Disaster Preparedness and Your Family

 

In times of disaster, a family that is one and united can easily beat all odds. But being united and one is not only the key means for survival. It is basically more on the preparedness of the family in times of occurring disaster.

Many times we have been caught between being unprepared and the fatal strike of a disaster. Disastrous impact and big loss could have been lesser if we only give importance to our preparedness.

Disaster preparedness is our ability to be prepared, to be alert and ability to answer to the impending disaster that may come our way. It is our ability to stay calm and in control of our self and surroundings. During this time, we have our family to depend on. We have our family members to protect and support. Our actions reflect on how we perceived survival and how much we have done about it. We can not just have survival unless we know how to.

As a parent it is our duty to teach our children basic things about survival. Simple explanation on how one must behave during a disaster is a good start. Giving them simple reminders of what to do and not to do would be enough to brace themselves against impending disaster.

a simple survival kit that may save your family's lives

A simple earthquake drill at home would give our children information how they can protect themselves during this time. Telling them where to stay during the quake will lessen shock and confusion. Confusion sometimes is the culprit for some lost life. Avoiding this can really help one survive.

Keeping a simple survival kit is a great chance of survival. Simple survival kit that contains basic things such as small flashlight, whistle, band aids and antiseptics, bottled water for each of the family members and foods that need little or no cooking at all. Warm clothing such as small blanket can also be useful. Pack of batteries and a small transistor radio complete this survival kit.

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Reproductive Health Bill And You as A Parent

Philippine Reproductive Health Bill or RH Bill is a Philippine bill aiming to guarantee universal access to methods and information on birth control and maternal care. Its key proposal is that the Filipino taxpayer and the private sector will fund and undertake widespread distribution of family devices such as birth control pills and IUD’s as the government continues to disseminate information on their use through all health care centers. It is also mandated in the bill that private companies and the public and private elementary and secondary school system will be required to participate in this information and product dissimination as a way of controlling the population of the Philippines.

women's group are protesting in favor of RH Bill

Pro life with Catholic Church opposes RH Bill

Many things have been said about this controversial Reproductive Health Bill. The Catholic Church has spoken about their stand regarding this bill. For them, this is an evil act. It is something that is against life. They contend that men have no right to take away life even before it is conceived. The church believes that it is the duty of the government to protect its people, to give services that promote health and wellness. With this, the government has no right to kill its people much more the innocent unborn children. But the government has different outlook and opinion. Lawmakers who make laws on the land condemn poverty as a result of over population and to address this, population must be controlled. Reproductive Health Bill is the proposed government’s solution to this escalating problem that causes dissolution of people’s social, psychological and spiritual well-being. The growing number of poor population has given rise to many social problems such as illiteracy, prostitution, crimes and social unrest. Because of this, abortions and unwanted pregnancies hound the tormented minds of those who do not know what to do and where to go during times of disillusionment. Lawmakers believe that this is what reproductive health bill is all about, to address and eradicate poverty by controlling population and teaching the people the things that they should know and do.  

IUD or  intrauterine device- an artificial means of birth control

In contrast too many misconceptions have been brought out by the opposing Church. They have labeled RH Bill as a demon’s instrument to destroy mankind. They will not in all senses let RH Bill to be passed and made into a law withstanding the needs of the people to be liberated from poverty and misfortunes. On the other hand, the government is also firm in upholding their stand that it is its duty to do what is best for its people, and RH Bill is the key to achieve solutions to the deteriorating standard of living.

 As a parent, you teach your children to have a faith. You teach your children to know and believe in God.  You teach them to be obedient of His commandments and laws. As a believer, you teach them how to obey laws governing the religious community you are with. We are parents; we take care of our children long before they are born. We take care of them long after we ceased to be the only person they have to depend on. We do things for them. We ask them to do things for their own good.  But as parent, it is not right to impose things to our children as much as to impose things on our selves just to give them good life. 

  

We become parents by choice. We chose to become one and this is enough reason for us to celebrate this with freedom. What ever our choice is, it is dictated by the essence of our being a parent. We will choose by the dictate of our love for our children. Not by what society and religious doctrines imposed upon us. The dignity of our choice is on our being a parent, as part of the creation that has made this earth God’s chosen Kingdom.

  

As a parent, it is time for you to make your stand. What ever your choice may be…let it be your choice because you are a parent that cares for your children!

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Vacation and Your Kids

  So it has been decided that the long overdue family vacation is pushing through but somehow where to go is still a question. If the family is still debating what vacation is good for all of the members why not check some of these helpful tips before you make that important decision?

Vacation themes

 There are variations of vacations you can choose from. Many of these packages are classified into themes such as Adventure, tropical, entertainment, themed parks or plain sightseeing. If your family is adventurous, each member will surely enjoy taking on an adventure tour. If the family wants to enjoy and relax at the same time, a tropical vacation is more likely a good choice. A themed park theme maybe enjoyable to those with young kids but a growing teenager will feign any themed park vacation for the reasons they have outgrown their likings for themed park characters. Whatever your choice is it should be based on the theme that will answer the needs of your family.

Budget

It is best to consider how much money is going to be spent for the vacation. An enjoyable vacation should not be expensive and could drain the family budget for the future. An affordable and reasonably priced package is as enjoyable as the expensive one as long as you have made the right choice for your family’s needs and preferences.

Duration

How long and how many days spend in a vacation is important since most family members have works and responsibilities left behind. A long and extensive vacation may tire out the family instead of getting relaxed and rejuvenated. Make sure that all itineraries included in your vacation are reached and completed within the time frame. A vacation cut short because of the failure of the handlers is more likely of being shortchanged and surely will spoil the vacation mood.

Where the family will stay

Choose a place where the family can be comfortable. If you are staying in a hotel, make an early arrangement for your room accommodations. If your kids can stay with you in one room, it is better. If they have to stay in a separate room, talk to the management of availability of adjacent rooms where you can monitor your kids every now and then. If you are going to stay in rented residential house or villa, it is best checkout for emergency exits and safety precautions in the areas. Your family’s safety and security is foremost important amenities. Check out for provisions for telephones and other communications means. This is important in case of emergency. It is also recommended to check out for structures and locations of the place. This minute details often left unnoticed can cause interruptions and distractions. A hundred percent family -friendly and safe vacation place is sure to make family vacation memorable and worthwhile.

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Newborn Screening for Your Baby

If you are pregnant, the first thing that concerns you is your baby’s well-being. To save your baby from mental retardation or death, you must submit your baby to Newborn screening or NBS. This is a must for babies after they were born. Here are some important details about newborn screening (NBS) and how it can save your baby’s life.

What is NEWBORN SCREENING?

Newborn Screening is a simple procedure done to check if your baby has congenital metabolic disorder that may lead to retardation or death if left untreated. It is important because some babies may look normal at birth although they may have metabolic disorders. These disorders are unnoticed until the onset of signs and symptoms and more often ill effects are already hard to treat. Newborn screening will determine whether your baby may have these congenital disorders thus avoiding retardation or death. As early as 24 hrs or 48 hrs after birth is the best time for your baby to have NBS. A physician, a nurse, a midwife or a medical technologist can do the simple NBS procedure to your baby. It is simply done  by using the heel prick method; a few drops of blood are taken from baby’s heel and blotted on a special absorbent filter card. The blood taken is dried for 4 hrs and will be sent to NBS lab.

  The Newborn screening is now available in any D.O.H accredited hospitals and maternity and pediatrics   clinics. The fee is P550. It is also available in lying-ins, rural Health units and health centers and D.O.H. however had approved a maximum of P50 charge for blood samples for these accredited health institutions.

  Saving your baby’s life, assuring a normal life for them is our role as parents. Submitting your baby to newborn screening is one way of showing your love and concern even before your baby is born.

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