Finally! A Resource for Evaluating Nursing Home Care

There are 1.5 million people in nursing homes throughout the nation, and the population is expected to grow by 40% over the next decade.  

Source: auroragov.org

For those seeking a tool that assesses the state of these facilities as they or their relatives consider entering one, there's a guide in Families for Better Care's recent report that evaluates each state's care delivery. 

Organized as a report card, the document assigns a letter grade to each state. Topping the report's list with A's are Alaska, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Oregon, Maine, Utah, Idaho, South Dakato and North Dakota. Earning F's are Texas, Louisiana, Indiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Michigan, Nevada, Illinois and Iowa. 

Nigeria Debates Child Marriage as Swaziland Ties Ban on Practice to Health, Fight Against HIV

Lately, there has been a flurry of activities on the issue of child marriage in various parts of the world, including Africa.

In July, the Nigerian legislature attempted but failed to repeal a provision in its constitution that allows child marriage. Sen. Ahmed Yerima, who married a 13-year-old Egyptian child in 2010 at age 49 after paying a $100,000 dowry, successfully foiled the repeal by framing it as an attack on Islam.

Meanwhile in Swaziland, a soccer player was arrested for violating the country's 2012 Child Protection and Welfare Act, which banned marriages between young women under age 18 and adult men. Violators face an R20,000 ($2,000) fine, statutory rape charges, the marriage's annulment and up to 20 years imprisonment. Colluding parents face similar charges.