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When a close member of the family dies, it is a very difficult time indeed, even if the death was expected due to a long illness. Your normal, rational thought patterns seem to leave you and you are incapable of making decisions regarding everything that has to be done for the funeral. You need time to mourn and so you need to be able to turn to someone that can assist you in your time of need. This is when funeral directors are invaluable and they can use their extensive experience and know-how to get you and your family through this.

Your local funeral director can make all the funeral arrangements in Swansea and the following are just a few of the many things that they can do for you.

1. When someone passes on, there is a lot of paperwork to do in relation to the hospital, the release of the body and any other documents should an insurance company be involved. Your funeral director will take care of those.

2. Getting the body to the funeral home, which will involve transport and getting the body prepared for the funeral are all things that your local funeral director undertakes on your behalf.

3. Booking the church or the crematorium and then organising flowers and wreaths can also be handled by him and the hearse and funeral cars for the mourners also come under his mantle.

Let your local funeral director take care of everything on this difficult day and this will leave you the time to properly mourn the passing of a loved one.

For the better part of 40 years, medical science has been combating a kind of bacteria that does not respond well to typical antibiotics. Known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the bacteria come in many different strains. It can be acquired in a hospital setting (HA-MRSA), in a community setting (CA-MRSA), and from exposure to animals.

Community acquired MRSA can usually be traced back to some sort of non-medical setting in which close contact between people is normal. For example, a day spa’s massage room is a perfect environment. Skin-to-skin contact between massage therapist and client makes the spread of CA-MRSA very possible if certain precautions are not taken.

The point of this post is to talk about the role of hygienically clean linens in the massage room as a means of helping to prevent the spread of CA-MRSA. Needless to say that hygienically clean linens are a major step in the right direction for every massage room operator.

About the MRSA Bacteria

What people do not know about MRSA is often what gets them into trouble. For example, are you aware that MRSA can live on the surface of an inanimate object for several days? That means a client with MRSA-related boils could leave bacteria behind on a massage table not covered with linens. If that table is not properly cleaned, the bacteria can linger long enough to find a new host in a future client.

People also do not realize that the longer bacteria remains on a person’s skin, the greater the chances it will spread. This is why experts are so fervent about regular hand washing. The best way to prevent bacteria from spreading is to get rid of it, and a good way to get rid of it is to wash the hands.

The Role of Hygienically Clean Linens

Knowing what we know about CA-MRSA, it’s worth asking the question of whether or not massage room operators should use linens to cover their tables. In a word, yes. Linens prevent direct contact between guest and massage table, greatly reducing the chances that said table will become laden with bacteria.

However, linens alone are not good enough to stop the spread of CA-MRSA. Those linens need to be clean. Sheets should be changed at the conclusion of every session, and massage room operators who choose to do their own laundry in-house are advised to wash soiled sheets in hot water and bleach.

Alsco, a Utah provider of hygienically clean linens to the hospital industry, says there’s a better way to handle linens. Rather than washing them in-house, massage room operators could and should send their laundry out to a facility certified as a provider of hygienically clean linens. Alsco is one such provider.

What Certification Means

Being certified as a provider of hygienically clean linens means that a laundry facility meets extremely rigorous standards for laundry washing, clean linen processing, operations, and more. Certified hygienically clean linen is guaranteed to be bacteria free upon delivery.

Data shows that the rate of CA-MRSA has declined over the last decade. However, the rate of decline has slowed measurably. Experts warn that now is not the time to stop paying attention to the MRSA threat. Rather, efforts to combat the spread of MRSA are still important to the future of human health.

In the massage room setting, CA-MRSA can be spread quickly and with very little effort. The key to preventing it is cleanliness. To that end, hygienically clean linens can play a vital role in preventing infections among both guests and therapists alike.

We could all use a bit more cash from time to time, especially with Christmas coming up or an unexpected bill. If you want to have some more cash to free up, then here are some ways that you can have more money, without changing your lifestyle.

Switch out Brand Names

With most brand names, consumers can’t really tell the difference between this and the generic brand. This small change has the chance to really free up a lot of cash from your regular shopping habits. You can swap like for like products in blind tests if you want to ensure that there’s no difference in quality.

Some generic items cost just a fraction of the cost of their brand name counterparts. This unnecessary expenditure might be costing you thousands each year, so it’s well worth trying to switch some of your most used items.

Host a Student

If you have a spare room in your house then you could join the group of host families in London. By opening your home to a student and providing meals, there’s a lot of room for you to make money. It’s a bit steadier than the likes of AirBNB and you won’t need to leave your property.

This can be a good way to socialise with new people and learn about their culture. If you want to expose your kids to a new culture then a friend from another nation can be great. These do tend to be longer term, so you should only consider doing this if you feel like it’s sustainable for you and your family.

Downsize

Another way to have more money if you have a spare room is to downsize. If you’re paying for a room that isn’t being used then you’re missing out. These rooms might be filled with items from other areas of the house, which don’t really have a place of their own. Clearing out these rooms will show you where you could be downside.

Moving to a smaller property can be better for you to save money and to clear out your clutter. This can help you to save a substantial amount each and every month, without feeling any strain.

Travel

The amount that you spend travelling can also be over the odds and there are other ways that you can save money here. If you’re spending a lot of money on public transportation, then you could look into buying a bike or a small car. While this might be an initial expense, it can save you money in the long run.

Moving closer to your job while downsizing can also save you some money and time each day too. This can give you a better quality of life overall, as you feel like you have more time to dedicate to the things that really matter.

Saving money doesn’t have to be difficult, as there are many ways that you could do so without majorly changing the way that you live your life.

Image: Pixabay

There is perhaps nothing more difficult to bear than having a loved one pass away. To this end, funerals exist not just to bid farewell to the people that we have cherished, but to help us grieve and mourn, and at the same time celebrate a life that has passed. During this stage in our lives, emotions will undoubtedly be raw and despair will undoubtedly follow us. However, there are a few things we will need to expect in order to make things go as smoothly as possible.

Funeral arrangements

It all starts with finding the right funeral service for what is needed and more importantly can be afforded. As morbid as it may sound, acquiring a service to compare funeral plans is necessary in today’s modern world as they can prove to be quite costly. Only after the prices of the service are made transparent and the desired service selected can we start making arrangements regarding how to proceed, and this is commonly discussed with the funeral director.

The funeral director

Engaging with a funeral director is required for the immediate family not just for the sake of completing the documentation such as the death certificate but for the transportation of the remains. He or she will discuss specific questions on what the desired funeral service is and on whether to have the body cremated or buried. It is particularly important to take note of whether the deceased had already made funeral plans, however, just to ensure that double payments are avoided.

Preparations and events for pre and post-service

A decision on how the remains will be presented at the funeral must also be expected, from having either a closed or open casket to the method of embalming. Cremation or burial services can also be chosen and arranged. Perhaps the one thing that requires the most attention would be whether to hold events before and after the funeral. Choosing to have a wake and visitation can be helpful to guests who aren’t necessarily in close proximity, and a reception after can help everyone bond together.

Transportation services (burials)

In case a burial is chosen, transportation will also have to be decided on, to move the remains from the funeral director’s establishment to the cemetery. There may be additional charges for this service, depending on the funeral, however, you, a chosen family member or a friend, can also drive if need be.

Losing someone close is never easy. It is something that would reduce even the bravest men and women to tears. While it is normal to mourn the passing of a loved one, it is important to celebrate the life that he or she may have lived too and to be happy that their troubles are over. While it may be easy to forget our responsibilities during these turbulent times in our lives, it is important to remember that our respective times are not yet done and that we still have responsibilities to fulfil.

Image: Pixabay.com