Electrical cord storage alternatives

The last thing you want to do is leave your extension cords all around the house and garage for your family to constantly trip and stumble over. Not only is this annoying for them, but it’s potentially dangerous. A great solution is a product like Pioneer Plastics’ CordGrip, which hooks anywhere from a wall to a belt to keep cords organized.

But what if you are in a situation where you don’t have access to an extension cord organization product created by a top plastic manufacturer? There are ways that you can keep your extension cords organized and out of harm’s way in a pinch. They might not be as effective as a product especially made for the task, but they can work:

• Wrap the extension cord around a hanger, or a cylindrical object such as a bucket on the wall or a cardboard roll from used toilet paper, paper towels or gift wrap. Make sure that you wrap it tight and hang it at an angle.
• Wraps designed for holiday lights can also work for extension cords depending on the circumference of the cord.
• Using a Velcro strap or zip tie can keep cords wrapped by hand together.
• Simply shoving your cords in wholesale plastic containers is a bad idea – while they are off the ground, they can easily get tangled and knotted together.

Call centers take advantage seniors’ unique skills

When patients place a call to a medical office, they anticipate speaking to someone who is professional, and proficient. But they also want someone who they can connect with and who they feel is sympathetic and understands their unique needs.

That’s why many medical answering services are turning to an underused segment of the workforce to provide help: the elderly. Since senior citizens are frequently the people calling, it makes sense to also add senior citizens to their customer support solution.

One company using this strategy has added retired executives and senior citizens and trained them to not just work the phone bank at an after hours answering service but to effectively guide fellow seniors in the sometimes confusing world of health care.

Doing so allows companies to tap into a skilled labor force: the aging Baby Boomer population will push the number of senior citizens to 70 million in the United States in the next 20 years. Many of these people will need help and guidance while dealing with complicated services such as Medicare that cannot be provided by a typical outsourced call center staff member. But senior citizens who have dealt with these issues themselves are uniquely prepared to handle such cases and give expert advice.

Adding senior workers serves multiple purposes. It gives patients someone on the other line who they feel relates to them, making them feel more comfortable and at ease with their situation. And it can provide both financial and personal rewards for senior workers who can earn extra money while making a real difference in the lives of their fellow seniors.