The media has been discussing six topics related to the social behaviors and actions of Americans. These include eating disorders, elderly treatment in care homes, ageism, cyber-bullying, Internet fraud, and mistreatment of the mentally ill. It is actually sad to see that these are actually issues that are present in our country. What you will read here is a bit about each issue, and what you can do to help prevent these issues, or protect your loved ones from harm caused by these issues.
Eating Disorders
With such an emphasis put on weight and obesity in the media, it isn’t surprising that many suffer from eating disorders. Young Americans, particularly girls, even those as young as 8, are suffering from eating disorders. They strive to ensure that they are not obese, but take this to an extreme by becoming anorexic or bulimic, starving themselves or binge eating and forcing their little bodies to vomit. As sad as it is to say, a lot of this has to do with the way the media portrays beauty – thin. Fortunately, there are schools that provide these amazing, yet misdirected, young women treatment with eating disorders. If you, or someone you know, is struggling with an eating disorder, it is important to seek professional assistance. These schools can provide therapy, nursing, and dietary recommendations to improve the physical and mental health and well-being of young individuals who are suffering with eating disorders.
Ageism
Ageism is a term used to describe the discrimination or mistreatment of someone based solely on their age. Although ageism can be used negatively toward individuals of any age, it is particularly focused on those over 40. Many people feel they are weak, cannot work and do not deserve equal pay as someone younger than them. This is a form of discrimination that older adults face each day. However, there has been a lot of media talk about the subject, which hopefully will work to decrease the occurrences of discrimination based on age.
Ill Treatment of the Elderly
In some instances, ageism can take place in personal care home, where they elderly have gone to find the care they need. Although older people and their families may choose care homes that appear high quality, this is unfortunately not always the case. There are instances where not only ageism occurs, but also ill-treatment of the elderly. Fortunately, in recent years, the media has been shedding light on care homes, which has really improved the level of care the elderly receive, in every aspect. In fact, many elderly care homes are now providing higher levels of care, a sense of security and even help with financial aspects of choosing a care home for your loved ones. The home you choose needs to provide your elderly relatives with kindness and compassion, and fortunately, these types of facilities are popping up more and more, as the level of care increases.
Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill
Another issue recently discussed in the media is how the mentally ill are treated, particularly as it relates to individuals who have dementia. Dementia is a disease where an individual’s intellectual abilities are progressively attacked in a negative manner. It is important that people caring for individuals with dementia are focused on two key areas – early awareness and providing person-centered care. This will help ensure that the individuals receive the care they need to live a high quality life. Unfortunately, until this was brought to attention by the media, care has been less than stellar. Dealing with dementia patients can be difficult, but that is no excuse for treating them poorly. If someone in your family is suffering from dementia, it is important that you find highly skilled and very caring individuals to meet their needs.
Cyber-Bullying
Cyber-bullying is the same type of bullying that kids receive on the playground, or at school, but is conducted on much larger scales, via cell phones and Internet. Unfortunately, the use of cell phones and Internet to conduct in bullying-type behavior has had some very serious consequences for the victims. Not only are they humiliated, but are done so to a much broader audience. The effects of cyber-bullying have led to many teenage suicides or attempted suicides. According to the media, cyber-bullying takes place most often via instant messaging, closely followed by social network sites and online gaming. It is important that you talk with your children about cyber-bullying and help them have the confidence to not respond, block the bully, change their contact information and save all messages received from the bully. Your child will likely feel ashamed, guilt and pain from what’s happening and may not always let you know what’s going on. Try to discuss the matter before it takes place, let them know you aren’t judging them, and that you only want them to be and fell safe.
Internet Fraud
Although the world wide web is a wonderful vat of information, it can also be dangerous. This is thanks to the many individuals who make poor decisions to prey on individuals who shop online, bank online, and provide too much personal information without proper security set into place. Internet fraud, particularly as it relates to credit cards, such as cloning, can be a very tricky situation. In fact, it is a form of identity theft that is increasing in numbers each day, with more than $6 billion stolen in the US alone in 2010. If your card is cloned, you may not realize it for weeks or months, and these types of criminals often know how to rack up charges in a short amount of time. In order to protect yourself against credit card fraud, you should only use secure websites, always protect your information, and never have your computer save your login information or remember you as a user. This can decrease the likelihood that you will be the next Internet fraud victim.
As you can see, there are a lot of issues in the media that are socially related to many individuals, causing harm to one or more other people. It is important to try and protect yourself and your family against these social crimes and educate people on ways they can prevent these crimes from occurring against them. Awareness is the key in most of these situations, as well as communication and talking with your family and friends.
Download Nurse Bingo Today!
Liven up any shift with a fun game of bingo. See who can fill a row first!
Fill a whole card and lose grip with reality.
Your privacy is protected. We will never spam you.
