All posts by imreal

Hospice of Westchester Hosts 18th Annual “Tree of Life” Reception


Tree of Life sponsors with HOW staff and board members

While the holidays can be a difficult time of year for those who have lost loved ones, or those who have a family member diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, our Tree of Life reception is a bright light.

The Hilton Westchester in Rye Brook was filled with community members coming together to celebrate life and the holiday season during Hospice of Westchester’s 18th annual “Tree of Life” Reception.

Community members were invited to purchase a gold star in memory or in honor of a loved one. During the event, which took place on December 11, guests and sponsors came together to place the personalized gold stars on the “Tree of Life.”

The evening’s festivities featured holiday entertainment provided by Manhattanville College’s elite pop vocal group, The Quintessentials and Richard Devens, BS, MM, from The Music Conservatory of Westchester’s faculty.

“While the holidays can be a difficult time of year for those who have lost loved ones, or those who have a family member diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, our Tree of Life reception is a bright light,” said Mary K. Spengler, MS, chief executive officer of HOW. “This event provides an opportunity for members of the community to join us to create a sense of family and love.”

The Grand Sponsors of the event were Beecher Flooks Funeral Home, Inc.; Co-Communications, Inc.; The Hildegarde D. Becher Foundation, Inc.; Patricia & Charles Trainor; and Sterling National Bank. Sponsors included AliGraphics; Cuddy & Feder LLP; The Hilton Westchester; PKF O’Connor Davies, LLP; The Kensico Cemetery; Polchinski Memorials, Inc. and Ross Mailing Services, Inc.

All proceeds from the event will benefit HOW’s mission of striving to provide extraordinary and dignified comfort, care and compassion to individuals and families facing a serious or life-limiting illness.

About Hospice of Westchester:

Hospice of Westchester (HOW) is a private, not-for-profit healthcare agency that provides skilled, compassionate and comprehensive end-of-life home care to patients diagnosed with any serious or life-limiting illness and gives support to their families and loved ones. Hospice of Westchester is located at 1025 Westchester Avenue, Suite 200, White Plains, NY. For additional information, visit http://www.hospiceofwestchester.com or call (914) 682-1484. For the latest news and updates, find HOW on Facebook.

Share article on social media or email:

What Are The Main Pros And Cons For Auto Insurance Quotes Online


News Image

“Car owners should understand that besides multiple benefits, online quotes can also have some few cons. But generally, using quotes is recommended and it can save you a lot of money” said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

Compare-Autoinsurance.org has released a new blog post in which the pros and cons for car insurance quotes online are explained.

For more info and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/pros-and-cons-of-online-car-insurance-quotes/

Online quotes are used to determine an average price for the risk profile of the user. After the user inputs info in a submit form, the data is analyzed. The results are the best matches for the info. Quotes are obtained from the databases of collaborating car insurance providers. Get the most accurate quotes from http://compare-autoinsurance.org/

There are numerous advantages of using online quotes. Most notably:


  • The user can get results very fast. Using the internet to obtain quotes is much faster than calling an agent or having a meeting with an agent. Depending on the used website, the user can get quotes in a couple of minutes.
  • Quotation forms use the same relevant questions used by any company during negotiations. Online search engines will ask the same info an agent will ask. But they allow you to gather documents and be relieved of pressure.
  • Get data from multiple companies. Comparing data from multiple providers is now easier and faster.

However, there are some disadvantages. The most important are:

  • They do not offer the real, final price. Quotes offer only estimates. In order to get the final price, after negotiating with an agent. During negotiations, some questions may be added or subtracted, making the final price different from the quotes.
  • Some forms do not take into considerations some important aspects. This depends on the website used by the customer. But there are forms where discounts are not present. The client must ask about them during negotiations.

Compare-Autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.

For more information, please visit http://compare-autoinsurance.org/

Share article on social media or email:

Bolanos Joins Triumph Business Capital to Head Up Client Experience Team


“What motivated me most about joining Triumph is the company’s commitment to challenging the status quo, even in an area like customer experience.”

Triumph Business Capital, member of the Triumph Bancorp, Inc. group and provider of working capital financing solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses, announced today the hiring of Moises Bolanos as Senior Vice President of Client Experience. Bolanos joins Triumph after nearly four years in a similar role at eCapital, a freight factoring company based in Southern California.

“We are excited to welcome Bolanos to our growing team of creative leaders,” said Geoff Brenner, CEO of Triumph Business Capital. “Bolanos has a demonstrated history of developing innovative technology solutions, improving employee training programs and optimizing business processes that increase client and employee satisfaction. He will drive Triumph’s dedication to consistently deliver exceptional client experiences.”

A proven client experience leader across multiple industries, Bolanos will lead Triumph’s Client Experience team with a focus on employee engagement and training. In this newly created role, he will oversee the company’s customer service and retention goals, using a data-driven approach to track and meet established benchmarks.

“What motivated me most about joining Triumph is the company’s commitment to challenging the status quo, even in an area like customer experience,” Bolanos said. “Client experience is an extension of the company’s brand and brand promises, and we want to consistently deliver on those, while striving for innovative ways to serve our clients better.”

The acquisition of Interstate Capital last year and opening of regional offices in key areas like Chicago are recent examples of how Triumph Business Capital is balancing its technology focus with maintaining a strong personnel base. Bolanos says that this approach best positions Triumph to adapt to an increasingly diverse and broad clientele.

“At the end of the day, we recognize that we are dealing with peoples’ financing and have a direct impact on the day-to-day lives of our clients,” he said. “We take that trust very seriously. The growth and development of our Client Experience Team represents Triumph’s continued commitment to our employees’ development to better offer an industry-defining experience, regardless if you’re a new client or one who has been with us for 10 years.”

ABOUT TRIUMPH BUSINESS CAPITAL

Triumph Business Capital is an operating subsidiary of TBK Bank, SSB (Member FDIC) which offers invoice factoring and payment processing solutions to transportation and other service industries. Triumph Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: TBK) is a financial holding company with a diversified line of community banking and commercial activities.

Share article on social media or email:

Pappas Physical Therapy Announces D&H Therapy Associates Clinic Acquisitions


Mike Pappas,
CEO, Pappas Physical and Hand Therapy

We could not be prouder to welcome two new clinics to the Pappas family.

Pappas Physical Therapy is proud to announce it has acquired two outpatient physical therapy clinics of D&H Therapy Associates, a private physical therapy practice with 4 locations across Rhode Island.

The acquisition will see two D&H Therapy Associates clinics transition to Pappas Physical Therapy, effective immediately. This partnership makes 9 Pappas clinics across Rhode Island, further bolstering the group’s footprint.

“We could not be prouder to welcome two new clinics to the Pappas family,” said Mike Pappas, PT, DPT, CEO of Pappas. “Since our inception in 2007, our primary goal has been to provide each and every patient with the highest standard of care and to continuously make that care available to new patients across our home state. We are excited that this new chapter of growth allows us to check both of those boxes with a company we’ve known and respected for many years.”

The clinical team at the former D&H clinics will have greater access to nationally recognized physical therapy education programs through Pappas’ partner, the Evidence In Motion family of companies, including International Spine and Pain Institute, NeuroRecovery Training Institute, and KinetaCore.

“We want to assure D&H’s former patients and neighbors they will continue to see the same familiar faces in our clinics and receive the same standard of care they’ve come to expect from D&H.”

The two new clinic locations are located in Smithfield and Lincoln, RI.

  • 466 Putnum Pike Smithfield, RI 02828
  • Lincoln Center, 2 Wake Robin Rd, Lincoln, RI 02865


For more information about Pappas Physical Therapy, their partnership with D&H, or to meet with one of their expert therapists, please visit http://www.PappasPT.com.

About Pappas Physical Therapy:

Founded in 2007, Pappas Physical Therapy is a team of physical and occupational therapists that pride themselves on providing their Rhode Island communities with the highest quality of care. Located in 9 clinics across the state, our staff specialize in the evaluation and treatment of individuals with orthopaedic and neurological problems, post-surgical conditions, sprains and strains, traumatic injuries, and degenerative joint processes. Pappas Physical Therapy is conveniently located in Warwick, East Greenwich, Cranston, Johnston, Lincoln, Smithfield and North Providence, RI. For more information, visit PappasPT.com

Share article on social media or email:

Read Jada McClintick’s Intimate Conversations with God in Her Book, 54:10


News Image

“God does not need our fancy words or our carefully memorized scripture…He feels our hurt. He collects our tears in a bottle and the Holy Spirit groans with the pain that we cannot adequately express. Sometimes all we can muster is the uttered name of Jesus. That is powerful. And that is enough.”

Jada McClintick’s new book summarizes her conversations with God about daily life, her struggles as a woman, and her reflections when going through difficult times. Her talks with the Lord cover various topics, from finding meaning in mundane house chores to opening her heart to dating again. The book’s title, 54:10: A Woman’s Honest Talk with God about His Unshakable Love, is taken from her favorite verse from the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament.

Every chapter of the book talks about an aspect of the author’s life, from the beauty of friendship to the sins she committed before and after welcoming Jesus into her life. While explicitly discomforted by admitting her mistakes on paper, she surrenders her shame to God and uses her experiences to teach and comfort others who may be going through something similar. She also shares that He allows these painful moments to happen to give people a chance to grow stronger and closer to Him.

“God does not need our fancy words or our carefully memorized scripture in order to rescue us. He feels our hurt,” After going through her divorce with her first husband, the author’s life slowly fell apart. She developed insurmountable doubt as she connected her self-worth to the success of her marriage. However, after reciting the most heartfelt prayer to Jesus, He comforted her. “He collects our tears in a bottle and the Holy Spirit groans with the pain that we cannot adequately express. Sometimes all we can muster is the uttered name of Jesus. That is powerful. And that is enough.”

Jada McClintick, upon building herself up after every obstacle, encourages her readers to have a support system comprising of different people close to them, with God as the main source of guidance. She cites her own circle of friends as her support system or “tribe” outside of her family and marriage, wherein every member would be responsible for lifting up one another and maintaining a healthy spiritual and emotional balance. Much like armies in battle fighting to protect their land, having trustworthy allies can strengthen one’s defenses against fear and doubt, which the enemy sends to lead God’s children astray.

Other than having a close-knit circle of friends, Jada McClintick expresses her admiration towards different people like Mary, the mother of Jesus. This example of faithfulness set by this teenage girl proves to be admirable for the author, especially for women living in the digital age. Total surrender to God’s plan, with no regard for the social consequences or the opinion of other people, takes true courage that the author admits is difficult to muster. It also requires the acceptance of earthly life’s lack of permanence—as it is only through Jesus that one can gain eternal life.

Similar to having friends and exemplary people to follow, one must look to the Lord for strength in order to overcome any and all challenges. Like how Mary trusted in the Lord’s purpose for her, one’s heart must be open in order to serve as His instrument for others. “There is nothing that can hold you back from what I have planned for you. You are worth more to me than all the stars in the sky. Everything you have experienced has been preparing you for what I created you to do. I chose you. And nothing will make me change my mind.”

Share article on social media or email:

Veego’s Crystal Ball Foresees Smart Home Support in 2020


Veego Logo

Veego.io

Veego Software, an Israel-based startup that brings artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies to enable self-care in the smart home, today unveiled its predictions for smart-home support in the coming year.

According to Ovum’s Smart Home Forecasts, the number of households with installed smart home devices will grow by 60% over the next five years, totaling 590m households and an installed base of 7.7bn devices. Over the same period, revenue from device sales and smart home services will grow by 45%, totaling $153bn, making it one of the fastest growing markets in the TMT sector.

“This rapid increase in connected and smart devices will bring significant value to the consumer through new use-cases and ways of delivering services, products and digital applications into the home,” stated Ovum’s Michael Philpott. “However, they will also make the home a more complex place to live. When things go wrong, it will be beyond the capability of the average consumer to solve problems. The burden is likely to fall on service providers.”

“The smart home industry is progressing rapidly and service provider support organizations need to keep up with the changes to stay relevant,” declared Denis Sirov, Veego CTO. “New smart home infrastructure is developing to support the rise in adoption which, in turn, is placing increased pressure on service and support systems.”

Here are four industry-changing smart home support trends that Veego predicts for 2020:

Smart-home problems will move toward the edges of the service delivery chain. The perception today is that most of the problems that degrade a smooth experience in the connected home are due to WiFi issues. However, as better WiFi products solve more of those problems, other problem locations are growing in relative size (absolute, as well). In addition to the in-home WiFi, these problems can occur anywhere along the chain from the cloud, through the internet, into the router, or in the devices themselves. Adept service providers will have to gain an acute level of visibility across the entire service delivery chain, detecting problems at any link and analyzing root cause accurately – or waste a fortune on faulty support remedies.

Self-care will be embraced by service providers and subscribers. Until now, numerous lengthy calls to the service provider support center have become compulsory for dealing with subscriber problems with their smart devices and services. As the number of connected devices per home increases sharply, along with the services they consume, the mass and complexity of support calls is rising precipitously, soon to render the trend unsustainable, cost- and personnel-wise. To cope in 2020, a growing number of support issues will be transferred to the subscribers themselves in the form of self-care. Artificial Intelligence will be the main enabling technology that will either resolve problems automatically, in real time at the source, or that will make helpful recommendations to subscribers for self-help. The AI will make use of smart speakers, voice assistants, chatbots and smartphones to communicate with subscribers directly, obviating many of those wasteful phone calls to the support center.

Service providers will be compared and evaluated less by the technical details of their internet service and more by the quality of useful services brought to end devices. The traditional metrics will be less critical to subscribers in 2020. The size of the package, in terms of Mbs, or internet speed, will be of minor importance. Instead, subscribers will differentiate between service providers by their ability to support a smooth experience for streaming, gaming and the other services that are growing in use and importance in the connected home.

Installation of mesh networks will cause more inter-dwelling interference. The traditional in-home hub-and-spoke network architecture, where all devices communicate via a central router, is giving way to mesh architectures with numerous extenders in the home. Mesh networks introduce many more antennas and, with them, greater potential for interference. Establishing a properly working mesh network within one home stands to affect the radio signals in the networks of neighbors. These types of problems are transient and hard to reproduce, not to mention resolve.

“Veego foresees a very vibrant smart home industry in the coming year. We look forward to supplying service providers with the breakthrough support technologies they will need to cope with going forward,” stated Sirov.

About Veego

Veego puts an end to malfunctions in the smart home, autonomously discovering devices and services, and resolving problems before customers even experience them. The company’s SaaS solution provides smart-home service providers with visibility into the quality of the customer experience. Utilizing its breakthrough AI along with its unique Global Malfunction Library, Veego automatically detects, analyzes and resolves problems, perfecting the customer experience in the smart home. With Veego, support calls are deflected and shortened, truck rolls are reduced, and unnecessary hardware replacements are eliminated. To learn more, please visit http://www.veego.io.

Veego Agency Contact:

Joe Austin

Public Relations for Veego

(818) 332-6166

joe@austinprar.com

Share article on social media or email:

Author Glen Waites’s new book “Inside the Mind of a Disabled and People in General” is an autobiographical reflection on his disability and the role of faith in his life.


News Image

Glen Waites, a disabled writer, has completed his new book “Inside the Mind of a Disabled and People in General”: a moving, first-hand account of life with disability.

“Inside the Mind of a Disabled and People in General” is about the life of the author and the struggles that he had growing up. He took his disability and the different challenges it presented and used his knowledge to help others with disabilities. By reading this book, the author hopes that you get something out of it.

Published by Page Publishing, Glen Waites’s engrossing book is an inspiring memoir of his struggles with disability and his dedication to helping others achieve their fullest potential.

Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchase “Inside the Mind of a Disabled and People in General” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors’ books, including distribution in the world’s largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create – not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Page’s accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues to focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.

Share article on social media or email:

Diet ID Becomes Part of Reimbursable Workflow for Medical Nutrition Therapy Providers


This technology will revolutionize dietary assessment.

Diet ID™, a digital health toolkit that makes dietary assessment quick and easy, and facilitates dietary behavior change while saving time and reducing cost, is now established as a reimbursable part of medical nutrition therapy (MNT). Adoption of this powerful innovation can actually enhance the bottom line.

For Dr. John Gobble, DrPH, RDN, LD, FACLM, a provider for Lifestyle Medicine Group in Oregon and Washington, Diet ID has been successful in achieving a 100% reimbursement rate. “Dietary analysis takes up a major portion of my medical nutrition therapy (MNT) interview, a requirement for health plan reimbursement of procedure codes 97802, 97803, and S9740,” he says.

Because diet is the leading predictor of disease risk and all-cause mortality, diet assessment is a critical component of assessing health and overall risk. But traditional methods of diet assessment are time-consuming, tedious, and often inaccurate, all of which compromise outcomes. “The assessment needs to be time efficient and yet accurate enough to show change over time,” says Gobble. “The Diet ID assessment fits the bill. Not only does it take less time to complete than other methods, it also engages the client as we explore better eating habits using the dietary quality score provided by Diet ID.”

Diet ID helps patients succeed by providing quality health service solutions in a competitive marketplace. The tools help give practitioners time back to do what they do best — connect with patients. That’s because Diet provides a frictionless assessment that generates actionable insights in real time, and that flow can be reimbursed.

Dr. Gobble says, “This technology will revolutionize dietary assessment.”

Click here to read the detailed case study. To learn more about Diet ID’s product offerings, visit https://dietid.com/our-solutions.

SOURCE: Diet ID

Share article on social media or email:

Leading Miami Healthcare Advertising Agency Welcomes National and Local Clients


The Weinbach Group, a healthcare marketing firm

The Weinbach Group knows how to reach doctors here in Florida and throughout the nation.

The Weinbach Group, a nationally recognized healthcare marketing firm, announced today it added two new provider organizations, ChenMed Primary Care Centers and Kreative Kids Therapy, to its client roster. Both companies sought the Miami-based healthcare advertising agency for its expertise handling communications programs for companies in the health and medicine sector. In addition, the two new clients recognized The Weinbach Group for its unique ability to develop campaigns that reach multiple market segments, including prospective patients, physicians, and other referring professionals.

ChenMed owns and operates more than 50 primary care health centers in nine states. The company initially engaged the Miami ad agency to handle advertising for its South Florida clinics operating under the Chen Senior Medical Center brand, as well as its new facilities in Palm Beach County, which operate under the Dedicated Senior Medical Center brand. In addition, The Weinbach Group will be handling a major physician recruitment initiative for ChenMed.

“ChenMed’s unique approach to value-based care has propelled the growth of our company,” said Alison Leon, managing director of marketing for ChenMed. “To keep pace with our rapid expansion, we’re about to hire as many as 150 primary care physicians. We need an advertising agency that understands healthcare inside out. The Weinbach Group knows how to reach doctors here in Florida and throughout the nation.”

Kreative Kids Therapy, which provides therapeutic interventions for children with developmental delays, likewise sought The Weinbach Group’s healthcare marketing know-how as well as the agency’s healthcare public relations experience. Doral, Fla.-based Kreative Kids Therapy provides hundreds of children and families with speech, occupational, and physical therapy. It recently opened a new location in Pinecrest, and The Weinbach Group’s advertising will play an instrumental role in the company’s patient growth efforts. In addition, the firm will develop communications aimed at developing and solidifying referral relationships with pediatricians, neurologists, psychiatrists, and psychologists.

For Kreative Kids Therapy, The Weinbach Group anticipates focusing heavily on digital marketing, and it plans to launch contemporaneous campaigns in English and Spanish.

For more information about marketing and communications services from The Weinbach Group, contact Meieli Sawyer at (305) 668-0070 or msawyer@weinbachgroup.com.

Share article on social media or email:

3 Questions about Living with a Disability and Loneliness


Man holding his head in his hands.

Be aware of the emotional turmoil brought on from living with an acquired disability.

I would recommend you resist the urge to isolate yourself. In other words, find good friends who understand your disability and provide unconditional support.

We asked Helen M. Genova, PhD, assistant director of the Kessler Foundation’s Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research and director of the Social Cognition and Neuroscience Laboratory to share her thoughts on how dealing with an acquired disability can effect someone mentally and physically.

What are the emotional effects an acquired disability can have on an individual?

People who have an acquired disability may have a number of emotional issues — physical and mental changes that may raise the risk for depression and anxiety. For example, people who have typically led an active lifestyle may find new physical limitations challenging in designing a new exercise program. Some individuals (like those with multiple sclerosis or a traumatic brain injury) may experience cognitive symptoms, such as memory problems, learning problems or severe fatigue, which make it difficult to spend time with friends or attend family holiday festivities. All of these symptoms may lead to depression, or make preexisting depression worse.

Are people with acquired disabilities more prone to loneliness than non-disabled individuals?

Unfortunately, people with acquired disabilities may be more prone to loneliness for a number of reasons. For one, they may experience new physical and mental limitations that may not allow them to lead the life they want to lead. For example, someone who had a career and an active social life before their diagnosis may find it difficult to “keep up” with their old way of living, because they are too fatigued to participate in life the way they used to, or they physically cannot perform the same activities they use to perform. This may lead to social isolation and loneliness. Further, some people with disabilities isolate themselves from others because they do not want to be a “burden” to their families and friends. They may feel that their disability is an inconvenience to others, or tire of having to explain why they are not feeling well, need to cancel plans, or leave early, etc. These feelings may lead them to avoid social interaction altogether, which only leads to more loneliness, and a cycle that can be difficult to break.

What advice would you give to people who are living with an acquired disability and experiencing feelings of loneliness (especially during the holidays)?

I recommend that they resist the urge to isolate themselves. In other words, find good friends who understand their disability and can provide unconditional support. Another option is to find support groups or classes geared towards people with similar disabilities. Spending time with people who truly understand what they are going through can be very comforting. Realizing that others are experiencing similar life struggles may reduce feelings of loneliness, and help you to feel more connected to others.

Listen to Helen Genova’s podcast about cognitive issues in the brain.

EDITOR’S NOTE: If you feel you are struggling with depression and want to know how to treat it, connect with a mental healthcare provider near you.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration national helpline (1-800-662-HELP (4357)) is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.

About Kessler Foundation

Kessler Foundation is a global leader in rehabilitation research that seeks to improve cognition, mobility, and long-term outcomes–including employment–for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities. KesslerFoundation.org.

About Helen M. Genova, PhD

Dr. Genova is the assistant director of the Foundation’s Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research and director of the Social Cognition and Neuroscience Laboratory. She is also assistant research professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rutgers University-NJ Medical School. She has focused on examining cognitive issues in clinical populations, including those utilizing both behavioral and neuroimaging methods to study social cognition and emotional processing. Particularly in regard to social cognition, Dr. Genova has played an important role in pioneering innovative research applying promising interventions targeting deficits in social cognition. Dr. Genova has also devoted much of her career to investigating other cognitive issues in clinical populations, including the assessment and treatment of cognitive fatigue.

Share article on social media or email: