Occupational Health – Workplace Health Management

Workplace Health Management (WHM) There are four key components of workplace health management:

Occupational Health and Safety

Workplace Health Promotion

Social and lifestyle determinants of health

Environmental Health Management
In the past policy was frequently driven solely by compliance with legislation. In the new approach to workplace health management, policy development is driven by both legislative requirements and by health targets set on a voluntary basis by the working community within each industry. In order to be effective Workplace Health Management needs to be based on knowledge, experience and practice accumulated in three disciplines: occupational health, workplace health promotion and environmental health. It is important to see WHM as a process not only for continuous improvement and health gain within the company, but also as framework for involvement between various agencies in the community. It offers a platform for co-operation between the local authorities and business leaders on community development through the improvement of public and environmental health.The Healthy Workplace setting – a cornerstone of the Community Action Plan.The Luxembourg Declaration of the European Union Network for Workplace Health Promotion defined WHP as the combined effort of employers, employees and society to improve the health and well-being of people at workThis can be achieved through a combination of:

Improving the work organization and the working environment

Promoting active participation of employees in health activities

Encouraging personal development
Workplace health promotion is seen in the EU network Luxembourg Declaration as a modern corporate strategy which aims at preventing ill-health at work and enhancing health promoting potential and well-being in the workforce. Documented benefits for workplace programs include decreased absenteeism, reduced cardiovascular risk, reduced health care claims, decreased staff turnover, decreased musculoskeletal injuries, increased productivity, increased organizational effectiveness and the potential of a return on investment.However, many of these improvements require the sustained involvement of employees, employers and society in the activities required to make a difference. This is achieved through the empowerment of employees enabling them to make decisions about their own health. Occupational Health Advisors (OHA) are well placed to carry out needs assessment for health promotion initiatives with the working populations they serve, to prioritize these initiatives alongside other occupational health and safety initiatives which may be underway, and to coordinate the activities at the enterprise level to ensure that initiatives which are planned are delivered. In the past occupational health services have been involved in the assessment of fitness to work and in assessing levels of disability for insurance purposes for many years.The concept of maintaining working ability, in the otherwise healthy working population, has been developed by some innovative occupational health services. In some cases these efforts have been developed in response to the growing challenge caused by the aging workforce and the ever-increasing cost of social security. OHA’s have often been at the forefront of these developments.There is a need to develop further the focus of all occupational health services to include efforts to maintain work ability and to prevent non-occupational workplace preventable conditions by interventions at the workplace. This will require some occupational health services to become more pro-actively involved in workplace health promotion, without reducing the attention paid to preventing occupational accidents and diseases. OHA’s, with their close contact with employees, sometimes over many years, are in a good position to plan, deliver and evaluate health promotion and maintenance of work ability interventions at the workplace.Health promotion at work has grown in importance over the last decade as employers and employees recognize the respective benefits. Working people spend about half of their non-sleeping day at work and this provides an ideal opportunity for employees to share and receive various health messages and for employers to create healthy working environments. The scope of health promotion depends upon the needs of each group.Some of the most common health promotion activities are smoking reducing activities, healthy nutrition or physical exercise programs, prevention and abatement of drug and alcohol abuse.However, health promotion may also be directed towards other social, cultural and environmental health determinants, if the people within the company consider that these factors are important for the improvement of their health, well-being and quality of life. In this case factors such as improving work organization, motivation, reducing stress and burnout, introducing flexible working hours, personal development plans and career enhancement may also help to contribute to overall health and well-being of the working community.The Healthy Community setting In addition to occupational health and workplace health promotion there is also another important aspect to Workplace Health Management. It is related to the impact that each company may have on the surrounding ambient environment, and through pollutants or products or services provided to others, its impact on distant environments. Remember how far the effects of the Chernobyl Nuclear accident in 1986 affected whole neighbouring countries.Although the environmental health impact of companies is controlled by different legislation to that which applies to Health and Safety at work, there is a strong relationship between safeguarding the working environment, improving work organization and working culture within the company, and its approach to environmental health management.Many leading companies already combine occupational health and safety with environmental health management to optimally use the available human resources within the company and to avoid duplication of effort. Occupational health nurses can make a contribution towards environmental health management, particularly in those companies that do not employ environmental health specialists.Coming up. Key steps in developing New Workplace Health Policies

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Dental Marketing – Creative Strategies for More Patients

Here are the not so common but very creative marketing strategies that you can utilize in your dental practice:1. Launch a referral program – It is and should be the number one strategy to use especially in healthcare related service as it is believed that 92% of people trust personal recommendations more than all other forms of marketing. It is simple but extremely powerful and has the potential to significantly increase new patient generation to your dental practice. I have listed some ideas on how you can kickstart this program:

Launch a Patient Loyalty Program – This is designed in a way where you would be able to collect email addresses & cell phone number for future marketing strategies like email marketing, social media campaign or mobile marketing. This is also letting your patients know that you are thankful for their business.

Launch a Patient Review Program – This is designed to increase your online reputation. You can selectively hand out cards to patients so they can leave reviews on your social networking sites or other websites like yelp, your Google business page or on your website so that they can claim their rewards.

Ask for a Patient Referral

Here is a 3 step guide on how to ask light-heartedly for a referral:

Selectively asking – ask only those who you know and who you like, an example is a long-term patient whom you have developed a good rapport.

When a patient has had a good experience – when a patient is being graceful in letting you know that they have had a great experience, you can tell them in a way that is not pressuring like, “It’s excellent to hear that you had a wonderful experience. When your friends or family tell you how bad their experience was, you can send them here.”

Use a script – Thank you for your feedback! I am very proud of our team and It is part of our goal to give a positive experience for patients like you who appreciate what we do. We know that not everyone has a positive experience like this with their dentists. If you have any family or friends who might enjoy the same experience you’ve had, we would love for you to recommend them to us.

2. Turn your product or service into a challenge – What problem do your services solve? Do not go with the flow of explaining the services that you offer. Instead, make your product the focal point and create a challenge for that. For example, you can ask patients dental related questions or even better is make a quiz on who they think is following good dental hygiene. It forces them to engage and your business will be unique and top of mind.3. Use popular hashtags on social media – Utilizing popular hash tags such as #FlashbackFriday or #ThrowbackThursday can increase the number of views you want for your business especially those that are in the millennial age group. You could also use this so that you could target person looking for a particular topic or service so you never know because it can also be a good source of how you can get new patients to check out your service.More Dental Marketing IdeasWhen it comes to dental marketing there’s no shortage of good ways to start. Here are a few more suggestions for marketing your dental practice. Take a look and see what you think will work for your practice.Get Local with SEOWhen people in your target area start searching online for a dentist do you show up? An easy way to check is to grab your phone, type in “Dentist near me” and see what comes up. If you’re not at the head of the pack you’re missing out on a lot of new patients and leads.A goal for your dental marketing efforts is to rank on local search, like when you typed “Dentist near me”, and get found by people in your target market.Leverage Existing PatientsIn addition to the above suggestions, working with what your dental practice already has, like existing patients, is an excellent place to start. For example in idea number one we discussed creating a patient loyalty program. Not only does this leverage existing patients, it’s good business that can (and will) drive referrals to your practice.Dental Marketing: It’s Not Rocket ScienceMarketing a dental practice can feel like rocket science, but it isn’t, using a little creativity and common sense can go a long way. Thinking about how to please your patients is one way to get more of them!To Social Media or Not to Social MediaIf you’re going to use Social Media to market you dental practice I recommend taking a moment to think about it.Social media is a great dental marketing tool but it requires time, effort and tact. Consistent effort and quality content are a must for social media to work for dental marketing. If you or your staff do not have the time to market your practice, the right way, on social media it may be best to look at other options. Other options for engaging social users are hiring an agency, training someone in your office to do it or using paid ads to reach social media users.Other ways to use social mediaAdditionally, when using paid ads to target new patients for your practice, be sure that you’re only targeting patients in your geographic area. If you’re in New York City you don’t want to be marketing to people in Los Angeles, right? It’s an easy and costly mistake to make.Make a contest and go viralUsing contests is a great way to grow your dental practice. Everyone wants whiter teeth, right? Create a grand prize, as an example, of teeth whitening for life (or whatever you want to offer).When your prize is something everyone wants you’ll have no trouble getting people to join your contest. Digital contests can boost your dental practices marketing exposure for pennies. Adding bonus actions to increase entrants chances to win is another way to squeeze a little more out of your contest.There’s a 1,001 ways to market your dental practice. Most of them you can do yourself. Sometimes, it’s better to hire an expert to do it right, the first time. You can learn more about hiring a dental marketing expert in the box below.

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Seven Principles of Health for a Happy Long Life

We are very excited to impart to you the seven principles of health. We are looking at what can allow you to live a vibrant, happy, fulfilling, and healthy life. Of course, any of the information we will share with you is purely information, not medical advice. You are however, most welcome to go and seek your own medical advice, specifically from your own health professional. But this information tells about proven methods against the test of time.So you’ve heard a lot of talk about my health and living as well as the seven principles of health. There are a lot of different thoughts about these principles. In general, we are talking about the health principles that really matter. Sure, there might be a couple which you could apply in your life, but these are certainly the most essential ones, those that you should definitely have to include in your lifestyle. In fact, the whole aim of this article is so that you can get a good appreciation of them, so that you too can live a healthy life for yourself.We don’t want people to be sick, and we certainly don’t want people to be taking mostly prescription drugs when they don’t have to. Now, is there any reason why we think that way? Because there are a lot of natural health measures that you can do to prevent ailments in the first place. You can certainly take alternative health measures. For instance, you can take a look at your diet, consider what you really partake of everyday. Is it really toxic to your body, or is it good for you? Are you, unknowingly building things, or destroying things in your body? These are what the seven principles of health really build upon. It really gives you an idea that you can move forward in a positive way for your body, not in a negative way. If you stifle your own growth and the cleansing processes of your body that’s naturally set up, then you’re really preventing yourself from being healthy. We’re only going to touch the surface, only looking the concept in a general point of view because there is a vast information available out there for this topic, and there’s only so much that we could share. But we’re certainly excited to talk about these things, which you can apply in your everyday life. That’s the beauty of it. Helping you take care of yourself everyday using health principles.WHOLE FOODSNow let’s have a look at the first one, Whole Foods. These include natural whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, herbs, and other things which are naturally-grown and unprocessed. You can just literally grab them off the tray or consume them without any preparation at all. So how is it that for several millennia, people have looked after themselves and have not gotten themselves into the same troubles that we are into now? It seems like we’ve gotten a lot sicker and a lot more frail. That is because of the processed foods that we have been consuming nowadays. We’ve upset our balance of the natural foods that we should be partaking. If you take a look at the Western diet of today, we can see that we’re having way too much sugar, saturated fats, and we substitute water for sodas or colas. It’s just not right because our whole body is being thrown out of what it’s used to. Our bodies are expecting some sort of natural foods or sustenance to build and repair itself, and it’s not getting it most of the time. So if our bodies are getting something different from whole foods, we would be expecting different results of course. That is why people get a lot sicker nowadays, as opposed to those who lived many centuries ago. The processed food revolution of the last hundred years have really changed our health and brought it downhill. If we go back and embrace the principle of natural health food the way they used to do many, many years ago, where the people did not experience the health problems that we are experiencing today because they haven’t been laden with chemicals or impurities in their bodies, we could look at whole foods as real eye-openers. This is one of the basic principles of good health. Just like in taking fruits alone, with its healing properties and its ability to provide energy and vitality to our bodies. It is just a matter of taking in fruits, which will really help boost our energy to keep us healthy and stable. We won’t have to worry that much about viruses, bacteria, and other harmful agents that will enter our body, because they will be removed fairly quickly. Vegetables are also good food sources for they will strengthen our bodies and keep us strong and healthy. That’s especially true if you consume the ones with low GI, such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, beet roots, carrots, and the like. They will really help strengthen our bodies.You know, it’s funny talking about whole foods, herbs, and spices. Take a look at the ancient methods that the Chinese used, or the old civilizations that used herbs to heal and help cure things. These are the reasons why they work. Certain herbs target specific parts of the body and there’s no reason why you can’t incorporate them into your diet as well. Any sort of research or understanding on Chinese medicine and the old ancient ways might reveal some of these herbs to you. It is most exciting that you can apply these in your life today, just as they did thousands of years ago, to treat the ailments that they had. Nuts and seeds, and other berries are really, really good for you. You can include them in your diets as whole foods to allow you to move forward as a healthy being.Another of these which are really mentioned quite a lot is milk. There’s nothing wrong with milk. If it’s raw milk, it’s got all the nutrients which will be really good for your body. It’s full of protein, essential fats, and gives you strength.The other food which I would like to mention is natural, raw honey. It is full of enzymes which can really boost immunity and it is antibacterial as well. It really stands out in giving good health and vitality, and you can even apply it to your external wound. If you ever get a cut or a lesion, honey is very good in healing the wound and keeping it clean as well. So, as you have read, there are heaps of natural and whole foods which can help you to build and maintain a healthy state. And, as they say, it is never too late to introduce them into your diet as well. That is, if you have been lacking them in the past. There’s no reason why you can’t introduce them now to help boost and change your lifestyle, allow it to be a healthy one instead.WATERAnother principle of health is Water. Now as you know, we are all made up of more than 70% percent water, which is applied a lot in the building of new cells in our bodies. Water is an essential part of us and we should allow it to work with us. By not drinking water, you are allowing yourself a disservice and depriving your body of its proper health and nutrition. On a cellular level, you’ve got to consider that each cell needs the delivery as well as removal of certain nutrients. If you look at one cell, it might have a building block, which may need a certain nutrient to complete its function. However, it can only get there with enough water in the system. Now, electrically-charged water is certainly good for us because we are electrically-loaded beings. We survive on the electricity that’s running through our bodies. There are pulses inside us that run here and there in order to send electrical signals to and from the brain and the other parts of our bodies, such as cells, muscle groups, and others. So, in order for this to happen, water has to be an essential part of this process. Salted water is also very good. If you have the right amount of salt in your diet, then the delivery of nutrients and energy between the cells will be easier because you have the right charge.Now, the secret to any good weight-loss or fitness program is that you drink sufficient amounts of water. The reason for this is because water can remove and flush out toxins and excess fat cells that are not needed by the body. Without the sufficient amount of water, your body won’t be able to carry out this process properly. So, as you can see, water is an essential part of the body’s system. Let’s maintain it and work towards building it up in the future. And we should drink at least eight glasses of water per day. If you’re a larger person carrying excess weight, however, then you might have to increase that to, say, 10-12 glasses per day. It depends on your body’s structure too. If you feel thirsty, your body is already starved of water, it’s already dehydrated. The idea, then, is to keep your water levels at a sufficient amount. A good indicator of this is the amount of sweat you produce and urine color. If your urine color is cloudy yellow, drink more water so it would be clearer and lighter in color. It’s a matter of maintaining that as well. So, water is an essential part.AIRNext is Air. It is very important to us, for the obvious reason that we need it when we breathe. But as you know, every cell in our bodies survive on oxygen, and we need to allow our bodies to breathe, every cell has to breathe. So with insufficient oxygen flowing through us, we will slowly get asphyxiated, and toxins won’t be released. So breathing sufficiently is very important. If you go outside, you can get electrically-charged air as well. It is very important. If you ever go to the beach, or if you’re around lightning strikes, you might find some ozone in the air. You can actually smell the ozone, especially if the lightning cracks around you. It is the same sort of smell when you go to the beach; it’s the ocean’s smell. That is extremely good for you, that is O3. It basically gives life and vitality, heightens your senses and energy levels, and it’s just really good for you. In fact, if you take five deep breaths for multiple times per day, it will allow your whole body to get rejuvenated. Deep breathing is great because it opens up your airways and it brings your oxygen levels up.SUNSHINENext on the principles of health is Sunshine. Getting enough sunshine is crucial for health and vitality. Now I’m not saying that you should go get sunburned. What I’m saying is that you should spend about 20 to 30 minutes out in the sun every day. Now you should do that during the “safe-sun” hours, which is usually before ten in the morning and after two in the afternoon, if possible, because the sunlight between ten in the morning and two in the afternoon will probably get you burned a bit easier. So getting enough sunlight is very important. If you allow the sunshine to penetrate or to be absorbed more by your body, and expose more of your skin to the sun, then you will get energy a lot quicker.Now we all know that we get Vitamin D from the sun, and it is very important for your health and the recognition of your nutrients to break down and be accepted into your body. It’s almost like a gateway, wherein Vitamin D allows your minerals to be absorbed properly into your body. So if you don’t have Vitamin D, then this process can’t work properly. You will find that you’ve got a lot of deficiencies as well. You might also be worried about skin cancer. Well, we’ve got different thoughts on that. I don’t believe we could get skin cancer from the sun itself, I believe it’s more on the toxins and the impurities in your skin which are actually burned and which turn against you. So, how come we haven’t got problems on melanoma and skin cancer before, and then all of a sudden, within the last 50 years, we’re now having melanomas? Does that mean that the sun has changed? Or is it because we, and our diets, have changed? I would think it’s probably more so because of the latter. Our diets have certainly changed. The amount of chemicals and radiation inside of our bodies are the problem. The sunlight actually reacts to these chemicals and impurities in the body, under the skin, which actually turned against us. So, a little bit of sunlight every day, in the safe-sun periods, away from being sunburned, will actually do more good than harm. It is very important that everyone will recognize that sunshine is a vital part of health.If you’re not feeling very well, if you’re feeling ill and off-color, well, go for a walk in the sun. Expose your body to the sun and get 20-30 minutes of sunshine. You will feel the energy levels radiating out of you, you’ll feel a lot better afterwards, and it is amazing to see that it actually does you good. If it can make plants grow, make living things flourish, then it is bound to do you good as well. So, don’t just listen to those who are saying that the sun will do you a lot of damage, when it can actually do you a lot of good. It is a matter of managing and doing it properly. Sunlight is very important for health.EXERCISE and MOVEMENTAnother principle is exercise and movement. This is number five out of the seven principles. You need to move; you need to exercise. When I say exercise, I’m not saying you need to be running a marathon. I’m saying you can get out and do some walking, some stretching of your body, and doing some general movements through your whole body. This will do you more good than harm. In fact, we’ve got these things called lymph nodes right through our whole body, and they are not circulated from the heart. The lymph nodes’ fluids are not circulated because they are being pumped by the heart. Instead, they are circulated because of your movements and exercise, as well as through massage. So it is very important that you keep this happening always. Otherwise, they’ll build up, which will cause problems in your lymph glands. It is also important that you keep flushing them and moving them about because they will be stagnant and clogged with toxins.I’m sure everyone can move, walk around, do some stretching, and just generally get up and about. This means that you could get out for 20-30 minutes each day, and it will be a lot easier if you’ve got a routine related to this. If you haven’t got one, well, anytime you get out, you could stretch and move your whole body. It will do you a lot good. So, once again, if you’re feeling under the weather, it’s important that you actually do move. It is important that you do stretch and get the fluids within your body moving so you will be cleansed and the toxins will be removed from your body. Some areas of your body need movement to flush the toxins out and if you’re not moving, they’ll be just sitting there and become stagnant. If you see people with a lot of fluid in their legs, especially elderly people, they’re just sitting there, the fluid builds up in their legs. Now if you want to keep your body parts vital and alive, it’s important that you move about certain parts so that new blood can circulate through your body and through the parts that aren’t moving much. So, to flush out the toxins in your body, movement and exercise is very important.REGENERATIONNumber six on the principles of health is regeneration. This encompasses rest, relaxation, recuperation, and regeneration. That means that everyone needs to rest. Everyone needs to lay flat and lay their heads down, parallel to the earth’s surface. This is so that you can rest, regenerate, and recuperate. Our bodies are designed so that the magnetism and the electrical charge can actually flow properly. To do this, you need to be lying down. Have you ever worked too hard and think you just need to lie down? That is the feeling you get when your body’s saying, enough is enough, and that it needs to regenerate. It’s like a good battery: it can only go for so long before it depletes. If it’s lost, you can’t function properly. And that’s why regeneration is important.Now part of regeneration means that when you do lie down and close your eyes, it does not mean that you get some smartphone or iPhone app or other electronic device and try and fiddle with that because your brain is another organ that needs rest and recuperation as well. And that means shutting down the conscious and allowing it to go into regeneration mode. When you lay down and you rest, that means resting your brain as well. And it’s very important that you do have periods to rest every day, wherein you do not do anything except sit and reflect. Rest and recuperate. That means mentally as well. Otherwise, you will suffer from some sort of burnout later on, and we don’t want that. If you’re feeling ill, then rest and relaxation will surely bring you back to health. When you’re feeling overtired, rest and sleep will allow your body to regenerate and your brain to kick back into gear and reset itself every night. And it’s important that you get at least six hours of sleep every day. If you’re not, then you’re really cheating yourself, and later on you’re going to pay the price and you’re going to really suffer mentally about this. So it’s important that you get about six to eight hours of sleep per day. Rest and recuperate, lie flat down, and allow your body to kick-start itself and regenerate. That’s what the cells need: regeneration.RELATIONSHIPS and PASSIONThe last of the seven principles of health is the Relationship and Passion. Everyone needs to have good relationships, whether it’s with a passerby, you treat them very well, as you would want to be treated. This is also for the long-term relationships with your friends and loved ones as well. You want to have great relationships with positive people to uplift and build. You don’t want bad relationships that would tear down and destroy you. And that also pertains to your general health as well. Positive relationships build, while bad relationships destroy and tear down. It is important that you recognize this, because if you are around toxic people, who constantly batter and bring you down, then it would bring your health down as well. So, it’s a matter of minimizing the time and exposure to toxic people, and building up and allowing positive people to give you more influence instead.The other point there is passion. If you are passionate about something, then you will want to spend more time doing what you are passionate about. That includes your favorite hobby, sport, friends and family. You would want to spend time with these people or these passions. There is a saying that, without hope, we have nothing. Now, we have to have something in our lives which we would want to strive for, get up every day for, move forward for, and that is our passion. Whether it’s strictly for a relationship, for building ourselves up, some sort of hobby, or sport that we really enjoy, it’s important that we have hope in our lives. After all, if we don’t have a passion, then what are we here for? What are we really doing?In the passion, in the relationship, it is also a passion towards your Creator. God is a great avenue to rely on. You might think I am getting a bit spiritual, but it is true. Everyone needs a relationship with the Creator. Everyone needs a relationship with spiritualism in their own life. You need to reach out and realize it. It’s not all about you. You are part of the greater creation and you are part of a greater being and a greater purpose. To have a great relationship with your family and friends is great, but to have a relationship with the Creator is even better. To have a passion, a drive about these things, an inner drive wherein you know where you are going and what you are doing, that’s very important. Spiritualism is very important. Being passionate about something else other than yourself is also very important.Okay, so we’ve discussed on Whole Foods, Water, Air, Sunshine, Exercise and Movement, Regeneration, Relationships and Passion. If you tie all of these things together, and you live by these, and you use them as a driving force that you want to include in your life, then you will have a great and healthy life. And that’s what this is all about, health and living, to do things the right way. You will certainly function properly and healthfully as well. So, are you including all of these in your life? I hope so.I hope you’ve got the opportunity to actually reach out and allow others to help you as well. By helping others and allowing others to help you, by embracing these seven principles of health, you will live a much richer life. It is all about reaching out and helping others through these as well, not just yourself. So if you’ve got the opportunity to help, whether it is just for yourself or for others, this is what it’s all about.It’s very exciting to talk about these principles of health, for you will realize which one of them is lacking in your life. And then it’ll be up to you to go work on these things. If you’re not eating enough whole foods, or drinking enough water, if you’re not getting out and enjoying enough fresh air in your life, open your house up and let the air just breeze right through your house. Get out in the sunshine and enjoy that. Go for a walk, enjoy your rest time, allow your brain to regenerate and recuperate. Put enough effort into relationships and passion and you’ll feel the fulfilment of life right through your whole being.

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Financing Your New Look

So you’re considering having some cosmetic surgery done, but your insurance won’t cover it and you don’t have the money to pay for it up front. Believe it or not, there is a way to finance that tummy tuck or eye lift.What to Consider:The CostCosmetic surgery is expensive. Procedures cost anywhere from $500-$25,000 depending on the type of procedure being performed. Financing your surgery will only add more to that cost due to interest rates.As with any type of financing, your interest rate will vary based on your credit history, selected loan term and the loan amount. Available loan terms may include 12, 24, 36 and 48 months or a revolving credit line depending on your credit background. Keep in mind: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Be skeptical of financing companies offering 1% rates, because there is usually a hidden cost behind these offers.Also keep in mind that you may need to come up with a down payment in order to finance your surgery. Down payment requirements are determined based on your credit history and your health care providers requirements, if any. If you have average or above average credit, you may not be required to put any money down.As with any type of financing, whether it be a car, a home, or even cosmetic surgery, you should take into account what your current financial situation looks like and determine whether or not you can afford a regular monthly payment for the next 24, 36, 48 or 60 months.If you have not already done so, figure out your monthly income subtracted by your bills, don’t forget to include miscellaneous items such as groceries, toiletries, gas, household products, pet food, etc. After you have created a monthly budget, you can now determine whether or not you can afford another $100-$200 monthly payment.The ProcedureBefore you begin to get all excited about the prospect of financing your new look, it’s important to understand why you want to have this kind of procedure done. Make sure your expectations are realistic and that you are doing this because you believe there are no other options. Consider both the pros and cons of cosmetic surgery and weigh your other options.A good rule of thumb for financing cosmetic surgery is to finance only major surgical procedures. If you’re considering Botox, for instance, the prices are reasonable enough, but if you’re financing the injection(s), it will cost you more than it’s worth.You should also keep in mind that most types of cosmetic surgery need to be maintained on a regular basis, and fighting the aging process completely is futile.Finding a SurgeonAlthough a cosmetic financing company can refer you to a surgeon, it’s best to find one before you contact a financing company. Dr. Steve Fallek, a cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgeon in New York and Englewood, NJ suggests that a financing company is not going to be able to give you the best plastic surgeon.You want to go to a board-certified cosmetic surgeon who is reputable, honest and who hopefully you’ve gotten the name from someone who has had plastic surgery from that person. Fallek says patients should ask their surgeon to recommend a finance company.Financing CompaniesBefore you chose a financing company, make sure they are reputable. They should have a good track record in financing health care procedures and should work with a network of doctors.If you have found a surgeon to do your procedure, you may also ask if he/she has financing available. The terms of the financing should be clearly outlined in writing before you apply for any financing, and you should never pay a broker fee.Most surgeons use the same financing companies, so don’t waste your time looking for surgeons who may have lower rates. Seeing different surgeons takes up time and money.You may also want to consider using your credit card if the interest rate is lower. Some people also borrow from family or even take out a home equity loan.The Decision is MadeIf you have now decided that you can afford to finance your cosmetic surgery, research your procedure online to find out the benefits and risks. You may also want to discuss your surgery options with your primary physician who may also provide you with a list of surgeons and payment options.

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Car Finance – What You Should Know About Dealer Finance

Car finance has become big business. A huge number of new and used car buyers in the UK are making their vehicle purchase on finance of some sort. It might be in the form of a bank loan, finance from the dealership, leasing, credit card, the trusty ‘Bank of Mum & Dad’, or myriad other forms of finance, but relatively few people actually buy a car with their own cash anymore.A generation ago, a private car buyer with, say, £8,000 cash to spend would usually have bought a car up to the value of £8,000. Today, that same £8,000 is more likely to be used as a deposit on a car which could be worth many tens of thousands, followed by up to five years of monthly payments.With various manufacturers and dealers claiming that anywhere between 40% and 87% of car purchases are today being made on finance of some sort, it is not surprising that there are lots of people jumping on the car finance bandwagon to profit from buyers’ desires to have the newest, flashiest car available within their monthly cashflow limits.The appeal of financing a car is very straightforward; you can buy a car which costs a lot more than you can afford up-front, but can (hopefully) manage in small monthly chunks of cash over a period of time. The problem with car finance is that many buyers don’t realise that they usually end up paying far more than the face value of the car, and they don’t read the fine print of car finance agreements to understand the implications of what they’re signing up for.For clarification, this author is neither pro- or anti-finance when buying a car. What you must be wary of, however, are the full implications of financing a car – not just when you buy the car, but over the full term of the finance and even afterwards. The industry is heavily regulated in the UK, but a regulator can’t make you read documents carefully or force you to make prudent car finance decisions.Financing through the dealershipFor many people, financing the car through the dealership where you are buying the car is very convenient. There are also often national offers and programs which can make financing the car through the dealer an attractive option.This blog will focus on the two main types of car finance offered by car dealers for private car buyers: the Hire Purchase (HP) and the Personal Contract Purchase (PCP), with a brief mention of a third, the Lease Purchase (LP). Leasing contracts will be discussed in another blog coming soon.What is a Hire Purchase?An HP is quite like a mortgage on your house; you pay a deposit up-front and then pay the rest off over an agreed period (usually 18-60 months). Once you have made your final payment, the car is officially yours. This is the way that car finance has operated for many years, but is now starting to lose favour against the PCP option below.There are several benefits to a Hire Purchase. It is simple to understand (deposit plus a number of fixed monthly payments), and the buyer can choose the deposit and the term (number of payments) to suit their needs. You can choose a term of up to five years (60 months), which is longer than most other finance options. You can usually cancel the agreement at any time if your circumstances change without massive penalties (although the amount owing may be more than your car is worth early on in the agreement term). Usually you will end up paying less in total with an HP than a PCP if you plan to keep the car after the finance is paid off.The main disadvantage of an HP compared to a PCP is higher monthly payments, meaning the value of the car you can usually afford is less.An HP is usually best for buyers who; plan to keep their cars for a long time (ie – longer than the finance term), have a large deposit, or want a simple car finance plan with no sting in the tail at the end of the agreement.What is a Personal Contract Purchase?A PCP is often given other names by manufacturer finance companies (eg – BMW Select, Volkswagen Solutions, Toyota Access, etc.), and is very popular but more complicated than an HP. Most new car finance offers advertised these days are PCPs, and usually a dealer will try and push you towards a PCP over an HP because it is more likely to be better for them.Like the HP above, you pay a deposit and have monthly payments over a term. However, the monthly payments are lower and/or the term is shorter (usually a max. of 48 months), because you are not paying off the whole car. At the end of the term, there is still a large chunk of the finance unpaid. This is usually called a GMFV (Guaranteed Minimum Future Value). The car finance company guarantees that, within certain conditions, the car will be worth at least as much as the remaining finance owed. This gives you three options:1) Give the car back. You won’t get any money back, but you won’t have to pay out the remainder. This means that you have effectively been renting the car for the whole time.2) Pay out the remaining amount owed (the GMFV) and keep the car. Given that this amount could be many thousands of pounds, it is not usually a viable option for most people (which is why they were financing the car in the first place), which usually leads to…3) Part-exchange the car for a new (or newer) one. The dealer will assess your car’s value and take care of the finance payout. If your car is worth more than the GMFV, you can use the difference (equity) as a deposit on your next car.The PCP is best suited for people who want a new or near-new car and fully intend to change it at the end of the agreement (or possibly even sooner). For a private buyer, it usually works out cheaper than a lease or contract hire finance product. You are not tied into going back to the same manufacturer or dealership for your next car, as any dealer can pay out the finance for your car and conclude the agreement on your behalf. It is also good for buyers who want a more expensive car with a lower cashflow than is usually possible with an HP.The disadvantage of a PCP is that it tends to lock you into a cycle of changing your car every few years to avoid a large payout at the end of the agreement (the GMFV). Borrowing money to pay out the GMFV and keep the car usually gives you a monthly payment that is very little cheaper than starting again on a new PCP with a new car, so it nearly always sways the owner into replacing it with another car. For this reason, manufacturers and dealers love PCPs because it keeps you coming back every 3 years rather than keeping your car for 5-10 years!What is a Lease Purchase?An LP is a bit of a hybrid between an HP and a PCP. You have a deposit and low monthly payments like a PCP, with a large final payment at the end of the agreement. However, unlike a PCP, this final payment (often called a balloon) is not guaranteed. This means that if your car is worth less than the amount owing and you want to sell/part-exchange it, you would have to pay out any difference (called negative equity) before even thinking about paying a deposit on your next car.Read the fine printWhat is absolutely essential for anyone buying a car on finance is to read the contract and consider it carefully before signing anything. Plenty of people make the mistake of buying a car on finance and then end up being unable to make their monthly payments. Given that your finance period may last for the next five years, it is critical that you carefully consider what may happen in your life over those next five years. Many heavily-financed sports cars have had to be returned, often with serious financial consequences for the owners, because of unexpected pregnancies!As part of purchasing a car on finance, you should consider and discuss all of the various finance options available and make yourself aware of the pros and cons of different car finance products to ensure you are making informed decisions about your money.

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Small Business Accounting Software – 3 Things To Consider When Buying

Whether you are just staring out in small business and are trying to determine what sort of accounting software you need, or have been in business for a while and have decided to upgrade, there are a number of critical issues that need to be considered to get what you need.Data InputIt is important to determine whether the entry of data into the system is user friendly. Can your staff (or you) easily enter the data without needing to access too many different screens? Is the layout of the screen logical and easy to follow? Input controls such as passwords need to be considered. Error signals during the actual input of data are important to reduce errors in your financial reports. For example, some accounting software will not allow incorrect expense codes to be entered, and will not proceed until a correct code is entered.Data Output / ReportingWhat sort of financial reports do you require? Have a look at the type of custom reports that are produced. If they in line with your requirements, good. If not you may need to consider industry specific software that produce reports for your needs. Also check to see if the accounting package allows you to easily design a customized report. Will it may produce GST / VAT reports, or other tax reports for tax purposes – this reporting requirement depends on the country you are in.Module RangeDoes the small business accounting software have the modules you need now, and also modules that you may need in the future? For example, apart from the general ledger / cashbook does it have a payroll module or a fixed asset register. Also, an important question to ask is, are the modules integrated? By that I mean, can the financial information entered into one area of it be transferred automatically, to a different area, without the same information being reentered. Having areas of the software integrated saves you time and reduces errors.You need to consider what you want the accounting software to do based on your small business processes. Then get the modules or features you need. The basics usually include Debtors or customers – for people you sell goods or services to, Creditors or Suppliers – for people you buy goods or services from, and a general ledger. If you have employees, consider a Payroll module, and if you have a large number of assets you may need a fixed assets register. Job costing is helpful as it allows you to keep track of costs for specific jobs. Finally, what do you want the modules to do. For example, do you want it to print purchase orders, print checks, generate customer invoices.Ask yourself these questions and you are well on the way to selecting the best package for your small business.

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Keep These 5 Rules in Mind for Successful Commercial Designing

Who doesn’t want an excellent commercial design? Excellent commercial design is important to maintain the reputation and brand image of the company. As it is said, the first impression is the last impression, a good impression always attracts potential customers. It’s obvious no one would ever love to walk in a congested environment with bad lighting.

Bad design and interiors deteriorate the productivity of the employees. It can be a confusing task when planning a commercial designing project for the first time, hiring expert Commercial Architects Melbourne can be the best option to know about the latest trends and perfect matching designs.

This blog is about some basic rules to consider for making the commercial project successful.
Keep structures versatile

When it comes to transforming any commercial space, focusing on convertibility and keeping office interior decor versatile can be the best option. It can be done by implementing a versatile structure to spaces such as cafeterias, offices, and many more. Everyone gives preference to comfort hence, focusing on spatial and versatile design will help to complete commercial designing projects in an optimal way.

Consider the latest technology implementations

Technology plays a supportive role to enhance the commercial designing project. Moving forward with the latest technology is important to execute any business smoothly because technologies make the work much easier and comfortable for the employee as well as organizations. Implementing centralized and decentralized digital control is much needed in any commercial design.

Keep office aesthetics updated

Good aesthetics and interiors impact the overall representation of the office and make the place functional and attractive. Hire a reputed designer for modern décor and furniture ideas. Hiring a designer reduces half of the project stress and helps to meet the contemporary fashion and latest trends. They can help to choose the perfect theme that blends well with the office decor, atmosphere, and colour.

Provide personalized space to prevent congestion

Majority of customer prefers personalized space such as different seating to seat comfortably and do the personal work. Personalized space is one of the crucial factors for customer-based service offices such as hotels and cafeterias to provide an ambient and comfortable place.

Always keep safety first

Safety is the central feature of every construction and designing project. Hence, it’s the high-priority factor to keep the aesthetic and functional safety at the working place. It can be compromised for interior decoration and design purposes but it’s not at all affordable to compromise for safety purposes.

Following the above useful ideas can easily help in the successful completion of a commercial designing project in a safe and pleasing way. In today’s, modern construction, reliability, and comfort is also an equally important factor.

Final words,

It’s important to hire the experienced Building designer Melbourne to make the commercial designing project worthy. Hope the above rules helped you to scale up your interior designing projects with a better outcome. Follow the above tips for any renovation or remodelling project and surely you will get award-winning and achieve a better office experience.

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How Long Should A Laptop Battery Last And How To Increase the Battery Life

No matter how expensive your laptop is, its battery won’t last more than four years. According to experts, a new laptop battery gives you as many as 1,000 cycles. In other words, you can charge and recharge the battery up to 1000 times. However, many factors play their role to increase or decrease the lifespan of a laptop battery. For instance, the material used for producing the battery substance. So, if you want to ensure that your battery stands the test of time, given below are some of the tips that can help.

1. Install a good battery monitor

If you are looking for an alternative, you can choose from tons of third-party utilities. Basically, the software programs help you monitor your laptop battery. These programs have no compatibility issues with any type of laptop.

Using these tools, you can find out which programs are using most of the battery power. You can then close the unwanted programs to save battery power.

2. Install maintenance apps

You can use some manufacturer-recommended maintenance tools for maintaining your laptop battery. Based on the type of your battery, you will receive different suggestions. Apart from this, your operating system will come with a built-in utility that can help you keep an eye on your battery condition.

3. Maintain your device temperature

You should try your level best to ensure your laptop maintains its temperature. In summer, electronic devices tend to heat up, which negatively impacts the life of the battery packs.

Therefore, you should make sure that there is a little bit of space between the bottom of the device and the table you have placed your device on. Besides, the ventilation system of your device should be working properly. For this purpose, regular cleaning of your device is quite important.

4. Don’t use maximum brightness

When your screen brightness is at maximum level, your device will use the maximum power. So, turning down the brightness is the first thing you can do to save power. Also, it is not a good idea to keep the brightness at max level as it can have a negative impact on your eyesight.

So, by following these simple tips, it will be easier for you to extend the life of your laptop battery.

5. Change the power-saving settings

Before you do anything, go into the power options of your laptop. If you are using Windows operating system, you can go to the control panel to access the power options. The control panel can be accessed from the Start Menu.

Some users have MacOS. If you are one of them, you need to access Energy Saver, which is found in the System Preferences. If these values are set to default, your computer will use the least amount of power.

So, what you need to do is make small changes to the settings so that you achieve a balance between power and performance. For best performance, there is always the choice to connect your device to the AC outlet.

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The Best Ways I’ve Found To Make Money Online From Home

Have you been looking for a way to make money online without having to know much of the internet stuff? Wanting to work at home but don’t know how to do it? Here is the key gem: Between all the tricks on joining the craft beer movement, opening a gallery or being a tour operator, you will find clever advice that anybody can apply to make money online quickly.

The most basic way to make money online is through affiliate marketing. It is really easy. Basically you set up an ad for someone she is selling something and when they click through and buy it, you make money! Simple enough if you have no technical skill at all. Here are some simple tips on how to earn using affiliate marketing:

Drop-shipping is one of the most useful methods. You select a product in which you believe there is a demand and then drop-ship it to your customers in small quantities. You make money from the difference between what the stock costs and what you sell it for. For this method, it is important to note that you may need to make space for your inventory on your premises or perhaps wait until you have a build of an inventory before you can start drop-shipping; but the advantages make it a good choice for those seeking to make money online from their spare time.

Paid surveys are a great way to earn some extra cash. These can be accessed easily and there are many sites where you can get paid from spending your spare time. There is one site, though, which is said to pay $200 a week for twelve weeks straight – you can’t beat that kind of money making potential. With paid surveys, it is important to note that the sites are generally scams, and that you need to do some research to ensure you are making good money making opportunities.

Finally, a passive income generating method that can bring in money on autopilot is eToro’s Forex trading. This works by allowing you to invest on a demo account and earn money from the performance of the currencies being exchanged. The best thing about this system is that it allows you to do virtually anything and still see profits coming in. eToro has an average starting price of less than $50 and can generate an income of five figures in just a few months.

These are the best things I have found for making money online from your home. Though none of them are as good as, say, a paid-online course, they are much more affordable and can provide a valuable education to start earning money immediately online. With just a little research, you should be able to find a legitimate opportunity to get paid to learn the basics of making money in the currency markets. This is a truly remarkable opportunity.

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Finding the Best Business Idea For Your Home Based Business

How many home based business opportunities are available to you? If you want to make money online at home, you really have many options to choose from. The big question is – which one will give you the biggest chance of success? Is there a ‘one size fits all’ answer? The simple truth is that not every opportunity is right for everyone, and not every opportunity will bring you the greatest amount of profit.

So, what are some home business ideas that can make money online for you? The quick and dirty answer is: the one that best suits your particular set of needs. Make a list of your priorities, including a high income; a low-risk schedule; freedom; flexibility; work-life balance; independence; something in your range of skills and expertise; and interesting work that you have an interest in… You can take this list with you and talk to people who are working from home on the same things that you would be considering. Chances are that you will find some great niches that fit your standards and your desires.

But what if you want to get started right away? It’s easy to think that you can jump into a new business idea and be successful immediately, but this often isn’t the case. It takes many different things to make sure that you will be able to get through the hurdles and actually make it to a point where you are seeing profit. If you don’t work at it slowly, you will be setting yourself up for failure. Here’s the lowdown on some different things that you should consider as you create your own business idea:

First, you need to think about what you have to offer. If you don’t have any ideas as to what to do as a freelance writer, a lowdown on finding a niche is very important. Many beginners go into this completely clueless. But if you know that you have a skill that others are desperately seeking, you may be able to provide them with the service they are looking for without having to spend much time building up a website or getting traffic to it.

Another thing to consider is what kinds of products or services would best fit a niche that you would like to get started in. In this case, the lowdown on finding the best business idea for you would include taking a look at what you love to do and what you can offer others. If writing is not your strongest point, but you love to get creative, consider freelance data entry. Freelance data entry does not require a lot of startup capital, but you still need to have the skills that will allow you to be successful in this area. The best lowdown on finding the best business idea for you is to simply start looking at what you like to do and what you can offer others.

There are many other areas of freelance writing that you can explore in order to make the most out of your home based online business. Freelance writers are in high demand online. If you have the skills that are needed to do well in this field, there is no reason that you should not be able to find a great home-based online business that will give you the income that you want.

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