Our Best Advice

MOTHERS DAY – 2010

Thursday, May 6th, 2010 | Our Best Advice | No Comments

Audrey Hepburn with son Luca

We place Top Nannies with some of the most Famous Mothers in the world, who care for children while moms are actively engaged in demanding careers. Nannies often become second mothers to these kids, yet few people know that many of the great ladies of screen and stage considered children the most important part of their lives. Four-legged companions are part of the family sometimes becoming equally famous, like Asta in The Thin Man series, a perfect gift for Mothers Day.

Many of the women we’ve placed on jobs over the years also had demanding careers with motherhood, a tough challenge. My mother Dora had to do it with four kids. She was always the center of our lives, keeping us together as a family with unwavering dedication.

mother Michelle Obama with her famous Family

Two famous mothers who had top household staff were Audrey Hepburn (with two sons she raised away from the spot light), and Grace Kelly, who also raised her children abroad. Hepburn’s son Sean wrote a book memorializing his mother that your Mom might enjoy. She remains an icon inspiring women of all ages and one of the most loved actresses in the world. Books are my favorite gifts.

First Lady Michelle Obama is very close with her mother, Marian Robinson, whom she considers the “rock” central to their family’s world. With a staff of 24 taking care of the First Lady in The White House and her public service role, she still remains hands on with her famous girls. Her story would also make a great gift. Read it In Her Own words.

GRACE by Robert Lacey

Princess Grace had the dream of little girls to become a princess come true, with a life devotedly followed by fans worldwide. Despite the tragedy that entered their world her grown children remain a resilient group, carrying on the legacy she left behind. The book Grace also makes a great gift. Or you might prefer the life of a Queen like Cleopatra, who married at 18 for her Country as the “daughter of great Kings” and took over the throne of two kingdoms, holding women spellbound with her story for centuries. Any of these are perfect to put on a tray for Breakfast In Bed, followed by a great family outing for you mother. Or you could spring for a Kindle (with a hot pink cover) to download those wonderful free e-books. Don’t forget chocolate! Try delicious tasty vegan chocolate truffles from Nicobella.

All of us at ISA are so very grateful to have my Mother, Dora Renet, in our lives. She’s everyone’s favorite “Mom”, and undeniably the Greatest Mother In The Universe! It would take more then one book to fill with decades of remarkable stories and the stellar qualities she embodies, and the tremendous respect, appreciation, and admiration our clients hold for her. There is nobody who comes close to Dora, or the legendary contribution she’s made to the domestic help staffing field. We love her more then words can express!

Send us your TIPS or give someone Our Best Advice. ISA shares your heartfelt appreciation towards celebrating all mothers everywhere, and wish you a Happy Mothers Day too!

Serving Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Bel Air, Benedict Canyon, Torrance, Hancock Park, Laurel Canyon, Los Feliz, Marina Del Rey, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Melrose. Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino, Woodland Hills, Topanga Canyon, Westwood, Hollywood Hills, Pasadena, San Mareno, Santa Barbara, Orange County, Ventura County, California, New York, & the greater United States…

Our Best Advice has been brought to you by www.ISAstaffing.com.Visit often for other great ideas, use our Tell A Friend featured link to this blog, and our Domestic Staffing website to pass our TIPS and renowned services. THANKS!

Tags: Audrey Hepburn, childcare, Cleopatra, Clients, dogs, Famous Mothers, Gifts, Grace Kelley, Holidays, household staff, housekeeper-childcare, housekeeper-nannies, ISA staffing jobs, Jobs, MOTHERS DAY, Nannies, nanny care, Nanny Jobs, s, The Thin Man, Top Nannies

EMERGENCY CARE – Important First Aid

Sunday, October 11th, 2009 | Our Best Advice | No Comments

Emergency Preparedness

Todays TIPS are for Emergency Care and First Aid, often ignored but imperative to know. From blackouts to big storms, the items you need to get through a worst-case scenario may already be in your home — just not stored in one place. So make sure all of the items we cover are in one area of the house closest to the front door. The key aims of First Aid can be summarized in these points:

• Preserve Life – The overriding aim of all medical care including First Air, is to save lives.
• Prevent Further Harm - also called ‘prevent the condition from worsening’. This covers external factors too, such as moving the patient away from any possible further cause of harm, applying first aid techniques to prevent worsening the condition– like applying pressure to stop bleeding from becoming dangerous.
• Promote Recovery - First Aid also involves trying to start the recovery process from illness or injury, and in some cases might involve completing a treatment such as applying a plaster to a small wound, setting a bone, or in extreme measures (like a Katrina situation) suturing a wound, which may be learned at local hospitals emergency classes.

First Air Sign

Everyone in the house should know where the Emergency Care Bag and water/food, is located, including people working in the house. If you work in a residence as your job, make sure to learn where these items are kept. If there is no emergency preparedness, talk to your employer and create one. Do not put this off. Work out also what the family will do in the event of an emergency to have everyone working as a team. There isn’t much time given to respond in emergency events, so be prepared to be prepared (as my husband Roger terms it). Since every second counts in an emergency, have the following basics in a portable container to leave the area quickly in the event of evacuation, and perhaps another in the area of the house where you’ll seek shelter if unable to leave:

• One -Two weeks worth of food and water for each member of the family and some extra for a guest who might be in your home, and any staff members working in your residence.
• A FIRST AID KIT that is large enough to include: iodine, gauze, large-small bandaids, insecticide, antibacterial spray, antibiotic, wound healing medicine, ace bandage, sterile cotton, Q-Tips, aspirin (or alternative you prefer).
• To this KIT add: hot and cold packs (the ones you crunch to activate) bone setting items, wound suturing items, Eco Harvested Tea Tree Oil (the Aussies swear by this for first aid), organic Lavender Essential Oil (soothing, calming), Bach Flowers Rescue Remedy tincture and cream covers so many uses including bringing someone out of shock, good for animals, and the cream for burns, sprains, bruises, the extract drops on the tongue for shock and acute symptoms (I carry Rescue Remedy in my purse at all times), safety pins, needle and thread, magnifying glass, tweezers, crazy glue, Colloidal Silver (an age old remedy you can browse online), water protection tablets (to purify water making it drinkable), anything else you like in your first aid kit.
• ADDITIONAL ITEMS - Include battery-powered or hand-crank flashlights and radio (I prefer ham radio that includes a regular radio incase of power outages), extra batteries, trash bags, duct tape (for sheltering-in-place; see ready.gov for details), regional maps, personal sanitation or specific family needs, extra towels, kleenex and handkerchiefs, pet supplies, space blankets for each family member (those aluminum looking ones), two blue tarps, one large enough for everyone to lay upon and the second as overhead shelter, a quick to assemble tent, rope, string, 2 large match boxes, and medical masks to protect against air-quality problems and infections.

tongue blocking airways -- In case of tongue fallen backwards, blocking the airway, it is necessary to hyperextend the head and pull up the chin, so that the tongue lifts and clears the airway.

As we witnessed during the Katrina debacle, people were cut off for weeks before they could be assisted. Tragically, some did not make it. Our TIPS page does not shy away from addressing emergency preparedness when all of us need to know what it takes to be prepared.

First aid training also involves the prevention of initial injury and responder safety, and the treatment phases. The Good Samaritan Law protects citizens from legal action when helping someone who appears to be needing first aid, so don’t be afraid to try even if it is only to call 911 to report someone you see is hurt or incapacitated. It could save lives.

Emergency CPR

Certain skills are considered essential to the provision of first aid. To remember what they are the memnonic ABCD’s is used. The first three stand for Airway, Breathing, and Circulation, which is the same memnonic (a word, symbol, or image trigger to help you remember) used by emergency health professionals. Attention must be first brought to the airway passage to ensure it is clear. Choking, is a life threatening emergency, so do learn the Heimlich Maneuver to address it. Circulation is now usually carried out for patients who are not breathing using mouth to mouth CPR, and going straight to the chest to apply chest compression strokes. Do inquire with your Fire Department or Hospital in your area to learn CPR and get your certification. You’ll be glad and confident to have this knowledge, which I believe each of us should be taught in school as standard issue part of the curriculum. Some organizations include D for deadly bleeding or defilibration (which is why I added D to the standard ABC’s) while others consider it part of the Circulation step. Other organizations teach the 3B’s, which stands for Breathing, Bleeding, and Bones. Learning how to set a bone is also imperative to deal with emergency situations. FINAL TIP: Support your local Fire Department and Red Cross, and take their emergency preparedness classes.

LEARN FIRST AID PROCEDURES AND CPR

Our Best Advice has been brought to you bywww.ISAstaffing.com . Visit often for other great ideas, use our Tell A Friendfeatured link to this blog, or our Domestic Staffing website link to pass our TIPS and our renowned services. THANKS!

Tags: Butlers, CHEFS, Domestic Staffing Agency, Emergency Care, Emergency TIPS, First Aid, Health, housekeepers, Jobs, Nannies, nanny care, Personal Assistants