Counter Assertion

Advantages and Features of VoIP

Studies suggest that millions of households will soon be using
VoIP phone services in the next couple of years. One of the
reasons VoIP is catching on so fast is it offers a wealth of
features and advantages over traditional phone services. Here is
just a brief review of some of the benefits and features VoIP
has to offer:

Cost savings

VoIP technology allows consumers to save money. Most companies
currently offering VoIP offer plans that are less expensive than
many cell phone plans.

Competitive Features

Companies providing VoIP services are offering plans that
include standard features like Caller ID, Call waiting, Repeat
Dial and Three Way Calling.

Voicemail Superiority

You can check your mail while surfing the Web when using VoIP
technology. Better yet you can attach messages to emails using
VoIP and send them directly to consumers.

Flexibility

You can call someone from anywhere you have broadband access
when using VoIP technology. That means if you travel frequently
for business you can take an IP phone with you and access your
home phone if you need to. You can also attach a phone to your
laptop and place calls from anywhere in the world while
connecting to the Net. This is a very appealing option for
business consumers in particular.

Last but not least the technology VoIP uses is extremely
efficient, meaning your calls are placed through non congested
and inexpensive lines. This allows computers to communicate with
one another and accept information relatively easily, without
long waits or disconnects.

As friends, relatives or others who care, there is nothing more difficult then watching those we care about endure painespecially the pain that comes from unexpected tragedy. As a society who is untrained in how to help, we may feel confused or unsure of how to best support those we care for. The following guidelines can help you support your loved one during dark times.

Don’t try to find the magic words or formula to eliminate the pain. Nothing can erase or minimize the painful tragedy your friend or loved one is facing. Your primary role at this time is simply to “be there.” Don’t worry about what to say or do, just be a presence that the person can lean on when needed.

Don’t try to minimize or make the person feel better. When we care about someone, we hate to see them in pain. Often we’ll say things like, “I know how you feel,” or “perhaps, it was for the best,” in order to minimize their hurt. While this can work in some instances, it never works with grief.

Help with responsibilities. Even though a life has stopped, life doesn’t. One of the best ways to help is to run errands, prepare food, take care of the kids, do laundry and help with the simplest of maintenance.

Don’t expect the person to reach out to you. Many people say, “call me if there is anything I can do.” At this stage, the person who is grieving will be overwhelmed at the simple thought of picking up a phone. If you are close to this person, simply stop over and begin to help. People need this but don’t think to ask.

Talk through decisions. While working through the grief process many bereaved people report difficulty with decision making. Be a sounding board for your friend or loved one and help them think through decisions.

Don’t be afraid to say the name of the deceased. Those who have lost someone usually speak of them often, and believe it or not, need to hear the deceased’s name and stories. In fact, many grievers welcome this.

Remember that time does not heal all wounds. Your friend or loved one will change because of what has happened. Everyone grieves differently. Some will be “fine” and then experience deep grief a year later, others grieve immediately. There are no timetables, no rulesbe patient.

Remind the bereaved to take care of themselves. Eating, resting and self-care are all difficult tasks when besieged by the taxing emotions of grief. You can help by keeping the house stocked with healthy foods that are already prepared or easy-to-prepare. Help with the laundry. Take over some errands so the bereaved can rest. However, do not push the bereaved to do things they may not be ready for. Many grievers say, “I wish they would just follow my lead.” While it may be upsetting to see the bereaved withdrawing from people and activitiesit is normal. They will rejoin as they are ready.

Avoid judging. Don’t tell people how to react or handle their emotions. Simply let them know that you will help in any way possible.

Share a Meal. Invite the bereaved over regularly to share a meal or take a meal to their home since meal times can be especially lonely. Consider inviting the bereaved out on important dates like the one-month anniversary of the death, the deceased’s birthday, etc.

Make a list of everything that needs to be done with the bereaved. This could include everything from bill paying to plant watering. Prioritize these by importance. Help the bereaved complete as many tasks as possible. If there are many responsibilities, find one or more additional friends to support you.

Make a personal commitment to help the one grieving get through this. After a death, many friendships change or disintegrate. People don’t know how to relate to the one who is grieving, or they get tired of being around someone who is sad. Vow to see your friend or loved one through this, to be an anchor in their darkest hour.

For more information and help, please visit www.griefsteps.com
by Brook Noel and Pamela D. Blair, Ph.D.

Adapted from I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye: surviving, coping and healing after the sudden death of a loved one by Brook Noel and Pamela D. Blair, Ph.D. (Champion Press, 2000) http://www.championpress.com ISBN 1-891400-27-4 $14.95 For more information and articles, please visit http://www.griefsteps.com

There are various forms of and causes for this distressing trouble, One of these causes, giving rise to a comparatively simple form, is cramp of the ring-muscle of the windpipe so contracting the windpipe that breathing is rendered difficult. A “wheeze” is heard in breathing, though there is no bronchitis or lung trouble present. The cause of this cramp is an irritation of the ring-muscle’s nerve. It can be relieved by pressing cold cloths gently along the spine, from the back of the head to between the shoulders, taking care that the patient remains generally warm during the treatment, and attending to the feet and skin as directed below in this article. Sometimes the cause seems to lie in the air of the place where the sufferer resides. A change either to high ground or the seaside will often entirely remove asthma, especially in the young. In any such case a trial should be made of several places, if that be at all possible, and that place fixed upon where the asthma is least felt.

Another cause of asthma is lack of power in the breathing muscles. In such a case the patient clings to a particular attitude, in which alone he can breathe. This is in most cases due to a lack of vitality in the root nerves which supply the breathing muscles.

An attack of this may often be relieved by rubbing, with the points of the fingers chiefly, gently yet firmly up and down each side of the spine, close to the bone. Even rubbing above the clothing will frequently relieve. The roots of the nerves supplying power to the breathing muscles lie just on each side of the spine, and this kind of rubbing stimulates these roots. It is not rubbing of skin or backbone which is wanted, but such gentle treatment of the nerve roots on either side of the bone as makes them glow with genial warmth. This rubbing is of course better done on the surface of the skin. See that the patient is warm, then dip the fingers in cold water, and rub as directed. When the water cools too much, or the patient tires of it, use fresh olive oil, warmed if necessary. In such cases avoid all brandy, rum, and alcoholic drinks which simply rob the nerves of the very power you need for cure, Temporary relief may be given by such drinks, but it is at the expense of lowered life and reduced chances of cure.

A tablespoonful of hot water every five minutes is the best curative drink. It may be given for several hours if required. To give this rubbing treatment and drinking hot water fair play, however, attention must be paid most carefully to the feet and skin of the patient, The feet frequently are cold, and in bad cases swell, the skin at and above the swelling being pale and soft, In minor cases this state of the feet may be treated by rubbing with hot olive oil. In serious cases rubbing is to be alternated with bathing the feet in hot water, until the feet and limb glow with heat. This may be done two or three times a day, for half an hour, or even an hour. It increases very greatly the vital power of breathing.

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