketing

T-Shirt marketing: Walking Billboards for Your Business
Whether you’re a startup company or an established company looking for new marketing opportunities, you shouldn’t overlook the value of t-shirt marketing. Everyone is looking for new information on how to get their brand out there and make it stick in the minds of consumers. T-shirts offer a wonderful opportunity to do exactly that. Still not convinced? Check out these amazing benefits to marketing your business through t-shirts.

People read t-shirts. If they’re interesting, different, or catchy, they can’t help themselves. That means that if you want to take your brand’s message to as many people as possible, t-shirt marketing is a wonderful way to do it. Every time someone wearing your t-shirt stands in line, the people behind them are checking out the back of their shirt. Walking through the mall, sitting at a table at lunch, or even hanging out with friends all become advertising opportunities.

Turn your fans and customers into walking advertisements. When people put on your t-shirt, they’re showing their support for your company, but it’s more than that. They’re also carrying your brand and message to a segment of the population that you might not otherwise reach. They’re displaying your message to friends, family members, and strangers on the street–and all of those people are reading their t-shirt.

Give your customers an easy way to support your company. Everyone likes to feel as though they are part of a team or community, and your customers are no exception. When they wear your t-shirt, your customers and fans become part of your team. They can recognize each other. It’s an easy way to start up a conversation with one another. Providing t-shirts to your customers isn’t just an advertising opportunity; it’s also an opportunity to promote brand loyalty. When they wear your t-shirt, your fans are able to feel like they’re part of something, and that makes them more likely to choose your brand over the others available.

Encourage dialogue about your product. Do you have a little-known product or service? Are you trying to get information out there about the things that you offer? If so, t-shirt marketing is the perfect way to do it. When they see something they don’t understand or have questions about, people ask questions. T-shirts give them the opportunity for one-on-one interaction with the people who already support your brand, which means that they’re likely able to answer questions about your product. Often, the difference between a potential customer and one who’s ready to try out your products is simply a conversation.

T-shirt marketing isn’t the answer to every marketing problem your business has, but it can make a huge difference in the customers you’re able to reach and the leads you’re able to convert to sales. If you’re looking for a marketing opportunity that will draw in new interest in your business, try t-shirt marketing today.

Guidelines to Follow When Buying Cigars Online

Cigars have been traditionally purchased in-store, where the consumer is able to examine them and test out their smell, their construction, and a number of other factors. With the advent of online cigar marketplaces, it’s harder to judge quality. However, there are a few guidelines you can follow to ensure you get the best quality cigars no matter what marketplace you use.

 

1. Check the freshness.

 

Most cigars need to be stored in a humidor at around 70% humidity and at 70 degrees F. If the website doesn’t list this information, call their customer service line and find out the storage conditions. If they aren’t to your satisfaction, then it’s a good idea to find another marketplace.

 

2. Shipping speeds.

 

An online cigar store should have fast shipping speeds to ensure the quality of the cigar once it’s outside of the humidor. Any market that takes longer than 4 days to deliver the cigar should reconsider its shipping methods.

 

3. Look for the proper encryption.

 

In the URL bar, the website should have “HTTPS” rather than just “HTTP.” This means the website uses SSL, which guarantees the consumer’s safety while shopping online. Any marketplace that doesn’t utilize this technology can be at risk of hacking and theft. Your credit card info may not be safe on websites like this; however, many security programs will notify you of this before you fill out any forms.

 

4. Single cigars.

 

The best cigar stores will allow you to purchase single cigars in order to try them out before you decide on an entire box. It’s a good idea to try at least two cigars of any given type before committing to the purchase of an entire box. You may find that it’s not to your liking.

 

5. Customer service.

 

The customer service of the company should be able to answer any questions you may have about cigars. If it’s difficult to reach customer service representatives, that can be indicative of a number of other problems you may not be aware of.

 

6. Legality.

 

Many online stores offer Cuban cigars. However, these are illegal to purchase in the United States. Make sure the store you’re using abides by the proper laws, or you put yourself at risk. If a company is willing to break one law, what other standard regulations might it overlook?

 

Before purchasing cigars online, do your due diligence and determine if the marketplace is reliable and if the quality is up the standards you expect.

 

5 Strategic Business Reasons to Use the Cloud

In the past two decades, technology has dramatically changed the way we do business. From over-sized desktop computers to the widespread use of the Internet, companies have been scrambling to keep up with the costs and productivity gains offered by new hardware, software, and apps. Smart firms are leveraging the power of the cloud to save money, increase efficiency, and gain competitive advantages in the marketplace. Here are five strategic business reasons to use the cloud.

1. Affordability – Not long ago, many businesses relied on their own computer servers, a temperature-controlled closet or room to house them, and one or more IT staff members to maintain them. Needless to say, this was extremely costly. Cloud computing is much more affordable and doesn’t require space, physical hardware, or additional staff to use.

2. Security – A common concern among businesses about moving to the cloud is security. Because it is de-centralized, cloud computing can be one of the most secure ways to store your data. Most services in the cloud include data backups to protect against loss of your information and redundancies all over the world in case one of the servers goes down or experiences an outage. In fact, it is much more difficult to target multiple servers in the cloud than one that is being run by an individual or single business.

3. Growth – One of the most important benefits of the cloud is its extensibility. Cloud-based systems tend to be modular. As such, they can adapt quickly as your business grows. For example, consider a small business that sells t-shirts. In the past, this business would need to set up sales channels, production facilities, and inventory. With the cloud, this business can quickly create an online store, outsource production to any number of on-demand printers, and easily add items such as sweatshirts or coffee mugs to the product line. Further, companies using the cloud for document and data storage can just as easily accommodate one employee as a thousand.

4. Integration – The cloud provides an unprecedented level of integration among business tools. Chances are, your accounting system, your customer relationship management system, and your social media initiatives can all be coordinated through apps and services that exist in the cloud. For companies that sell products, functions such as e-commerce and shipping can easily be handled through online cloud applications.

5. Access and connectivity – Cloud computing provides access to critical data in real-time, from anywhere in the world, and on any device. This has led to profound shifts in productivity, as well as increases in customer engagement with a company’s products and services. Whereas traditional offices have operated from 9 a.m – 5 p.m., or retail stores have closed at 7 p.m., the cloud enables 24/7 support and engagement for both employees and customers.

Record Management Systems: 8 Must-Have Features

There are many types of record management systems. Most of the modern ones are cloud-based. This means that the software used to run them is stored in an online database. However, some of the record management systems are stored locally on the computer on which they are run. All the modern records management systems allow storage and tracking of records. Besides cloud-based and local storage solutions, record management systems can also be utilized through network-attached storage hard drives. Regardless of how they are deployed, record management systems save money and time by allowing businesses to streamline their record keeping practices. Therefore, it is important to understand the features that can help your business make the best of recording keeping.

1 Versatile Search Capabilities

Record management system should have an intuitive, easy-to-use yet powerful search capabilities that allow you to search through your files in a Google-like manner. If the system you are about to buy does not have filters that allow you to sort your data according to various criteria such as date of creation, type of document, and author, then it is probably a good idea to keep on looking for a different record management system. Another important thing to remember when testing various systems is the time that takes them to return search results.

2 Optical Character Recognition Technology

This technology analyzes data from scanned files, then uses that data to store, organize, and sort scanned data according to your preferences. This makes scanned documents easy to retrieve and search. Moreover, this technology allows you to save money on personnel costs by making data entry unnecessary. Therefore, optical character recognition technology is the single most important feature when searching for a perfect record management system.

3 Web Importing

This is a technology that enables all files from computers to be automatically imported into the record management system. While this seems like a basic feature, many record management systems require people to manually enter many types of data. Therefore, when choosing a record management system, do inquire about the types of documents that can be imported into the system automatically.

4 Support Of All Major File Formats

It goes without saying that the support of major file formats is a must-have feature of any modern record management system. All the major files formats such as PDF, JPEG, and MPEG, should be supported. A good system will allow you to store, index, and capture all the major file formats in an easy-to-use manner.

5 Centralized File Retrieval

You should be able to access all of your files from within the system without opening any additional applications. Any record management system that requires expensive software add-ons should be avoided.

6 Easy Integration With Your Company’s Software

Before shopping for a record management system, it is important to understand your company’s software. Then you will be able to ask questions that will allow you to determine whether a record management system you are about to buy can be integrated with your company’s software.

7 Disaster Recovery And Backup

The good record management system will have a built-in backup functionality. The good system will also have a cloud-based backup functionality. This way the new files can be automatically backed up into the cloud each time you add new data. This will diminish the probability of data loss due to a natural disaster.

8 Audit Features And Controlled Access

You should be able to control data access. You should also be able to see who has taken actions with your data. This will allow your company to run audits and assign data permissions.

Stay-at-Home Moms: 5 Franchising Opportunities to Know

Stay-at-home moms are faced with the task of raising children while also maintaining a career and steady income. The good news is that there are excellent franchising opportunities available for mom’s that will allow them to work out of the comfort of their own home.

Cruise Planner
As per Entrepreneur magazine, American Express’ home-based cruise planning franchise is one of the biggest and most popular cruise agencies in the U.S. Customers recognize the name of American Express, which helps to establish credibility with consumers. It also helps that this franchise system does not involve inventory, employees or retail space. This franchise has low start-up fees and requires zero travel experience. Therefore, it’s perfect for stay-at-home moms who have experience in the fields of sales, retail and marketing.

Tutor
There are professional tutor franchises that provide one-on-one tutoring services to students of all ages. In fact, many tutors have previous work experience in everything from IT to finances to health care. Therefore, any stay-at-home mom with either a formal degree or work experience will be able to work as a tutor. Keep in mind that the need for competent tutors for students of all ages is growing as parents and working adults recognize the beneficial value of education and knowledge.

The Arts
Any mom with a passion and talent for art can start their own home-based arts education program. The franchisee will provide art education in home classes, at school events and in community organizations. Therefore, stay-at-home moms will be able to watch their own children while having their customers come to them. This is a low-cost investment with endless art curriculum possibilities. Even better, the franchisee can get paid to express themselves, help children and have fun.

Senior In-Home Care
Entrepreneur moms who have a health care degree or similar work experience can start an in-home care business. Most people don’t know, but assisted living facilities can run from any residential home that meets basic state and federal regulations. Therefore, a stay-at-home mom with a large house that is up to code can easily support a handful of seniors. Moreover, the franchisee can hire one or two caregivers and act as the in-home care supervisor.

Home Inspection
According to Entrepreneur magazine, the field of home inspection is a great opportunity for stay-at-home moms. This involves inspecting roofs, exteriors, interiors, electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems. A personal home inspection business that uses computerized home inspection reporting is a great job for mom’s who already have business experience and access to a computer. Home inspection franchise will provide the necessary tools, software and marketing and support services for entrepreneurs to successfully build up their business.

In the end, there are great franchising opportunities available for stay-at-home moms. They include cruise planning, tutoring, arts education, in-home care and home inspection.

Business Solutions: Simple Changes to Make For Going Green

Eco-friendly conditions exist beyond residential boundaries. In fact, many businesses are implementing simple changes to become more environmentally friendly. Small changes to how a business conducts its operations will help any owner go green. Going green is a great to save the planet and attract eco-friendly customers. Below are 10 simple changes to make for going green.

Biodegradable Cleaners. Today, businesses can locate many suppliers of biodegradable cleaning products. These products are introduced into the environment when used and are less toxic than non-biodegradable cleaning products.

Compact-fluorescent or LED lights. These lights use less energy and last longer than standard bulbs. It is a great way to save money, over time, and give back to the planet.

Post-consumer waste. Better known as PCW, the use of post-consumer waste is a great way for businesses to go green. Creating PCW paper uses 45% less energy and 50% less waste than traditional paper. Go the extra mile; don’t forget to recycle paper and continue the cycle of going green.

New appliances. The old faithful appliances are using too much energy. Businesses should replace appliances with energy efficient ones. Theses appliances will help a business on their energy costs.

Green transportation. There are many options for eco-friendly company vehicles. Vehicles that use alternative fuel or hybrid cars are ideal. Employers can encourage public transportation and ride share options.

Waste Management System. The Small Business Administration recommends that businesses have a waste management system. This would include how the business would reduce, reuse and recycle.

Rebates. Save money by visiting DSIRE for rebates. Businesses can search for state incentives for green products.

Conserve Water. Energy is used to heat water; therefore, water conservation is very important to going green. The following are simple steps to conserve water:
• Use water efficient appliances
• Repair leaks
• Use automatic faucets
• Use an energy efficient water heater
• Use landscaping that is water efficient

Green computers. Computers are used in most businesses and waste a lot of electricity. Implementing green practices will help to conserve energy. There are a few tips for green computer usage:
• Shut down and unplug computers at the end of the day
• Set computers to automatically sleep
• Remove screen savers
• Recycle old computers

More emails. Businesses use a lot of paper. Sending more emails will help decrease wasted paper. Email is a great way to communicate within the office and to customers. Also, it provides a great way to track messages.

Marching to a Different Beat: The Benefits of a Custom Design

It can be hard to build a distinctive identity on the Internet. There are a lot of different businesses and websites out there, and all of them are competing for the attention of the same people. Anything that does not stand out from the crowd is going to get forgotten and ignored very quickly, so nothing is more important than being distinctive and memorable. There are many different tools that a person can use to stick in their viewers’ memory, but custom designs are among the best of those tools.

People tend to be better at remembering unique images than they are at remembering text. The human brain developed to remember things that it has seen, especially when those things are unique or unexpected. People can take advantage of that quirk of human psychology to stand out from the crowd by associated themselves with unique images. People who want to do so need to be careful to make sure that their images are distinctive, since people are likely to confuse images that are too similar to each other. The best way to ensure that an image is sufficiently unique is to have one that is custom designed for the occasion. That ensures that no other image will be too similar to it, and also that it is appropriate for whatever business, event, or website that it represents.

While a person can easily find or purchase a stock design, such designs are almost never as useful as custom designs. Graphic design is a very complicated field, and a designer needs to take a wide variety of different factors into account if they are going to produce a design that meets their client’s needs. A designer who is producing a stock design that will be used by a wide variety of different clients can only take their best guess at what those factors will be, and then use those guesses to produce something that will be acceptable to many different people. By doing so, they can produce designs that are good enough for simple things, but they can never produce something that is perfect for a specific situation. They simply do not have the information that they need to produce something perfect, because they do not know what the design is going to be used for. That problem vanishes when a designer is hired to produce a custom design, because in that case they can get information about the specific project that they are working on and produce a design that is perfectly suited for that project.

Ticketing Proxies: What are the Major Benefits?

There are two major benefits of ticketing proxies. First one of anonymity. Second one is significantly lower price. In some cases, the price difference can reach hundreds of dollars. So while the first benefit of ticketing proxies is obvious, let’s consider the second benefit of ticketing proxies in great detail.

The best way to take advantage of ticketing proxies is by using a virtual private network, the network built through public wires that allows you to connect to a variety of private networks accessible from the Internet. There are lots of services on the Internet that allow you to use a virtual private network as a ticketing proxy.

There is a story on the Internet in which a person was able to book a flight with a price cut of 100$ through the use of virtual private network as a ticketing proxy. In this story, the person saw a price increase of 100$ by simply logging out of his virtual private network and deactivating Google Incognito mode. By logging in back into his virtual private network and activating Google Incognito mode, the price went back to cheap.

Another way one can reap the benefits of ticketing proxies is by using a fake location. Though we call it “fake”, there is nothing illegal or unethical about this technique. It simply takes advantage of location-based technology used in most travel sites. With this technique, you input a location of some place where ticket prices are lower than those of your location. Though the price will show in the currency of the country which you have input, the final price will be significantly cheaper than the one you would get by using your US based hometown.

You can reap benefits of ticketing proxies without actually using them. You can do so by making yourself appear to be in a location different from your actual one. This way you leverage point-of-sale systems and foreign currencies to get cheaper price.

While using this technique, keep in mind that the countries with lower incomes tend to have significantly lower flight prices. Applying this logic, using one of Colombia’s cities as your point of sale instead of your US based hometown and Colombia’s currency instead of the United States’ dollars will yield significantly lower flight prices. You don’t even have to change any other parameters of your search. All you have to do is change the sales city. When you do that, the currency is going to be changed to that of the sales city. This will result in a significant discount which you will see when you convert foreign currency into the United States dollars. This trick has been shown to work in Kayak and Skyscanner.

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