We Must Solve the Climate Change Crisis :: Global Warming Essays, 2015

"For the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change. Now, it’s true that no single event makes a trend. But the fact is the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods—all are now more frequent and more intense. We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science—and act before it’s too late." -- President Barack Obama We owe something to future generations in terms of conducting energy and environmental research and coming up with various energy policies that are forward thinking. Historically, the path to the future is created in the past. Our generation must commit itself to constantly researching energy and environmental impacts of energy to come up with innovative information. More specifically, research in climate change and how human use of energy impacts climate change is very important for the future. Additionally, policies need to be thought of, created, passed, and put into action properly. Based on the plethora of issues that we as a class have identified through our various energy policies, it is extremely apparent that there is a need for innovative policy for energy and climate change impacts in the US. Since we are only students, it is amazing to see how we were all able to come up with these policies, and it shows that policy makers definitely have a lot of work to do going forward. Who knows, maybe we will see policies similar to the ones we created become implemented in the future. Overall, it is important for policies to be created now for the future to look bright in terms of the way the United States uses its energy and regulates its emissions from energy overall. In the future, new policies will be created; however, they will need to assess the strengths and weaknesses of policies created today.

Cultural safety in nursing Essay

The meaning of the term culture in nursing has changed significantly in recent decades. Culture may be seen as the learned, shared value and beliefs of a particular group (Spence, 2001). Cultural expression assumes many forms, including language, traditions, stress, pain, anger, sorrow, spirituality, decision making and even world philosophy (Catalano, 2006).Cultural safety is a process that involves the individual knowing of their self and their own culture, becoming aware of, respectful of, and sensitive to different cultures, asking who is at risk, preventing unsafe situations, and creating a culturally safe environment (Wood and Schwass, 1993). During my first night shift at clinical placement, I provided care for Anna (pseudonym), an 85- year old Maori lady, who was admitted to the ward following suicide attempt, which was related to the second anniversary of her husband’s death. She had a 20 year history of depression. On admission Anna was agitated and fearful, stating that she could not do almost anything that was requested of her. She had some disorganized ideas. For example, she thought she would be scalded by meals, or accidentally fall out of a window. We had just finished our handover when Anna rang the bell. I went to her room and found her sitting on the chair.†Good evening Anna,† I said.† My name is Parisa. I am your nurse tonight†. Anna looked worried and replied: â€Å"I am not sure if I have enough clothes!!!. † From the handover briefing I had understood that she was worrying about not having enough clothes. So I opened the door of the wardrobe and reassured her that she had plenty of clothes. Then I told her she needed to come back to her bed and have a rest. I helped her get back into the bed. Twenty minutes later, while I was doing the ward check, I heard someone crying. The sound of crying came from Anna’s room. I went to her room. It was midnight. Anna was lying alone; fearful, sad, and depressed. Left isolated, she wanted to call a nurse for help but she didn’t know how to explain what she needed. † Anna, what happened?† I asked. â€Å"Are you crying?† She didn’t reply. In this situation, it came into my mind that good therapeutic communication through the use of touch was very appropriate to  calm her. I held her hand, looked into her eyes, and asked her if she wanted to tell me what she was thinking at the time. She replied:† I feel I am a horrible person, can’t you see that? â€Å"I said, â€Å"A horrible person!!, what I see is a frightened person. You are scared, aren’t you?† She replied, â€Å"I am so scared of losing everything and everyone I love. Nurse, I am not a good person, I tried to commit suicide. I took an overdose of my pills, and I made my family worry about me†. She started to cry again. I listened to Anna and let her speak out all her feelings. I said,† I understand you feel it was the wrong thing to do† She replied: â€Å"Do you think God will forgive me? I need to cry, I need to pray†. With my eyes full of tears I asked her,† Would you like it if we prayed together?† She looked at me kindly and said â€Å"Yes, I would like to pray†. We held hands, and both of us started to pray in our own languages†¦ Learning and then not acting on what you learn is like ploughing and then never planting (Unknown). When I was in unit 4, we had a Maori Health paper where I gained lot of knowledge about the Maori view of health. This incident with Anna was an occasion in which I put the knowledge I had learned at university into practice. According to Durie (1998) the traditional Maori attitude toward health is one of holism. Health from a Maori perspective has always acknowledged the unity of: spiritual, emotional, physical, and family aspects. The spiritual perspective is the most necessary perspective for Maori wellbeing. It is defined as â€Å"attachment to religious values,† but does not have the same meaning as â€Å"religious beliefs†. When spiritual needs are met, an individual can function with a meaningful identity and purpose and can relate to reality with hope (Durie, 1998). Nursing is a discipline that professes to address the human person in a holistic manner, focusing on all dimensions of the person: body, mind and spirit (Lemmer, 2005). Care of the spirit is a professional nursing responsibility and an intrinsic part of holistic nursing. The holistic nursing perspective requires nurses to view each person as a biopsychosocial being with a spiritual core. Thus, nurses must be sure to address the spirit  along with the other dimensions to provide holistic care (Calatona, 2006, p.403). In my situation, I had to support Anna’s desire to pray and practise meaningful rituals. To confirm my assumptions about an underlying cultural issue, I asked Anna in a very respectful way about her cultural beliefs. I realized that Anna’s religious beliefs could be a vital way in which she expresses her spirituality. I asked her if she would like the service of a Maori Chaplain, and she accepted. Therefore, during the morning handover I informed Anna’s primary nurse that Anna wish to be referred to the Maori Chaplain Service. Fourie, Mcdonald, Connor and Bartlett (2005) clearly state that handover is a critical time where staff share information from which to base important decisions about patient care and management, particularly clients who appear unsettled and /or those who require extra intervention. Spiritual interventions have been demonstrated to be significant in the client’s recovery from disorder. The dimensions of religious ceremony, prayer and the client, relationship with God have been shown to have positive associations with mental health (Catalano, 2006). Reflecting on this experience I found that my therapeutic communication techniques of presence, and active listening, were very useful. â€Å"The affective aspects of nursing are related to emotional interchange between nurse and patient which includes presentation, active listening, therapeutic communication and discussion of spiritual issues† (Wichowski, Kubsch, Ladwig & Torres, 2003, p.1122). I used touch to help comfort her distress. Touch is a therapeutic tool which can provide sensory stimulation, induce relaxation, physical and emotional comfort, orient people to reality, improve level of awareness, convey warmth, respect, sensitivity and a powerful expression of a trusting relationship (Crisp & Taylor, 2003). I listened attentively to every single word that Anna said to show that I have a genuine interest in knowing more about her beliefs. Listening attentively and reflectively can help the client feel valued, understood and supported (Mohr, 2003). I have found out that through my active listening to her story, I displayed a caring attitude, and she is already participating in a culturally competent care. A nurse who is ready to listen to his/her patients, respects their  cultural and social backgrounds and does not make any stereotypical assumptions delivers a culturally safe practice (Bunker, 2001). My experience of nursing Anna, and learning how her cultural beliefs affected her mood helped me achieve and develop the skills to be culturally competent in my nursing practice. Culturally competent care involves the integration of knowledge, attitude and skills to provide culturally appropriate health care (Mohr, 2003). As I want to be a mental health nurse, my practice should be culturally appropriate through the sensitive and supportive identification of cultural issues (Australia & New Zealand College of Mental health nursing, 1995). I also learned that one of the skills that a mental health nurse should possess is the ability to integrate cultural perspectives within the delivery of appropriate interventions. This experience also gave me the opportunity to demonstrate my skill in communicating Anna’s problem to the primary nurse effectively. It also enhanced my critical thinking skills for I was able to find the link between her beliefs and her illness, and that led to p rovision of a culturally competent care.

The Exercise Of A Steady State Exercise - 970 Words

Introduction Steady state exercise is the activity that achieves a balance between the energy required by working muscles and the rate of oxygen and delivery for aerobic ATP production. This lab is conducted to determine the heart rate in beats per minute (BPM), blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), and rating of perceived exertion response at rest to moderate cardiovascular exercise at a steady state workload and RPM. I hypothesized that exercising on an exercise bike the subjects participating in this study would have a higher rate of fatigue without fluid replacement than with fluid replacement. Methods To assess cardiovascular response to long-term aerobic exercise with and without fluid replacement will be examined by having four subjects perform both with and without fluid replacement. For Cycle Ergometer exercise on the Monark Cardio Care 827 E exercise bike: Prepare the subject with a heart rate monitor, chest strap, sphygmomanometer and stethoscope. Ensure the subject understands the rated perceived exertion (RPE) scale. Start by measuring resting heart rate and blood pressure. We must account for a 3-5 minute warm-up at lower intensity than the first stage of the exercise. We kept the speed at 40-50 revolutions per minute (RPM) and workload is set on letter D on the Monark Cardio Care 827 E exercise bike, to obtain a heart rate of 135-140 bpm. During this process, we need someone to 1) record data, 2) record time, 3) adjust to resistance, 4) measure RPE andShow MoreRelatedFunctions Of A Steady State Exercise Essay1898 Words   |  8 PagesAssign-3794 3. Steady state exercise is the activity where we perform while maintaining the same heart and muscle movements. Steady state exercise affects many body functions. If the steady state exercise performed for months consistently, it will increase the overall endurance of an individual. The below are the certain physiological functions affected during steady state: Cardiac output: The aerobic exercise performed at steady rate causes the body to increase the amount of blood pumped byRead MoreWho Is Cardiovascular System For Steady State Exercise ( P4 And M2 )5161 Words   |  21 Pageshe cardiovascular system responses to steady state exercise (P4 and M2) -Heart rate is the number of times a person s heart beats per minute. When you are preforming a type of exercise that will increase your heart rate, then your heart will pump blood all around your body faster and especially to muscles that are working the most because they require the most oxygen because of the intensity they are working at. It is vital to take your resting heart rate and the normal heart rate is 60-100bpm.Read MoreCardiovascular System And The Heart Rate855 Words   |  4 Pagesto a steady state exercise. The heart rate after the initial start to the steady state exercise the heart rate levels off, and stays at a constant level. The cardiovascular system increases the stroke volume; this means that the amount of blood that is pumped out of the heart from each contraction of the left ventricle, this means that a greater volume of blood can hold a greater amount of oxygen when transporting it around the body. The vessels in the body also respond to the steady state exerciseRead MoreThe Effect of Distraction on Exercise Intensity1046 Words   |  5 Pagesstudying how distraction affects exercise and related physiological responses, it is important to examine previous research related to this topic. There is limited work done in this area but there are tangent matters of importance. To achieve the optimal health benefits from exercise the research supports the notion that it is necessary to exercise at a prescribed exercise intensity for a prescribed duration. Disruption in maintaining the prescribed exercise intensity may not allow the desiredRead MoreEffects of a Hypoglycaemic Comapred to a Hyperglycaemic Diet895 Words   |  4 PagesA sub-maximal steady state exercise requires carbohydrates and fats to be oxidised in order to create sufficient ATP for the body to function and complete muscle contractions. The main energy sources being used throughout the test were the aerobic glycolytic and the aerobic lipolysis systems. To determine which energy system was predominately being used we can use RER. If RER is a value of .7 the energy system being predominantly used is the aerobic lipolysis system, where as a value closer to 1Read MoreMy Plan For A Workout Process995 Words   |  4 Pagesrefers to how often you exercise. It s the balance of how much you do or don t work out. Intensity is described as how hard you exercise. It’s how much you push yourself. As we all know, time is the amount of time you spend exercising and how long you do so. With Type, it is what type of exercise you undertake in the workout process. I will be using all four of these in my two week program as I exercise. On day one of my exercise prescription I will start light with a steady paced jog. My frequencyRead MoreWork Rate and Oxygen Uptake1282 Words   |  6 PagesThe Relationship Between Work Rate And Oxygen Uptake During Incremental Submaximal Exercise Introduction Oxygen uptake () describes the rate at which oxygen is utilized by tissues (Burton et al, 2004). is determined by heart rate (heart beats each minute), stroke volume (the volume of blood pumped from one ventricle each beat) and arteriovenous oxygen difference (difference in blood-oxygen content between arterial and venous blood). Oxygen is needed for respiration, the chemical process thatRead MoreThe Cardiovascular System Responses During Submaximal Exercise ( Cvd )1170 Words   |  5 Pages INTRODUCTION Information on cardiovascular differences between the sexes is necessary for allied health professionals to best adapt rehabilitation exercises for the patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The cardiovascular system has to adjust in response to metabolic demands of working muscles during exercise. Gender-related differences on how the body meets the increased demands while still maintaining homeostatic arterial blood pressure has been widely researched (CITE). There is someRead MoreThe Effect Of High-Intensity Interval Training Protocol On Abdominal Fat Reduction In Overweight Chinese Women?1503 Words   |  7 Pagestraining and were not taking any medications. Before and after the twelve-week exercise program, the participants were measured for height, weight, body mass index, with a bioelectrical impedance analyzer and CT scan. They also had a blood test to determine glucose and cholesterol levels. The women were separated into three exercise groups, HIIT, MICT, and the c ontrol group. The participants were required to attend exercise sessions four times a week for twelve weeks. Group one was the high-intensityRead MoreMajor Depressive Disorder Case Study848 Words   |  4 Pagesdisorders in the United States† (Olson, 2017). Aerobic exercise has been the focus of an effective treatment for depression. One study was done that looked at exercise as an â€Å"augmentation strategy for patients reporting persistent cognitive deficits following selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment† (Olson, 2017). Groups in this study showed improvements in cognitive control. Overall, there has been inadequate research conducted that focuses on the benefits of using exercise as an intervention