Tag Archives: health

Essential Services for Non Profit Associations [A Guide]

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You’ve most likely heard the terms “charity”, “non-profit”, and even “not-for-profit” used for associations and organizations that support social, environmental, and sometimes, political causes. But all three terms refer to different kinds of entities.

However, the focus of this article is to explain what non-profit associations do, their essential services and how they differ from charities.

What is a Non-Profit Organisation?

A non-profit or not-for-profit organization is a tax-exempt entity that is organized to achieve mutual or public benefits that do not include generating profits for members of the board, owners, or investors.Continue reading→

Family Meals by Dr. Arti Jain

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family-meal-3Family meals are making a comeback. And that’s good news for a couple of reasons:

  • Shared family meals are more likely to be nutritious.
  • Kids who eat regularly with their families are less likely to snack on unhealthy foods and more likely to eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
  • Teens who take part in regular family meals are less likely to smoke, drink alcohol, or use marijuana and other drugs, and are more likely to have healthier diets as adults, studies have shown.

Beyond health and nutrition, family meals provide a valuable opportunity to reconnect. This becomes even more important as kids get older.

Making Family Meals Happen

It can be a big challenge to find the time to plan, prepare, and share family meals, then be relaxed enough to enjoy them. Try these three steps to schedule family meals and make them enjoyable for everyone who pulls up a chair.

1. Plan

  • Look over the calendar to choose a time when everyone can be there.
  • Figure out which obstacles are getting in the way of more family meals — busy schedules, no supplies in the house, no time to cook.
  • Ask for the family’s help and ideas on how these roadblocks can be removed. For instance, figure out a way to get groceries purchased for a family meal.
  • Or if time to cook is the problem, try doing some prep work on weekends or even completely preparing a dish ahead of time and putting it in the freezer.

2. Prepare

  • Involve the kids in preparations. Recruiting younger kids can mean a little extra work, but it’s often worth it.
  • Simple tasks such as putting plates on the table, tossing the salad, pouring a beverage, folding the napkins, or being a “taster” are appropriate jobs for preschoolers and school-age kids.
  • Older kids may be able to pitch in even more, such as getting ingredients, washing produce, mixing and stirring, and serving.
  • If you have teens around, consider assigning them a night to cook, with you as the helper.
  • If kids help out, set a good example by saying please and thanks for their help.
  • Being upbeat and pleasant as you prepare the meal can rub off on your kids. If you’re grumbling about the task at hand, chances are they will too. But if the atmosphere is light, you’re showing them how the family can work together and enjoy the fruits of its labor.

3. Enjoy

  • Even if you’re thinking of all you must accomplish after dinner’s done (doing dishes, making lunches, etc.), try not to focus on that during dinner.
  • Make your time at the table pleasant and a chance for everyone to decompress from the day and enjoy being together as a family.
  • They may be starving, but have your kids wait until everyone is seated before digging in.
  • Create a moment of calm before the meal begins, so the cook can shift gears. It also presents a chance to say grace, thank the cook, wish everyone a good meal, or to raise a glass of milk and toast each other.
  • You’re setting the mood and modeling good manners and patience.

Family meals are a good time to teach civilized behavior that kids also can use at restaurants and others’ houses.

You can gently remind when they break the rules, but try to keep tension and discipline at a minimum during mealtime. The focus should remain on making your kids feel loved, connected, and part of the family.

Keep the interactions positive and let the conversation flow. Ask your kids about their days and tell them about yours. Give everyone a chance to talk.

Need some conversation starters? Here are a few:

  • If you could have any food for dinner tomorrow night, what would it be?
  • Who can guess how many potatoes I used to make mashed potatoes?
  • What’s the most delicious food on the table?
  • If you opened a restaurant, what kind would it be?
  • Who’s the best cook you know? (We hope they say it’s you!)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr. Arti Jain – Doctor Jain is a very caring pediatrician practicing in the Santa Clara County California area.  You can contact her:  Tel (408)-378-6171 or email her: Jainarti.mail@gmail.com.  You can read more on her website: http://www.drartijain.com

How a Local Pediatrician Is Caring for Your Children by Arti Jain M.D.

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images woman doctorNo matter what grade your child is about to enter, there’s the yearly back-to-school  checklist of to-dos: shopping for school supplies, filling out permission forms, and the pediatric checkup.

While it may not seem as urgent, a yearly physical exam by your family’s pediatrician is an important part of your child’s health care. The back-to-school season is a convenient time for putting the exam on your family’s schedule.

The annual physical gives the pediatrician a chance to give the child a thorough physical exam. It’s also a good chance to address important questions that you cannotNo matter what grade your child is about to enter, there’s the yearly back-to-school checklist of to-dos: shopping for school supplies, filling out permission forms, and the pediatric checkup.

While it may not seem as urgent, a yearly physical exam by your family’s pediatrician is an important part of your child’s health care. The back-to-school season is a convenient time for putting the exam on your family’s schedule. The annual physical gives the pediatrician a chance to give the child a thorough physical exam. It’s also a good chance to address important questions that you cannot address during a sick visit e.g. growth, development, behavior, speech and socialization, learning issues etc. This is the time to make sure that your child is up to date on his/her vaccines, get hearing and vision screens etc.

This is the ideal time to address ongoing issues like weight management, asthma, allergies etc. Do not forget to update your pediatrician about any change in family, social or interval history. Remember to visit your dentist in order to address oral health concerns.

The continuity of regular physical exams is invaluable. Having a long-term history with a child or adolescent gives the doctor the awareness of the child’s progress and development over time. This helps the doctor detect emerging problems, as well as being informed by the detail of the patient’s history, such as important past illnesses or injuries.

Whatever the child’s interest — sports, academics, the arts — we want to be sure that the interest is a healthy one, and that it’s balanced with the other aspects of the child’s life. A healthy childhood and adolescence calls for balancing home life, school, social activities, sports, and extracurricular pursuits. This is not easy, especially during a time when the child is passing through the years of growth, learning, exploration, and emotional and physical development. This is all the more reason to set aside one day during each of those years for your child to see the pediatrician.

Dr. Arti Jain’s Philosophy

As a Pediatrician, my goal is to improve the health and lifestyles of my patients. I believe that this goal can be achieved by emphasizing on health education and promoting preventive medicine. Healthy kids translate into healthy adult, a very gratifying achievement. This process starts with establishing a trusting relationship with kids and their parents. The process continues with helping them to achieve healthy lifestyles changes. Just like in any other aspect of life, in health care too, one size does not fit all. That is why, it is very important to align the treatment philosophy with the family’s circumstance and philosophy. I believe in establishing a trusting relationship and educating and communicating with the patients and their care takers.

I am a firm advocate of practicing evidence based medicine. Evidence based medicine is practicing medicine based on evidence from valid research studies and applying these results and conclusions to give the best possible care to patients.

What I enjoy most about being a pediatrician are the interactions I have with my patients and their families. Medicine is one of the few careers in which I can learn something new and teach something new on almost daily.

My patients are my teachers and I am theirs. I chose to be a pediatrician because I wanted the opportunity to work with patients from infancy, to childhood and adolescence. I enjoy being a part of that transformation and in being their guide.

I offer you an opportunity to focus on your child’s health whether to address an immediate need or for long term health enhancement and preventive care. I firmly believe that addressing mental, emotional and social concerns is an essential component of delivering excellent and holistic health care.

Credentials
Medical Degree from UHS, Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam, India
Residency training in Pediatrics completed through University of Illinois, Chicago
Board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics.

Experience
I have a wide range of experience in primary care setting, urgent care and as a hospitalist in Northern California and Colorado since completing my residency in 2002.

Hospital Affiliations
El Camino Hospital, Los Gatos and Mountain View, CA.
Good Samaritan Hospital, San Jose, CA.

Languages:
She speaks: Hindi, Telugu, Bengali, Medical Spanish.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr. Arti Jain – Doctor Jain is a very caring pediatrician practicing in the Santa Clara County California area.  You can contact her:  Tel (408)-378-6171 or email her: Jainarti.mail@gmail.com.