Sunday, January 26, 2020

Metaphors In Cognitive Linguistics

Metaphors In Cognitive Linguistics The nature of metaphor. Are people aware of the existence of metaphors in their everyday lives? Very often we treat them only as stylistic devices, but in fact metaphorical expressions verbally represent the way of human thinking and reasoning. People tend to conceptualise emotions, love being one of them, metaphorically because both emotions and metaphors connected with them are inevitable parts of everyday live. Without our ability to categorize, we would not function at all, either in the physical world or in our social and intellectual lives (1990: 6) explains Lakoff in Women, Fire and Dangerous Things. According to Cognitive Linguistics, language is a very powerful tool as it reflects the way we categorize and conceptualise the world we live in. It is almost impossible to understand a thing without grouping it with other category members that share the same properties. In doing so, we acquire different kinds of concepts and, as a result, build our general knowledge. Cognitive Linguistics allows us to understand that metaphorical thinking is crucial to human cognition. Thus, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson in their Metaphors we live by propose a cognitive theory of metaphor, as a process thanks to which one concept is understood using another concept (Lakoff 1980: 5). The best example of this is talking about LOVE in terms of JOURNEYS. As mentioned previously, our ability to categorize allowed us to gather knowledge about journeys that we can depend on in understanding love. Zoltà  n Kà ¶vecses in Metaphor, A Practical Introduction emphasizes that we need to differentiate conceptual metaphor from metaphorical linguistic expressions. He proves that the latter disclose the existence of the former. Let us use a few examples to reveal the relationship between conceptual metaphor ( small capitals) and metaphorical expressions ( italics). LOVE IS A JOURNEY Were at the crossroads. Its been bumpy road. Our marriage is on the rocks. Were stuck. We cant turn back now. ( Kà ¶vecses 2002:6 ) We can conclude that such metaphorical expressions give us insight into the metaphorical nature of the concepts that structure our everyday activities (Kà ¶vecses 2002: 7). How do we conceptualise emotions? Lakoff in Women, Fire and Dangerous Things views emotions as having no conceptual content. However, I believe there must be some, as we are able to describe the intensity of a particular emotion. Although feelings and emotions are extremely difficult to understand, these abstract concepts can be conceptualised with the help of more concrete ones (Lakoff 1980:59), that is why LOVE is conceptualised in terms of FIRE or WAR (e.g. My love is on fire, I do not want to get burned again, This kindled love in his heart). Concrete concepts facilitate the understanding of these complex emotions. There are many examples of metaphors of love ( which I will try to present in the following chapters). They are common in everyday life as they present different aspects of this powerful emotion. Without the notion of metaphor, we would not be able to comprehend such an abstract feeling as love. The intensity plays an essential role in the way we think of love, for instance. The conceptual metaphor LOVE IS FIRE emphasizes the existence of love (on fire), its intensity (flames), duration and shows how love affects people (He was consumed by love) . Due to the existence of metaphor, the most powerful emotions, love being one of them, can be interpreted. 1.2 Source and Target Domains So far, we have managed to explain that metaphor consists of two concepts and that we comprehend one concept in terms of another. These concepts are called domains. According to Kà ¶vecses, conceptual metaphors tend to use abstract concept as a target and more concrete as their source ( 2002:6). LOVE IS A JOURNEY love forms the target domain journey forms the source domain ( a conceptual domain we try ( a conceptual domain we take a to comprehend) conceptual content from) As far as metaphors of love are concerned, many people wonder why some endearments are more popular than others. Why the expression my sweet-heart is more popular then my sweet-leg when talking to the beloved person? Why do we use one and not the other? When we look at the endearments containing fairy-like elements the most common are: prince-charming, my princess, my knight. Why is it like that? The answer is obvious, we choose these fairytale characters because we find some of their charactristics attractive and we want to ascribe them to the person we love. Lakoff and Johnson claim that this kind of tendency is more regular rather than occasional (1980: 67). The previously mentioned characters, are the SOURCE domains whereas the person to be described the TARGET domain. Similarly, from fire (source in LOVE IS FIRE metaphor) love takes its intensity and from an insane person (source in LOVE IS MADNESS metaphor) his/her quite irresponsible and strange behaviour. The examples above show that the source domain provides us with terms necessary to describe the target domain. As Lakoff proposes, in order to describe and understand the target domain, one must have the knowledge of the source domain. Let us take LOVE IS A JOURNEY metaphor. We understand love because we have knowledge about journeys. Each time we think about journeys, we consider travelers, route and destination. In order to understand love in terms of a journey, one must have in mind the idea of lovers as travelers, the course of their romantic relationship as an act of traveling with happy moments as well as obstacles (Its been bumpy road). Our knowledge about different kinds of journeys equips us with a powerful tool that can be used to make the description of love richer and more adequate. 1.3 Mapping So far, we have established that a conceptual metaphor consists of two domains: source and target. We have also found out that we need to take into account both domains to fully understand a conceptual metaphor. However, what does it mean to understand a metaphor? Kà ¶vecses explains that the knowledge of correspondences between these two domains is necessary to comprehend a conceptual metaphor. We refer to these conceptual analogies as MAPPINGS ( Kà ¶vecses 2002: 6). Let us take one example concerning metaphor of love to see how the mapping can function. We cannot turn back now. When we use the expression cannot turn back, we reveal that we are not going to change the direction and destination of our journey. We refers to people involved in a journey. That is how we created three necessary elements of a journey: a destination, travelers and a journey as such. However, when we apply an appropriate context to the sentence, we will get a new meaning of it. We will understand the whole sentence to be about love. Thus, the travelers are lovers who discuss things that are happening in their relationship while cannot turn back can be interpreted as a situation when lovers cannot change the course of events that happened to them. JOURNEY LOVE THE SOURCE DOMAIN THE TARGET DOMAIN We- travelers We-lovers Journey Romantic relationship Destination of a journey Lovers aims or goals Difficulties that travelers encounter Obstacles in the relationship The example above shows that the understanding of a conceptual metaphor goes from more concrete (the journey) to the more abstract concept (events in the relationship) (Kà ¶vecses 2002: 6). Such a rule was called The Principle of Unidirectionality . 1.4 Metaphorical Systematicity: Highlightning and Hiding We have already learnt that there is a systematicity that allows us to understand one concept in terms of another (e.g. interpreting development of love in terms of a journey or the intensity of love in terms of fire) (Lakoff, Johnson 1980:10). However, what does systematicity mean? When we talk about love in terms of a journey, we use vocabulary that is normally applied when discussing travelling e.g. We are at the crossroads. We can see that there is a kind of a pattern we tend to use. Thus, systematicity is a pattern that affects the way we talk about love, allowing us to use words or phrases that previously had been used to refer to different concepts (Lakoff 1980: 7). Kà ¶vecses points out that when a metaphor concentrates on one or more features of a concept, it highlights those features. However, when one aspect of a given concept is highlighted, the other ones will be hidden (2002: 80). Checking which features are highlighted or hidden in the following metaphors of love will give more light to this interesting issue. LOVE IS SUBSTANCE She was filled with love. He poured out his affections on her. She couldnt hold in her love for him any longer. LOVE IS NATURAL FORCE She swept me off my feet. Waves of passion came over him. She was carried away by love. (Lakoff 1980: 49) As we can see conceptual metaphors create and describe the target domain by directing attention at or hiding different angles of it. Thus, in LOVE IS SUBSTANCE metaphor, the aspect of content is highlighted, whereas the possible chance of development of a romantic feeling is concealed. The examples of LOVE IS A NATURAL FORCE metaphor reveal that love cannot be controlled as well as show the intensity of the emotion. However, the aspect of an emotional enrichment, which is also present when people experience such an overwhelming feeling, is hidden. 1.5 Structural metaphors So far we have found out that metaphors are not discussed only as poetic devices but as ways of our thinking and understanding abstract concepts. We can distinguish three kinds of metaphors: structural, ontological and orientational. In ontological metaphors experiences are treated as concrete objects e.g. containers (I put a lot of energy into preparing decorations) . When we deal with them in such a way we can refer to them, categorize them, group them, and quantify them and, by these means, reason about them (Lakoff 1980:25). The group of orientational metaphors is said to be connected with our orientation in space. Concepts are connected with physical orientation, for instance happiness is up (Im feeling up) and sadness is down (Im feeling down) (Lakoff1980:16). Structural metaphor is the most productive type of all conceptual metaphors. Thanks to these metaphors, complex and abstract experiences can be understood in terms of simpler and more concrete ones e.g. LOVE IS A JOURNEY. In Metaphors we live by Lakoff and Johnson state that the conceptual system is metaphorical in nature (1980:4). What does it mean, how can it structure the world we live in and how does it influence our activities? Let us take LOVE IS FIRE metaphor as an example. My heart is on fire. He was consumed by love. I do not want to get burned again. That kindled love in his heart. Thanks to the metaphorical expression That kindled love in his heart, we can conceptualise love as having a beginning and an end just as fire has. When the fire is kindled, the love begins; when it goes out, the love ends. These examples also prove that we not only talk about love in terms of fire. The lover can be consumed by love when he/she is so in love that it is all that he/she thinks about. If the lover does not want to get burned again it may mean he/she does not want to experience the same serious dissapointment after an unsuccessful relationship. Due to the fact that the essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another (Lakoff 1980:5), we can conclude that love is structured and understood (Lakoff 1980:5) in terms of fire. 1.6 Container Metaphors and Personification Another kind of a conceptual metaphor has been called by Lakoff and Johnson the container metaphor. In container metaphors humans are viewed as containers with boundaries and an orientation of inside and outside f.e. She was filled with love (Lakoff 1980:29). As far as non-physical objects are concerned, they can also be comprehended by mentally converting them into physical ones. Let us imagine our world as a container with borders separating the inside from the outside. It is clear when we take into consideration objects that have natural or artificial boundaries, for instance rooms. However, when we talk about our emotional states or conditions e.g. He is in love, the matter is not so obvious. Lakoff and Johnson suggest that we tend to conceptualise our emotions as containers, whereas the way we feel when we experience particular emotions is conceptualised as being inside the container (1980:30). Emotions can be also comprehended in terms of substances e.g. His heart was filled wi th love (Bierwiaczonek 2002:140). As Bierwiaczonek points out heart and eyes are most frequently used as containers for emotions being understood with the help of substances (2002:140). A crucial as well as interesting group of ontological metaphors are those describing something as a person: personifications (Lakoff 1980: 33). This means that we ascribe human features to non-living objects. Looking at metaphors of love, we are overwhelmed with a feeling that love has been personified in many metaphorical expressions. The following are only the most common examples. Love can give you hope. Love can be blind. Love can be tender. What is even more appealing, love can go through the same stages as humans do in the course of life, love comes to life, it lasts and dies. References Lakoff, George. 1990. Women, Fire and Dangerous Things. What Categories Reveal About the Mind. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Lakoff, George and Mark Johnson. 1980. Metaphors we live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Kà ¶vecses, Zoltà ¡n, 2002. Metaphor, A Practical Introduction. Oxford University Press, Inc. George Lakoff, 1993. Contemporary Theory of Metaphor. In Andrew Ortony, (ed.) Metaphor and Thought, 202-251. New York: Cambridge University Press. McGlone, M.S. 1996. Conceptual Metaphors and Figurative Language Interpretation: Food for Thought? Journal of Memory and Language, 35, 544-565. CHAPTER 2 THE CHARACTERIZATION OF METAPHORS OF LOVE The models of love In the previous chapter we have managed to understand that thanks to metaphor, which is a crucial part of our everyday life, we are able to conceptualise the world we live in. We have admitted that metaphor cannot be treated only as a stylistic device because as Reddy suggests the locus of metaphor is thought, not language (in Lakoff 1980: 204). Such an idea proves that our reasoning as well as our behaviour reflect the way we metaphorically comprehend everything that happens in our lives. Powerful emotions, love being one of them, are inevitable parts of the human existence thus metaphors such as LOVE IS FIRE or LOVE IS A CONTAINER help us to understand this overwhelming feeling. Very often love is seen as a kind of an award we get, something that enables us to do things we are normally afraid to do as it equips us with extra power. According to Kà ¶vecses (in Bierwiaczonek 2002:25) we distinguish two models of love: ideal and typical. Having in mind that only ideal love provides us with the previously mentioned power, it is not difficult to guess what kind of love we look for. In the ideal model of love, lovers see themselves as a unity (e.g. We are one) as they complement each other. They are imbued with the feelings that their love is a true one, that they were created to live together and that their love is immortal. The lovers believe that there is an emotional bond between them, which enables them to live in a perfect harmony. Needless to say, there are certain psychological effects that occur when we are in love: increased body heat, blushing, increased heart rate (2002: 25). There are many categories of love, however five of them are the most common. Bierwiaczonek (2002:28) presents the following kinds of love: FAMILY LOVE: PARENTAL and CHILDS LOVE OF PARENTS, the family love is revealed through the care and attention that parents give their children and vice versa (e.g. Mother muzzled my cheek); FRIENDSHIP, great liking for someone, friendship constitutes an emotional bond between people, it can even complement sexual love, give a new meaning to it and enrich partners realationship; SEXUAL LOVE, sexual passion; AGAPE, Gods admiration, Christian love and LOVE OF THINGS, fondness for material possessions (e.g. His love was money.) Most of the metaphors of love consider sexual love, thus for the purpose of the work we will discuss only these types of metaphors. Metaphors of love 2.2.1 Metaphors of lovers Metaphors of lovers are very intriguing kinds of metaphors since they highlight the aspect of lovers who are involved in a romantic relationship (Bierwiaczonek 2002:112). In the metaphor LOVE IS A UNITY, the metaphorical expression We are one indicates that lovers are parts of a whole. Similarly, the metaphor LOVE IS A JOURNEY shows lovers as travelers, whereas the metaphor LOVE IS WAR presents them as participants in a war or even opponents. LOVERS ARE PARTS OF A WHOLE She is my better half They are unseparable There is a strong bond between them (Bierwiaczonek 2002:113) The examples above prove that we can discuss lovers or think about them as parts of a larger whole. Although metaphors reflecting our emotional states are used spontaneously, not all combinations are possible. The metaphorical expression She is my better half perfectly suits when we consider she as a lover. When we think of she as a family member e.g. My mum is my better half, the whole expression sounds ridiculous (Bierwiaczonek 2002:113). There are also metaphors emphasizing the behaviour of lovers f.g. LOVERS ARE BIRDS (f.e. Look at those two lovebirds on the bench). In LOVE IS MADNESS metaphor, lovers are presented as insane people mainly due to the intensity of love which makes them behave irresponsibly or, in extreme cases, lovers may lose control over themselves (e.g. He has gone mad about her). 2.2.2 Love is a journey metaphor So far, the analysis of conceptual metaphor enabled us to explain that such an abstract feeling as love can only be comprehended with the help of metaphor. Which metaphors of love can facilitate the understanding of contemporary world? How do people conceptualise these metaphors? LOVE IS A JOURNEY Its been a long, bumpy road. Look how far we have come. We are at a crossroads. I do not think this relationship is going anywhere. We are stuck. Our marriage is on the rocks. We have gotten off the track. Well just have to go our separate ways. (Lakoff 1980:45) As mentioned in the first chapter, people use concrete concepts to understand more abstract ones (Kà ¶vecses 2002:6). Such a tendency justifies the fact of using the concept of a journey when trying to comprehend love. Worth mentioning is also the variety of metaphorical expressions concerning different types of journeys. When talking about love, people can refer to train travel (e.g. We have gotten off the track), car travel (e.g. We are at the crossroads) and sea travel (e.g. Our marriage is on the rocks) (Lakoff 1980:45). Such a diversity makes the verbal reflection of our emotions richer and, as a result, the pictures created in mind are more vivid. SOURCE- JOURNEY TARGET- LOVE Love is war metaphor LOVE IS WAR He is known for his many rapid conquests He is slowly gaining ground with her He fought for him but his mistress won out He overpowered her She is besieged by suitors He has to fend them off He made an ally of her father ( Lakoff 1980:49) LOVE IS WAR metaphor is an example of a strutural metaphor, the metaphor which facilitates understanding an abstract concept of love using the concept of war. As far as war is concerned, we consider the following issues: two fighting sides, the result of the fight and the fight itself. In LOVE IS WAR metaphor, such components respectively refer to the lovers, the result of the verbal battle and the disagreement between lovers. SOURCE- WAR The above examples clearly emphasize the existence of the fight between the lovers f.e. He overpowered her. However, the fact of cooperation, which is also present during the war, is hidden. The lovers are shown as opponents trying to fight for their rights. According to Lakoff (1980: 61-67), our language is an expression of our thoughts and feelings. Treating them as parts of our personality, we can assume that LOVE IS WAR metaphor shows one aspect of our personality- willingness to fight for what we consider crucial to our well-being. TARGET- LOVE Love is magic metaphor LOVE IS MAGIC She cast her spell over me She had me hypnotized I was entranced by him She is bewitching I was spellbound (Lakoff 1980:49) From the dawn of history people have been intrigued by magic. On one hand they saw impossible things taking place in front of their eyes, on the other hand their common sense forbade them to believe in such miracles. Although, it is not important whether humans belive in magic or not, what is important is the fact that people are not indifferent to it. Magic affects people and fascinates them profoundly. Women especially are said to have the power to seduce men, hypnotize them or even, cast spells on them. As love is treated almost as a magical and inexplicable phenomenon, it is not difficult to understand why LOVE is comprehended in terms of MAGIC. LOVE IS MAGIC metaphor definitely emphasises the existence of an almost magical conncection that bonds lovers, while hiding the aspect of the mortality of partners and their inability to use magic. SOURCE- MAGIC TARGET- LOVE Love is madness metaphor LOVE IS MADNESS Im crazy about her She drives me out of my mind He has gone mad over her Im just wild about Harry He constantly raves about her (Lakoff 1980: 49) In LOVE IS MADNESS metaphor love is presented as a state of insanity. When one is in love, she/he experiences certain kinds of emotions which are, in fact, similar to mental states of madness. Only intensity differentiates these emotions from each other. Each time we go through them, we have symptoms indicating a psychological illness. Very often the object of love is treated as a cause of a particular feeling or illness (e.g. She drives me out of my mind). One in love is shown as an insane person (e.g Im crazy about her) and a feeling of love as an illness itself. LOVE IS MADNESS metaphor directs our attention at the profound effect that love has on people, thus humans tend to compare it to the state of madness. However, the metaphor refuses to highlight the ability to create plans for the partners future and the aspect of a fruitful cooperation which are also present in a romantic relationship SOURCE- MADNESS TARGET- LOVE Love is a patient metaphor LOVE IS A PATIENT This is a sick relationship They are a strong, healthy marriage Their marriage is dead, it cannot be revived We are getting back on our feet Their marriage is on its last legs (Lakoff 1980: 49) We have already mentioned that lovers are treated as a unity (e.g. We are one). The existence of a unity between spouses indicates the belief that they are actually one person. Due to the fact that a person in love can suffer from symptoms of an illness, we can assume that lovers are patients. The patients health state represents the state of the relationship or marriage. Although the physical and mental condition of the relationship is revealed, the possible ways of healing the marriage are concealed. All of us have experienced an illness at least once in our life-time. However each illness, even the smallest one, is treated as something new. As far as love is concerned, each new relationship is worth taking care of because as Hubert H. Humphrey said The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love. Love can make us feel sick, but it is also able to heal our hearts and souls. SOURCE- PATIENT TARGET- LOVE Love is fire metaphor LOVE IS FIRE I dont want to get burned again. My hearts on fire. That kindled love in his heart. She is his latest flame. He was consumed by love. (Lakoff 1980: 49) Humans describe love as a one of the most vivid and powerful feelings we experience, that is why we use so many metaphors in order to describe the aspects of this overwhelming emotion. However, LOVE IS FIRE metaphor is the most significiant as far as the intensity of love is concerned. As we have observed the intensity of the emotion is highlighted, whereas the possibility of a regeneration after an unfortunate relationship is hidden (people, things cannot revive after being utterly damaged by flames). Thanks to this conceptual metaphor, people can connect different phases of fire burning with different stages of being in love. Such a conceptualisation explains that love, as well as fire, has its beginning, duration and the end. The damage caused by the intensity of fire can refer to the lovers psychological damage because of the disappointment in love. SOURCE- FIRE TARGET- LOVE Love is a physical force metaphor LOVE IS A PHYSICAL FORCE He was magnetically drawn to her His whole life revolves around her The atmosphere around them is always charged They gravitated to each other immediately I could feel the electricity between us (Lakoff 1980: 49) Intensity, being one of the most siginficant features of love, enables us to use forces such as magnetism, gravity and electicity while talking about this powerful emotion. LOVE IS A PHYSICAL FORCE metaphor definitely highlights an imperious aspect of love over other emotions that people can feel. In this metaphor, humans conceptualize love as a force majeure, something that they cannot control or have an influence on. If we assume that such a feeling as love cannot be controlled, we have to admit that also lovers cannot be restricted. The existence of magnetism between them signifies the necessity of living together or spending as much time as possible with each other whereas electricity between lovers presents the power of love that bonds them. SOURCE- A PHYSICAL FORCE TARGET- LOVE 2.2.9 Love is a rapture metaphor LOVE IS A RAPTURE Im giddy with love Ive been high on love for weeks She is drunk with love He is intoxicated with love (Lakoff 1980:49) The examples above present love as a state of an ecstasy caused by drugs or alcohol. The existence of such a metaphor proves that the behaviour of people who are in love resembles the conduct of those being on a drug- induced high. Although lovers do not usually take any narcotic stimulants, they indeed show symptoms of an addiction. A constant thinking about the object of love, a difficult to understand happiness when spending time with each other or a determination to win the beloveds heart are symptoms which may be misunderstood and the person showing them may be accused of using illegal stimulants. However, in everyday situations humans realize that love has such an impact on those experiencing it that they actually can act irresponsiby. SOURCE RUPTURE TARGET- LOVE There are many different kinds of metaphors of love presenting various aspects of this overwhelming feeling. I have chosen only a few of them, the most fascinating and ambiguous ones. The analysis of the metaphors of love proved that this feeling is difficult to comprehend because of its complexity. By trials and errors I have realized that it is impossible to present all the possible sides of this powerful emotion. Love affects people profoundly and therefore it is very important for them. That is why they try to comprehend this abstract feeling using more concrete concepts such as a journey, war or fire. Thanks to metaphors we create in our minds the breathtaking pictures of an incredible world we live in.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Dementia Care Essay

People with dementia can be very vulnerable and may not be able to communicate their wants and needs to other people. It is therefore up to the people who are caring for the individual to make sure that their interests are being protected, and to ensure that they are being treated equally and fairly and do not face any discrimination. Many people do not understand dementia and do not know how to go about trying to communicate with someone living with the disability that is dementia. It is easier for them to ignore the person than to make any attempt to include them. It is this lack of knowledge and understanding which leads to inequality, discrimination and isolation. To show that it is possible to have diversity, equality and inclusion when working with people with dementia we need to first understand what each term means. Diversity is about difference; everyone is different, we are all unique. There are basic differences such as gender, race, culture, ability, beliefs, age, sexual orientation etc. Then there are more specific differences between people such as their likes and dislikes, they jobs they did or still do, hobbies and interests they might have, their unique life experiences etc. Equality means treating people as equals and respecting their differences. It means enabling people to have â€Å"equality of opportunity† to live a safe, happy and productive life despite their differences. Inclusion means including people rather than leaving them out. If, for example, a person has a disability which affects their mobility then efforts should be made to make things accessible for them, such as putting ramps into buildings instead of steps. Or a person with a hearing disability should not be excluded from going to the cinema, subtitles should be available. To ensure that a person with dementia is being treated equally and fairly the first step would be to find out about that person, to discover their unique needs and preferences and to give the person choices. Each person has the right to make their own choices and to live their life as they choose as far as that is possible. The needs of the individual are what is important and any care given should be tailored to meet those needs. This is the basis of Person Centred Care. Once a person has received a diagnosis of dementia and they have come to terms with the turmoil of receiving such news, they may wish to discuss with others how they want to  manage their condition as it progresses. These wishes should be respected and followed as the person would like as closely as possible. A life story book compiled by the person themselves or with help from family, friends and neighbours, can provide invaluable information, as it gives an insight into the person with dementia, and can be a ver y helpful communication tool. The history of a person can sometimes explain their behaviour and, once you understand why a person is acting in a certain way, it may be possible to use this information to discover ways to include the person and make them feel valued and that they matter. For example a person may have been a nurse working in a busy hospital, so involve them and suggest that they help you to make the bed. Or a person may have worked in a restaurant so let them help to lay the table. This includes the person and promotes self-worth and will boost their confidence to maybe encourage them to try other things. A person’s life history should include details about their life, their experiences, their likes and dislikes, their hopes, fears and dreams – anything that is or was important to them. Once you have this to refer to you will be able to communicate better with that person and to ensure that their needs are being met. The information in the life history helps you to get to know the per son and to see them for who they are and not just to see the dementia. Recognise that not everyone will want to do the same activities, not everyone will want to join in with a sing-song or take part in a quiz. Find out what a person does enjoy and design activities to suit them. It is important not to stereotype people as this can lead to discrimination. People with dementia are often treated like children, they are criticised for what they can’t do instead of being encouraged for what they can do. Or it is assumed that they can do nothing or make any decisions for themselves. This is discrimination and can result in making people feel like they no longer matter and can lead to isolation and withdrawal. Every person with dementia will have their own unique experiences of their disability, some will have similar experiences to others but many will be different due to factors such as age, ethnicity, or having a pre-existing learning disability. It is easy to assume that dementia occurs in old age (people over 65), however around 2% of people with dementia in the UK are aged between 50 and 65. When a younger person is diagnosed with dementia they can have quite different needs than an older person. It can be  difficult for that person to get access to specialist help in the early stages. There needs to be more awareness of the occurrence of dementia in younger people as they are likely to have more commitments and will have to make long term plans for their future. A younger person with dementia may still have dependent children, or dependent parents. Their spouse may have to face giving up their own career or interests to become their carer. The individual’s career will also be affected, though they may be able to continue working in the early stages, plans will have to be made, and the progression of their dementia could have serious financial consequences when they can no longer continue to work. Changes in behaviour may be more challenging in a younger person. The future care of the person will need to be discussed with the individual to ensure that their continuing needs and preferences will be met as their dementia progresses. When working with a person who is from a different ethnic or cultural background it is important to gain as much knowledge as you can about how dementia is viewed in their culture or country. Some countries do not recognise the disability and may not even have a word for it. Once again being able to know the life history of the individual is very important. Once you know a person and what their beliefs, hopes and fears are, you will be able to see the person and be able to fulfil their own particular needs. Learn about customs or religious beliefs, learn about any special diets, and maybe learn a few words or simple phrases in their language. People with learning disabilities are less likely to receive an early diagnosis of dementia. Changes in behaviour may be noticed first as opposed to memory loss. Because of their learning disability the person may have difficulty in understanding the implication of their diagnosis. They may already have a care or support plan in place and have a support system set up for them. This information should be used to continue to support the person and to fulfil their changing needs as the dementia progresses. Working in a person centred manner is the best way to ensure that the very diverse needs of each person with dementia are being met. To recognise that everyone is different with their own unique needs and preferences is vital in ensuring that diversity, equality and inclusion is recognised for people with dementia. Working this way goes to show that it is definitely possible to have diversity, equality and inclusion when working with people with dementia.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Interview with Entrepreneur Essay

1. Why did you start your own business? Curt has always had a passion for engineering. When he was younger he work as a mechanical engineer through AMP. Then changed to metal engineering but decided he was tired of working for corporate office after 7 years and pursed his hobby into a career. Curt has always enjoyed boating and good seafood. For years before his founded business, he would enjoy being on the boat and catching good seafood which is when he wanted to bring fresh seafood to central Pennsylvania. 2. Is running your own business as hard as everyone says that it is? Yes and no. He’s states that there are pro’s and con’s to any situation especially in the business world. He views his pro’s would be to be able to set your own schedule and to him, he sees his â€Å"work† not so much as work but something that he enjoys and looks forward to waking up every day to. Some of the con’s he listed were that it’s hard to have leave time away from his business. He solely owns 2 local businesses; one located on Eisenhower Blvd., Harrisburg and the other on the Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, and an online business. The online shop (www.ilovecrabs.com) is ran out of his Carlisle pike location where fed ex comes daily to deliver next day shipment to anyone within the 50 states. His business has been very successful. 3. Do you believe the efforts and rewards for owning your own business are worth the sacrifices? Yes, Curt believes that he is very happy with the outcome of where his business is today. He says that he might change a few things looking back but nothing too serious. He says the business world is about risk and sometimes things work very well and sometimes they fail but it’s always good to know when to back out and when to leap towards something. 4. Did you always see yourself as an entrepreneur, or that you would in time, owning your own business? To a certain extent he has always wanted more. Between 16-17 years old, he seemed to be great at buying and selling different things. Even working as an engineer for 7 years, he would buy and sell anything really that he could make a profit on. 5. How did you finance your initial startup costs for your small business? He saved some money working but he also went to the bank for  part of it. His mother, Sharon Engle, helps with organizing his finances every Tuesday. 6. How do you market or advertise? What seems to have the most positive effect in bringing in profitable customers? Curt used to do the advertising himself but he has hired someone to do that for him to help take some load off. Most advertising is through their internet retail website (www.ilovecrabs.com), but their two local retail shops work with clipper magazine, or you could sign up with their crabsavers newsletter and save $10 off your first order and receive either text messages and or emails with coupons and special deals weekly. They used to advertise with the newspaper and yellow pages but he claims it’s becoming a dying trade. He uses organic advertising online with google now too. He also states the radio is a way to have local customers aware that he is bringing this fresh seafood in daily but not so much for sales and promotions, he sticks to his coupons and surplus sales.Teaming up with Obrycki’s from Maryland, Harbour house crabs now provides the Obryck’s famous seasoning along with their personal blends of seasonings. 7. What’s your greatest entrepreneurial achievement? That the business is still thriving after 15 years since being founded. His first retail shop boomed to the online business after about his first 2-3 years of opening. It became such a hit that in 2009 he opened his second retail shop and moved his online shop to process through the second shop due to size and area. 8. How do you identify business opportunities and what measures do you take to decide whether to invest into this opportunity? He says usually he will stick with his gut feeling but sometimes it’s a little more in depth then that he explains. After successfully launching his second store for 1  ½ years, he decided to partner up with Captain Bob’s restaurant. Unfortunately, it became a little too much to handle with the ordering of their products vs. what his small retail shop has to offer. So after 1 year, he gave back his part of the company to the owner of Captain Bob’s and still sells fresh crabs to the restaurant as they have always done before. 9. What’s the toughest feedback you’ve ever received and how did you learn or improve from it? â€Å"There will always be customers that you won’t be able to satisfy no matter how much you try to do for them in fixing the situation.† He said the first few negative comments he received was through his online  website and was taken personally. Curt had taken this hard because he wasn’t able to satisfy the customers, which is his company’s main goal when providing this fresh food. 10. What makes your business stand out from your competitors? â€Å"We stand out in quality and customer service.† He says, â€Å"We can’t control mother nature and there are certain variables that cause things to be difficult at times but when something happens, our team is encouraged to kill the customer with kindness but also with that have a strong backbone for the company, don’t let someone step all over you but be kind.† 11. How many hours do you work daily? How has this effected your personal or family life? Do you take time out to have fun? Well because Curt doesn’t have a partner, his phone is on him 24/7 and will answer from the time he wakes up until 10pm. He does have a home office and bases all his finances, strategies, and more at his home so it’s difficult sometimes to have to separate the two. He enjoys it to be near his family more but then again he walks away from a lot to take a business call. 12. What kind of culture exists in your organization? The culture that goes with my products are anyone who enjoys fresh seafood, someone or even a group wanting to get together to crack open some crabs and enjoy quality food with quality time given. Bringing friends and families together. 13. In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur. Challenging. 14. Who has been your greatest inspiration and why? His grandfather because in 1934 during the great depression era, his grandfather opened up a small business selling Engle equipment, originally type-writers. The business took off so well that Curt’s father and uncle took it over when his grandfather passed. Eventually Toshiba bought the company out and still sells equipment today! 15. Describe how you built a successful profitable customer base? Curt believes finding a service or product that the customers want or demand is the first step he took, then backing that up with customer service has what made this so successful. 16. What’s the best advice you’ve been given? â€Å"Never give up?† Curt explains to me that he tells his kids for example that  when they say something like â€Å"I can’t†, he will in return respond â€Å"Never say I can’t, that’s giving up before even trying, and you should at least always try whether you win or lose.† 17. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire most and why? Is it a product or service that draws you in? Amazon. He loves not only the products that are so easily obtained but he loves their fast and reliable service provided. 18. Knowing what you know now, is there anything that you would do differently? â€Å"I would†. There were a few investments Curt had but they weren’t worth the trouble. â€Å"It’s still an experience†, he says but it’s good to know when to leave. 19. If I were to want to open up a small business tomorrow, what would be the top priority on my to-do list? He suggests to write a business plan and take it to the business administration building so they can review it and approve your idea. It takes a lot of research to find all that you need but it’s the foundation of the whole project. He also says that looking back at his first business plan, it’s accurate but at the same time off from what it really was from his planning. 20. Do you have an exit strategy? Currently Mr. Engle is looking for an exit strategy because he didn’t really have one at the time of presenting his plan. He did but not what he is really planning now. Ironically as I asked Curt this question, he asked me about taking over the business but I also did work for him from 2005-2013 so I do know a lot about running the stores. I denied though because I have other plans.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Sir John Lade On His Coming Of Age, By Samuel Johnson, And...

The two poems today are To Sir John Lade, on His Coming of Age, by Samuel Johnson, and When I Was One-and-Twenty, by A.E. Housman.The two poems presented talk about two young men who are 21 years old. They both talk about money but in two profoundly different ways. The first poem, To Sir John Lade, on His Coming of Age, talks about a young man who has just turned 21 and inherited his grandfather’s fortune. We know this from lines 11 and 12 â€Å"Lavish of your grandsire’s guineas,/Show the spirit of an heir.†. The first paragraph focuses on his coming of age and how he should enjoy it. It doesn’t mention money or the spending of money yet. The second paragraph starts to bring into the main subject of money with line 6 â€Å"Free to mortgage or to†¦show more content†¦In paragraph 5 it moves away from how to spend your money to how money never stays with one person for too long. It is meant to be spent, mainly on gambling. It continues in line 6 about gambling, but bring up the reality of life; what about buying land, what about buying a house? Why don’t you settle down? In the last paragraph it talks about that regret of spending all your money, being in debt to people, gambling it all away. If you do that then you won’t live long, and will just end up as a tale mother’s tell their children about so they don’t follow after you. The second poem, When I was One-and-Twenty, talks about money in a different way. The first paragraph talks about when you’re 21 you should worry about spending money and having a carefree and wonderful time, not finding a girl and settling down. To â€Å"Keep your fancy free.’†(ln6) like not be committed, not worry about the girls. The second paragraph contradicts the first by reason of the old man who told him not to worry about the girls in the first paragraph is now telling him to worry about girls. He says that when you sell your heart to another , ensure it is the one who will not be in vain and be the one that causes you sigh all the time considering you are in love. That you spend the rest of your days together. As a 22 year old it all fits together and he understands it now. Both of these poems talks about selling and money and young men’s lives, but they are both unquestionably different.Show MoreRelatedHappy Birthday, By Samuel Johnson, And When I Was One And Twenty1480 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Welcome to the grown-up world of legal age. Experience life at its best with all your own bills, problems and worries. Happy Birthday.† ~Unknown Author This quote, briefly summarizing a new outlook one can potentially take on life after turning 21, focuses on â€Å"experiencing life at its best†, yet in the midst of being plagued by a number of new responsibilities such as bills and other problems. The terse (PSAT Vocab) â€Å"Happy Birthday† at the end serves as a smart-aleck method of introducing a newRead MorePoetry Essay Prompt2545 Words   |  11 Pages(Theodore Roethke) Prompt: Write an essay in which you describe the speakers attitude toward his former student, Jane. 1971 Poem: â€Å"The Unknown Citizen† (W.H. Auden) Prompt: In a brief essay, identify at least two of the implications implicit in the society reflected in the poem. Support your statements by specific references to the poem. 1972 NO POEM 1973 (exam not available) 1974 Poem: â€Å"I wonder whether one expects...† (No poet given) Prompt: Write a unified essay in which you relate the imagery