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New Texas Law Requires Sonogram Prior to Abortion

May 24th, 2011

Yesterday, I wrote an article speculating about Governor Perry’s political aspirations. In that article, I suggested that the Governor has not always been true to the conservative ideas he espouses around election time. But I have to give him some credit when and where I believe it’s due. Today our governor signed House Bill 15 into law. The new legislation requires any woman seeking an abortion, to first undergo a sonogram. The physician is then required to show and explain the image to the mother, as well as allow her to hear the child’s heart beat.

The purpose of course is to make sure that women are being provided with all possible information before they make the life changing decision to terminate a pregnancy. Critics of the bill say it makes an already difficult decision even more difficult. Really?! By making sure all information is available? Is that the story the pro-aborts are going to stick with? Honestly I don’t see why this is such a terrible idea. No one is prohibiting the woman from making her choice. The goal is simply to make sure she doesn’t make one she’ll regret later!

Some Pro-life groups were also opposing the law on the basis that it provides too many loopholes. These organizations fear that the law is too easy to bypass thanks to exemptions like the baby being a product of rape or incest, or being diagnosed as having “an irreversible medical condition.” While I agree that these and other exemptions are probably too open to interpretation, and while I’m quite sure that various groups who promote abortion will certainly employ them to the point of questionable legality, I have to think that an imperfect protection of the rights of mother and child, is certainly better than no protection at all! Look, this all seems very reasonable to me! At the end of the day who really loses? A child gets another shot at living to term. And the mother has the peace of mind that comes from knowing she’s making a huge decision with all available information, and maybe avoids one that will ruin her life and cost the life of her child unnecessarily. Oh… well of course if she chooses to forgo the abortion and carry the child to term, that’s one less abortion performed and one less check written to a doctor or “reproductive counseling” organization. But of course, nothing this serious is ever about money!

Direct TV or Suddenlink, Which One, Hard to Decide Hmmm?

April 23rd, 2010

Well, I recently did something I didn’t want to do. I moved from Direct TV Call Now: 888-652-1609 (a service I am very fond of), back to Suddenlink Cable.  It was a difficult decision, but one I had to make as a grown adult, rather than a very, post adolescent television addict, (I confess I may be walking a fine line on that last one). My leaving the former was less the fault of Direct TV and due more to the fact that AT&T has failed to supply my residence with an internet option. When I say my residence I’m not misspeaking. There are actually those in my west Tyler suburban neighborhood, who do have AT&T as their internet provider, but for some unknown reason the company has been unable to supply me with bandwidth, lo these many years.

So what am I to do? With two writing jobs, a teaching career that is increasingly relying on an internet component, and a very active young son, I simply can’t run out in search of a hot spot every time I have to submit an article or enter a test grade into my grade book. This brings me to Suddenlink Cable. Their DSL internet is terrific! But I simply don’t want to pay for both Direct TV’s and Suddenlink’s services, not on a private school teacher’s salary.  So I made a grown up decision. I filled the DVR with my son’s favorite shows and cancelled my much beloved TiVo and my familiar satellite service, and subscribed instead cable and DSL.

The folks at Suddenlink where actually very helpful. The gentleman who set up my account was gracious enough to finagle the best deal for me; the installers were right on time, and did a fine job. So am I happy with my new arrangement? For now yeah I’ll get used to it. I can’t promise it will be a permanent solution, but it filled a more pragmatic purpose than my old situation did without really affecting my quality of life. At the end of the day however, I’m still morning the loss my TiVo subscription.  I just hope that time does indeed heal all wounds.

For more information on either Suddenlink or Direct TV, see their websites and phone numbers www.suddenlink.com or Direct TV. Then make the choice you find best meets your personal requirements.

Choosing A Nursing Home in Tyler

February 27th, 2010

[ad#Wall and Madison]

Tyler Texas Elderly Care

Assisted Living Tyler

I never imagined I’d ever need to deal with the difficult decision of whether or not to place one I love in a nursing home, let alone have to consider which facility. When my own father took a turn for the worse during his battle with Parkinson’s, he ended up with a 6-week hospital stay. At one point, it was unclear how much strength he would regain even with intensive occupational therapy. My mom broached the topic, and it shook me to consider that he might not be able to return home, that he might need more care than we could give him. Once my mind stopped reeling, I realized I had no idea how to go about choosing a medical care facility for my father.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to begin to decide where to place your own loved one, be assured; there are lots of guides and resources there to help you. Every state has an Ombudsman program connected to the Department on Aging that offers patient advocacy and information on choosing a nursing home.

Here are some helpful tips to help guide you through this difficult decision process. Take careful notes as you visit or collect information online about each nursing home. Keeping record of your findings will help you tremendously as you weigh the options.

First, consider whether your loved one needs short term or long term care. This information could greatly impact your decision. Second, make a side-by-side comparison of each facility based on the same criterion. Three general areas to consider when choosing the most suitable facility are location, quality of care, and affordability.

Location

Keeping close proximity to family members is perhaps the most important consideration. Choosing a Tyler nursing home close to home means frequent visits will be much more doable. These visits can positively affect the patient’s quality of life, outlook on their current situation, and go a long way to reducing stress, depression, and frustration. All of these factors contribute to potentially faster recovery, improved health, or even extention of life.

Quality of care

This is obviously an important consideration. We’ve all heard of or seen examples of poor care and I know of an elder care facility in Tyler Texas that has several negative reports from government inspectors. Inadequate qualified professional staff, staff shortages, old equipment or facilities, and lack of concern for dignity or patient preferences have a huge negative impact on the quality of care a nursing home can offer.

The good news? Other than making a visit to obtain a first hand glimpse of a Tyler nursing home, there are outside agencies who gather quality control reports on each nursing home in your area. The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services provides reports on nursing home facilities and their Ombudsman Program provides advocacy and further support. There are also government-mandated quality assurance checks on all nursing homes who accept Medicaid or Medicare patients. These reports are made available at www.dads.state.tx.us/news_info/ombudsman/choosing.html.

Carefully review each location’s quality reports, health and safety inspections. Note any violations as well as what has been done to improve care. For example, if there was a lack of qualified staff working, have more staff been scheduled or hired? Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services puts out annual reports on nursing homes who have received a citation for actual harm or immediate jeopardy on this website: MemberoftheFamily.net

Affordability

When it comes to choosing a Tyler Texas home for someone you love, no one wants to base their decision on affordability, but because of the incredible expense involved, this unfortunately has to be a consideration. Temporary or short term care, sometimes required for a few weeks after surgery or for accident recovery, is often covered by insurance. Long term care (100 or more days) is usually not covered. Be sure to ask each facility about financial assistance or payment plans.

Going into this decision making process as fully armed as possible can only help you. Visit facilities personally, make careful observations, gather all the information you can, and take complete notes. Find a friend or an advocate to help you in your search for the nursing home you feel satisfied will best suit you and your loved one.