When we empower people with disabilities and remove the barriers that keep them from the workforce, everybody wins. For the person with disabilities, it’s a chance to be gainfully employed and therefore more independent. For communities, it means more people contributing their work and taxes to society. But the biggest winners might be the companies hiring these workers. A 2018 study by the business services company Accenture reported that companies that actively seek to employ people with … [Read more...] about How Quality Connections Removes Barriers to the Workplace
Columnists
Welcome to Hearing Aid Paradise
Advancements occur at a quick pace in the realm of hearing aids. Manufacturers are constantly developing new solutions to patients’ hearing needs, so that each successive model provides an even more natural sound quality. Phonak, one of the world’s largest hearing aid manufacturers, recently released its newest platform: Paradise. Paradise offers multiple innovations aimed at improving patient satisfaction. Sound Quality When surveyed, hearing aid users stated that their biggest concern … [Read more...] about Welcome to Hearing Aid Paradise
Defining ‘Conscious Capitalism’
Most people know about “corporate social responsibility” (CSR) or have heard of a business being a “good corporate citizen” by supporting non-profits or encouraging their workers to volunteer in the community. Less known is the more recent movement called “conscious capitalism.” It’s the next step that many companies – including Quality Connections – are taking to internalize good corporate citizenship as part of day-to-day operations. What is it? At its core, conscious capitalism is the … [Read more...] about Defining ‘Conscious Capitalism’
Reading On with Early Childhood Literacy
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned many of our lives upside down and has created unique challenges to raising a family. With many libraries closed and story times canceled, my partner and I have sought strategies to support our young child’s development while creating opportunities to share joy and love during an overwhelming time. Intentionally exploring early childhood literacy as a young family has been an incredibly fun and rewarding experience. It is common to think that early childhood … [Read more...] about Reading On with Early Childhood Literacy
Identifying Resources for Small Businesses
In a time of business uncertainty, of waning government stimulus packages and a resurgence of positive COVID-19 cases, it is good to know what resources are still out there to help restore consumer confidence and stabilize struggling businesses. First, let’s start with what we know to be true based on the direct feedback from businesses throughout Coconino County. Second, based on what we know, let’s discuss the county’s programs and resources that are available to business owners right … [Read more...] about Identifying Resources for Small Businesses
Staying Positive in Difficult Times
These days, every day, every hour offers disturbing news. The gush from the screens/social media of fear, anger, hatred, ignorance, conspiracies. Can it get worse? When will end? What a time to be alive. Students may be especially affected, as more new things are disrupted, postponed or canceled. Plans and dreams are shattered or altered. The mind can drift to the past, the Black Death, the American Civil War, World War I, the 1918 Flu, the Depression, Dust Bowl, World War II, the … [Read more...] about Staying Positive in Difficult Times
Changes in Hearing After Head Injury
Approximately 1.4 million individuals suffer from traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year in the United States. Common causes of injury are automobile accidents, airbag deployment, falls, assaults/blows, sports-related injuries and explosive blasts. Other causes of brain injury are strokes, edema, meningitis, tumors and even certain medications. The resulting symptoms a person suffers are varied. INJURY FROM AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS The brain may be shaken within the skull, causing bruises (also … [Read more...] about Changes in Hearing After Head Injury
Sorting Through Claims and Facts During Election Season
Hello, Northern Arizona! Fall has arrived and with it, the most intense election cycle I have ever seen. It’s a lot right now in Arizona. There are piles of fliers in our mailboxes, radio ads, tv ads and political ads all over our screens (yes, some of those are mine). There are a lot of groups playing in Arizona this year as we take the spotlight to become one of the most heavily contested battleground states in the country. While I always think that Arizona deserves more attention on the … [Read more...] about Sorting Through Claims and Facts During Election Season
Hydrotherapy: Using Water as a Medical Treatment
Hydrotherapy is defined as the clinical application of water to treat or prevent ailments. Yes, this literally describes how water can be used as a medical treatment. One could say that simply drinking water will prevent dehydration or that using sterile water to dilute certain IV medications (such as vitamin C) can be used in a medical sense, which would certainly be true. However, those examples do not describe what is meant by hydrotherapy in the classical, naturopathic sense. Water cure, … [Read more...] about Hydrotherapy: Using Water as a Medical Treatment
Stretch and Massage: Restore, Renew, Relax
Did you know that a muscle can stretch up to one-and-a-half times its original length? And that stretching can relieve physical, mental and emotional stress? Anything that tenses our body and mind can find relief from a good stretch. Stretching just makes you feel good. Stretching our bodies is an important part of staying healthy. But the importance can be easily forgotten, especially when the results are often not as visible as weight lifting or as spectacular as crossing a finish line. But … [Read more...] about Stretch and Massage: Restore, Renew, Relax