Ways to Stay in Touch with Elderly Loved Ones During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it remarkably difficult for families to keep in contact with senior friends and family. Individuals who are 65 years of age or older, or who live in senior care facilities, have been recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as high-hazard for the infection. For most families, protecting senior friends and family from disease implies doing so without face-to-face visits and finding alternative approaches to associate with one another.

Fortunately, there are more assets accessible than any other time to help families stay close even while socially distancing. Following are some suggestions for protected and imaginative approaches to remain close with senior friends and family during this difficult time.

1. Make video calling simple

Apparatuses like FaceTime, Skype, Zoom and WhatsApp permit families to communicate effectively through video calls. The majority of these applications and stages are free to download. FaceTime video calling comes standard with iPhones, while Skype and Zoom offer free video conferencing on an assortment of gadgets.  Furthermore, WhatsApp is a free video calling and communication application that can be used with Androids or iOS.

With all of these various choices, it can be confusing or difficult to know which one should be used when communicating with your senior loved one.  To make it simpler, let your senior relative’s necessities function as a  guide. The best applications tend to be those that are easy to utilize and that are free for friends and family.  On the off chance that your senior already has a cell phone, tablet or PC, speaking via a video chat may be the least demanding choice. If your senior has already been utilizing a specific application, feel free to proceed with that.

2. Plan a window visit

You have probably seen viral photographs of “window visits” individuals are having with senior relatives at their homes or outside of their senior care facilities.. During these visits, relatives stay outside, yet they talk with their loved one on the telephone or carry handcrafted signs with messages. It seems considerably more like an ordinary visit when seniors can see their friends and family, even if it’s only through a window.

Notwithstanding window visits, families are additionally putting a social separating turn on different sorts of house calls. For example, friends and family may sit on their patio and loved ones sit on a folding chair in the yard far away and visit that way, or from a vehicle.

3. Take a virtual get-away

Certainly, most retreats, exhibition halls and other fun places are shut to general society. Nevertheless, you and your senior loved one can investigate the world together from the security of your own home. For instance, why not call them and take a visit through an online historical center together?

You can experience free online virtual voyages through Yellowstone National Park, the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, the Louver in Paris and even Mars. However long your senior cherished one has access to a savvy gadget, they will have the option to visit with you through your desired web application.

4. Rediscover snail mail

Putting a letter in the mail is still a viable alternative, and it can give anybody a passionate lift to get a card, letter or blessing via the post office.

Consider sending letters consistently, and  utilize snail mail as an approach to inform friends and family of unique or informative events when you can not all physically be together.

All things considered, the CDC likewise suggests that everybody wash hands with cleanser and water for at least twenty seconds or utilize a hand sanitizer containing sixty percent alcohol before sending out or receiving mail.

5. Enroll guardians’ assistance

On the off chance that your senior loved one has restricted capacities or lives in a senior care home, see how on-site staff can assist them in keeping in contact.  For example, numerous facilities are purchasing tablets and having staff take them to inhabitants’ rooms intermittently to video visit with their families.  This is especially significant for occupants who can not participate in such functions without the assistance of someone else.

In case you are going the non-electronic course, staff at senior care facilities can likewise be approached to help with letters and cards so your cherished one can furnish you with regular updates.

6. Utilize the telephone, and do so twice as regularly

The telephone still works, and hearing from family and friends can make a big difference in a senior’s day.  Consider increasing the number of calls you make to loved ones who are isolated.

Reaching out to loved ones via social media or the telephone is crucial, as social isolation can lead to hypertension, coronary illness, weight gain, anxiety, and dementia.

Staying in touch with friends and family who are in senior care facilities during COVID-19 can be challenging, but with the applications available today, a little effort can certainly go a long way.

Steps to Take Following An Auto Accident By Logan and Thompson, P.C.

Individuals are often unsure of the steps to take following an automobile accident. Such times are frightening and one’s physical as well as mental well-being may be at stake. If you find yourself in an accident, remember the following steps to maintain safety and sanity!

The first step is making sure no one is seriously hurt. Check yourself for wounds and ask the following questions: Have you broken any bones? Are you suffering from whiplash? Do you have passengers? Are they ok? Make sure all passengers are not seriously injured.

Secondly, check on the prosperity of the other driver and passengers in the other vehicle or vehicles involved in the accident. Is the driver hurt? Are their passengers suffering? It is imperative to discover both the physical and mental well-being of the drivers and passengers in your own, as well as other vehicles involved.

After discovering the well-being of all individuals involved in the accident, call 911 and wait for help. Do not try moving anyone out of the other vehicle or vehicles if they cannot exit on their own. Wait for an ambulance.

If you are able to exit the vehicle, and the other driver or drivers involved in the accident are also able to exit their vehicles, go ahead and exchange insurance information. Do not admit any guilt when speaking with the other driver or drivers involved in the accident.

If you have a pen and paper in the car, go ahead and document your interpretation of the accident. Save this in your glove compartment for both the insurance company and/or legal counsel that may be obtained in the future.

When speaking with the police, do not admit fault and keep conversation to a minimum. Following this interaction, get a copy of the police report. After speaking with the police and/or seeking medical attention, call your insurance company and make sure they are aware there has been an accident. If you have been found at fault, or are unsure whether or not you will be found at fault, reach out for legal counsel.

Once legal counsel has been obtained, do not speak to anyone regarding the accident except for your attorney. At this point, everything you discuss with your attorney is protected by client and attorney privilege.

While automobile accidents often represent a stressful time in our lives, it is imperative to follow the steps outlined in this article. If you have further questions, please contact Logan Thompson in Cleveland, TN, or go to loganthompsonlaw.com.

Have Tea with the Queen at Mountain Oaks Manor

Mountain Oaks Manor in Ooltewah, TN is filled with fantastic paintings that have been collected over time in eclectic ways! One that has to be the most captivating is a picture of England’s glorious queen, provided no less, by local patrons who heard the owner discussing the inception of  “The Queen Room”.  Sonya Guffey, owner of the Manor, announced her intentions to embark on a trip to Florida, for the purpose of finding the most majestic picture of Elizabeth II. Along the way, she encountered a family of patrons possessing exactly what she had been searching for-a most elegant portrait of young Queen Elizabeth II, shrouded in a beautiful white chiffon dress.  In all her glory, the picture is neatly seen from every chair within the room, as everyone deserves to celebrate tea with her Majesty. 

Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is inherently a bipartisan figure who is, at this point, more humanitarian than political. Rising above partisan politics, she has evolved into a beloved figure, the entire world around.  

In highly politicized times such as these, it is often enticing to remember other figures who are rising above politics. The late humanitarian Princess Diana comes to mind, as well as Richard Branson of Virgin airlines. “The Queen Room,” is reminiscent of simpler times, as well as of love and friendship. 

It would simply not be tea without the Queen’s royal family present! The room consists of various royal accessories, perhaps reminiscent of less controversial times.  For instance, this room also boasts a plate with a portrait of a somewhat more mature Queen Elizabeth II, as well as a thimble with a picture of the Queen Mother, a plate with a picture of Henry and Meghan, and finally,  a portrait of the beloved humanitarian known simply as Princess Diana. Within all of this lavishness, the room beholds a royal nature to its decorations that easily takes the observer to a very different time and place.  In a place as beautiful as this, it is easy to forget the world’s troubles, if only for a little while.  

To see the iconic “Queen Room” for yourself, please make a reservation by calling 423-238-9333.  The room is available weekly and on some weekends for tea from 11 am-3 pm.  You can also find the Mountain Oaks Manor online at mountainoaksmanor.com

Are There Health Benefits to Drinking Alcohol?

All through the ten thousand or so years that people have been drinking matured refreshments, they have likewise been contending about their benefits and bad marks. The discussion actually stews today, with an enthusiastic to and fro about whether liquor is beneficial or awful for you.

The dynamic fixing in mixed refreshments, a basic atom called ethanol, influences the body from numerous points of view. It straightforwardly impacts the stomach, mind, heart, gallbladder, and liver. It influences levels of lipids (cholesterol and fatty oils) and insulin in the blood, just as aggravation and coagulation. It likewise modifies temperament, fixation, and coordination.

Free utilization of the expressions “moderate” and “a beverage” has filled a portion of the continuous discussion about liquor’s effect on wellbeing. In certain examinations, the expression “moderate drinking” alludes to under one beverage for every day, while in others it implies three to four beverages for each day. Precisely what establishes “a beverage” is likewise genuinely liquid. Truth be told, even among liquor scientists, there’s no all around acknowledged standard beverage definition.

In the U.S., one beverage is typically viewed as twelve ounces of brew, five ounces of wine, or one and half ounces of spirits (hard alcohol, for example, gin or bourbon). Each conveys around twelve to forteen grams of liquor.

The meaning of moderate drinking is something of a difficult exercise. Moderate drinking sits at where the medical advantages of liquor obviously exceed the dangers.

The most recent agreement puts this point at close to one to two beverages per day for men, and close to one beverage daily for ladies. This is the definition utilized by the U.S. Branch of Agriculture and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020, and is generally utilized in the United States.

In excess of one hundred forthcoming examinations show an opposite relationship between light to direct drinking and danger of coronary episode, ischemic (clump caused) stroke, fringe vascular sickness, unexpected heart demise, and passing from every cardiovascular reason. The impact is genuinely steady, relating to a twenty to forty percent decrease in danger.

The association between moderate drinking and lower danger of cardiovascular infection has been seen in people. It applies to individuals who do not have coronary illness, and furthermore to those at high danger for having a respiratory failure or stroke or dying of cardiovascular infection, incorporating those with type two diabetes, hypertension, and existing cardiovascular sickness.

The possibility that moderate drinking secures against cardiovascular sickness bodes well naturally and deductively. Moderate measures of liquor raise levels of high-thickness lipoprotein (HDL, or “great” cholesterol), and higher HDL levels are related with more prominent insurance against coronary illness. Moderate liquor utilization has likewise been connected with useful changes going from better affectability to insulin to upgrades in variables that impact blood coagulating- for example, tissue type plasminogen activator, fibrinogen, thickening element VII, and von Willebrand factor. Such changes will in general forestall the arrangement of little blood clusters that can obstruct veins in the heart, neck, and cerebrum, a definitive reason for some respiratory failures and the most well-known sort of stroke.

The advantages of moderate drinking are not restricted to the heart. In the Nurses’ Health Study, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and different investigations, gallstones and type two diabetes were less inclined to happen in moderate consumers than in non-consumers. The accentuation here, as somewhere else, is on moderate drinking.

In a meta-investigation of fifteen unique imminent accomplice contemplates that followed 369,862 members for a normal of twelve years, a thirty percent diminished danger of type two diabetes was found with moderate drinking (0.5-4 beverages every day), except no defensive impact was found in those drinking either less or more than that sum.

The social and mental advantages of liquor can not be overlooked. A beverage before a dinner can improve assimilation or offer a calming relief toward the finish of a distressing day; an intermittent beverage with companions can be a social tonic. These physical and social impacts may likewise add to wellbeing and prosperity.

For further information on your favorite spirits, please go to ooltewahdiscountliquor.com or call (423) 238-9177.

B and B Thermal Insulation

In this day and age of expanding energy concerns, the requirement for proficiently overseeing offices is increasingly applicable. Appropriately protecting mechanical frameworks decreases energy costs, guarantees offices have fresher air, better sound control, as well as improved temperature quality. All the more explicitly, mechanical insulation protection provides improved wellbeing, adequacy and feel to workplaces. Legitimate mechanical insulation protection likewise boosts the rate of profitability in modern offices by improving energy proficiency, upgrading the nature of workplaces, and decreasing general costs.

While progressives and natural advisors push costly and refined mechanical machines, not many of these choices contrast with the general increase of appropriately protecting an industry’s mechanical frameworks through mechanical insulation. When done effectively, mechanical insulation protection limits energy costs, augments quantifiable profit, upgrades framework execution, lessens outflows, reinforces faculty wellbeing, and restrains clamor move.

Once introduced, mechanical insulation protection provides ceaseless reserve funds and other undetectable yet fundamental advantages. Simply put, once in a while the least demanding arrangement is the best one.

For more data about modern and mechanical protection frameworks, it would be ideal if you contact B and B Thermal Insulation at 423-622-5623 or discover them online at bbthermalinsulation.com.

Treat at Mountain Oaks Manor

Planning the Halloween party this year fell under my parameter of responsibilities. I went a little out of the box and decided on a costumed tea party at Mountain Oaks Manor. Our team, plus my daughter, all put on Halloween costumes and had a lovely high tea. Just what we needed, to get out of the office, relieve stress, be silly, and fancy at the same time!

We each ordered a pot of tea and scones for the table. The lemon curd that accompanied the scones had a delicious and tart taste with fresh cream whipped to perfection. Each pot of tea came out steaming hot in beautifully unique teapots, with sugar cubes and cream. Precisely what I had always imagined a tea party would be — elegant, intimate, and relaxing. Sitting with the Queen, a blue alien, and a pirate clown was different but perfect!

We talked about travel, work, and of course, the Queen while sipping our tea waiting for our entrees. Our plates came with beautiful and fresh food. Our group ate every bite of every dish and still ordered desserts! We had a proper time with a proper three-course meal, and we all felt like royalty.

Mountain Oaks Manor is the perfect place for an office team to get together and treat themselves. I have recommended checking out their website to everyone I know, and I have already had a second lovely lunch there! Now that the Christmas decorations are out, the Manor has a whole new magic to it! If you are looking for a spacious, quaint place to have an office party, tea with the ladies, or an intimate lunch, Mountain Oaks Manor is the perfect place!

Check out their menu and see pictures of the tea rooms and wedding venue at mountainoaksmanor.com

Art, Food, and Symbolism within Portofino’s

Excellent food takes time. Deep within the walls of Portofino’s Italian and Greek restaurant exists a beautiful painting by Sandra Babb that embodies this very saying. Juxtapositioning age with quality, the very nature of European Cuisine is embodied within this painting.

This painting consists of an older man with a glass of wine on the table. The glass of wine symbolizes how quality takes time. Similarly, fruit turns into wine after the passage of time. In this same vein, really good Italian and Greek food takes time-the gyros simmering in the kitchen, the fragrant Alfredo sauce being stirred. Thousands of years of civilization go into every dish. There is no substitute for such a high level of quality.

The painting also depicts the older gentleman holding a bazouki, or Greek musical instrument. This representation expresses how an older person can better express the changes of music over time. In essence, the old and new are being compared as well as contrasted within the painting. Like artwork, food can also be considered an artform, and the chef expressing his experience through food needs time to learn, express, and develop his skills.

The painting also includes crosses on the floor. These crosses arguably represent the crucifiction of Christ and his ultimate resurrection. The crosses represent the rebirth of the arts following their decay by economic downturns as well as COVID-19. The painting also represents the celebration of food and culture in Chattanooga, following these challenging times. Like a phoenix, good food flourishes even from the ashes. Following this same line of thinking, a yellow patch on the table represents the light and hope of a better, more promising future.

As a final touch, the painting also encompasses money at the end of the bazouki. Basically, the money represents tips from clients. Symbolically, the money represents survival of and through the arts, even in times of adversity. Despite the hardships and challenges currently facing society, music will still play and enjoyment can still be found. One just has to look for it.

In essence, this painting represents a post-economic downturn, post Covid-19 artistic manifestation. It signifies how beauty, art and good food can emerge as a confluence, even after drastic economic downturns and a world-wide pandemic. To see this painting for yourself and to perhaps formulate your own artististic interpretation, please go to 6407 Ringgold Rd, in East Ridge, TN. When there, allow your taste buds to experience the food while your mind understands the painting. The two together will create quite the experience.

Interlock Devices, One’s Driver’s License, and the State

Different states have varying DUI processes.  Depending on the severity of the offense, offenders may have a different set of requirements than an offender with a similar conviction in a different state. Depending on a particular state, the process one must go through following a drunk driving (DUI) conviction varies. In some cases, an offender may be required to install an ignition interlock device. “An ignition interlock device or breath alcohol ignition interlock device is a breathalyzer for an individual’s vehicle. It requires the driver to blow into a mouthpiece on the device before starting or continuing to operate the vehicle.” (1)
In order to discover what is required of an offender in a particular state, it is essential to look at a particular state’s laws.  DUI laws vary according to state, county and city. In order to find out if an ignition interlock device is required, an offender receives a court order or letter containing final offense information.  This will also contain assigned requirements specifying if an ignition interlock device is required.  Interlock devices are often required to fulfill these requirements in the case of a suspended or restricted license after a DUI offense.

An offender’s monitoring authority and/or DUI attorney will also be able to help in understanding the time period and exact steps one must complete in order to regain a driver’s license.

Some states may require various paperwork in order to purchase an ignition interlock device. Paperwork may include a court order, vehicle information and/or monitoring authority involvement.

For further information about interlock devices, please go to theradioclinic.com or call 423-894-0994.

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignition_interlock_device

CFO Services by Gentry CPA

An organization’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) plays an essential part in an organization’s overall long-term success. Regardless of a business’s size, a CFO oversees audit preparation, accounting, reporting and other financial-related business tasks. Should owners use an outsourced CFO or hire an in-house CFO?

To assist in illustrating the pros and cons of both options, let us analyze Company Alpha, who hired a full-time, in-house CFO, and Company Beta, who hired a part-time, outsourced CFO.

Benefits of An Outsourced CFO:

  1. Monetary SavingsCompany Alpha decided to hire an in-house CFO. In doing so, they failed to anticipate paying benefits and taxes in addition to the CFO’s salary.In contrast, Company Beta chose to outsource their CFO. In doing so, they bypassed having to pay benefits and taxe. Additionally, they only have to pay the outsourced CFO when she actually works.
  2. Time SavingsCompany Alpha’s full-time CFO often spends time participating in tasks that do not directly relate to the financial goals of the business. This can be problematic if the CFO is not able to focus exclusively on the financial tasks at hand.Company Beta, however, relies on their outsourced CFO to handle only their financial data. Furthermore, since this CFO is not in the office at all times, the risk of being pulled into other tasks and projects is greatly minimized.
  3. Reduced Fraud Risk, Better Internal ControlsCompany Alpha’s team works together on projects, and assists one another other as needed. Such collaboration, however, can also lead to the free flow of information regarding passwords and data. While arguably positive, this can also lead to unauthorized employees having access to confidential financial data.With an outsourced CFO, Company Beta does not suffer from such financial breaches of privacy. Their CFO is able to delegate access as needed, reducing the possibility of fraud and increasing the security of data.
  4. Large Projects AssistanceIf Company Alpha ultimately undergoes a merger that requires the analysis of a significant amount of financial data, an in-house CFO might not have the proper experience in handling such a gargantuan project. In contrast, if Company Beta decides to embark on such an enterprise, they are arguably much better prepared. This is because their outsourced CFO has a plethora of knowledge based on their broad financial experiences.
  5. Varied points of view. Company Apha’s CFO is entrenched in a business’s day to day operations. This can make seeing a company’s larger financial picture challenging. In contrast, company Beta’s outsourced CFO inherently has an external point of view, independent of the company’s day to day operations. As a result, she will consistently have objective opinions as well as viewpoints, keeping the best interests of Company Beta consistently at the forefront.

For further information regarding the benefits of outsourcing CFO Services, please contact Gentry CPA at 423-648-6240 or find them online at GentryCPA.com.

Dr. Jonathan Miller

Ooltewah/Collegedale Chamber Business of the Month

Jonathan Miller, MD, is a Board-Certified Dermatologist and he is a fellowship trained Mohs micrographic and reconstructive surgeon. He finished his Mohs Fellowship in July of 2020. Dr. Miller did his dermatology residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Dr. Miller is a native of Ooltewah and a graduate of Southern Adventist University. In August, he opened his first solo dermatology practice in Ooltewah called Uderm.

At Uderm, patients are able to make their appointments and access their paperwork online! This allows new, and current patients to spend less time in waiting rooms. Patients are welcomed to call and make appointments over the phone and fill out their paperwork in person if they prefer.

Dr. Miller offers both general dermatology and Mohs Surgery services. Mohs Surgery is a sophisticated skin cancer removal process in which the surgeon also functions as the pathologist in analyzing the margins under a microscope. This process ensures the highest cure rates and least amount of scarring. Dr. Miller also uses Mohs surgery for melanoma using an advanced technique called immunostaining. This is a process that uses antibodies to target the melanoma tumor cells and make them easily visible under the microscope, ensuring complete removal while conserving the most normal skin possible.

Dr. Miller also offers aesthetic services which include laser skin resurfacing, laser hair removal, laser vein removal, laser tattoo removal, radiofrequency micro-needling and botox cosmetic. They take an individualized approach to their patients in helping them restore and maintain a healthy, vibrant appearance.

Dr. Miller saw a need in Ooltewah for a board-certified dermatologist trained in the Mohs technique. His goal is to become the go-to-place for high quality dermatology and skin cancer care. He loves the field of dermatology and loves his community. His goal is to offer the community the highest care possible. He wants to be of service here in the community and to meet the needs of Ooltewah, a fast growing community.

At Uderm, Dr. Miller also offers the highest quality skin care products. Brands offered include Elta MD Skincare, SkinMedica, Revision Skincare and VaniCream.

To schedule an appointment at Uderm, please go to Uderm.com or call 423-206-2777.