Reflective Blog Post

  I have a fantastic experience with ALES204 this semester. No exams and a lot of practical skills teaching from class make learning so attractive to me. Be honest, more than half memorized materials will be gone after all kind exams, however, I will remember how to use twitter, facebook, blogging, Linkedin, and all these tools will be carried over for my personal life and future career. The most useful tool I learned from this class is linkedin, which I have never heard it before. After signing in and setting up with few interested organization, I already get some interested job noticed and it is great way to broaden our connections.

  I am lucky to have a community service learning with Alberta Caregiver Association (ACGA) this semester as well. It is a great opportunity to apply my social media knowledge into real life. The experience with ACGA confirmed me that social media is not only for fun, it can also function as a platform for changing information, communication, especially for some caregivers who can not physically leave home. I wrote a report about strategies how to improve involvement in the social media as my previous blog. At same time, I realized it is not that easy to get people being involved and it will take time to convince or educate people to incorporate social media into their daily life.
    Finally, but not the least, please enjoy my prezi presentation and radio records about caregivers and ACGA, which is obviously different form traditional ways to present, like Pecha Kucha presentation and poster. 

ACGA on Prezi

I can always learn something from my classmate blog and some of them have done amazing job. The following link are comments I have given for my classmate's job:
Amanda’s blog
Kalin’s blog
Tania’s blog
Jeremy’s blog
Cassandra’s blog

Strategies about How to Improve the Potential Use of Facebook in Alberta Caregiver Association

      In Canada, there are 4-5 million home caregivers now and they provide over 80% care needed, especially for long term care. With the quickly increasing aging population, home caregivers will take more and more important role in health system. Caring what caregivers’ need and caring their health are apparently increased now and near future. Social media will be an excellent platform for caregivers to provide information, support, and communication. How to fully extent social media’s potential will be challenge and I have summarized few strategies, which may help ACGA generating more discussion,
      I. During last four months, there are 12 people/organization (Not belonging to ACGA) involved in discussion or new topics on Facebook. The fact that few people involved in the interaction of Facebook makes me wonder how many caregivers really know the facebook, considering the majority caregivers are aging people who may not familiar with techniques. Suggestion: Collaborate with other staffs or services provided in ACGA: like caregivers’ advisor; COMPASS workshops; community caregiver group. By simply showing caregivers how to link to social media from ACAG website before/after a workshop presentation or caregiver’s counseling or a group caregivers’ discussion, it will be an easy way to advertise our social service and let caregivers know more available channel for them.
      II. I mimic the caregivers schedule and go to Internet around mid-night. I am tired and easy ways to catch my attention are videos, even just caregivers’ own story, which may make them feel they are not alone. I searched some videos related with caregivers and put them into different category as following:
      1. Focus on yourself, caregivers
      1). Being a caregiver is challenging. Sometimes it is hard to say “I can not do it any more,” but actually it could be healthy response and getting some supports could make you do it longer. Please see video Caregiving: Habbits2have
      2). A lot of caregivers feels guilty, “I should be there when my Mom is fall.” But being memorized that there are two life involved: You and people who you are cared for. Don’t blame yourself simply because you cannot do everything. Please listen Scott sharing Tips & Treasures on how to be a better caregiver without losing sanity, health and identity. Focus on yourself, caregivers
      2. How to avoid caregivers’ burnout:
      1). Some physical and emotional signs may indicate that you are overstress as caregivers. Have you ever wonder if I am overstress, please see the video, recognize the sign of stress for caregivers
      2). Family caregivers who provide over thirty six hours care per week have six time higher chance to have depression than non-caregivers! Anger, anxiety, sadness, isolation, exhaustion and guilty feeling can drain the most capable person. Please see the video Caregiver depression: symptoms of depression and ways to copy it.
      3). If you are not taking care yourself, you will not able to take care your loved one. Please listen some tips about How to de-stress from giving care
      III. I found on social media, the more detail information provided, the more easily to get audience involving in the discussion. I found some useful information about how to communicate your needs as caregivers and the importance of protecting your health, especially emotional depression as following.
      1. How to communicate the needs
      1). Asking for help may be difficult or even seem embarrassing, but you may discover that friends and family are not only willing, but also eager to help. And remember, asking for help means less stress for you, which almost always means you'll be a better family caregiver. Please check Net of Care provides some tips about how to ask for help.
      2). National Family Caregivers Association also provides information about Reach out for help. Including the topics: identifying the help you need; delegate tasks; don’t forget emotional help; don’t feel guilty.
      2. Protect your health
      1). “One of my daughter’s physicians told me, ‘The worst thing that can happen to your daughter is not her health problems; the worst thing that can happen to your daughter is not having you to care for her.’ This confirmed and encouraged my attitude as a caregiver that my well-being is my daughter’s well-being.” —Linda Reid, Oneonta, AL Please read more about: The best present you can give your loved one: your own good health
      2). Family caregivers have much high chance of suffering from depression than the rest of the population. Depression will not only affect the quality service you provided to patients, it can also seriously affect your own life. Please see the information provided by National Family Caregivers Association about caregiver depression symptom and hope. It include the topics: Major depression-what it is and what it is not; how to screen yourself for depression; how you can cope with depression; caregiving and how to manage stress; et al.

      Most suggestions have been posted in Facebook of ACGA, and more details please check ACGA's Facebook.

Caring for Caregivers

Caring for caregivers

View more presentations from xjia3

      I was assigned by Alberta Cargivers Associaion (ACGA) to write a report about how to improve their social media (twitter and facebbok) or how to get more caregivers involving social media activities. In last few weeks, I read through ACGA website, and other related social media. The more I read, the more I understand caregivers and what services does ACGA provided for caregivers. I would like to share my thought here.
      First caregivers are divided into two categories: paid and unpaid. Paid caregivers are also called personal care assistance/ attendance and they are only account for 10-20% of whole care systems. The majority caregivers are unpaid and they are looking after family member, relative, or friend who has challenge for living independence due to injury, disability or aging. In Canada, there are 4-5 million unpaid caregivers and they provide over 80% care needed, especially for long term care. If their work are accounted and get paid, it will cost 9 billion dollars per year. At same time, it is a really taff job and just imaging: a person totally depends on you and it needs 24 hours and no holidays for years! Many caregivers get burnout due to physical exhaust and emotional stress. Mental health usually a big issue for caregivers and many them feel anger due to exhaust, fear and frustrated. They often question why it happen to me? They feel fear since although they know the disease, they do not know how serious it will turn out and how long it will take? They feel frustrated since it does not mater how much they have done, they cannot affect the progressing of disease. Most often, caregivers say they feel isolated and they are not understood by others. Actually research shows caregivers have 50% more chance to get mental depression.
      ACGA is established to empower the caregivers and enable them feel supported and valued. They provide variety services for caregivers including caregiver advisor, community caregiver group, community caregiver workshop and social media service. More than half employee are caregiver previously or now, which enable them easily understand and provide useful advice. Workshop covers topics like knowing your capacities, putting yourself first, how to release stress, how to improve your wellness and healthy lifestyle and how to manage your financial issue et al. Social media services are provided recently considering that many caregivers can not physically leave home, so media could work as a platform for caregivers to exchange information, communicate and release stress.
      Finally I would end up with a famous saying by a caregiver. There are only four type people in world: people who were caregivers; people who are caregivers; people who will be caregivers and people who will need caregivers.☺

Professional Facebook Profile

      Facebook is wieldly used social media around the world, which has over 750 million active users as July, 2011. Previously I use it only for connecting with my relatives and friends. On my ALES204 class, I learned that we can also create a professional Facebook profile, as online resume. The most attractive character to me is that it is separated from your personal file. what does it mean? It means I can still keep my personal file and keeps all the silly/personal pictures/comments, at same time I create a professional page and only put things what I want the rest world/my potential employer to see.
       I perceived professional Facebook profile as an online resume or online business card. It may not as professional as traditional resume, but it can provide additional information. It could show more my personality: what is my favourite musics, sports, movies; what are my extracurricular activities; what is my goals and passions for the future career. You can view my detailed professional Facebook file Here. 
      I went through few other classmates' blog and curious to see what other classmates thought about the professional Facebook profile. Jeremy point out a really nice point and I have never thought about it. He googled "professional profiles" in interested field and find people with an accomplished career. From their profile, he finds "many exchange information, ideas and opportunities." The detail can be checked from his blog. 
    
      A good article describes how to create a professional Facebook Profile is Here
      My Flickr file please link to Here
        

First CSL Lab

    I choose Community Service Learning as my lab since it can help me apply my knowledge to the community and at same time increase my communication skills. After first lab, I was convinced that I made a good choice. I was placed to volunteer with my fist choice: Alberta Caregivers Association (ACGA).

   The reason I choose ACGA is that aging people will be dramatically increased in next few decades in North American. Caregivers will take the great role in taking care aging people as well as disability people. How to teach them handle daily stress and take care themselves will be big issues. I would like to learn how and what ACGA teach and communicate with all kinds of caregivers. How they apply all social media into their education and communication. 

   Update: I will have my first appointment with community supervisor next Tuesday. Follow me, you will know more about ACGA, social media, and nutrition. 

Introduction

Welcome everyone! My name is Xiaoming Jia and now on the third year of nutrition major. This is my first time blogging and so excited to have my own’s. Although the initial purpose of this blog is for the ALES 204 class, I will keep using it for communicating, sharing, and updating information. Hopefully in the near future, I will become an expertise and eventually use it as a tool for my future career.

Nutrition is awesome area, since it can apply to people’s daily life. A healthy food choice and active lifestyle could prevent diseases, and improve the quality life. As a health professional, Media communications play an important role to help spreading reliable nutrition knowledge and increasing people’s awareness as it can reach large audience. Blog, twitter and facebook will become unavoidably way for communication, especially for the young generation. Meanwhile, social media also perform as a platform for keeping on track the new knowledge/technique and increasing communication within health professionals.

Do you know approximately how many blogs in the world? Around 6 millions! Excited being one of them now.