The Cranes by peter meinke Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Cranes by peter meinke - Essay Example The bare plot of the story is quite simple: a couple who have mated for life are driving on the seashore and watching the Whooping Cranes, which also mate for life. They admire the cranes and wish that they could see a mating dance. There is not any time to wait, because the woman has a terminal disease. We are never told what the disease is, but we can guess at lung cancer from her coughing. At the end of the story we are not quite sure what will happen, but the author hints that the husband will kill the wife and then himself. The most ironic note in the story is that Whooping Cranes were once almost extinct, but are now a viable population. We might wonder if humans who mate for life are as lucky. We learn all of this in a just a few pages, because the writer uses what we now about the cranes and what most people know about the controversial subject of euthanasia is also used. The description of the tall and stately cranes hints at how the author see the two people, dignified. This is a mainstay of the euthanasia controversy, that people have the right to die with dignity. We find out how old the couple is by the conversation. The man says that he has been coming for years and never seen a Whooping Crane. When she says they make the little birds look like clowns makes him mention that he could use some laughter. This prompts her to wonder if this is the right things to do. She says she feels responsible. It is then that we get a fuller picture of this couple, who have, apparently, been married a very long time. He answers her statement that she feels responsible with a list of all the things he cannot do, and we realize that his health is not very good. At this point we do not know that it is she who is terminally ill, but her statements hint at this. At first read, we might assume that this couple do not believe in God. However, that is not really what is said. She mentions a time when he got

Future Healthcare Informatics Technology Research Paper

Future Healthcare Informatics Technology - Research Paper Example Most elderly people do not want to be kept in institutions for the old and having a person constantly employed to taking care of them may prove costly in the long run. These groups of aged people are also at high risk for serious health conditions such as those mentioned above and hence their caregiver should have medical background and if not may then require also a health worker nearby. The technology in discussion will be wearable and hence not a burden to the elderly individual and will monitor the health changes in the body such as the heartbeat, pulse rate, blood pressure, temperature among others which will assist in detecting the changes that may indicate onset of the serious conditions and hence immediate health care will be provided. It is an example of a preventative mechanism. The most obvious of the positive impact of this technology is the reduced cost of providing care to the elderly in the long run. In a family where there are several elderly people all requiring attention and do not wish to go to an institution, the device will prove cost effective as there will be no need of hiring helpers of nurses to monitor their health condition. By just having the device, the family can be able to monitor their changes in health and immediately a problem is detected, then help can be sought. The other positive impact is that the old people will be able to wear the sensor device anywhere and it therefore cannot hinder them from carrying out their daily routine. The advantage to this is that wherever the person is, they can be tracked and hence will also act as a monitor of movement in case of those who might have memory problems. The elderly are also able to remain in the confine of their homes even those with health conditions such as heart conditions without having to spend all their time in hospitals being monitored. This will however require self-discipline from the user of the technology not to remove