By Dan Scher

When it comes to design, pediatric healthcare units are different. The tiny patients they care for in these spaces not only require special care, but they require special design choices, too.

However, there’s a fine line between child-friendly and childish. Pediatric healthcare units should incite playfulness and provide hope for all the young patients they serve, without seeming ostentatious. They should also provide adequate space for the parents, guardians and loved ones who will be by these patients’ sides.

These unique units may come at a higher price for facilities to design and construct, but research shows it’s well worth the investment. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, nearly 6 million hospital stays involve adolescents. Not to mention, nearly 3 million of those are neonatal stays. Planning and design doesn’t have to break the bank, though – pediatric healthcare units can be developed in a cost-effective and thoughtful manner to ensure sublime patient care and economical design.

Consider the four following design elements when creating a well-planned pediatric unit:  [Read more…]

When you hear of waterproof boots, I bet the image that comes to your head is that of a bulky, unfashionable pair of boots people only use when there’s a flood, a landslide, or some other form of catastrophe happening outside. Well, not all waterproof boots have to look that way – especially in this day and age when fashion is somewhat a major concern for all people.

For our article today, we are going to discuss whether it is possible for waterproof boots to be fashionable and if it is, where on earth can you find them?  First things first, let’s discuss the major upsides and downsides of wearing boots in general.

The Upsides of Wearing Boots

People generally love boots. They’re easy to wear and they come handy when the outside environment changes. When it’s too sandy, it prevents dirt from getting to your feet. When it gets snowy, it helps keep your feet warm. There are many reasons why people love boots and the fact that they are still largely used today is proof of how versatile and adaptable boots are to the changing times. [Read more…]

You might not think about it all that often, however, industrial adhesives, sealants, and tapes have a wide range of different applications and are used in almost every industrial sector. From insulating high-voltage electrical cables to other, simpler applications such as packaging, there’s practically nothing that tape can’t do in the industrial world.

If you search online, there are literally hundreds of different types of tape to choose from. And, not only do you have to decide on the type of tape that you’re looking for, but you’ll also need to choose a supplier, such as adhesive tape manufacturer Advance Tapes, to buy your adhesives and sealants from.

Therefore, it’s important to fully understand what sort of applications are suitable for different types of tape, as well as what to consider when choosing a type of tape to purchase.

Below, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide on choosing the best adhesive tape products to meet your individual needs. [Read more…]

By Eli Schultz

There is a growing interest in medical real estate among real estate investors. The medical sector is an Amazon resilient, stable investment area the offers attractive low-risk yields and reliable income streams. These investment grade income properties make excellent additions to a retirement portfolio.

We are going to take a few minutes today to review why investment grade real estate should be part of a retirement portfolio and specifically why medical real estate should be at the top of the investing short list. We are also going to share some quick pointers on how you can find, fund, acquire, and exchange medical real estate investments.

Why You Should Include Investment Grade Real Estate in Your Retirement Portfolio?

All investment portfolios should have real estate as a core asset – but not all real estate investments are well suited for a retirement account. The goal here is to create a retirement portfolio that will create a stable income stream with no daily involvement. Management-intensive income properties (such as apartment complexes, strip malls, and office buildings) are not well suited as a stable passive retirement investment. Investors should consider the single tenant net lease sector instead.

[Read more…]

By Dan Brewer

According to CBRE’s latest senior housing investor survey, investors identified independent living as the best investment opportunity in the senior housing market. On the surface, that makes a lot of sense. As the largest wave of boomers continues to age upward, looking to downsize their homes or move closer to adult children, a shift to independent living would seem to be the first logical step. But is independent living the best bet in senior housing? Don’t whip out your checkbooks yet.

The two main strengths of senior housing investing are 1) demographics and 2) recession-resistance. The first, demographics, ensures that there will be a steady demand for senior housing for the next two+ decades. All segments of the senior housing market can benefit from this senior rush.

The second, recession-resistance, does not apply to each segment of the senior housing market equally—and that’s where many investors, if they are not careful, could get burned. Not all segments of senior housing are equally “needed” by aging Americans. And in times of recession, unnecessary expenses are often the first to go. [Read more…]

Healthcare does not operate in a bubble. It intertwines itself with other industries not commonly mentioned, such as real estate. In this niche market, medical real estate refers to all the facilities that the healthcare community uses. That includes buildings and campuses that member and organization in public or private sector lease or buy. It also includes other facets within the system including a New York or Vancouver personal injury law firms that might own an office within a medical facility. There has however been a growing trend among this community to instead work with a third-party entity to manage the real estate side of the business to allow healthcare practitioners to focus solely on their profession and patients.

A niche market

Healthcare real estate is in a class of its own due to the regulations that govern the owning and operating. Aspects such as sterilization, heating, and cleaning are different in this field. Due to the already demanding nature of running a medical facility, heads prefer to leave running the space to organizations that profit from the business of providing space and services. The services included property management, tenant advisory, leasing, and construction. These third-party organizations find it lucrative as it is a growing industry. [Read more…]

Damp is the greatest nightmare for almost every homeowner. It can take many different forms and manifest itself in the least suspicious areas, sending the inhabitants into sheer terror and panic. It can gradually destroy any building it has taken hold of, so measures to take control of the situation are a must.

Unfortunately, many companies who specialize or at least claim to specialize in damp proofing and fixing rotten wooden structures might lead you on, selling you expensive fixes for entirely different problems than the ones you are having. If you’d like to avoid getting ripped off or sold a useless solution for a wrong or non-existent problem, read on. Following are some tips on how to tell the real professionals apart, as well as pay for the services you really need.

First, Do Your Homework

Before you call anybody to come over and inspect your house, sit down and do some preliminary research on your own.

Damp can be divided into a few common types that usually plague homes everywhere. They are rising damp, condensation and penetrating damp. Each one requires a completely different treatment from the other two, so it is very important to determine which one you are dealing with. If you learn enough to be able to identify your problem, you will successfully avoid unscrupulous contractors trying to sell you a far more expensive and inadequate solution. [Read more…]