Can Gardening Help with Dementia? Research says yes.

Gardening can help with Dementia Care
Dementia patients are often treated with medication and maybe treatment in a nursing or care home. But a growing number of experts are saying that physical activity such as gardening and being outside could help with people with dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease.
Annie Pollack is a landscape designed from Dementia Services Development Centre, Stirling University. She says there is a lot of evidence that outdoor activities can be beneficial to patients with these conditions. 
Whilst this doesn’t mean the person no longer requires care or medication, it can mean that the person is fitter, feels less stressed, feels wanted and maintains their skills.
Also, being out in the sun helps people to maintain their levels of vitamin D, which is vital for our health and wellbeing.
Tracey Jones
Tutor
www.acsedu.co.uk
ACS Distance Education offers a range of gardening, psychology and health and wellbeing courses. To find out more, see www.acsedu.com or email info@acsedu.co.uk

Forestry Funding - Are we helping poorer countries or not?

Are we helping poorer nations with their forestry or causing more problems?

The Community Forest Management (CFM) scheme has attract billions of pounds of funding to protected forested areas, but research has shown that schemes to protect the forest biodiversity and people in poorer nations is ineffective.

A study by Bangor University in Wales has shown that local people resented the implementation of protected areas, as they considered the land “theirs”, then it suddenly belongs to the government. The CFM programmes were developed as an alternative, which ensured that governments devolved some of the decision making to local communities. This looked like a more ethical way of carrying out this type of change to protect the areas. But the research has shown that there were inconsistencies in how the CFM schemes were monitored and evaluated. 

The researchers state that we do need more protection for the forests and the people around those forests.

Study Trees for Rehabilitation with ACS Distance Education. http://www.acsedu.com/courses/trees-for-rehabilitation-landcare-reafforestation-771.aspx

Trees For Rehabilitation (Landcare Reafforestation)

Course Code	BHT205
Fee Code	S2
Duration (approx)	100 hours
Qualification	Statement of Attainment

LEARN TO PLANT AND GROW TREES -Distance Education Course

REAFFORESTATION

Develop a practical understanding of how trees can be used to stabilize degrading soils and improve land quality, usefulness and property value. This course has great value for all sorts of land managers and developers, from farmers to managers of public land and nature reserves. Horticulturists, agriculturists, foresters, etc can all benefit from this.

Amongst one of the most significant reasons for land degradation is the practice of clearing trees from the land, predominantly to provide grazing for cattle and sheep and areas for cropping. Agriculture is an important primary industry, which is largely responsible for feeding world populations, and as a result, economic prosperity for many nations. It has taken the very real threat of reduced yields, and such things as reduction in water quality, to provide the impetus for major land rehabilitation initiatives. Trees are seen as an integral part of a healthy environment, and it is for that reason that tree planting operations (to rehabilitate degraded land as well as prevent further damage) are being actively encouraged, by government, industry and community organisations.

Student Comment: 'I definitely learned a lot from [the course) but it was also beneficial in affirming [and raising my confidence] in what I already knew.' Katrina Merrifield, Masters Conservation Science, NZ, Trees for Rehabilitation course.

Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

1. Understanding Plant Health
2. Soils and Ecology
3. Basic Seed Propagation Techniques
4. Nursery Management
5. Propagation of Eucalypts and Acacias
6. Plant Care During Establishment
7. Plant Establishment Methods
8. Dealing with Erosion
9. Dealing with Chemical Degradation (Salinity, pesticides, industrial waste, fertility decline, etc).
10. Dealing with Structural Problems (Waterlogging, organic content, etc).

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Are we losing our Britishness? Is tea no longer the national drink?

Tea – The British Drink?

Tea epitomises the British doesn’t it? Well, apparently, not so much anymore.  Typhoo have carried out research and found that younger Britons are losing their taste for the drink.

They found that –

·       54% of tea drinkers are over 45 years old.

·       4% are under 25.

·       80% still have one or more cups a day.

They found that younger people are opting for bottle water, fruit juice and soft drinks instead.

Forty years ago, tea accounted for 50% of the fluid intake of Britons. Today, it accounts for 40%. 

AND the teapot is going out of fashion. Only 0.5% of  tea drinkers under 25 use a teapot. They prefer to put the tea bag straight in the cup.

Tracey Jones

Tutor

 HUMAN NUTRITION DISTANCE LEARNING COURSE AVAILABLE FROM ACS DISTANCE EDUCATION  http://www.acsedu.com/courses/human-nutrition-food-1-705.aspx

·       Learn about food, what we eat, how it affects our health

• Lay the foundation for better food management. 

This course is something that should be undertaken by everyone and anyone involved in the food industry, or influencing what people eat: from cooks and restaurant owners, to food manufacturers and processors, life coaches and fitness instructors.

Emphasis is placed on understanding the body, the food we eat & its affects, our mental, emotional health (state of mind), and physical health.

Lesson Structure

There are 9 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to Nutrition
2. The Digestive System
3. Absorption & Enzymes
4. Energy Value and Foods
5. Carbohydrates and Fats
6. Proteins
7. Vitamins and Minerals
8. Water
9. Nutrient Disorders

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Photography Course from ACS DE - Excellent!!!

Emma Day has recently completed a photography course with us. She says "I found it to be an excellent course in basic film photography". What more can we say? http://www.acsedu.com/courses/photography-courses.aspx

Distance Education - or just good quality education?

Distant Learning – Is it so Distant with ACS Distance Education?

Many of us hear about different types of learning – different types of colleges, schools, blended learning, online learning and of course, Distance Learning.  The very word “distance” makes us think of something distant, far away, remote from ourselves.

So is that what distance learning is? Remote? Far Away? Well, in a way yes. Distance learning is not the same as sitting in a class room, face to face with your teacher or tutor. But distant and remote with ACS Distance Education – well, no it doesn’t have to be! 

At ACS DE we pride ourselves on being supportive to our students and potential students. We are happy for our tutors to speak to people who are thinking about studying and to talk to students when they enrol if they are not sure about anything. All of our tutors are encouraging, supportive and happy to help our students as much as we possibly can.

So remote and distant education? Well, no! ACS Distance Education is there to meet your educational needs in a friendly and support way.

And it’s not only ACS DE that thinks so. Our students think we are great too!  One student who recently enrolled commented that our comments are backed up by the fact that we firstly phone as requested, and secondly our website (www.acsedu.com) says you can ask for advice BEFORE enrolling. She said that ours was the only website she had come across that offered this, and she was impressed that we backed this up with a prompt phone call (she has been looking at universities mainly versus our courses and getting nowhere.)

And this student is not the only one who is happy. We have many, many, many student testimonials from happy students. Have a look -  http://www.acsedu.com/about-us/student-testimonials.aspx

AND, it’s not just our tutors who are helpful and supportive. Our administrative staff are the backbone of ACS DE, working hard to see that all of our students are happy, their assignments marked on time, sent back to and any questions you have dealt with promptly. And much much more....

We all work together as a team and want to help our students – and potential students – get a positive experience from studying with ACS DE.

Why not give us a try and find out why OUR students are so happy?

You can view our courses at www.acsedu.com