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Winter can be a fun-filled holiday season. However, the cold temperature also makes everyone, especially immunocompromised seniors, susceptible to viruses, such as the common cold and flu. A weakened immune system makes you sick more often, and your illness lasts longer. You also have a higher risk of complications, such as pneumonia or bacterial infections.

Knowing how to protect yourself is key to enjoying the holidays. While you don’t need to avoid the outdoors entirely, keeping yourself warm and boosting your immunity helps. For instance, layering your clothes correctly can do wonders. A balanced diet can also help with deficiencies.

In this article, Village Caregiving explains how you can protect your health this winter season. The first step is to understand the risks to be aware of.

How the Cold Season Affects the Immune System

Village Caregiving

During winter, it’s easy to lose body heat as you breathe in cold air. Breathing out the warm, moist air reduces your thermal energy. Over time, your body uses up its stored energy, causing a drop in body temperature. This gets dangerous if the body loses heat faster than it produces.

The risk is higher if you have respiratory conditions, such as asthma. Cold, dry air can easily irritate your airways. To protect your immune system, watch out for the following.

1. Viruses Spread Easily in Low Temperatures

Viruses thrive and spread easily in low temperatures. Cold, dry atmospheres also have fewer water molecules that interfere with transmission. For instance, the influenza virus survives longer in the upper respiratory tract during cold weather. If someone with a virus sneezes nearby, it’s easier to get infected.

What’s more, cold air dries the nasal passages, making your body less effective in fighting the virus. Influenza and COVID-19 are among the common respiratory viruses during the winter.

2. Extreme Cold Temperatures Can Lead to Frostbite and Hypothermia

Frigid temperatures, typically below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, can result in frostbite. This is a dangerous condition where the affected body part loses its color and sensation due to frozen body tissues, including skin and bone. Extremities, such as the nose, cheeks, ears, chin, fingers and toes, are usually more susceptible. Severe circumstances can result in permanent damage or amputation.

The damage typically begins before you feel it. Be watchful of any redness or pain in your skin area, especi

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Recurring IT challenges are more than a minor inconvenience in today’s fast-paced, competitive landscape. They can disrupt your productivity, compromise security and damage your reputation. Your business deserves more than a quick fix to stand out from competitors. You need proactive, dependable support that keeps mission-critical processes running smoothly and securely.

Your IT partner should be an asset in your growth, monitoring your infrastructure, preventing threats and immediately resolving minor issues before they escalate.

This guide from Ascendant Technologies will help you identify the IT services best suited to your business’s immediate and long-term goals, enabling you to confidently move forward.

Understanding Your IT Support Requirements

Ascendant Technologies

A responsive, agile IT team is a linchpin of a streamlined, safe and productive working environment. As businesses worldwide recognize how critical IT professionals are, market research experts predict the industry will reach a global market volume of $1.83 trillion by 2030.

Evaluate your IT infrastructure and security needs to choose a model that aligns with your current and future strategies.

• Hardware and software: Take stock of assets like computers, servers, software licenses and subscriptions. A detailed inventory helps you identify gaps and plan upgrades to your setup.
• Network setup: Assess the performance and configuration of routers, switches, firewalls and other components to determine how well everything functions and where you can improve.
• Pain points: Do you experience recurring network outages, slow systems or security breaches? Identify these obstacles to clarify your most pressing needs.
• Business goals: Your IT support should align with objectives like scaling your operations or eliminating bottlenecks.
• Budget: Don’t lose sight of your bottom line. Define your budget early, then look for solutions that deliver value without breaking the bank.

Comparing Your Options

Once you’ve honestly assessed your business’s IT needs, you can select a model that fits your goals, infrastructure and budget.

In-House IT Support

Hiring an internal IT team gives you direct access to professionals who understand your systems and workflows. Since this arrangement can be costly and time-intensive, it’s best for larger organization

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The U.S. healthcare workforce is heading into 2026 under mounting strain, with two in five healthcare workers reporting that their jobs feel unsustainable. New national data from Indeed’s Pulse of Healthcare report shows that burnout, staffing shortages, and rising administrative demands are pushing many clinicians to reconsider their future in the field, with some questioning whether they can remain in healthcare at all.

Dr. Darien Sutton, a board-certified emergency medicine physician and ABC News medical correspondent, discusses with Indeed the deep emotional fatigue echoed across the field and shares how employers can support, rather than add to, the day-to-day demands of patient care.

Burnout is reshaping how workers think about their careers

Burnout remains one of the most persistent issues for healthcare workers, driven by chronic understaffing, administrative overload, and a lack of meaningful support.

Indeed surveyed 924 U.S. healthcare professionals nationwide and found that unmanageable workloads and lack of support, compounded by chronic understaffing are driving this crisis.

“People aren’t just looking for another job in the same hospital—they’re looking for another career,” Dr. Sutton said. He described a “rare kind of heartbreak” many clinicians feel: a “level of disdain for something you love” that becomes unsustainable over time.

Much of this frustration stems not only from patient care responsibilities but from feeling buried under systemic issues and administrative demands.

“We’re doing the work, navigating the healthcare system, and managing the complaints,” he said. “And often, the people who could help are several floors away, behind closed doors.”

This disconnect contributes to employee turnover that’s expensive and destabilizing. Replacing a single healthcare worker costs employers six to nine months of salary, according to the report, and every departure weakens continuity of care.

Most wellbeing programs miss the mark, workers say

Work wellbeing isn’t about surface-level perks like free lunches or discounted gym memberships. While many healthcare organizations have invested in wellness initiatives, the data suggests these efforts often fail to address employees’ real needs.

Today, healthcare workers want structural support: communication, reasonable workloads, safe staffing levels, and time to recover. From a business perspective, investing in these fundamentals not only improves workplace culture but also strengthens retention and patient outcomes. According to Indeed’s report, 80% of healthcare workers say existing well-being solutions are ineffective, often because staffing constraints prevent participation or programs don’t address the root causes of burnout. Workers report being short-staffed 43% of the time, underscoring why surface-level initiatives fail

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Businesses and professionals join business membership organizations to network, improve their skills and access exclusive resources. Such organizations facilitate collaboration and encourage innovative ideas, leading to more business and career opportunities.

Membership organizations also serve as industry voices. They influence industry policies and push certain advocacies forward. The organization serves as a holistic platform for people with a shared purpose, such as professionals within an industry.

While many membership perks are enticing, some organizations benefit you more than others. Certain questions and criteria can tell you which is worth the investment. When choosing the right organization, begin with a specific goal in mind. In this article, Business Consumer Alliance breaks down what memberships can do for you and how you can select the right one.

What Is a Business Membership Organization?

A business membership organization, or business membership association, is a for-profit or nonprofit organization composed of individuals with common goals. These goals may include career advancement, protection of industry interests and increased business visibility. To cater to such goals, organizations often provide relevant resources and organize activities, such as workshops and conferences.

Common examples of business membership organizations include the following.

• Professional associations: Professional associations are comprised of professionals who aim to improve their skills and advocate for their interests. Examples include the American Bar Association for legal professionals and the American Medical Association for medical professionals.
• Trade associations: Trade associations are created by businesses within an industry to set standards, address issues and influence regulatory changes. Examples include the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) for retailers and ASTM International for manufacturers and related industries.
• Educational associations: Educational associations support the education sector, including teachers, students and institutions. The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is one example.
• Charitable associations: Charitable associations are nonprofits that support social and philanthropic causes and rely on donations and volunteer activities. Habitat for Humanity is an example.

7 Benefits of Joining a Business Membership Organization

Read more

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A family on vacation walks toward a theme park on a humid afternoon, balancing bags and bottled water. The kids drift toward an ice-cream cart while their parents shuffle between a printed map, the park’s website, and a board listing ticket prices. On the same street, a café waits for the post-lunch rush. A boutique next door sells themed merchandise. A taxi stand nearby lines up cars for the next group of visitors.

It’s a familiar pattern. Travelers cross paths with multiple businesses long before they reach their destination, but only a few manage to hold their attention.

Travel no longer belongs only to airlines or hotels. Every person in motion, whether commuting to work or flying across continents, is part of what’s known as the traveler economy: a network of quick decisions and purchases that happen while people are in transit. When these touchpoints connect, they form a sense of continuity across a traveler’s journey.

According to Uniqode‘s analysis of QR Code placement for travel, these interactions occur in everyday settings: taxis, neighborhood cafés, hotel lobbies, and museums. Yet most brands treat them as random encounters rather than strategic touchpoints, missing opportunities to connect with travelers when they’re most open to new experiences.

Beyond flights and hotels: The economy in motion

The travel economy extends far beyond planes and check-ins. A single trip passes through dozens of local businesses, cafés, taxis, stores, and wellness centers. Each stop represents a moment when travelers make quick purchasing decisions while away from familiar routines.

Yet most non-travel and non-hospitality brands still design only for local customers, not for people passing through. They miss opportunities when travelers are actually more open to trying new things—at unfamiliar restaurants, in hotel lobbies, or while waiting for rides.

This is where strategic placement of QR Codes can bridge the gap, helping businesses connect with travelers at the exact moment decisions are made: at the table, in the cab, or at the counter.

Retail and F&B

For travelers, shopping and dining are rarely planned experiences. They happen in the in-between moments, grabbing coffee before boarding, stepping into a local shop near the hotel, or picking up a snack during a day trip. Yet these spontaneous interactions are often disconnected from any digital follow-up. Stores and cafés still rely on foot traffic visibility rather than intent, hoping passersby will notice a store sign or menu at the right time.

This is where most opportunities are lost. A traveler may be curious but not ready to commit. They might not want to open a browser, download an app, or search for details in a language they do not speak. The window between interest and action closes quickly, and