7 Tips For Living A Happy Life With Chronic Illness Using Patient Education and Counseling

How do you live with all the chronic illness you have experienced over the years? You have been through so much and yet you are so positive and so upbeat? How do you do it? This is a question my family and I get asked all the time. I come from a very large family and over the past 49 years we have experienced several severe chronic illnesses. Illnesses like cancers, heart disease, heart bypass and valve replacement surgeries, heart failure, type 1 diabetes, blindness, mental illness, bowl reconstruction, kidney disease and transplant surgery, dialysis, chronic infections, pneumonia, lung collapses,taps and removals and amputations just to name a few. During this time my family and I have learned to live with these conditions and live a mostly happy life. What is the secret?

There is no magic bullet or pill that will make all of this emotional and mental stress you may experience go away. The truth is no one can make the sadness and the pain vanish, no one except you! Most people don't understand where feelings are born. People think "I can't control how I feel, things happen and I just feel." The problem is that they are wrong. The greatest discovery in the study of the mind is that every feeling that a human has ever had is a direct result of a thought. Therefore, we think, we feel and then we react. This is how the electrical impulses and neurons and transmitters in the brain function. Don't believe me? Try this experiment. One night when you are sitting by yourself I want you to think "Someone is outside looking in the window." Say it a couple of times and I guarantee within a few minutes you'll be "feeling" nervous. You will wind up getting up to check and see who is outside. You will be looking for the person you just created in your mind a few moments ago.

Now you will say, "OK, how does that help me deal with the stress I am feeling do to my illness?" Here is how it works. You are diagnosed, you leave the doctor's office and start filling your head with the following thoughts- I'm sick, I don't know what's going to happen, I'm in trouble, I'm scared, I'm dying, things are really bad. Your brain transmits these thoughts to the part of the brain that creates feelings and vole' you're feeling scared, frightened, depressed and sad. Nothing physically has changed from the time you entered the doctor's office to the time you left it, yet you are "feeling" traumatized.

The secret? You have to learn how to think properly. Yes you have pain and a lot on your plate and you may have a long bumpy road ahead, but how is thinking sad and depressed thoughts going to make you feel better? The answer, it won't! You have to train yourself how to think correctly. You have to learn how to take control of your mind. Here is a list of things you can do to help you start thinking correctly.

1. First and foremost do your homework! Understand anything and everything you can about your illness and its treatments. Knowledge is power. Doing this will give you a feeling of confidence and will put you more in control of your situation.

2. Tied for 1st. don't live in denial and run around pretending everything's fine and not acknowledging you have an illness. Do this and you may find yourself in another hospital. Yes you are sick and yes it is going to be scary at times. What you have to remember is that it doesn't have to be that way all the time.

3. Practice, practice, practice. I recommend every morning that you count your blessings. Run through your head all the wonderful things you have to be thankful for in this life. Exp- I have a roof over my head, I have friends and family who love me, I can think and walk and talk, I have food on my table, I have a God in heaven who loves me, I love me I am a good person. These are some of the ones that I use. Yours may be different. Then meditate in complete silence for at least 20 minutes, pray after you are done meditating. It is so important to start your day on a positive note. Then throughout your day keep reminding yourself of all the good things in your life. Try this instead of waking up and thinking "I am sick, I am in pain, I am going to die and life sucks." We all know what road these thoughts are going to take you down. Depression, sadness, fear, frustration and anger.

4. Research how the mind and the subconscious mind work and how you can control your thoughts and therefore your feelings. Read books, get on the internet and make this a part of your recovery and treatment plan.

5. Remember, you are not alone and you aren't the first one to go through this. Find a support group and make contact with them. Utilize all that they have to offer. These people have already been through what you're experiencing and they will be able to steer you in the right direction. They will also be able to keep you from making the same mistakes they made.

6. (Caveat to 5) Stay away from negative people. Negative people and negative thoughts are 10 times stronger than positive. Think about it, you are in a group of 10 and 9 love you and 1 hates you. You are bound to sit and worry about why that 1 person doesn't like you. Stay away from negative people.

7. Don't waste the time you have now, this moment right now, worrying about something that may or may not happen in the future. It is a waste of your precious time you have now. If you choose to do this, sitting around thinking worrisome thoughts about your illness, then the disease/illness wins. Ask yourself this question "What good does it do you? How does it help make you feel better?"

The Future of Healthcare Laundry

According to American Laundry News, in the field of healthcare textiles, there are a few primary factors that will affect how the industry changes in upcoming years. Some of these factors include: rising environmental concerns, changes to national healthcare, and energy. Here is a brief analysis of how these factors could affect the healthcare laundry industry in the future.

Rising Environmental Concerns

With increased concern about the effects of pollution, global warming, and climate change, the "green" trend continues to gain momentum. More and more companies across all major industries are now striving to reduce their carbon footprint. It is projected that awareness of how business practices affect our environment will continue to grow in the next 20 years. Environmental concerns will likely reach the point that all professional laundry companies will need to treat their wastewater and reuse it.

Changes to National Healthcare

By the year 2033, it is very possible that the U.S. healthcare laundry market will resemble the current Canadian laundry market. The majority of U.S. healthcare could be government subsidized through a single provider network. If the government is the primary source of all revenue, it will be actively involved in seeking to control healthcare and related costs at all levels.

Healthcare administrators tend to view medical linen service as an unavoidable expense and continually search for ways to reduce those costs. This typically involves outsourcing, relying on contract management businesses, and limiting the number of items in the linen inventory. In the future, the government will likely look at establishing a network of healthcare laundries to provide standard service to all medical facilities.

Energy

The rise in environmental concerns will drive new energy legislation. To effectively reduce pollution caused by transportation vehicles, the government will continue to allow oil prices to rise. The increases in gasoline and diesel prices will cause consumers and companies alike to reduce their usage. Limiting fuel costs will mean that laundry locations must be carefully planned in relation to the geographic area that they are serving. Healthcare facilities will likely be assigned to the nearest medical laundry service in their area, eliminating competition.

Stay Ahead of the Curve with a Professional Linen Service

A professional healthcare laundry service can help your hospital, clinic, or other medical facility meet economic, disinfection, and patient satisfaction needs. As the medical linen industry continues to adapt to changes in both our economic and world climate, professional linen services must stay on the cutting edge of industry standards. While the future is uncertain in most industries, professional laundry services can help your medical facility continue to provide the best possible care and sanitation.

Equipment Used By Medical Laundry Service Companies in Hospitals

Infection control is a major issue for healthcare facilities throughout the U.S. Clinics and hospitals require high standards of sanitation in order to reduce the risk of cross-infection from contaminated linens. Due to the stringent sanitation guidelines that must be met, many healthcare facilities choose to hire a medical laundry service. Here is some information about the specialized laundry equipment used by medical laundry service companies.

Washing Machines

These range from small 6 kg machines to large machines weighing 120 kgs. They can be programmed to perform both thermal disinfection and sluice washes. There are also multi-programmable washing machines with a range of features, which are ideal for cleaning different types of medical linens. Many have special features like automatic timing, automatic reverse, and automatic temperature control. The washing machines used to launder medical linens must produce wash results that meet specific health requirements. Medical laundry service companies use laundry equipment which offer quality, durability, and reliability for clinics and hospitals.

Dryers

These can be LPG, gas, or electric tumble dryers or, hydro extractors, which decrease the drying time of medical linen by removing high amounts of water from fabrics. Newer models of tumble dryers have heat pump technology which makes them capable of handling all types of healthcare linen. Tumble dryers used to clean medical linens are designed for maximum efficiency. They dry hospital linen faster and are economical as well.

Ironing Equipment

When healthcare linens have been laundered, they require a professional finish. Skilled medical laundry service companies provide ironing equipment which offers the best solution to the ironing requirements of hospitals and clinics. These range from drying ironers, to table and bed ironers. These companies use ironers that are capable of ironing all types of fabrics to produce excellent results each time. Different ironers are used for different types of linens, such as clothes, bed linens, and table linens. The laundry companies use ironers that are easy to operate and have different features like automatic temperature controls and touchless temperature systems.

Most hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes aim to improve their laundry production through efficient laundry services. Skilled medical laundry service companies offer the best solution as they get high volumes of laundry done faster while giving the utmost attention to quality. These companies properly wash different items thoroughly and consistently, which help to improve linen inventory maintenance significantly. Towels, sheets, blankets, bed pads, rugs, mop heads, and personal items are all cleaned differently according to their unique specifications. Excellent linen solutions that fit a hospital's requirements help secure patient satisfaction and health. By allowing skilled professionals to do the work, hospitals and clinics enjoy specialized and cost-effective linen management.

Cleaning Up With Feng Shui?

Inventor, designer and philanthropist Sir James Dyson ought to be congratulated for his new campaign to clean up hospitals following a 4 million donation to a West Country neonatal ward.

Staff, patients and most importantly premature babies are now thriving after a 6.1m revamp at the Royal United Hospital. In the words of one concerned parent of a child born 12 weeks prematurely and contracted a potentially life-threatening infection. * "It was touch and go for a couple of days, but I remember it was the way the nurse's hands were folded and something about the lights, the mood, the space, it all helped us to cope."

That "something" is undoubtedly feng shui now defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "a system of laws considered to govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to the flow of energy (chi), and whose favourable or unfavourable effects are taken into account when siting and designing buildings."

In basic terms it deals with the flow and storage of energy throughout a building or space and how different materials support or interrupt this distribution. All materials, shapes, positions and even colours within the area are analysed and the path is determined by air flow. It may help to think of this in terms of heat and light, where ideally warmth should be preserved and natural light needs to flow for maximum comfort and efficiency. When applied to those who are vulnerable this aids wellbeing and speeds recovery.

The good news is that feng shui principles can improve any existing space even without the need of costly refurbishments. However, the finer the ingredients the better the result, and when feng shui is applied to new builds or major refurbishments the results can be outstanding.

As well as working with design and project teams we have also trained many Architects to use feng shui and collectively we are all working to provide nurturing environments for those in need. Sir James Dyson is now a making a 4 million donation to a cancer ward in the same hospital.

We are keen to lend a hand and feng shui advice to help other hospitals improve their environments and subsequent service whilst reducing stress.

As our future depends on the lives of our children we would also like to work with schools to provide a nurturing and less intensive place for their pupils. If you are involved in these sectors and would like some feng shui advice please send us your enquiries.

* = quote taken from this article clean up hospitals