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Easter Seals Meets with White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and Other Top Leaders to Make Sure Families Can Continue to Access the Critical Services and Supports Medicaid Provides

Easter Seals Meets with White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and Other Top Leaders to Make Sure Families Can Continue to Access the Critical Services and Supports Medicaid Provides

Representatives from Easter Seals visit the White House

Washington, DC (PRWEB) July 12, 2011

Today, Easter Seals and three families living with disabilities from Arkansas, Ohio and Texas visited the White House to meet with several senior leaders—including Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, John Carson, Deputy Assistant to the President, Jeff Crowley, Senior Advisor on Disability Policy, and Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President. The group discussed the positive outcomes for children with disabilities, their families, and society through access to health and developmental services provided by the Medicaid program, as well as reaffirmed why Medicaid must not be cut in current budget negotiations.

President Obama continues to convene budget talks at the White House with a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders to negotiate a compromise on deficit reduction measures that could include cuts to Medicaid. Medicaid and other federal programs provide critical – often life-saving – services to millions of Americans living with disabilities. Members of Congress are considering budget proposals that would slash funding and restructure these important programs, potentially eliminating the safety net they provide.

“We’re here to discuss the essential role Medicaid plays in the lives of children with disabilities and their families. Each year, Easter Seals serves more than 1.2 million people with disabilities, all of whom will likely rely on the Medicaid program at some time in their lives,” said James E. Williams, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, Easter Seals. “Medicaid has already been cut and children with disabilities will be harmed by any additional cuts to benefits or provider reimbursement rates. Our families want to help put a human face on Medicaid by sharing their personal experiences, how they’re lives have been forever changed because of the program.”

During today’s White House meeting, three working families that have children with disabilities who directly benefit from Medicaid and Easter Seals disability experts shared how individuals and their families rely on Medicaid for stability and basic heath needs and spoke to what the loss of Medicaid could mean for millions.

Meet Shannon

Shannon, age 12, and her mother, Roxanne Eaton (Columbus, Ohio). Support from Medicaid helped Shannon, who has Cerebral Palsy, receive therapies to be more independent, which in turn made it possible for Roxanne to return to work.

Meet Al

Al, age 8, and his parents, Dr. James Hunt and DeAnn Hunt (Little Rock, Arkansas). Born with Down syndrome and a heart condition, Al received physical, occupational and speech therapy through Medicaid when their private insurance ran out. He is now attending public school.

Meet Chelsy and Rebeka

Rebeka, age 5, and Chelsey, age 3, and their parents, Joselyn Martinez and Jorge Escobedo (McAllen, Texas). Medicaid helped them meet their many medical needs, including Rebeka’s feeding tube and therapies to learn to walk and chew.

Medicaid offers the stability families living with disabilities need to survive. Without it, Shannon’s mom couldn’t have gone back to work, Al wouldn’t be in a mainstreamed classroom and Rebeka would not be hitting the developmental milestones she is today.

About Easter Seals

Easter Seals is the leading non-profit provider of services for individuals with autism, developmental disabilities, physical and mental disabilities, and other special needs. Through therapy, training, education and support services, Easter Seals creates life-changing solutions so that people with disabilities can live, learn, work, and play in their communities. To learn more visit http://www.easterseals.com or http://www.MaketheFirstFiveCount.org.

Media Contacts:

Kristen Barnfield, Easter Seals

kbarnfield(at)easterseals(dot)com

P: 312.551.7147

Rachel Talen, Easter Seals

rtalen(at)easterseals(dot)com

P: 312.551.7246

###

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, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

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Tags: Access, Advisor, Continue, Critical, Easter, Families, House, Jarrett, Leaders, Medicaid, meets, Provides, Seals, Senior, Services, Supports, Sure, Valerie, White

G-Rated ?The Mighty Macs? Draws Audience, Critical Praise – Inspirational, Family Film Debuts As Top-Grossing Independent

G-Rated ‘The Mighty Macs’ Draws Audience, Critical Praise – Inspirational, Family Film Debuts As Top-Grossing Independent

Philadelphia (PRWEB) October 28, 2011

The Mighty Macs—a G-rated, inspiring story of finding the courage to chase your dreams—debuted last weekend, drawing praise from critics and audiences alike. Based on the true story of Hall of Fame coach Cathy Rush (Carla Gugino), The Mighty Macs charts the rise of a team of over-achieving young women from Immaculata College as they claimed the first U.S. women’s collegiate basketball crown. It premieres as the highest-grossing independent film in the country and the No. 1 film in theaters for the entire family—perfect for parents and all the kids, regardless of their ages!

Critics from across the spectrum are “Backing the Macs:”

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times and RogerEbert.com
“It has an innocence that today’s movies have almost lost.”

 

Neil Ganzlinger, The New York Times
“. . . you have to love seeing nuns shouting basketball strategy from courtside. And the updates on the team’s players that flash by at the film’s end drive home why this is a sports story that deserved to be told.”

 

Joseph Airdo, Examiner.com
“The Mighty Macs truly is a movie of magnificent morals. It is the very definition of wholesome entertainment.”

Bob Waliszewski, Plugged In, Focus on the Family Online
“The family-friendly pic, Mighty Macs, transports us back in time to 1972 girls college basketball, reminding all of us that while dreaming big is important in life, so are passion, perseverance and grind-it-out hard work and dedication.”

Vanessa Barnes, Gulf Coast Catholic
“Go! Take your family and enjoy a heart-warming film telling a story filled with good old-fashion life lessons. . . . The writing, directing and acting are superb. The story refreshing and the time well worth spending.”

Dick Rolfe, Dove Foundation
“Best inspirational sports film of the year!”

Beyond the critics’ praise, the film’s G rating, exciting basketball action, touching personal stories and overall entertainment value draw “thumbs up” from families, school officials and the world of sports.

In Sacramento, 400 students, staff and parents from the local Catholic diocese attended the opening. “The Mighty Macs was a true inspiration to all and is a must see for Catholic school students both former and current,” said Rick Maya, the diocese’s director of Catholic schools.

The film’s intertwined personal stories of young women playing without scholarships, in antiquated facilities and often with limited family support touched Coquese Washington, Penn State’s women’s basketball coach.

“I can truly say that I was blown away watching this film,” Washington said. “It touched me in so many ways; but mostly, to watch in action the sacrifices so many people made in the early ‘70s simply for the love of the game was quite inspirational.”

Audience members shared their enthusiasm in messages to The Mighty Macs’ Facebook page. Just a few examples include:

“Go see this movie if you want to be inspired! . . . We need more movies like this!”

“We need to get the message out there . . . there is a better way to achieve your goals, there is a better way to fulfill your hopes and dreams. God will honor you as you honor Him. LOVE IT!”

“I have never been to a movie before where people applauded throughout the whole thing. Amazing!”

The Mighty Macs, playing now nationwide, features Carla Gugino (Night At The Museum, Spy Kids) as Cathy Rush and David Boreanaz (FOX TV’s Bones, Angel) as Cathy’s husband and NBA referee Ed Rush. Oscar-, Tony- and Emmy-winner Ellen Burstyn (Academy Award, Best Actress Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore) plays Mother St. John, the mother superior at Immaculata. Marley Shelton (Eleventh Hour, Pleasantville) plays Sister Sunday, a novice who becomes Rush’s assistant coach.

For interviews, contact: Monique Sondag Monique(at)Lovell-Fairchild(dot)com 214-536-4319

Learn more or find theaters and show times:

TheMightyMacs.com

Join us on Facebook:

Facebook.com/TheMightyMacs

Follow us on Twitter:

Twitter.com/MightyMacsMovie

Facebook: Facebook.com/LovellFairchild                                    

Twitter: @The_Love_Child

###

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Related Scholarships For Mothers Press Releases

Tags: Audience, Critical, Debuts, Draws, Family, Film, GRated, Independent, Inspirational, Macs, Mighty, Praise, TopGrossing

On Competence: A Critical Analysis of Competence-Based Reforms in Higher Education (Jossey-Bass Series in Higher Education)

On Competence: A Critical Analysis of Competence-Based Reforms in Higher Education (Jossey-Bass Series in Higher Education)

List Price: $ 190.40 Price: $ 190.40

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Tags: Analysis, Competence, CompetenceBased, Critical, Education, Higher, JosseyBass, Reforms, Series

Adam Capital and New Resource Bank Join Forces to Fill Critical Solar Funding Gap

Adam Capital and New Resource Bank Join Forces to Fill Critical Solar Funding Gap

San Francisco, California (PRWEB) July 13, 2011

Adam Capital Clean Energy Asset Finance LLC, is pleased to announce the approval of a $ 3 million line of credit from New Resource Bank. The funding will allow the solar energy finance firm to extend additional capital to small-scale solar developers throughout the United States, including home owners, small businesses, nonprofits, schools and low-income housing developments.

Adam Capital pioneered asset-based lending for rooftop-scale clean energy developers and has funded hundreds of completed projects with loans in the $ 500,000 to $ 5 million range. By providing loans to cover up-front construction and installation costs, Adam Capital enables developers to install solar energy systems that qualify for federal government ITC Grant funds as well as local utility rebates and incentives. Grants, rebates and incentives are directly assigned to Adam Capital to repay the short-term loans.

Adam Capital currently serves 400 to 600 solar projects per month. Backed by New Resource Bank, the firm will be able to fund more projects and developers—and bring the benefits of solar energy to more people—in this under-served market sector, where projects often stall for lack of financing.

Adam Boucher, founder and CEO of Adam Capital, says: “This line of credit from New Resource Bank demonstrates that Adam Capital has developed lending products, systems and controls that enable us to serve an overlooked market with a level of oversight unparalleled in the marketplace today. Combining our specific expertise in this space with the institutional resources of New Resource Bank allows us to expand our capacity. This relationship will allow us to fund hundreds more projects than we otherwise would have by the end of the year.”

“We’re excited to be growing our relationship with Adam Capital,” says Joe Anzalone, New Resource chief banking officer. “As a mission-focused bank with the goal of advancing sustainability and renewable energy, we view Adam Capital and its ability to provide financing to clean energy developers as invaluable. Few private lending institutions have the expertise necessary to provide funding for residential and small business–scale installations. Given our shared vision for distributed power generation and our shared philosophy to promote sustainable living, we see a great future in our relationship.”

About New Resource Bank

New Resource is the premiere bank for people who are leading the way to a more sustainable world. We match an entrepreneurial spirit with a dedication to achieving environmental and social as well as financial returns. Our mission is to advance sustainability with everything we do—the loans we make, the way we operate and our commitment to putting deposits to work for good. https://www.newresourcebank.com/

Media contact: Sandra Stewart, sandra(at)thinkshift(dot)com

About Adam Capital

Adam Capital Clean Energy Asset Finance LLC is a private investment fund operating solely within the clean energy sector. We extend collateralized loans under $ 5 million, an important niche within the clean energy finance spectrum that is largely unserved by banks, bond markets or venture capitalists. By leveraging ITC grant payments and other incentives as collateral, we enable our borrowers to install much-needed small-scale clean energy projects. We have had over 300 projects go full cycle across multiple states and utility districts, serving the needs of individuals, schools, nonprofits, and businesses. http://www.adamcapital.com/

Media contact: Andrew Mannle, Communications Director, andy(at)adamcapital(dot)com

# # #

©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Tags: Adam, Bank, Capital, Critical, Fill, Forces, Funding, Join, Resource, Solar

Federal Student Aid: Progress in Integrating Pell Grant and Direct Loan Systems and Processes, but Critical Work Remains

Federal Student Aid: Progress in Integrating Pell Grant and Direct Loan Systems and Processes, but Critical Work Remains

The BiblioGov Project is an effort to expand awareness of the public documents and records of the U.S. Government via print publications. In broadening the public understanding of government and its work, an enlightened democracy can grow and prosper. Ranging from historic Congressional Bills to the most recent Budget of the United States Government, the BiblioGov Project spans a wealth of government information. These works are now made available through an environmentally friendly, print-on

List Price: $ 15.75 Price: $ 10.10

Government Grants EXPOSED business personal pell write

US $3.49 End Date: Tuesday Feb-14-2012 18:08:01 PST Buy It Now for only: US $3.49 Buy it now | Add to watch list

Tags: Critical, Direct, Federal, Grant, Integrating, Loan, Pell, Processes, Progress, remains, Student, Systems, Work

Critical Thinking in Nursing

Not all of us think in the same way and this applies to every profession. Nurses, like scientists, engineers and artists need to have a thinking pattern that helps them to effective patient care. As a matter of fact, every profession requires critical thinking and nursing is no exception to this fact. Critical thinking in nursing is basically a disciplined and systematic intellectual process that is developed as an effective skill to treat patients in far more better way than normal care methods.

Critical Thinking in Nursing: An Overview

It has to be understood that conventional nursing methods that are performed automatically and to a large extent mechanically, without proper care can result in several negative health consequences. Hence, students pursuing nursing careers are trained through a process of critical thinking in nursing that increases their intuitive power, performance and efficiency. When trained through this process, students are able to apply the principle learned and hence work as responsible care takers in routine nursing activities. Several critical thinking activities like group discussions, meetings, puzzles, games, questionnaire etc. are also important in their own ways.

Critical thinking in nursing helps nurses to develop the methodical art of thinking. Put forward simply, when nurses have reasoning ability, they use thoughts, ideas and logic to figure out challenging questions. By proper thinking methods, nurses are able to recognize that their thinking patterns may be flawed or limited by lack of proper understanding of the problem at issue. Hence, monitoring the situation critically is important.

Critical Thinking Skills Development

Developing critical thinking skills is essential for safe nursing practices. Nurses can develop critical thinking by asking questions related to much better and effective ways of safe nursing practices. They must not accept any measure of care because it has been used traditionally, instead they must understand patients health and then take most suitable steps to treat the problem at hand. Critical thinking in nursing is all about seeking truth and demonstrating tolerance to others views. Nurses who analyze every problem intellectually develop self confidence and that is most important part of nursing reasoning.

Nurses who develop the habit of critical thinking are able to apply their mental skills for better reasoning. This helps nurses to effectively focus, gather information and treat the patient effectively. The main focus in teaching critical thinking skills to nurses is that nurses are able to develop better understanding of scholarly and academic nursing literature. Gradually, in the nursing medical career, as nurses face complex cases and situations, these skills of reasoning and training come in very handy.

In tough medical cases, nurses will be able to ponder and think over nursing career in a much deeper and significant manner. Critical thinking in nursing is of paramount importance because after following a proper thought pattern effective patient treatment can be done. That, for sure, covers the true meaning of nursing and its challenges ahead. Challenges of nursing is to take proper patient care through critical and reflective methods of nursing. To achieve the goals of critical thinking in nursing, students of nursing are required to develop critical reasoning skills through various ways like writing and speaking critically. Even reading in depth helps to understand others view points and it helps in inculcating better methods of treatment and new ways of improving existing methods of effective patient care.

Critical thinking exercises for nurses helps nurses to heal patients in a far better way. Critical thinking in nursing exercises like writing and reading are aimed to sharpen the critical thinking abilities of students. Through several critical thinking in nursing examples, the nurses are taught the effectiveness of systematic and proper thinking. Critical thinking is an integral part of our lives and it is important in every aspect of life. For instance, critical thinking exercises for children are aimed to foster the habit of critical thinking in children.

Tags: Critical, Nursing, thinking

Critical Thinking Exercises for Nurses

When you become a professional in the field of nursing, you need to think not only like a nurse would think, but also take into consideration what the patient would be thinking. While taking care of a patient, the doctor carries out several tests and prescribes certain medications. And the nurse dutifully works to assist the doctor carry out his or her functions. However, if a nurse thinks critically, the basic care needed by the patient can be taken care of before the doctor arrives. Say, if a doctor is not present, then it becomes the duty of the nurse to provide necessary care. However, if a nurse does not think and analyze a particular situation, she won’t be able to provide necessary care, which in turn may be a question of life and death for the patient. So it becomes very important for nurses to think independently, and this is where critical thinking exercises for nurses becomes important.

In the following paragraphs, we give you a few critical thinking therapy for nurses so that they can apply them in their day to day lives. Whether it’s for nurses or critical thinking exercises for children, the basic point is the same, develop the capacity to analyze a particular situation.

Critical Thinking Practice for Nurses

When a new nurse joins a health care facility, usually it so happens that they start taking directions from seniors and doctors. There may be no scope wherein they get some kind of training or mentor guidance from senior nurses. And this is where they can’t take decisions when a critical situation arises. As such developing critical thinking skills becomes necessary wherein new nurses get an idea of how to deal with situations where they can utilize their decision making ability.

Teaching by Practical Experience
As a senior nurse, or a person in a position of authority, you need to train them to approach a situation in a particular way. You can test the critical thinking of a newly joined nurse nurse by asking practical situational questions like ‘what would you do if a patient suffers from sudden seizures’. If they are able to answer, great, but if not, you need to explain them about the necessary problem solving skills like the kind of equipment required by the bedside, so that necessary measures can be taken.

Questionnaire Based on Real Life Situations
You can give details of some real life experiences and scenarios which you may have faced, and ask them questions, which will make them think of the measures they would take if faced with such situations.

Critical Thinking Drills for Nurses

You can apply the following critical thinking exercises for nurses.

Examples of Critical Situations
As a senior nurse, you need to explain the importance of teaching critical thinking and how it can help them professionally. There are several questions you can ask like the worst case scenarios for the patients suffering from a particular ailment, how would they make the patient aware of the particular kind of disease they suffer and the kind of documents which they would prepare which would help colleagues maintain a sense of continuity.

Examples of Leadership Roles of Other Nurses
As nurses, they have enough knowledge of the profession, and it’s you, as a senior nurse, who have to make them feel at home. You can use case studies wherein one of the senior nurses may have taken the lead in the absence of a doctor and provided the necessary medical care and saved the day for the patient. You can also write down a real life situation in the form of an essay, and at the end of it, give them a list of questions to answer. You can ask them questions related to laws governing the health care, the kind of technology which can be used to treat the patient.

So critical thinking exercises for nurses is an important aspect of overall professional development of these professionals so that they can take good care of patients. Wherever possible, you can try to lead by examples so that juniors get enough practical experience. If it can be done, try and provide individual training to each person who has just joined.

Tags: Critical, Exercises, Nurses, thinking

Nclex Exams – Critical Skills Required to Pass

The NCLEX is a specific type of test created purely to determine if the person taking it has studied nursing and understood it enough to be fit to actually do it as their chosen profession. The Nclex test isn’t actually created just to stress and upset those who want to take it, it’s aimed primarily at protecting the general public from incompetent practitioners by setting rigorous and high standards for all those in the profession. Is it any wonder therefore that the NCLEX is a difficult exam to pass, be it the PN or RN version being taken? Hard it is and hard it is meant to be.

But hang on a second, don’t start to panic and worry, hands in the air with a ‘woe is me what do I do now!?’ expression playing across your fevered brow! With the right attitude and ample application of the right exam focused critical thinking skills during the actual papers, it is certainly not impossible for you to walk through the exam relatively unscathed, coming out the other side with a huge smile and maybe an even bigger score! Critical thinking comes into play on the day that you take the NCLEX, it has to in order for you to be able to assess the presented questions in such a way as to be able to gauge their impact and intent before answering. In other words – using such an approach enables you to answer very difficult questions, that you would normally have skipped right over, by applying the principles of critical thinking.

At the same time however, don’t get me wrong here, preparing for the NCLEX is more than an exercise in just simple memorization, for doing so without critical thinking amounts to nothing more than empty reading. (Empty reading – you know? When you read something, commit it to memory parrot fashion but have no ability to understand where it fits as an answer and in what context it should be used!) You will still have to understand the question and analyze it as quickly as possible. Remember, the NCLEX is a five-hour exam and spending too much time on a question will take a huge, huge final toll on your score.

Below are our “4 Top Tips” on how best to enhance your critical thinking skills and what you should aim to do to give yourself that edge:

1. You should frame the questions accurately, rereading them to strip out any and all superfluous information. This will enable you to weed out unnecessary information that may tend to muddle the situation more than it should. You should be able to separate what is important and what is not. This way, the question will not only be easier to answer but also easier to understand and analyse.

2. Check the information for relevance. One of the key factors in answering a question is determining the relevant facts necessary in order to answer it correctly. The information provided should be checked for specific areas of relevance and then you should try to ascertain, from the different potential answers you could give, which one does it correspond to the best.

3. Trace implications and consequences. One of the most difficult parts of critical thinking is trying to determine the implications of the information provided in the questions. But through practice, you will be able to determine with relative ease the consequences of the facts provided in NCLEX questions. Look for associations and phrases you would expect to see go together, whether it be describing a scenario with underlying common themes, listed details of a specific issue or just a straight forward nursing practice. Look for the common theme that should run through different issues and use that to best assess the issue presented to you – then clarify implications, consequences and answers!

4. Stay focused and disciplined. Although you may not have time to check and re-check your answers in the NCLEX, it is important to stay focused on the task at hand, which is to pass the test. Discipline is the key to any long exam session. Any distraction will tend to take precious time away from you, leaving you with less chance to actually pass the NCLEX. Although you may not think of this as a standard critical thinking skill – the ability to concentrate your mind onto just one thing for short bursts of time will have a huge impact on your final result! Don’t daydream, relax or break off. For 5 hours – it’s nose to the stone and keep thinking.

Make sure to grab the other 4 Top Tips for Nclex Critical Thinking Skills from http://www.theadvicecentre.info/exams/nclex-critical-thinking-skills.html before you sit the exam!

Tags: Critical, Exams, Nclex, Pass, Required, Skills

Critical Illness Cover – Can You Do Without It

Take the case of what they’d call an ordinary family. Mum, Dad, two children. They were managing quite comfortably with Dad being the breadwinner in a steady job and Mum looking after the home and children. They’d just bought a caravan and were planning to take it over to France for their next holiday. Life was panning out fine, with the children settled in primary school and having lived in the area for ten years or so, they had lots of friends and a fairly good social life.

The husband, John, had been suffering mild headaches for a week or so, but put it down to rushing around too much. If it didn’t get any better, he’d go along and see the doctor, but it didn’t seem to be anything to worry about. One evening, after a very ordinary day, John was upstairs reading a bedtime story to the children, before going for a shower. When he didn’t re-appear after a while, his wife popped up to see what was going on. She found him collapsed on the floor in their bedroom. He’d obviously showered and was ready to come down again, but appeared to be completely lifeless.

The ambulance got there quickly and within minutes the paramedics told her he’d suffered a stroke and was very ill and it could be life threatening. Neighbours came to look after the children and the couple were rushed to hospital. Thankfully, John lived, although he had over two months in hospital before being transferred to a rehabilitation centre to learn to walk again. Eventually he started to walk, using sticks, we was told he wouldn’t be able to work again.

It seems that one in five people are likely to suffer a critical illness whilst they are still under retirement age. Whilst strokes are unusual in the younger age group, there is always the risk.

They’d been aware of the need for insurance. They’d taken out life insurance for John, as the breadwinner, when they first set up home together and got their first mortgage. If they’d also taken out critical illness cover, they’d have received a healthy lump sum within a couple of weeks of the confirmation of his stroke. They could then have had sufficient money to cope with buying things to make things easier. John received an early retirement pension and various government payments, but things were a struggle and his wife found it increasingly difficult to cope with family demands whilst fitting in a part-time job to help out financially.

Their life was substantially changed and whilst critical illness cover doesn’t stop these things happening, it makes it much easier to cope if there aren’t any financial worries. What they could have expected, had they had this cover, was a lump sum, which is tax free, at diagnosis. Typically this would be in the 125,000 to 200,000 pounds range – this amount is agreed when taking out the policy. What a difference this would have made. This sort of cover seems just an additional expense when you’re working to put a home together and raise a family – but can you really do without it?

Tags: Cover, Critical, Illness, without

Critical Illness Cover – Can You Do Without It

Take the case of what they’d call an ordinary family. Mum, Dad, two children. They were managing quite comfortably with Dad being the breadwinner in a steady job and Mum looking after the home and children. They’d just bought a caravan and were planning to take it over to France for their next holiday. Life was panning out fine, with the children settled in primary school and having lived in the area for ten years or so, they had lots of friends and a fairly good social life.

The husband, John, had been suffering mild headaches for a week or so, but put it down to rushing around too much. If it didn’t get any better, he’d go along and see the doctor, but it didn’t seem to be anything to worry about. One evening, after a very ordinary day, John was upstairs reading a bedtime story to the children, before going for a shower. When he didn’t re-appear after a while, his wife popped up to see what was going on. She found him collapsed on the floor in their bedroom. He’d obviously showered and was ready to come down again, but appeared to be completely lifeless.

The ambulance got there quickly and within minutes the paramedics told her he’d suffered a stroke and was very ill and it could be life threatening. Neighbours came to look after the children and the couple were rushed to hospital. Thankfully, John lived, although he had over two months in hospital before being transferred to a rehabilitation centre to learn to walk again. Eventually he started to walk, using sticks, we was told he wouldn’t be able to work again.

It seems that one in five people are likely to suffer a critical illness whilst they are still under retirement age. Whilst strokes are unusual in the younger age group, there is always the risk.

They’d been aware of the need for insurance. They’d taken out life insurance for John, as the breadwinner, when they first set up home together and got their first mortgage. If they’d also taken out critical illness cover, they’d have received a healthy lump sum within a couple of weeks of the confirmation of his stroke. They could then have had sufficient money to cope with buying things to make things easier. John received an early retirement pension and various government payments, but things were a struggle and his wife found it increasingly difficult to cope with family demands whilst fitting in a part-time job to help out financially.

Their life was substantially changed and whilst critical illness cover doesn’t stop these things happening, it makes it much easier to cope if there aren’t any financial worries. What they could have expected, had they had this cover, was a lump sum, which is tax free, at diagnosis. Typically this would be in the 125,000 to 200,000 pounds range – this amount is agreed when taking out the policy. What a difference this would have made. This sort of cover seems just an additional expense when you’re working to put a home together and raise a family – but can you really do without it?

Tags: Cover, Critical, Illness, without