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Home Remedies and Methods for Mosquito Bites!

Summer Grilling Series 

We have all been there. You do everything you can to prevent them, but they still show up to the party. We are not referring to the neighbor down the street, we are talking about mosquitos. It happens to the best of us. The inevitable mosquito bites! It seems like a rite of passage to everyone’s life at some point. These bites itch and swell and can be a nuisance. In today’s blog we will take you through some great methods and home remedies to help ease the itch and get back to enjoying summer and grilling again.

Preventative measures are always the first step to stopping mosquitos in their tracks. We have talked about these in previous blogs. The best ways to prevent mosquitos on your property are to clear standing water after rain fall, maintain your lawn care, and to contact Mosquito Sheriff for your preventative sprays. To prepare for the inevitable bites it is best to have these next few remedies on hand.

Ice

Ice is always a great thing to grab when you first get bit by a mosquito. It is also really soothing for the itch that comes shortly after. It will help with the swelling and inflammation from the bite location.

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is the best remedy for Mosquito bites. The gel found in the plant is an effective and cost-efficient remedy for many aliments. This plant is used for things ranging from sunburn to cuts and of course Mosquito bites. 

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is not just a breakfast favorite it is great for mosquito bites too! Make a paste by using equal parts oatmeal and water and rub on the irritated area. Oatmeal can calm the itching and swelling.

Baking Soda

Baking Soda is found in almost every kitchen and very inexpensive. It is like oatmeal in how it provides relief from itch and swelling. You can make a paste with equal parts of baking soda and water and apply to irritated area.

Now that you have these great home remedies and preventative measures in your back pocket, I think you are ready for the weekend. To kick off this beautiful Saturday Mosquito Sheriff has a delicious grilling recipe to add to our summer grilling series below! Check it out!

Grilled Garden Zucchini

INGREDIENTS

2 medium zucchinis, about 8 oz each, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat grill on medium-high. In a large bowl, toss zucchini with oil, red wine vinegar, parsley, basil, and garlic powder. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper, to taste.

Once grill is hot, carefully use tongs to rub an oiled paper towel over grates to clean.

Using tongs, place zucchini on grill. Cover and cook, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking on high, covered, 2 to 3 minutes more.

When zucchini is tender, remove from heat, taste for salt and adjust as needed and eat right away.

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Fight them With Nature: Mosquito Repellants from Your Kitchen

Nature is a furious and ruthless force.

Unrelenting and dynamic, why is it even a shocker to find so many solutions to contemporary problems in nature? From modern ailments to disasters fostered by humans, nature is always to the rescue with remedies; effective, simple, and subtle.

On the wreckage, that insects as spindly and stinky as Mosquitos have initiated, they deserve to be battled to extinction by nature itself.

Here, we have some of the most useful ingredients that nature has to offer us, all of which serve as natural mosquito control! These ingredients can be easily found in your kitchens, garden centers, or at any grocery store.

Lavender Oil

Found in your tea and gardens, Lavender’s purple beauty goes beyond soothing the senses. While Lavender’s aromatic powers may be enchanting for humans, they are capable of overpowering a mosquito’s senses.Lavender oil can be very easily applied onto bare skin (especially ankles and arms), mixed into your usual moisturizing routine. Lavender oil also has analgesic and antiseptic properties, and can also be applied in complementation with your allergy pastes, if you happen to use any. A natural repellant, lavender leaves can also be crushed and placed onto mosquito breeding areas within your house to further restrict mosquito entrance onto your property.

Garlic Juice

Garlic is infamous for chasing away bloodsucking monsters. Luckily for us, in addition to fictional beasts, garlic is also an enemy to non-fictional little flying insects. Garlic juice is very difficult to find in ready-made jars in supermarkets. Fortunately, garlic juice is very easy to make at home – all it requires is pulverizing garlic and applying the raw juice droplets to exposed skin.Garlic juice can smell a bit unpleasant but, well, we all can agree that mosquito bites are much worse.

Lemon eucalyptus

What’s better than citronellal, the septic, scented cleaning agent? A tree oil with citronellal and mosquito-repelling qualities!Lemon eucalyptus essential oil does not only provide short term DEET protection but also protects against Malaria and yellow fever carrying mosquitos. Approved by several scientific types of research, Lemon eucalyptus is being hailed as a useful mosquito control plant offering effective protective measures against mosquito-spread diseases.

Peppermint

Peppermints are the favorite hybrid mint of dieticians, tea enthusiasts, and doctors. And now, after I tell you that peppermints are also natural mosquito repellents, they will become your favorite, too!Peppermint oils, even in lower concentrations, are capable of inducing larvicide on mosquito breeding grounds. In higher concentrations, peppermint oil may repel mosquito bites for up to a maximum of 3 hours. The peppermint scent is not only well-hated by mosquitos, but is also equally disliked by several other insects and pests.Easily available in nurseries and grocery stores, peppermints are easy to plant, even in constricted housing spaces as they require very little maintenance.

Thyme

A must-have for your steaks, grilled beef and pork loins, thymes are back in business again, after studies proved that thyme essential oils are composed of mosquito repelling properties.

Providing complete protection against common mosquitos for up to eight minutes, thyme leaves and oil are also despised by other pests because of their strong, musky scent. Very easy to brew and apply, you can integrate thyme oil quite conveniently into your daily moisturizing routine as thyme oils have a very thin consistency and a subtle scent.

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Mosquito Sheriff -The Only All Green Alternative for Mosquito Control.

Mosquito Sheriff is the first and only all green alternative for mosquito control. Have you been looking to start a business of your own? Is the corporate world not for you and you are looking for the freedom to run a business that fits into your lifestyle while still generating income. Take a dive into the Mosquito Sheriff franchise opportunity and see all that it has to offer.

Mosquito Sheriff is the first and only all green competition on the market. They are nontoxic and completely all natural. They run on recyclable energy using lightweight electric blowers and no gasoline while spraying. This is not only great for the environment, but excellent for the ones who are applying the product. The spray being used is so safe that there is no hazmat suit required.

When we talk about the safety of the spray and one administrating it, we need to talk about our patented proprietary formula. This non-toxic all-natural alternative for mosquito control is safe for you while you are spraying. You can spend all day working and never have to worry about harsh chemicals affecting your body. Our spray is safe for your customers as well. This green product is safe for pets, children, and even bees and butterflies. This is wonderful news because we all know how important pollination is for our ecosystem. Mosquito Sheriff took all of this into consideration when working with the chemist to create the perfect spray.

Why choose Mosquito Sheriff? There is always a why when you are looking to make a big decision. Our business model is truly for everyone. If you have a strong work ethic and a drive to succeed you are the right candidate for a Mosquito Sheriff franchise. Most people looking to buy a franchise all have one thing in common. They want to have freedom. Freedom can look different for everyone. Some are looking for financial freedom, others might be looking to work less and spend more time with family or friends. With Mosquito Sheriff, you can have it all. Our model allows you to create your own schedule and since it is seasonal you can work hard for 7 months while generating year-round income.

Running our franchise is simple and seamless with our work from home model.  We provide our franchisees a call center to answer phones, signs new clients, and take payments. This allows you to run your company day to day while we handle the back office. Our annual digital marketing plan will help you to get new clients and keep your business growing. If you are not tech savvy, there is no need to worry. We provide you with assistance in direct mail, SEO, twitter, google, Facebook, Instagram, and so much more. Our goal is to make sure you are successful and confident.

Once you decide this is the right franchise for you our training and support are exceptional. You will come to Maryland to meet the team and explore the van and equipment. This is an immersive opportunity and one that will get you excited to start your business. After signing the agreement and paying the franchise fee your journey will begin. You will be trained and prepare the proper licensing for your state. We will assist you every step of the way with questions. Our post training support will continue as you progress on your journey. Our goal is to make sure you succeed.

Mosquito Sheriff is a franchise you can feel good about whether you are a customer or a new franchisee. Mosquito Sheriff cares about the environment, the community, and the people it serves. We look forward to talking to you and hope you come along this journey with us.

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Alzheimer’s Care At Home

Discover how to take care of an Alzheimer’s patient at home and how Executive Care’s Alzheimer’s and dementia care helps those with neurodegenerative diseases.

Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that accounts for 60–70% of all cases of dementia. Dementia is a disorder which presents as a set of related symptoms. Brain damage, via injury or disease, is the typical cause of dementia. Neurodegenerative diseases result from a progressive loss of structure or function of neurons. Alzheimer’s is basically a disease that deteriorates the functions of the brain.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, which means it gets worse over time. There is no known cure and causes of Alzheimer’s are not well understood. It can be a bleak diagnosis, but even though we have no cure, medical professionals have innovated several ways to manage the disease. Alzheimer’s care at home is often the most effective, convenient, and practical way to manage the disease.

 

Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Care At Home

If the disease is diagnosed early enough, patients often have years during which they’re still high functioning. Those with early-stage Alzheimer’s or dementia often do not need much assistance. Even so, it’s often wise to have a skilled caregiver visit them during certain times of the day. This can ensure their safety and help maintain high-quality living conditions.

Early-stage care can also get patients used to basic routines that could prove vital in the coming years. The goal of providing this early-stage care is to maximize the independence of the patient and offer reliable, consistent help with routine household tasks, as required.

Mid-Stage Alzheimer’s Care At Home

Mid-stage Alzheimer’s and dementia is often the longest phase of the disease. It can be a very challenging time, especially for family members and loved ones trying to keep the person with Alzheimer’s safe and comfortable. There is frequently a great deal of variation in an Alzheimer’s mood and memory during this stage. There are good days and bad days. On the more challenging days, having a caregiver from Executive Care present can be a huge boost to your loved one’s well-being.

Late-Stage Alzheimer’s Care At Home

Late-stage Alzheimer’s is difficult to quantify. For some patients, the most severe symptoms last only a few weeks before they pass away. For others, these late-stage symptoms can last months, and even years. Depending on the severity of the disease, some Alzheimer’s patients require around-the-clock care. Executive Care can place a live-in caregiver in the home of an Alzheimer’s patient when they reach this difficult late stage. This means there will always be somebody around to provide assistance when needed.

Executive Care

To learn more about Executive Care’s Alzheimer’s care services, please contact us today.

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Spring Ahead Into Action!

PATRICE

Has the recent time change inspired you to want more out of your career path and time management? Are you thinking the weather is beautiful and the sun is shining for longer, yet I am stuck in my corporate office cubical wanting more? A Patrice & Associates Franchise could be the solution for you!

During daylight savings time we spring ahead and change the clocks. The extended daylight at the end of the day is a welcome feeling coming out of the cold dark winter months. It rejuvenates people and makes them feel excited and ready for new beginnings. There is something to be said about the new life and energy projected into the world during Spring.

For some the career path they are on is lacking that feeling of excitement. They are looking to breathe life back into their daily routine. They have years of knowledge and experience and need to find a new avenue to channel it into.

If you think about recruiting, you think about taking all your experience and using it to help others on their path to success. At Patrice & Associates we take that concept and scale it into something greater. We work daily helping people on all walks of life find their passion and careers and place them on the path of success. We work not only in the restaurant industry, but also casinos, hotels, entertainment, and food & beverage!

From the moment you step out of training you are ready to start working your very own franchise. With the warm weather on the horizon this is an exciting thought. You can work from the comfort of your home, your office, or remote on vacation. The possibilities are endless. If you want to pick your child up from school, or have a soccer game you can’t miss, the business can come with you. That is a great perk of owning a Patrice & Associates Franchise! We want you to be successful and make your business work for you!

 

Steps To Starting a Patrice & Associates Franchise:

First call with VP of Franchise Development to learn more about the opportunity

Watch Webinar to see our Operating System

Call with COO for a deeper dive into operations, support, and our culture.

Check in calls/emails with VP of Franchise Development when needed

Talk with Franchisees to get a feel for the business

Call with Founder and Owner Patrice

 

The process of becoming a franchise owner is an exciting one. We will walk you through a robust discovery process to ensure we are a good match. We look forward to having you join our team. There are still many great territories available across the U.S. and Canada. Contact Patrice & Associates today for more information.

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Change the Course of Your Emerging Brand: The Female Leadership Perspective

On Thursday, September 19, 2019, Springboard conference attendees were invited to a panel discussion titled “Change the Course of Your Emerging Brand: The Female Leadership Perspective”. The panel, moderated by Sherri Fishman, President of Fishman PR, sought to explore the unique leadership and emotional intelligence skills inherent to female executives in the franchising world. The panelists included:

– Liberty Bernal, COO of Baby Boot Camp;

– Karissa Johnson, CEO of Moms on the Run;

– Jennifer Cutillo, Director of Operations at BeBalanced;

– Andrea Scott, CEO and co-founder of skoah; and – Anna Phillips, CEO and founder of The Lash Lounge.

 

Each of these executives imparted their advice, wisdom, and anecdotes from their own experiences that contributed to their success in franchising. Key themes from the panel discussion included the importance of adaptability, especially as executive teams seek to add more women to their ranks, and the strategic ways in which women can use their emotional intelligence to connect with franchisees.

Cutillo and Bernal shared their perspectives on recent studies that show that female franchisee ownership is increasing at a steadier rate than that of male franchisee ownership; the panel discussed ways in which franchisors can appeal to this growing demographic. Both Johnson and Phillips emphasized how female leaders can use their emotive storytelling skills to connect to franchisees on a more personal, human level than their male counterparts. They encouraged attendees to capitalize on their personal stories in an emotionally engaging way, rather than downplay their experiences as women are so often advised.

The panelists responded to a wide range of questions, including the importance of mentorship, the ongoing struggle to promote women in male-dominated spaces, and calls for their advice for emerging female franchisors operating in women-centric or gender-neutral business models.

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CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT TIPS

Is your franchise struggling with customer management?

Does your customer management system leave something to be desired?

Franchise-Soft may be the perfect solution to satisfy all of your customer management needs. FranchiseSoft is cutting edge franchise support software that can take your franchise to the next level. One of its many features is the customer management module, which will make your interactions with customers simple and streamlined.

With FranchiseSoft, you can seamlessly transform leads into customers, preventing headaches for you and leaving you with more time to focus on what matters the most.

Another essential component of the customer management module is the communication tool. With it, you may easily send communications to all, some, or individual customers. What’s more, FranchiseSoft will document all communications for you, so you can access them later. Scheduling tasks, events, and interactions with customers is a breeze with FranchiseSoft. Communicating with customers has never been so easy.

To minimize the amount of time and effort put into customer communication, you can optimally use the communication tools made available by FranchiseSoft. Communications templates can be used for frequent correspondence, and recipient lists can be endlessly customized so you can send communications to select customers.

FranchiseSoft will also streamline your operations as they relate to customers. The customer management module also features intuitive statement and invoice generation for customers.

You can also generate revenue reports per customer, to show you how each customer is performing in its operations. With this information, you can allocate your resources to customers accordingly.

By using these tools to their maximum effectiveness, you can ensure that your franchise is serving your customers to the best of its ability.

Advance your franchise today with FranchiseSoft, the franchise support software that has it all. We offer no-commitment, absolutely free demonstrations of our software. To book a free demonstration, contact us today and one of our representatives will get back to you within two business days.

About FranchiseSoft

It is an all-in-one software for Franchisor and Franchisee management. Each modular section of the software interacts seamlessly together and pulls from common data points thereby reducing the need to enter data into multiple areas. Whether you’re an established franchise company, a new business that is considering expansion by franchising your business, or an emerging franchisor with a few franchise units, we believe the franchise management software built by FranchiseSoft will help you increase sales, reach higher customer and franchisee satisfaction levels, and have full reporting and visibility for Franchisor and Franchisee management. Modules include a full CRM for both the Franchisor and Franchisees, a Digital Library, Human Resource Management, Functional Forums, robust Financial and Royalty Reporting and much more. Visit us at www.franchisesoft.com to request a demo.

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THE CHANGING FACE OF LOCAL SEO FOR FRANCHISES IN 2022

It cannot be denied that many changes are happening within the realm of local SEO for franchises at this current time. Therefore, it is important for you to be aware of such changes pertaining to local SEO for franchises in order for you to be able to do local SEO for franchises in the right way for the best outcomes for your business. That is the reason why we mention some key changes for local SEO for franchisees for your consideration.

You Should Be More Actively Engaged With Your Google Business Profile To Boost Results For Local SEO For Franchises.

If you were just casual about your Google business profile in the past, you cannot be that way now. You need to be more actively engaged with it and make sure that you have your listing exactly right in order to get the best results in terms of local SEO for franchises. Google business profiles heavily weigh on the success of your business even more than in the past when it comes to the matter of local SEO for franchises. If you have not claimed your Google business profile, you really need to do that in order to gain more local traffic to your site. You must update your Google business profile more frequently in order for it to be as effective as possible, as stagnant business profiles are not garnering much attention on Google as they did in the past. You can provide news updates for your business, add blogs, add videos, mention special events, etc. in order to keep your Google business profile as current as possible for great results for local SEO for franchises.

You Must Be Precise In The Presentation Of Your Business Name When Engaging In Local SEO For Franchises.

You must be careful in regard to using your business name in a precise manner, as this will ensure the best results in regard to local SEO for franchises. This means that you cannot use your business name in one format and switch to using it in another way. For example, do not intermingle the usage of the long name of your business and then the shorter name of your business, as algorithms are changing across many search engines. The algorithms now do not look favorably on such intermixing of business names. But when you apply strong consistency when using the precise form of the name of your business, you can expect to experience much better results for your efforts in regard to local SEO for franchises.

You Should Consider Using ClickTecs For Your Local SEO For Franchises, Because More Businesses Are Relying On The Professionals For This.

Though many businesses have always relied on professionals to do their local SEO for franchises on their behalf, there is a greater increase in the number of businesses that are turning to the professionals to do their local SEO for franchises due to the changes becoming more complex. You can avoid frustration and get great results for your local SEO for franchises when you hire the professionals here at ClickTecs. Contact us today, as we know how to implement local SEO in a powerful way that can generate awesome results for your business.

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How To Find A Good Accountant in North York?

Starting a business? Already have an established business, The next step is to look for an accountant to manage the business. Here are some guidelines on how to get the right person to handle your account.

Tips for choosing:

The accountant shouldn’t be far away from your place in case you need any clarification or any other stuff related to the business.

The accountant should be licensed public accountant to be eligible to issue audited financial statements in case you will need it for future purposes.

The more experience in the field the more the person faced certain scenarios that beginners in the profession do not have.

A designated professional is always a preference and it will be more reliable if we depend on someone who has a CPA and CGA title.

The price factor plays a great impact on how you will end up choosing who your accountant will be. The price should be reasonable in case if you want to get the best service you can always shop around once and get a quote from the different accountants and after that decide which person would be the best match.

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Passenger Van Graphics for Crittenton Family Services in Fullerton CA!

Designing a wrap for passenger vans can be challenging. As opposed to commercial vans which have large amounts of flat unobstructed space, the passenger van has windows that either need to be avoided or brought into the design. This design requirement can often result in boring wraps designs without much creativity, or smaller less impactful graphics on the vans.

And really, these commercially used passenger vans have as much right to a great wrap as any commercial vehicle. They often tackle more miles than commercial vans, and therefore have more opportunities to reach the driving “audience”. In fact, not using a passenger van to advertise for your company is really creating a wasted advertising asset. Whether a full or partial wrap, or even decals and lettering, taking advantage of your fleet to build awareness and equity in your brands or services only makes sense!

The Crittenton Services Wrap Design

We recently got a chance to do a couple of wraps for Crittenton Services for Children and Families in Fullerton, CA. Crittenton helps pair foster families with children that need them. They have a number of extended Ford E350 passenger vans and wanted to leverage them to help spread the word about their great cause and to recruit foster families.

There were some key elements that they wanted us to include on their wrap design, and they were on a budget, so we chose a partial wrap. That choice saved the cost of the vinyl and laminate on the hood, roof and the front of the van – areas prone to faster wear and the least desirable from a vehicle advertising standpoint. Once the style was determined we sought to include their key elements: a picture of a diverse foster family, their company name, recruiting number and message, and website address with QR codes so that passersby could scan them with their smartphones to access their website.

Crittenton also wanted us to work with their corporate colors and two different vans – one with a white base color and one with a grey base color. Finally, we wanted to take advantage of the large vans and not be constrained by windows, so we suggested including the windows in the design. This allowed us to use larger images for greater impact from a distance. With that direction and a couple of proofs, we had alignment with the customer on the design and we got started.

Materials We Chose

We chose 3M vinyl and a 3M gloss laminate to give a finish that would complement the gloss paint colors and help the visual transition from vinyl to paint. With the subliminal background in the design – the pictures contrast well and pop with color. The 3M products wear better and last longer than their cheaper competitors and we wanted a wrap that would look good for years. We also chose a 50/50% perforated vinyl and optically clear overlaminate for the rear van windows. This allows vision out the windows but not in the windows. The laminate helps extend the life of the graphics by filtering UV rays and helping the perforated vinyl adhere more strongly to the windows.

The graphics were then printed on our Hewlett Packard large format digital printer in high resolution. The resulting images have amazing clarity and the color combination really made the van graphics look great – on both base colors!

The Wrap Installation

To be less of a disruption to the day-to-day operations of our customer’s business, we worked on one van at a time and the customer was able to pick up the first completed van when dropping off the second for installation. We do our wraps on-site in our large garage at our Buena Park location, where we can accommodate several vehicles at a time in a secure and enclosed area for the best wrap results. Extreme temperatures and dust can be the cause of a poor wrap install or a future seam or edge failure. Our expert in-house installation staff did the installs in about a day and a half each, and the results were flawless!

Our customer was wowed by the results and has plans for us to work on more vehicles in their fleet in the future because of the great experience and great value! Call Superior Signs and Graphics in Buena Park, CA at 714-248-5901 for a free consultation on your vehicle graphics project today!

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How In Home Personal Care Is Beneficial For Elderly Patients

Deciding on care options for a loved one can be an overwhelming process. These days, given our busy lifestyle, it becomes challenging to care for our aging family members. Many research and choose residential care facilities while many even opt for in home personal care facilities. Both options come with their own set of benefits. But, at Executive Home Care, we believe in improving the quality of life of seniors within their own homes by providing exceptional care. How does in home personal care benefit them? Let’s find out.

The fact that a loved one can dwell in the comfort of their own home, makes life simpler for them. The transition from their own home to a care facility can be quite difficult for them emotionally. With in home personal care, they would be in the comfort of their own homes without any worry.

Personalized care is provided in one’s own home. At a facility, a routine is generally followed whereas it is not the same case with home care services. You can enjoy full flexibility that suits the entire family’s needs.

If a loved one has undergone surgery or is suffering from any problems, it is said that they recover in their own homes faster.

The whole idea of in home personal care is to provide undivided attention to your loved one. The caregiver’s primary focus is on one person which makes the whole experience a great one.

For a family, seeing their aging loved one is not easy especially when they are sick. By having them monitored at home, you would not have to worry about anything bad happening when you are not around. It takes off a lot of stress from your mind too.

The best aspect of having in home personal care is that the senior experiences companionship. They have someone to talk to and listen to. A friendly face is sometimes all the reminder one needs to get through life.

Another major benefit of home care is that you get to be a part of your loved one’s care plan. You will be constantly updated about their health and progress.

Many individuals realize it themselves that once they age, they would need to be taken care of. Some, even understand that a care facility would not be the best choice for them. Therefore, in home personal care is what they opt for.

There are many professionals out there who work by the hour and provide care services. Many look at it as a side job for additional income. At Executive Home Care, we train our staff to provide exceptional services so that seniors truly feel loved and cared for. We understand people and that is what makes us a go-to choice for many families. Contact us today if you are looking for care services for yourself or a loved one and rest assured, you can continue living your best life with us by your side.

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Your Handy Guide To Understanding Conditional And Absolute Discharges

If you are found guilty of a crime, there are a few different ways to avoid a prison sentence in Canada. Two of the most common alternatives to a prison sentence for less severe offences are a Conditional Discharge and an Absolute Discharge.

A “discharge” is also a finding of guilt without a conviction. Since a discharge isn’t a conviction, after a certain number of years, the discharged offence will be removed from the criminal record searches without the need to apply for a pardon.

How To Be Granted A Discharge – The Legal Requirements

The sentencing judge must find, that granting the discharge:

Would be in the best interests of the accused; and

The discharge must not be contrary to the public interest.

Other factors to consider are:

Discharges are only available for crimes where the minimum punishment is less than 14 years imprisonment.

Although discharges will not appear on most criminal record searches, they can be referred to if there is a criminal conviction in the future, and it will likely impact future sentences. It is very uncommon for a repeating offender to receive multiple discharges.

An Example Where A Discharge May Be Granted

You may be asking yourself, what kind of offender could get a discharge, let’s work through an example:

The offender is an abused woman, Jane Doe; her partner, Jeff Doe physically, and emotionally abuses her and controls the family money,

Jane’s family income is low,

Jane secures a part-time job and is accepted into a college program, against her husband’s wishes,

Jane’s husband sabotages her efforts and forces her to quit,

In a fit of despair, Jane smashes her husband’s car windows with a hockey stick before leaving with her children to an abused women’s shelter,

In an effort to force her to return home, Jeff calls the police, and Jane is charged with Mischief under $5000.

Jane retains a criminal defence lawyer; Jane does not deny what she did, so she pleads guilty. Her criminal lawyer can now argue to the judge that Jane should get a discharge because.

It would be in Jane’s best interests not to be convicted; she would be unable to move forward in her quest for independence if a criminal record stopped her from finding work.

The public interest would be better served by allowing Jane to work towards providing for herself and her children; a criminal record would hurt her chances of doing that.

Types Of Discharges

There are two types of discharges, a conditional discharge and an absolute discharge; below we will examine both types:

1)   Conditional Discharges

Often, at the completion of criminal proceedings (following a trial or a guilty plea), offenders will mention that they received “probation”; however. there is no stand-alone sentence of probation. Probation is typically one aspect of another type of sentence. Many people given probation, in fact, received a Conditional Discharge. A Conditional Discharge is given, and an accused must then complete the “conditions” of the sentence.

Some of the conditions could include probation, paying restitution, entering counselling etc. If the “conditions” are completed, after 3 years, the charge should automatically be removed from a criminal record search.

2)   Absolute Discharges

Absolute Discharges differ from Conditional Discharges in that there are no conditions attached, and they will be wiped from criminal records searches after only 1 year. It is very uncommon for judges to award an absolute discharge, and they are typically reserved for the most minor of crimes or very sympathetic accused.

Discharges are a creative way for the justice system to impose a penalty for lawbreaking while ensuring that minor offences do not permanently appear in criminal records. They also keep people out of prison who pose no further danger to society.

Get In Touch With Us!

Remember, the best way to preserve your rights if you’ve been accused of a crime is to hire a criminal defence lawyer.

Disclaimer: Kindly note that sending or receiving information through this site does not establish a solicitor-client relationship. Legal matters are fact-specific, and the law is variably changing. The views expressed and the content provided on this blog are general guidelines and cannot substitute for proper legal advice. Schedule your legal consultation by clicking here: Let’s meet!