Discuss or debate the Renaissance belief that harmoniously Essay

Discuss or debate the Renaissance belief that harmoniously proportioned buildings produce ideal Citizens - Essay Example The fanaticism and mysticism that are imprinted into the European mind brought about by the Middle Ages has been gradually debunked by the resurgence of rational thought of the period. Reason and not a blind following of the imposed doctrines by the church became the yardstick of the beauty, morality, and rightness of a principle or a thing. Rigid rationality and mathematical exactness has also been manifested in the artistic pursuits during this period. The beauty of balance and symmetry became evident in the artistic masterpieces that were produced herein. Having the notion that the ideal works of art should follow the strict logical and mathematical guidelines, artists in this era produced almost perfect symmetrical, proportional and balanced works of art. Renaissance architectural masterpieces were towering proofs of this artistic principle. According to Art History 361: Summary of the Renaissance: â€Å"A harmony of all parts with symmetry and order of geometric proportions and designs using Classical architectural elements† characterize Renaissance architecture. The intricacy of the designs during the medieval times was toned down to simplicity cleanness of design. Architectural beauty was a by-product of mathematical exactness. Claude Fayette Bragdon critically discussed the relation of the artist’s personal beliefs and lifestyle to his works, in his book The Beautiful Necessity. For him, â€Å"art is an expression of the self in terms of sense.† Art then is physical manifestation of one’s self—one’s ideology and tenets. Since art is a medium of expression, it subliminally evokes messages that create an effect in a person’s consciousness. Just as a writer can affect the psychological status and character of his reader, artists, such as architects, also can affect the psyche spectator of his magnum opus. If writers use meticulously chosen words, sentences, and paragraphs to evoke effective messages to influence his readers, we can also

The Drink of a Real Man Essay Example for Free

The Drink of a Real Man Essay What makes a man? Is it ruggedness and toughness? Is it dominance and patriotism? Does a man drink only the hardest liquor to prove his manhood? Jim Beam thinks so. In the depths of this Jim Bean Bourbon advertisement lies a stereotype in American society that is inaccurate. Through the language of colors, font, and actual text, men get an idea of what a real man should be. A â€Å"real man† should have the qualities of bravery and toughness. Men are constantly pressured by society to act tough for people to respect them. A real man would drink Jim Beam Bourbon rather than a flavorful drink that tastes good. The real definition of a man, in Jim Beam’s case, is a dominant, strong human being. The message the advertisement promotes constrict men by denying the variety of qualities any man might possess and further advocates the stereotype of how men have to be tough in order to be considered a real man. At first glance, you notice the massive, bold, white font in the middle of the compelling advertisement. It is near impossible to avoid this writing because the letters pop out at you. On the left side of the advertisement, the bold lettering reads â€Å"President Truman Drinks a Glass of Bourbon Every Day, and on the right side of the ad continues, â€Å"Then He Kicked The Commies Out of South Korea. These words imply several different meanings in the text itself. The advertisement refers to President Truman as a symbol of patriotism and independence. The ad condones â€Å"kicking the commies out of South Korea† because Jim Beam is patriotic and wants independence. The text illustrates a cause and effect chart; President Truman drinks bourbon every day, the effect is he gained manhood and patriotism, and kicked the communists out of South Korea. This advertisement purposely chooses to promote the â€Å"good† qualities of manhood, which include masculinity, sturdiness, and toughness. The colors in the advertisement display masculinity as the background has an aged wood look mixed with some colors of brown, white, black, copper, and sea green. These colors are dull and attract the male eye because of its manly color scheme. On the left half of the advertisement there is a picture of an eagle carved into a wooden slab. The wood is very uneven and rugged, to symbolize how a man is also rugged and emotionally rough. The eagle is America’s national bird; it represents a symbol of freedom and patriotism. Through this eagle alone, the advertisement promotes patriotism and the idea that real men who drink Jim Beam Bourbon are patriotic, just as President Truman did. The eagle is also a symbol for strength and courage, two characteristics that a â€Å"real man† must possess. The right side of the page displays a Jim Beam bottle of bourbon with a wall of old, antique pictures hanging up slightly faded in the background. The picture that most stands out is the one of the owl on the far right, which symbolizes perfect wisdom, in this case, the wisdom for a man to pick Jim Beam Bourbon over any other alcohol brand. The picture of the actual bourbon bottle is slightly hidden behind the text that reads â€Å"Then He Kicked The Commies Out of South Korea†, and is placed in the middle of a wooden table. The placement of the bourbon bottle could represent stability and strength, which is what America was built on. This advertisement is very pleasing to men because it makes them feel strong and patriotic and Jim Beam bourbon can define them as â€Å"real men†. This advertisement appeals to almost every American man old enough to drink, specifically the men who love this country and the idea that American men can conquer any situation. The subtext under the bottle on the right half of the advertisement reads, â€Å"Bourbon is America’s official native spirit. Jim Beam is the number one bourbon in the world. Maybe that’s because since 1975 we’ve been about the stuff inside. TheStuffInside.com†. The text comforts you because it claims bourbon is the official native spirit of America and Jim Beam is the number one bourbon in the world providing a sense of security. This allows Americans to drink Jim Beam and know that their country made this and allows them to appreciate the patriotism that comes with it. For this reason, the words â€Å"We’ve been about the stuff inside,† are significant as well because they have a double meaning. They can mean the actual bourbon contained in the glass bottle itself, or the strength and the characteristics of what makes a man on the inside. Jim Beam will help men feel strong because they are drinking the bourbon that President Truman drank to beat the communists. Men who see this advertisement will think that drinking Jim Beam bourbon will make them feel more important, more patriotic, and more masculine. What these men will not see is the advertisement is not only selling the item for consumption, but also selling ideas about American culture. Underneath the colors, underneath the font, underneath the pictures, this advertisement is essentially selling the idea that the perfect man must be strong, patriotic, aggressive, and dominate. This ad reinforces this stereotype of men, insisting that there is only one kind of man that can actually be called a real man. This real man is forcibly strong, patriotic, and tough. Overall, the advertisement conveyed it’s message about how strong, patriotic American men drink Jim Beam Bourbon, but it does not take into consideration the remaining population of American men who are not strong or patriotic.

Power And Control In The Family

Power And Control In The Family Power is defined as the ability to exercise control. Control therefore is not feeling vulnerable and having charge over a thing in order to get things done. Power is to act, think, behave, feel and believe. Control is the expression of commands, demands, directives, orders and requests, as to how I am to act, think, behave, feel and believe. THE POWER AND CONTROL THEORY. Power-control theory begins with the assumption that mothers constitute the primary agents of socialization in the family. In households in which the mother and father have relatively similar levels of power at work, balanced households, mothers will be less likely to differentially exert control upon their Daughters. Thus, in balanced households, both sons and daughters will have similar levels of control placed upon them, leading them to develop similar attitudes regarding the risks and benefits of engaging in deviant behaviour. This line of reasoning suggests that balanced households will experience fewer gender differences in deviant behaviour. Power-control theorists further assume that households in which mothers and fathers have dissimilar levels of power in the work place, so-called unbalanced households, are more patriarchal in their attitudes regarding gender roles. Power-control theory states that relative power in the workplace conditions patterns of parental control of c hildren in two-parent families, resulting in gender differences in rates of no serious delinquency. INEQUALITIES IN THE FAMILY In 1973, Young and Wilmott claimed that the traditional segregated division of labour in the home is breaking down. The conjugal relationship in the middle class is becoming either joint or symmetrical which is leading to egalitarian marriage. There are many ways by which there is inequality in power and control family that should be looked at but following was stated as the major ways by which the division of labour in the house is breaking down. Household task and childcare in the family is the duty of the mother. Feminist argue that this task is not supposed to be the major duty of the wife, they believe that this task should be shared among the wife and husband as they both own the child and they both live in the same house. Survey on housework and child care suggest that men today are more involved in domestic task than their fathers and grandfathers, women also have to do the majority of the housework and child care even when they have a full time job that cannot be neglected because of the society view on power and control in the family as women being the ones to do the work and men been the breadwinner. Time survey 2005 by et al.(2006)discovered that the women in paid work spend 21hours of their time doing household chores compared to men who spend 12hours of their time doing the same thing. Some British Household Panel Survey (2001) suggested that some household chores are still done by the women as the males find it really threatening to engage in household chores because they believe that doing it risks their role as the head and breadwinner of the family. Women are also responsible for the physical and emotional well being of their family at the expense of their own. Decision making is another aspect of inequality in power and control in the family, in the middle class families where there is a patriarchal view on the family, major decision making such as where to live, what house to buy are mostly shouldered on the husband this is because the traditional view on the power and control in such families still exist there where the husband is the head of the family and he has to be the one to make major decisions in the family. Some men believe that major decision making such as if they are ready to have children or if the wife should stay at home should be made by them as they are the bread winner of the family. Fatherhood is another area of power and control in the family. Most families today are single families where there is only one person to do the housework and childcare. The new right critique of one parent families is that they lack fathers, suggested that children that grow up in such way are less likely to be socialized into the culture of discipline and compromise found in nuclear families and they may end up been less successful parents. This is because such children lack an authoritative figure and there is nobody to turn to in time of crisis. This lack of authoritative figure or someone to watch over them increases social problems such as teenage pregnancy, drug use because they have been influenced by their peer groups. Furthermore, the difference between the fathers of 1990à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s and 1960à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s cannot be underestimated. This is so because the fathers of 1990à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s are more involved in teh l ife of their children than their fathers and are taking active roles un the emotional development of their children. Beck (1992)notes that in the post modern age men no longer look to their jobs to give them a sense of identity and purpose but they now look up to their children to give them that. In this study of fatherhood, teenage children, fathers and mothers agreed that fathers should still be the breadwinner of the family despite the employment and family life changes and that women are experts at parenting. However, it is important not to overweight the importance of men role in child care this is because it is the main responsibility of the mother to look after the child rather that jointly shared with the father, most fathers would like to spend more time with their children but due to the work pressure and long working hours are unable to do so. Womenà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s participation in the labour market has been limited by their domestic responsibility. Due to their various domestic responsibility, only very few women have careers. Feminist also went further by saying that it is only the males that have careers but a lot of women only have jobs as a result of this, most employers find women unreliable because of the family commitments and they are unable to get same access to promotion and work training like the men. Morden marriages do not appear as equal as the functionalist see it rather women are at a great disadvantage, based on the criteria so far. Who has more power and control in the family? Before we can discuss this it is important to know that it is not a very definite thing to say who has more control in the family but we have to look at the family or marriage system. For example if the family is egalitarian in nature or not. Therefore we will be able to decide who has more power and control based on the nature of the family The following can be seen as the three major family natures. It can be an egalitarian family where both partners share the same responsibilities, or a patriarchal family where the traditional view on who holds power in the family still exist and a lone parent family that is either the father or the mother as the head. EGALITARIAN FAMILIES. The power and control in these families are usually a shared responsibility, so child care and house care are the responsibility of both partners as they both have full time jobs. Therefore major decision making is also what they both decide to do. In this type of family, Households in which husbands and wives share equal levels of power are considered balanced and therefore less patriarchal. Therefore, it can be concluded that in families like this , the two partners have equal right and duties in both child care and housework and other aspect of the family life where there is possible division of labour. PARTRIACHAL FAMILIES There is the traditional view of power and control in this type of family. This family can be majorly seen among the middle class family. The power and control of the family lies in the hand of the father as the breadwinner and he is the one that tackles any necessary decision that needs to be taken. The major responsibility of the wife/mother is to do the house work and it is therefore very important for her to do her duties. Feminists argues that this type of structure is not equal as the mother ends up doing the most work especially if she has a full time job. LONE-PARENTS FAMILIES The issue of power and control in this type of family is solely in the hand of who is has the child custody. Therefore it is the duty of the single father or mother to see to the affairs of the household and childcare in every way possible. Single mothers (and fathers for that matter) must contend with a variety of power struggles in their daily lives, such as the continued existence of the noncustodial parent in child-rearing and decision making [i.e., single parents who must rely on child-support payments or are limited in decision-making power because the non-custodial parent has partial custody], the potential involvement of the state [i.e., single mothers or single fathers who are jobless and must rely on the state for monies], as well as power differentials at work. VIOLENCE IN THE FAMILY. One of the most important aspects of power in the family is also domestic violence. This type of violence is one done behind closed doors where the man exercises his power over the woman through the use of physical power by either beating or harassing. This is the most common type of violence as it is done behind closed doors and it has no witness of it taking place apart from the victim. In the year 2008/09, the British Crime Survey recorded a total of 293,000 recorded domestic violence. In any one year, there are 13 million separate incidents of physical violence or threats of violence against women from partners or Former partners. (Walby and Allen, 2004). Also the British Crime Survey said women are more likely to suffer domestic violence rather than the men, this figures might be underestimated because not all crimes are reported by the victims majorly because they are afraid of the repercussion or they feel they may not be taken seriously better still they feel they can change their partners and they continue to suffer in silence. It is not only the women that do suffer domestic violence even the men do but out of 90% of recorded domestic violence, 10% are does suffered by the men. Feminist suggest that domestic violence is as a result of patriarchy. This indicates that because of this, men tend to exercise their power over the women probably out of frustration or their anxiety over maintaining their role as the head of the family. THEORITICAL EXPLANATION ON THE INEQUALIIES OF POWER AND CONTROL IN THE FAMILY. FUNTIONALIST see the sexual division of labour in the family as biologically inevitable. They see it has been in the gene of a woman to be more caring than the man and are more emotional than the man. FEMINIST this particular set of theorists see the power of men in the family as declining why because women have made a really progress in term of equality and they believe that men are already adapting to this change although they believe that women are not strong enough in terms of attitudes and behaviour, the future hold a movement of domestic and economic equality. MARXISTS. See the housewife roles as serving the needs of capitalism as this maintains the present workforce and produces labour power for the future However, these theories have been criticised based on the fact that most of them did not look at every society that women roles vary in all societies. Feminist underestimate the degree of power that some women enjoy, the women ability to make rational choices have been underestimated by the feminist point of view. CONCLUSION. For long power in the family has been seen as a very large topic that has been argued and debated over time, but before the conclusion can be made that either the male or female has more power or control in the family. We have taken a look at the inequalities in the family and can conclude the female gender is at a great disadvantage when it comes to this. Not only have we looked at this, we have also looked at who has more power in the family based on the different family structures. Family domestic violence has also been looked at and we ca n see from the above analysis that domestic violence is also a way by which power is exercised in the family. Furthermore, different theoretical view on the inequalities in the family has been looked at and also how these theories have also been criticized. Power and control therefore is a topic that has helped to understand how the family structure is like and the level of equality in the family.

Declaration Of Independence Essay -- essays research papers

The Declaration of Independence was written to show a new theory of government, reasons why they were separating from England, and a formal declaration of war. It gave the 13 colonies freedom from England's laws. The man responsible for writing the Declaration was Thomas Jefferson. He wrote the Declaration between June 11, 1776 and June 28, 1776. Benjamin Franklin and John Adams looked at what Jefferson had written and made some changes to the Declaration. On July 4, 1776 Congress adopted the Declaration and it was signed by: John Hancock, Button Gwinnett, Lyman hall, George Walton, Wm Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn, Edward Rutledge, Thos Heyward Jr., Thomas Lynch Jr., Arthur Middleton, Samuel Chase, Thos. Stone , George Wythe, Charles Carrol of Carrollton, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thos Nelson Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton, Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, Georg e Ross, Caesar Rodney, George Read, Tho M. Kean, Wm. Floyd, Phil. Livingston, Frans. Lewis, Lewis Morris, Richard Stockton, Jno.WItherspoon, Fras. Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark, Josiah Bartlett, Wm. Whipple, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry, Stephan Hopkins, William Ellery, Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, Wm. Williams, Oliver Wolcott, and Matthew Thorton. The reason people wanted the Declaration was because the people thought that they had the right to be free...

Organizational Change Plan Essay

Falls are a common cause of morbidity and the leading cause of nonfatal injuries and trauma-related hospitalizations in the United States (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Falls can occur in home and as well as in any health care facility. In hospitals, falls consistently make up the largest single category of reported incidents, with most falls occurring as a result of medication related issues, toileting, and hospital environment conditions. With falls accounting for the leading cause of injuries in hospital, it is imperative that environment safety and fall prevention is addressed in facilities. This change plan will include the need for implementation of a fall risk assessment and fall precautions, barriers to change, factors influencing change and the readiness for change as well as resources available to support change. These changes will be implementing with the help of using, Kurt Lewin’s Change Plan Theory. Need for the Proposed Change A fall is defined as an event which there is a downward displacement of a patient’s body from a standing, sitting, or lying position that may result in injury (St Peter’s Hospital, 2012). St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, New York, is one of the major acute care hospitals committed to promotion of patient safety. Acute care hospitals show that fall rates range from 1.3 to 8.9 falls/1,000 patient days and that higher rates occur in units that focus on eldercare, surgical, neurology and rehabilitation (â€Å"National Quality Measures Clearinghouse†, 2013). Due to the high number of patient falls and increased risk factors in the hospital it is imperative to have fall assessments and fall prevention standardized throughout the hospital. Patients’ will be provided an optimal safe environment during care based on the Environment Safety and Fall Prevention Policy and Procedure. Fall  prevention strategies are to be executed per standard of care and indivi dualized based on patient assessment within the patient plan of care. Certain patients are considered to be at a greater risk for falls. Factors such as patients who are 85 years old or older, osteoporosis, anticoagulants treatment, bleeding disorders and patients post-operative. Every patient who is admitted into the hospital is placed on universal fall precautions and nurses will further assess patients based on the Hendrich II Assessment Tool and Get-Up-and-Go Assessment. Patients are also reassessed every shift, with change in condition, after a transfer, and after a fall. The Hendrich II Fall Risk Model is used to assess a hospitalized patient’s risk of falling. Designed to be administered quickly, it focuses on eight independent risk factors: confusion, disorientation, and impulsivity, symptomatic depression, altered elimination, dizziness or vertigo, male sex, administration of antiepileptic (or changes in dosage or cessation), administration of benzodiazepines, and poor performance in rising from a seated position in the Get-Up-and-Go Assessment (Hendrich, MSN, RN, FAAN, 2007). Along with universal fall precautions, Hendrich assessment and Get-Up-and-Go Assessment, staff members should be monitoring their environment on an ongoing basis for situations that may lead to a fall, such as tubing and equipment posing as a tripping hazard. Staff members must be proactive with assisting patients with unsteady gait, need for assistive devise and patients with weakness to ensure safety. Once a patient is scored a fall risk, the nurse will initiates a fall prevention program and activate fall risk in patient’s plan of care. A yellow arm band is placed on the patient, special skid resistant slipper socks are provider to the patient and fall precaution sign is placed outside patient’s door and over the bed to ensure all staff members are aware of fall risk. Providing education on preventing falls to both family and patient, placing patients closer to the nurses’ station, providing bed alarms, sitters and hourly rounding are other measures to avoid falls. Patients who score five or greater are considered to be risk for falls and fall interventions will be initiated. Another safety measure important to prevention of falls is to include fall risks in all shift to shift reports. Barriers to Change St. Peter’s Hospital is an large organization specializing in Cardiac,  Hepatobiliary, Bariatric, Gastrointestinal and Orthopedic Surgeries. Being such a diverse large organization inconsistency throughout the hospital shows to be the major barrier to change. Other barriers are lack of employee involvement, lack of financial resources and poor communication. To overcome such barriers, an awareness of the need for an effectiveness of fall risk assessment and fall prevention program is essential. Employees, patient’s, and family members need to be aware of fall risks, fall precautions and the fall prevention program. Factors Influencing Change Increasing patient satisfaction and at the same time preventing and reducing the amount of falls on a daily basis is the key factor. Patient satisfaction is ultimately the driving force behind the changes in the hospital. If patients are not satisfied with care, they will go to another provider and thus the hospital will lose money. In order for St. Peter’s Hospital to remain ranked in the top 10 hospitals, they must ensure all patients are pleased and safe with their care. One way to make certain that the hospital patient safety increases is by implementing changes throughout the hospital to standardized the fall risk assessments and fall prevention program. In order to be successful with this change, regulatory changes will be necessary to be made in accordance with fall prevention. St. Peter’s Hospital is committed to patient’s safety and ensures all patients are provided with an optimal safe environment during care. Training is required for all employees to guarantee compliance and full understand of the fall prevention program. Evaluation of the program is another regulatory change that is necessary for the success of the program. Monitoring on a regular basis is required to determine effectiveness of program and deciding if changes should be made or modified. Factors Influencing Readiness for Change When organizational readiness for change is high, organizational members are more likely to initiate change, exert greater effort, exhibit greater persistence, and display more cooperative behavior (Weiner, 2009). Readiness requires both the capability to make change as well as the motivation to make the change. Readiness is contingent on several different factors throughout the hospital. Several factors for implementing the falls  risk assessment and fall prevention program is the high rate of falls throughout the hospital. Readiness is also determined by the financial stand point of the hospital. The hospital must be willing and able to devote extra funds to pay for increased amount of employee training and education. Theoretical Change Model: Kurt Lewin’s Change Theory Utilizing Kurt Lewin’s Change Theory can assist St. Peter’s Hospital to make the change, minimize disruption and assure that the change is adopted permanently. Lewin’s three step model of change are as follows: Unfreezing, Changing and Refreezing. Unfreezing is the readiness for change. During this phase St. Peter’s Hospital will prepare the hospital staff for the implementation of the falls risk assessment and falls prevention program. In order to prepare the hospital staff of the need for change, they must first provide information and research regarding the program and the benefits. Once unfreezing is complete, St. Peter’s Hospital would transition into the second phase known as, Change. Change is the actual implementation of the proposed change. In order to implement these changes, training will be provided and required for all employees to guarantee compliance and full understand of the fall prevention program. Evaluation and monitoring of the program will also be conducted during this phase to ensure compliance as well as understanding. Actually making the falls risk assessment and falls prevention program a permanent entity to the nursing assessment is the final stage of refreezing. During this stage, St. Peter’s Hospital will continue to offer education and support throughout the hospital to standardized the fall risk assessment and falls program. Recourses Available for Change It would be virtually nearly impossible to implement an successful change without having the necessary resources. In order to implement such a plan as the fall risk and fall prevention program, St. Peter’s Hospital must have a team of educated employees throughout the many disciplines and be able to train the remainder of the hospital with the new proposed changes. Education would be in the form of class room demonstrations, on the unit in-services in addition to hospital based website education. Finances is another major resource that is required for the change plan. Without the  proper means, the hospital is not able to pay the employees and implementation would not be in effect. Conclusion Patient education needs to be incorporated into the admission process and continue throughout the hospitalization stay. Education provides the patient with the knowledge of the importance of safety and what part he or she contributes in their care as well as risk factor identified. Fall prevention programs are designed to determine fall risk and prevention strategies while collaborating with the patient’s health care. Informing both the patient and the family will bring an understanding and mindfulness to fall prevention. Falls are devastating to both the patient and the hospital considering a single fall may result in a downward spiral of reduced mobility with a loss of function and further risk of falls. Along with proper education, fall risk assessments are vital to the fall prevention process. These fall risk assessment are implemented hospital wide and are conducted every shift, change in status, during transfers to different units and at discharge (St. Peter’s Hospital, 2012). Compliance and consistency reduces falls and the overall cost of falls throughout the hospital improving the care. References Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Falls Among Older Adults: An Overview. Retrieved from August 23, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html Currie, D.N. Sc, M.S.N., R.N., Leanne. (n.d. ). Fall and Prevention. Retrieved August 23, 2014, from http://ncbi.nlm.gov Hendrich, MSN, RN, FAAN, Ann. (2007, November). How to Try This† Predicting Falls. AJN, 107(11), 50 National Quality Measures Clearinghouse. (2013). Retrieved August 23, 2014, from http://www.qualitymeasures.ahrq.gov/content.aspx?id=36944 Environmental Safety and Fall Prevention. (2012). Retrieved August 23, 2014, from http://www.sphcs.org/environmentalsafetyandfallprevention.org Weiner, B. J. (2009, October). A Theory of Organizational Readiness for Change . Implementation Science, 4(67)

Organization That Helps The Disabled: United Cerebral Palsy Essay

â€Å"We strive to build a better world for tomorrow—today. † This is one of the missions of United Cerebral Palsy, a non-profit organization that helps people with cerebral palsy and other related disabilities. It is committed to bring out change and foster hope for disabled people. It is a national organization that has tons of affiliates and is considered to be one of America’s largest health charitable organizations. Cerebral palsy is a serious disability that should not be neglected. It is â€Å"a collection of motor disorders caused by brain damage that happens before, during, or after birth. 2 A child with cerebral palsy has abnormalities in movement patterns and demonstrates poor balance and coordination. Still, a person who is diagnosed with cerebral palsy should never lose hope. This is because the disorder is not a progressive one. This means that it is static and does not go worse as time goes by. There are medical treatments being given by experts to manage cerebral palsy and achieve maximum potential in growth and development. â€Å"Cerebral† pertains to the brain, and â€Å"palsy† means muscle weakness or poor control. 3 It is a disease which is not merely caused by malfunctioning of nerves or muscles. However, it can also result in muscle spasticity which may grow, worsen, or stay unchanged. Although it is a disease that cannot be cured, there are trainings and therapies that can help improve the functioning. 4 Through dedicated organizations such as the United Cerebral Palsy, these trainings, therapies, and additional services can be provided to patients who are afflicted with this disability, improving their lives as a result. United Cerebral Palsy was founded in the 1940’s during the time when people with cerebral palsy do not see a ray of hope to change their conditions. The said organization stressed that â€Å"there were not many options for people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities and their families. †5 Most cases of cerebral palsy among families opted to confine the patient to institutions separated from the rest of the society. Parents of children with cerebral palsy who decided to keep their child inside their homes suffered from isolation, helplessness, and frustration. They had to endure this suffering until the year 1948, when the fate of cerebral palsy patients was changed through the aid of two New York families. Leonald Goldenson, the president of United Paramount Theater and ABC Television, together with his wife Isabelle, coordinated with Jack Hausman a prominent New York businessman and his wife Ethel. The two couples were blessed with children diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The two families decided that they need to take action in order to improve their children’s quality of life. They made it possible by posting an ad in the New York Herald Tribune to encourage families who wanted change for their family members with cerebral palsy. The ad was received warmly by â€Å"hundreds of early parents of children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities. † Upon seeing the ad, they immediately responded it and decided to get actively involved in the crusade that the Goldensons and Hausmans started. 7 Hence, the National Foundation for Cerebral Palsy was founded. Around 12,000 people from various parts of the â€Å"United States, Canada, Europe, and South America† gathered to participate in the first ever Cerebral Palsy Conference. From its first name, it was changed to United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) and was recognized as a national organization in 1949. After that, many affiliates of UCP were established across America. The organization’s cause increased the public’s awareness on the truth behind cerebral palsy and what the organization can offer to families and people who are confronted by problems regarding developmental disabilities. UCP also caught the media’s attention, making the organization more known to many people. UCP is also composed of highly acclaimed people from the entertainment and political arena. This is an organization with a cause that used various means of letting the public know how it can support and be part of the fight to improve the lives of cerebral palsy patients. There were films that are produced to raise funds for the organization which starred famous celebrities such as John Wayne, Gene Kelly, Henry Fonda and Danny Thomas. 10 From such films, not only the public’s awareness about cerebral palsy was increased, the funding needed to support the movement was obtained as well. Marie Kilillea, one of UCP’s volunteer, wrote a novel entitled Karen which became a best seller in 1952 and has never been out of print ever since. Public school students of that time were required to read the novel in order to know more about cerebral palsy. The organization even managed to launch its first ever telethon entitled Celebrity Parade which discussed everything about cerebral palsy. The said program was aired for 15 hours and was able to raise funds summing up to a total of $972,106. 12 UCP faced several changes and challenges since the year it was founded until the present. It continuously brings hope to the disabled and encourages families to support each other and cooperate with the mission of UCP. In 1990, â€Å"UCP was a major leader in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act which, for the first time, extends basic civil rights protections to persons with disabilities in the areas of employment, transportation, public accommodations and telecommunications†13. The organization’s website was launched in 1994, making it accessible for people all over the world. An award from the American Society of Association Executive’s prestigious Summit Award for its ADA Report Card on America and its impact on improving the lives of people with disabilities nationwide was also given to UCP, which brought more honor to the organization. For the succeeding years, television events, educational campaigns, and other public service announcements were made to popularize the organization and its mission. At present, UCP is now on its 58th year of service to the people with cerebral palsy and to the people who give their undying support to the patients. The United Cerebral Palsy mission statement is to â€Å"advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with disabilities through an affiliate network†14. The affiliates of UCP provide financial support to the organization, which is the primary source of the organizations’ funds. The financial statement of the organization can be accessed on their website to let the public know its assets and liabilities. Through the help of its affiliates, UCP offers its helping hand daily to over 170,000 disabled children and adults with disabilities and their families. 15 There are fund raising activities done to accumulate financial resources to support the organization’s needs. Aside from the money gathered from donors and members, there are also services including â€Å"housing, therapy, assistive technology training, early intervention programs, individual and family support, social and recreation programs, community living, state and local referrals, employment assistance and advocacy† given out to cerebral palsy patients and their families. 16 Interview Upon interviewing one of the staff members of UCP (whose name does not want to be mentioned), I was able to gain more knowledge of how the organization works and adheres to its mission. He confidently answered all of my questions about UCP and how people’s involvement is vital for the organization to achieve its goals. Without their help, the organization could not have lasted for many years. He is proud to say that UCP survived 58 years of service to people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities. It has inspired their families by helping them to accept the condition of their family member and by providing them the support and attention that they need. The USP does not stand today as it is because of the funds gathered and the services that were given. The dedication and commitment of each member, affiliate, and staff make UCP fulfills its mission. Because of organizations like USP, people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities can have a taste of normal life by creating a better and normal world for the patients. Conclusion In the case of United Cerebral Palsy, I can say that it is an organization with a heart. It aims to end the feeling of isolation and depression by people who suffer from cerebral palsy, as well as their families. It was founded to ease the burden carried by families who were separated from their family members with cerebral palsy. Through organizations such as UCP, the person with cerebral palsy can also achieve development without moving out of their homes and entering institutions. It is inspiring to know that there are people united by one mission to give a brighter future for people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, as these people are often pitied, mocked, and bullied. Indeed, USP is an organization that is founded with love, devotion and care.