Almost everyone we know right now is dealing with elder care and end of life issues. One resource that we (Robin and Miriam) have both used in the past is called The Five Wishes. It is accepted as a legal document in the majority of U.S. states.
www.agingwithdignity.org/
Here is an excerpt from the website that describes the document.
"Five Wishes is an easy to use legal document that lets adults of all ages plan how they want to be cared for in case they become seriously ill.... Five Wishes helps you express how you want to be treated if you are seriously ill and unable to speak for yourself."
Since we live in Washington State, we have been looking at more local resources. One excellent all-volunteer organization is called Honor My Wishes. They are committed to raising public awareness about end of life issues. They promote discussions on health care choices and help in organizing important legal, financial and funeral planning information. Their main tool is a personal planning binder.
The binder and/or a Health Care Power of Attorney & Directive form for WA State are available for free download (although donations are appreciated) from the forms section of their website: www.HonorMyWishes.org
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
How much radiation exposure do you get every year?
We were wondering how much radiation exposure we get each year from various sources, including medical tests.
We came across a website of the American Nuclear Society which featured an 'interactive dose chart.'
They indicate that the average dose per person from all sources of radiation is about 360 mrems (millirems) per year.
Fill in your individual data, and it will come up with your annual dosage of radiation as well as the amount you get from each individual type of exposure.
Here is the link: http://www.ans.org/pi/resources/dosechart/
We noticed that cell phone usage was not included and found a website of the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit organization that provides public information in order to protect public health and the environment. Among other things, their site provides information about various cell phones and their radiation outputs.
According to the EWG site, "cell phone radiation differs from the high-energy waves of X-rays and some nuclear waste emissions. Its lower energy 'non-ionizing' waves penetrate deeper into the body but lack the energy to break apart molecules.... More research is needed to pinpoint the ways that cell phone radiation could damage the body."
Here is the link to their website: http://www.ewg.org/cellphoneradiation/faq
We came across a website of the American Nuclear Society which featured an 'interactive dose chart.'
They indicate that the average dose per person from all sources of radiation is about 360 mrems (millirems) per year.
Fill in your individual data, and it will come up with your annual dosage of radiation as well as the amount you get from each individual type of exposure.
Here is the link: http://www.ans.org/pi/resources/dosechart/
We noticed that cell phone usage was not included and found a website of the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit organization that provides public information in order to protect public health and the environment. Among other things, their site provides information about various cell phones and their radiation outputs.
According to the EWG site, "cell phone radiation differs from the high-energy waves of X-rays and some nuclear waste emissions. Its lower energy 'non-ionizing' waves penetrate deeper into the body but lack the energy to break apart molecules.... More research is needed to pinpoint the ways that cell phone radiation could damage the body."
Here is the link to their website: http://www.ewg.org/cellphoneradiation/faq
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