Helen Atkinson
I have done various courses through the Open University, mainly as a 'hobby'. I enjoy learning and hope that Futurelearn will get me back into the studying habit.
Location I live in Barrowford, near Burnley, Lancashire
Activity
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
My mum had two operations for breast cancer during the pandemic. She has ended up with both her shoulders very sore and I am hoping to be able to help her.
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I live in Lancashire, England and work in care. For a few years, I worked with men with brain injuries and saw the improvement that physio could give to the men who persevered with the exercises. I also saw how quickly men could become bed bound when they didn't persevere
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Hi, I live in Lancashire, England. I am preparing for retirement when I hope to study more. At the moment though I work four 24 hour shifts a week, so struggle bit time wise.
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I think the generations following us oldies will have even worse health issues. Takeaways and general poor diet is already common
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Everything in moderation
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I wasn't aware the government had advice on exercise. During the lockdown, I actually did a lot more walking than I have ever done! I used to do short walks and long pub lunches. With the pubs shut, we now find we enjoy long walks, although as more things open up, we struggle to do weekly
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Moving retirement age has certainly made a difference to me. I did piece work in a sewing factory and knew I would not be able to do that until I was 66. I moved into care work, but even that can be hard physically. I do think that a lot of the problems are that older people can give up......it is easy to become invisible to the younger generations
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Yes, I do as much as I possibly can. I still enjoy my job and have loads of hobbies, as well as children and grandchildren to keep me busy
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I think that frail is definitely a negative word. At 64, I am definitely not as physically strong as I was and things take me longer to do, but I also am much more opinionated (well, since I was a teenager) and not afraid to air my views
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I am 64 and nearing retirement age. A lot of my friends have retired early due to ill health. There is a huge difference between the friends that are taking advantage to do the things they didn't have time to do when they were working, and the ones who sit at home, watching television, complaining about the world. I am sure children and grandchildren can help...
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I cheated and looked at comments first, then decided on Active. Being active can be mental and physical and I hope I will manage both
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Hi, I 64, preparing for retirement, so exploring different things to keep me busy. I still work in care and do 24 hour shifts, at least three times a week, which keeps me busy at the moment!
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I am not really a worrier, nor do I suffer from anxiety, but I do struggle to fall asleep. I find listening to the radio can help, but, depending what is on, that can affect my dreams
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Wow, nine hours! I probably only get six on a really good night!
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Hello, I'm Helen, from Lancashire in England. I work irregular shifts, including sleeps, that aren't always sleeps. Any tips to help me sleep will be a bonus!
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I struggled a bit with ridiculous premises being valid
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
There has been a 50% increase in Covid cases in my area.
The original figure was only one person.
Therefore, there are relatively few cases of Covid near me.Strong arguments, with facts that can be backed up, are more likely to persuade others to agree with opinion
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I thought it was an explanation of how and why the council had made it's decision
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Hi, I'm Helen. I'm am hoping to learn more about critical and logical arguing. My son tries to browbeat into agreeing with his opinions, which I rarely do, but it would be nice to give him constructive reaons why not!
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Hi, I'm Helen. It would be nice to be able to understand more about critical and logical arguments. My eldest son tries to browbeat into his opinions, which hardly ever works, but it would be nice to have some constructive reasons why not!
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Kindness, compassion and honesty
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I had never considered any sexual connotations to this story.....maybe that was my niavity
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I had always thought Red Riding Hood was about 5 or 6. I went to school on the bus on my own at 4. My mum put me on the bus and met me off it and I had bus fare to look after all day. A policeman saw us acoss the road in the village and my mum stressed that I never spoke to strangers. I thought this was the moral of the story. In the version I remember, the...
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Helen Atkinson replied to Kim Wheeler
That's the version I remember too
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
As a child I loved reading fairy stories, maybe I am hoping to re-capture some of the pleasure I got from the stories
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I work in care, long shifts with sleeps, that aren't always sleeps. During this pandemic, there are so many staff off, I rarely get more than one day a week off. I know this isn't healthy, but how can I not pick up extra shifts. Hopefully, when this is over, I will be able to manage a better work/life balance
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I have done waking nights and I hate them. I definitely didn't get enough sleep on them . I would sometimes be tired enough to sleep as soon as I got home, but, more often than not, wouldn't manage to sleep until 10ish. I now do irregular shifts, including 'sleeps' and still struggle to sleep. I am often restless, getting up in the night to do jobs, even on my...
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I am going to struggle with this as I work shifts. At work, I have no wi-fi, no coffee after tea and obviously no alcohol. However, the people I support often don't sleep much, despite work classing my shift as sleeps. At home, I do tend to have night cap and catch up with e-mails in bed. I seem to be quite restless in bed, often getting up to do jobs in the...
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I can usually fall asleep fairly quickly, but often wake up during the night. I have started lighting a tea light candle which gives me some idea of the time, without me looking at my phone, which I use as my alarm. I think working shifts, which means I don't have a regular time for getting up, can interfere with my sleep pattern. I am sometimes so weary I...
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It does at the time. I feel myself getting more and more bad tempered.....not good in a care job. With a lot of nights with not enough sleep, I end up tired enough to sleep. I tend to put the radio on and the light off. I often drift in and out of deep sleep. Maybe I should do that every night, rather than trying to watch catch up TV or read a book before I...
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I have done shifts in care, including waking nights. My job at the moment includes sleeps, but this can often mean only 3 hours asleep. I do go to bed when I get home, as I have learned not to arrange to do anything after a 'sleep' with that particular lady. I find I can manage for a while, but then have to have a very early night (maybe once a month) to try...
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Hi, I'm Helen and I live in Lancashire, England. I do shift work in care, often sleeps, where I don't sleep. Any advice would be helpful
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Helen Atkinson replied to Eileen K
I agree whole heartedly with this comment. When I was at school, we weren't even allowed calculators in class! I can do bits on a computer, but when things don't do what they are supposed to, I am lost. I need a lot of help when learning anything new
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Certainly in care, weekend shifts would not be covered. This is already a problem, so if a lot of the staff team requested weekends off, who would decide what was fair
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That particular manager lost a lot of good staff. I realised after a while that she really had no idea what she was doing. I stayed because of the people I supported. She ended up being sacked.
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Flexible working, where viable, should be encouraged, I think. It could help with traffic congestion, as well as fitting round staff commitments
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I feel I have a reasonably good work/life balance. I work long irregular shifts that include sleeps, so each Sunday, I plan seeing my friends and family around my shifts. They all understand my situation, so, under normal circumstances, I have a very balanced life.
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I haven't really changed my mind about my own work/life balance, but it was interesting to have the different aspects described. In the past, I did let work take over my life, but looking back, my home life was very unhappy. I was happier at work! A change in my job and in my home life and I am happier than I been, apart from this virus that has us all under...
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Flexibility from both employer and employee, trust on both sides, being confident that you can go to management with a problem and that all the staff team will hear about it
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I have chosen Management style having suffered under a very bad manager in a care setting. She decided that it would be good idea to make all staff work both days and nights. Her idea was that day and night staff learnt to understand the roles each shift had. She would not take into consideration commitments staff had outside work and ended up loosing three...
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
In my role as a carer in a residential home, I can't physically do my job at home, however, I can and do research for different activities and on line training at home. I personally find it easier to do these things in the quiet of my own home
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I think the type of job is a big factor in this argument. In a factory when you clock in and out, when you clock out, you can forget your job until the next shift. Other jobs often require much flexibility
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I work in a residential care setting that needs staff 24 hours. Technically, it should be possible to give staff hours that suit them best, round travel times, child care, etc. In practice, however, there are still problems, with most staff feeling somehow, they are worse off than a colleague
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
In the past, I have let work take over my life. Now I try to be more careful not to let it
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I work in care, so do irregular shifts. I tend to look at my shifts for the week and then arrange what I can do round work
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Embarrassment in cases such as rape, domestic violence, fraud or identity theft. Fear of reprisal in reporting racial abuse or drug related crimes.
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Locally, there have been burglaries and drug raids. There has also been cars clamped and towed away for having no tax and insurance. Coming up to Christmas, I am sure there will be more police out breathalising drivers
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I was definitely in the minority!
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I have never visited that part of the country.....retirement is four years away, so, hopefully, one day I will
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I live in Pendle and the general consensus here is that the 'witches' were innocent
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I had already started to realise how I just 'do as I am told' for an easy life. It is something I am already working on and hope this course helps
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
My parents. I have two brothers and male cousins who have looked after me over the years. I let my ex husband dictate what I could and couldn't do, without even realising what I was doing. Five years on my own. and I still struggle to make decisions,
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Hi, my name is Helen. I am recently divorced. Thought this course might help in some way
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I honestly thought that DNA and fingerprints were infallable
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Hmmmm that was quite a surprise
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I knew I was going to be asked to identify the man so took notice of him and I didn't see him in the line up.
I'm not sure how I would be in a real situation though! -
Helen Atkinson made a comment
Was this time the start of the stone masons I wonder?
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
At scool, I would definitely have been pulled up about not using speech marks and not starting each conversation on a new line
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Over the years, I have enjoyed many different genres of fiction.
I used to choose books by authors or genres, but now, I enjoy nothing more than browsing charity shops for books I would have never normally choosen.
With kimdle, I also read on my phone and my tablet. The one thing I can do now is not finish a book that I am not enjoying.......I could never... -
Helen Atkinson made a comment
In work, I will try to encourage residents to follow the exercises perscribed by our physio. At home, I will try harder to fit in a daily walk
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Shift work makes going to regular classes hard. I do agree that motivation is a big factor why we don't do enough exercise generally
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I definitely think it helps to move joints as much as possible. I didn't realise that exercise could help with bone density
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
As I have got older, I have got weaker in my hands and my grip is rubbish. I hope it is nothing serious!
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Probably the questionairre to hopefully make her realise herself how little exercise she actually does. Enlist the daughter's help to encourage arm chair aroebics and maybe short walks
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Try to walk more, try to exercise more and try to encourage mt residents to walk and exercise more
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I added an app to my phone to count steps and monitor my sleep. I definitely need to make more of an effort walking! The problem I have with the residents I work with (brain injuries) is that they are convinced they exercise regularly when they actually do very little
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I knew there was a reason why my grandson put this app on my phone!
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I have seen the benefit exercise gives to a man I work with who has Parkinson's disease
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I work in a rehabilitation care home and thought this course might help
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I have done a few Future Learn courses in the past and on one of them we had to give feedback on other students work. I really wasn't comfortable doing that. The person who's work I had to review had obviously worked hard and the piece was very good, but they had gone way over the word count which I commented on. They really weren't impressed! I don't think I...
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
What was my activity? Using AA route finder, to find a route to an address I need to take a service user home
Why did I do this? I like to have a written copy of the route
What did I learn about? The route comes with a map so I always have an idea of where about in the country I am going
What other activity did it lead to? I also use a sat nav in the...
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I work in a residential rehabilitation home and thought it might help with my job
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I've never heard of anywhere where it was legal to kill insane people so I was surprised at that. Most of the others I knew had been illegal at some point in England or were legal in other countries
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I work in a residential rehabilitaion centre and some of the men there have committed crimes. I thought it might help with my job
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
That must be why, when I had a crash in my car, I was advised to drive as soon as I was able, in case I got too anxious to drive ever again
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I suppose having been part of a couple for over thirty years and now being alone, there is a reason for anxiety, but it is encouraging me to make a new life for myself
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Definitely. If I smell burnt wood I am transported back to when my ktchen burnt down and smelling lillies I am back at my grandma's funeral
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Wow, I get a lot of those symptoms and had put it down to age! I am recently divorced and getting used to being on my own....that's getting easier, so hopefully the symptons will disappear!
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I work in a care home and so much of the medication our service users take long-term has warnings that they can affect the liver. I thought this course might give me an insight into how and why, and also anything I can suggest to counteract long term problems.
I have already learnt what an inportant function the liver plays in our bodies. Up to now, I had... -
Helen Atkinson made a comment
I did rubbish in the test and I lived with someone for 35 years who suffers from depression!
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
If Peter can wander safely around the home that is one thing. The problem comes when patients go missing.....we have all seen the headlines about uncaring care home who lose people they are meant to be caring for. It can be hard for staff who have to monitor where a large number of patients are every moment of the day.
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I work in a residential rehabilitation home for brain injuries. Some of the symptoms that older men present have made me wonder if they also suffer from dementia. I am interested in trying to find out as much as I can
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You can ask your chemist for advice and he should be able to give you the instructions even though your tablets come in a tray
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It should say on the back your persciption when a meds review is due. Side effects should be described in the insructions that come with each tablet. Where I work, service users have regular blood tests to check that tablets are not affecting liver functions
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
This may help to explain why some people see 'the glass half full'
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I needed to put the light on to write answers to the worksheet (I don't have word) so realised the room was very dim. I was aware of the quiet (unusual in my house) but I had made myself comfortable (warm in bed with a cup of tea)
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Wow! I always thought I would be a rubbish witness to any crime scene I happened to see, now I am positive I would be!
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Witness's to an accident often 'see' different things. Thinking of a beautiful beach and sunset reminds me of happy family holidays
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I think I maybe suffered from depression when my husband left me....I definitely had panic attacks! I felt worthless, so alone, a complete failure and my world seemed very bleak. Thankfully, I have good friends and family who supported me and my 'down' days are much less aften
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Helen Atkinson replied to Helen Atkinson
She didn't like the side effects....she didn't feel in control of her own thoughts!
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
My mum regularly refuses pain relief, even after an operation for lung cancer she refused to take morphine
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
We use biodose in the care home I work in. I will definitely check more carefully when administering medication
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Something I had been doing automatically has suddenly become something I am very aware of!
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I didn't realise that Alzheimer's could be passed on through families or that it could start at such a young age. this has been a real eye-opener for me
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
Growing up, we always had conversations at meal times, no television allowed. I'm afraid I wasn't so good with my children. I did find that in the car, taking them to their various activities was a good time for conversation.
Multitasking is a big problem for me. Life is so busy and demands on my time seem to increase daily! -
The man I talk to about his hallucinations is very frightened by them...he knows they aren't real, but they still affect him quite badly. He believes the medication prescribed is poison...he thinks staff are trying to hurt him
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I work in a brain injury unit and I would like to try to understand more of how the symptoms actually feel....I do discuss symptoms with some of the service users, but would like to try to help more if I can
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I always tend to admit to mistakes I have made. I find it much better to deal with rectifying the problem than worrying about being found out if I try to cover something up. I believe that there are consequences for our actions (good and bad). I realise that in general, I am very lucky and appreciate the good things I have in my life. I try not to worry...
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I am not totally selfless, Angela. I do get pleasure from 'helping'. I work in a brain injury unit and I love my job. I love being a mum and a grandma and am thankful that I have a supportive, caring family.
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Helen Atkinson made a comment
I am grateful that my parents are still alive and in good health. I am grateful for my own good health. I am grateful for my children and grandchildren. I am grateful that I am in work and can pay my bills. Life could be worse!
