Support and Charities for Geriatric Patients and the Elderly

Support and Charities for Geriatric Patients and the Elderly INTRODUCION As population age, the body or physical appearance changes, mental, emotional and social aspects of person’s life are also altered. It is inevitable since nobody can live young for a long time. This also mean that an individual is vulnerable to any diseases. Most of the time the elderly people experience a lot of illnesses due to the fact that they cannot perform certain activities like the way they do when they were still young, imbalance or change of hormones especially to women, and loss of appetite or nutritional deficiencies. Some of the geriatric diseases are curable and treatable but there are also palliative cases or end stage. Moreover, the most common health problem among older ones is dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s disease. It causes progressive decline of person’s ability to function. Based on the Alzheimer’s organisation website, this illness is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States, and there are more than 5 million people living with this problem. Whilst according to the Alzheimer’s New Zealand, there are 48, 182 New Zealanders suffer from dementia in the latest statistics (2011). It is 1.1% of the total population of the country excluding those individuals who are not aware, diagnosed and documented. There are more cases of Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia recorded among females compared to males. In fact in the US, two thirds of the affected persons are women, and in NZ, 60% or majority of them are females. Healthcare providers play a vital role in supporting demented individuals. Everyone is expected to give his/her best effort and perform the task whole-heartedly including the government. Family’s support is the most important one since blood is thicker than water. No matter how hard the medical team try to treat the patients, it becomes useless if the family is not there and are not willing to take actions. The emotional support is necessary especially to those elderly who are in their early stage of dementia. As a Geriatric Healthcare Specialist at Kindly Residential Care Rest home, I will discuss about the emotional support such as individuals in early stage dementia involved in decision-making. Patient’s suffering from early stage dementia or mild- Alzheimer’s disease can most likely still be able to perform their daily activities and most probably need little assistance with the family, relatives, and support worker. These people including the care recipient will experience certain changes due to the health disease as days go by. It is important that the carer is knowledgeable enough to do the tasks and other related circumstances that goes with the situation effectively, and this includes decision-making. Several barriers have been identified in making decision on behalf of the incapacitated person and these are; having difficulties in deciding what to do and the family member experiencing distress in making a decision, others have lack of information about the situation. Some instance in proxy decision making is lack of emotional support for people with early dementia who still have capacity hinders the discussion of future care options, including placement in residential institutions with 24-hour care. Decision making is always based on the person’s knowledge or education, training, previous experience as well as social and cultural background. Others ask for professional help and information but there are also whom do not. There are many support organisations for geriatric health conditions. I will just give five different associations that are working with the same objective, which is assisting and providing help for the seniors, and to those who need their services. One of the organisations is the Alzheimer’s New Zealand Incorporated, it is a not-for-profit company providing support, additional information, helpful educational programmes and other services that are applicable to the local community. They are working with 21 Alzheimers member organisations located all over the country. In May 2010, they launched the National Dementia strategy at a special function that was attended by the Minister of health Tony Ryall and other important people who are part of the business. There are eight strategic goals; 1. Acknowledge/recognise dementia as a national health priority, 2. Boost the awareness of the society about dementia, 3. Deliver easy access to affordable and proper medical treatment, 4. Better management and diagnosis of dementia, 5. Give suitable services to all dementia patient’s, 6. Provide support to family/whanau/carers of people with dementia, 7. Create a workforce to provide quality care for demented people, 8. Expand the research and the evaluation of dementia practices. This organisation is open for donation since helping to sick individuals cost money, they cannot function without the support of the community. Alzheimers New Zealand conducts a lot of programmes like â€Å"Please remember those who can’t† Countdown 2014 Alzheimers Appeal happening on 30 June to July 2014, and â€Å"Dementia: The future is now† biennial conference at Rotorua Convention centre on 14-15 November 2014. Moreover, heart disease is a serious problem encountered by New Zealanders. There are cases in which patient is required to undergo surgery, some instances could lead to death, and others are under long-term medical treatment. That is why The Stroke Foundation is here to help those affected individuals. It is a non-profit association in New Zealand, and is the only organisation which aims and devoted to reduce the number of stroke, better treatment results, and supports those who are already suffering from heart disease. It is managed by board of directors and the main office is located in Wellington. There are three other regional offices in Auckland (Northern Region), Tauranga (Midland), and Christchurch (Southern Region). The Stroke Foundation of New Zealand has three missions; firstly, is to save more lives. They do this by promoting to the public about the health effects of stroke and other symptoms. An example of the programme is the â€Å"Blood Pressure awareness campaignâ₠¬  which is done yearly in May and happens all over the country with the cooperation of St. John, Foodstuffs supermarkets, and Rotary. F.A.S.T Campaign and Pacific stroke prevention programme are the other projects of Stroke foundation. Secondly, is to improve outcomes. The organisation wants to concentrate on the delivery of health services in order to provide better rehabilitation and acute hospital and treatment outcomes to the patients. They are in the process of making the stroke services in to the international best-practice standard. The organisation does National stroke Guidelines, Audit and report acute and post-acute DHB stroke services, and assists in Clinical networks. Lastly, they want to enhance life after stroke. The Stroke Foundation supports the families of the patients by visiting them to their home or in hospitals, giving advice and help in accessing the carer-relief services and funding. This association also have â€Å"Stroke Clubs† in which people invol ved have the chance to meet others regularly and all over New Zealand. They also conducts certain activities and stroke survivors are encourage to participate. Furthermore, another non-for-profit and at the same time non-government organisation is the Diabetes New Zealand. This association has been established since 1962, and has a triple C vision, Controlled, Cured, and Contained. Their mission is to give the diabetic citizens of New Zealand all the support they need so that they can still enjoy the rest of their lives. It has 20 branches in other areas in the country and the main office is in Wellington. All of the branches are working together and giving the necessities of all diabetics. In order for them to achieve their envision and mission, they increase the public awareness regarding the disease, provide additional information and support to help individuals live well, to specifically give hand to those who are prone to type 2 diabetes and eventually delay the complications of diabetes, to promote improve and better services, and to do more researches about diabetes. Diabetes New Zealand is mainly funded by members’ donations, bequests, grants and fees. It is also a member of the International Diabetes Federation, an organisation for all diabetes consumer groups all over the world. Also, changes in vision is common to elderly people. Some have poor eyesight, others may have more serious problems that could result to blindness, and glaucoma is one those. It is a condition of a group related diseases in which the optic nerve is affected. The nerve fibres continue to die which causes blockage to the peripheral or even side vision. This the leading cause of preventable blindness in New Zealand as well as in other developed countries. Early detection and proper treatment will prevent the community from blindness due to glaucoma. That is why Glaucoma New Zealand was established, and is a registered charitable trust in 2002. They have four aims; to enhance awareness of the public about glaucoma, assist and give knowledge to individuals regarding glaucoma, provide education to the eye health workers to ensure that a high quality of service is given to the clients, and to advocate research into glaucoma. Then, the Cancer Society of New Zealand is a not-for-profit association and is dedicated to reduce the incidence of cancer as well as to give the most care to all New Zealanders. The main office is in Wellington, there are 6 regional offices and 16 cancer centres, and each is providing their own funds and other support services. The organisation’s values are integrity, respect and excellence. Their core services are Health promotion, Support, Information and Resources, and Research. The team encourages the society to have a healthy lifestyle by educating them, providing policy, advocacy, and through communicating with the public. Some of the programmes or topics are Tobacco Control, Skin Cancer Prevention, Nutrition and Physical Activity, Screening and Early detection, and Men’s Health. They also accept volunteers which are devoted to the vision and mission of the association. They mainly rely on the donations, fund-raising activities like Relay for Life and Daffodil da y, bequests, and personal support. There are a lot of service provisions in New Zealand, and I will just discuss six among all the types. Hospice New Zealand is one of those service provisions. It is established to make sure that citizens of New Zealand have an access to quality palliative care. They intent to obtain government funding, establish standards and monitor the facilities at a national level, licensing, yearly inspection of hospices, and giving education and resources. This organisation has five goals; initially is the community engagement, which increases the awareness and understanding of care. Next is leadership, they want to guide the whole country into the right direction and support with the help of other members and sectors. Advocacy is the third goal, to ensure equitable funding and delivery of hospice care. The fourth goal is to develop workforce, they want to have a high palliative care and performing hospice manpower. The fifth and final goal is the quality and standards. This will enable them to improve the quality and standards palliative care for the families, clients and whanau. The vision of Hospice New Zealand is based on the World Health Organisation, which â€Å"intends neither to hasten nor postpone death†. The core values are being Professional, Respectful, Caring, Collaborative, and Honour diversity. Similarly, Public hospitals is another service rendered for New Zealanders. These are manage and owned, or funded by District Health Boards (DHBs). It is made up to provide quality acute care, and guarantee that a lot of individuals are able to access the elective or non-acute services. There are varieties of publicly funded health and disability services right now such as surgical, maternity, medical, emergency, and diagnostic services. Hospital services are provided on a day case and outpatient basis, inpatient, and depends on the type of care needed by the clients. Inpatients are admitted in the hospital for only one day or overnight, day case clients are admitted and are being discharge on the same day, while outpatients go to specialist’s clinic services and are not admitted to hospital. In addition, Residential care in New Zealand is provided by private companies and non- profit organisations. In most cases the cost of care to the individuals is subsidised by government funding known as the Residential Care Subsidy. It includes long-term care, and has four levels of care: rest home care, continuing care (hospital), dementia care, and specialised hospital care (psychogeriatric care). Short-term respite care and convalescent may also provide but do not involve income and asset testing. To be eligible for a government-subsidised residential care must be assessed as â€Å"needing care†. DHBs are responsible for funding residential care services for elderly persons. They also have contracts to other rest homes and hospitals owners, if the client is eligible for government funding through the residential care subsidy, DHBs will decide based on the assessment of a resident. Whether â€Å"high† or â€Å"very high† needs, and it is necessary to send the client to one of the service provisions, and the family or relative cannot be safely cared. Moreover, GP or General Practitioners are one of the healthcare providers who help the residents in dealing with their diseases or situation. GP diagnose and treat the health concerns of the people within the community. Pay depends on the location, hours, and the number of patients they rendered their service. General Practitioners job description are the following: examine and diagnose client’s health problems, perform minor surgery, refer residents/patients to other health services if necessary, prescribe and administer medications, keep medical records and maintain the confidentiality of patients, advise on health care and prevention of illness, and also train and supervise doctors working towards their GP exams. It is essential for them to be great in communicating with the patients, they are knowledgeable about the anatomy and how human body works, and have the knowledge of different diseases, illnesses and injuries. They must update themselves by new research, treatments , and practices. The knowledge of medical ethics and law is very important, and the diagnostic skills. GP’s job is very important since the diagnosis of the patient depends on their assessment. Counsellors are also important in the community. They help individuals in dealing with their personal problems, it could be emotional or financial. They also aid in deciding on what actions they can take to solve problems and create changes in their lives. The professional fees vary and depend on the offer of employer, as well qualifications and experience. It is a vital characteristic for the counsellor to be a good listener, respond, and reflect with clients. Counsellors must also convince their clients to talk and express their feelings about the happening in their life. It is also part of their job to help the patients in understanding themselves, their necessities as well as how to meet their goals. The skills and knowledge that a counsellor must have are: the knowledge of social, cultural issues, and self-care strategies. To be able to understand the human development and relationships, skills in analysing and evaluating human behaviour. This profession is very helpful for the elderly since they experience a lot of changes not only in their physical looks but also emotionally. They need an expert in decision making and an advice from their personal problems. Finally, Dieticians play a vital role in health services when it comes to the seniors. Balance diet and healthy lifestyle is one of the common geriatric problems, that is why dietician is needed to ensure that they are eating nutritional food, preventing and eliminating vices such as smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages. A registered dieticians often seen working in the community like in, hospitals, catering companies, food industry, companies, sports commission, and other non-traditional work settings. This profession is essential in the treatment and prevention of disease in the hospital and other health care facilities. The elderly must eat properly since they are prone to other diseases like skin infection, allergies, skin tears and other related illnesses. Once they are healthy, they can prevent those diseases and can still enjoy the rest of their lives. In conclusion, there are so many geriatric problems like emotional, physical, mental etc. The government and other non-profit associations are working hand and hand in order to eliminate and eventually prolong the lives of the seniors. Emotional support from the family especially in the early stage of having a disease is important for both parties so that they can cope with the problems together. By doing this, the sick individual is not feeling ignored or left behind. Heaps of support services are available nationwide such as Alzheimers New Zealand, Stroke Foundation, Diabetes New Zealand, Glaucoma New Zealand, and Cancer Society of New Zealand. All of these provide an outstanding health services towards residents who badly need help and support from the community. Aside from that, service provisions are necessary to complete the cycle of the health care plan. Examples are hospices, hospitals, residential cares, General practitioners (GP), Counsellors, and Dieticians. All of those h ave their own responsibilities and are experts in caring and giving their best efforts for the betterment of the elderly.

Narration of Chpt 7 Essay

THE NARRATIVE IN THIS CHAPTER OPENS WITH HASSAN’S DREAM, IN WHICH WE SEE A POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE OMEN. IN THE DREAM, AMIR AND HASSAN ARE CELEBRATED AS HEROES WHICH IS A POSITIVE FORECAST FOR THE UPCOMING COMPETITION; HOWEVER, THE MONSTER â€Å"SWIMMING AT THE BOTTOM (OF THE LAKE), WAITING† FORESHADOWS THE MONSTROUS EVENT THAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. THE DREAM JUXTAPOSES THE NIGHTMARE AMIR WILL WATCH AND HASSAN WILL EXPERI- ENCE LATER ON IN THE CHAPTER, THERE ARE MANY EXAMPLES OF JUXTAPOSITION IN THIS CHAPTER. THE BEAUTY OF THE DAY IS TARNISHED WITH THE UGLY INCIDENT, WINNING THE COMPETITION IS CONTRASTED WITH LOSING HIS FRIEND, THE SUN SHINING ON THE SNOW-WHITE DAY CLASHES WITH THE DARKNESS OF THE ALLEY, WHICH MEANS THE AUTHOR HERE IS ALSO USING PATHETIC FALLACY TO FURTHER INCREASE THE CONTRAST; ALL THE JUXTAPOSITION MAKES THE EVENT MORE DARK AND DIS- TURBING. WHEN HASSAN IS SHARING HIS DREAM WITH AMIR, AMIR IS ABRUPT TOWARDS HIM AND INTER- RUPTS HIS STORY, HE â€Å"ALMOST APOLOGISED, THEN DIDN’T. HASSAN UNDERSTOOD†, THIS IS AN INDI- CATOR OF THE SOCIETY AND CULTURE THEY LIVED IN, WHERE PASHTUN SUPERIORITY WAS THE AC- CEPTED NORM AND HAZARAS WERE CONSIDERED TO BE AN INFERIOR RACE. HASSAN KNOWS HIS PLACE AS THE SERVANT. LATER ON IN THE CHAPTER HASSAN BECOMES THE â€Å"SACRIFICIAL LAMB†, AMIR SAYS â€Å"I RAN BECAUSE I WAS A COWARD† BUT THEN TRIES TO CONVINCE HIMSELF HASSAN IS THE PRICE HE HAS TO PAY FOR BABA’S LOVE. AMIR’S DISMISSAL OF THE SITUATION IS UNUSUAL AS HE IS TYPICALLY MORE OPEN MINDED ABOUT HASSAN’S RACE, BUT IN THIS SITUATION HE THINKS TO HIMSELF â€Å"HE WAS JUST A HAZARA, WASN’T HE? †, THIS SHOWS HOW DEEP RACISM RUNS IN THE CULTURE. HOWEVER IT IS WORTH NOTING AMIR’S THOUGHTS ARE INTERTWINED WITH HIS NOW ADULT PERSPECTIVE AS HE IS TELLING THE STORY IN RETROSPECT AFTER HE HAS LIVED WITH THE CONSTANT GUILT OF THIS EVENT; THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF POSTMODERNISM AS THE NARRATIVE IS FRAGMENTED AND THERE IS MEANING CREATED IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE NARRATIVES, AMIR’S NARRA- TIVE OF HASSAN’S RAPE IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THIS AS THE MEANING OF IT DEEPENS BY ADULT AMIR’S REASONING. AMIR’S ACTIONS HERE MEANS ‘THE KITE RUNNER’ IS A BILDUNGSROMAN, WHERE THE PROTAGONIST OF THE STORY’S ACTIONS ARE NOT HEROIC. DURING THE RAPE, AMIR’S NARRATIVE BREAKS OFF INTO MEMORIES RATHER THAN SPEAKING ABOUT THE EVENTS ACTUALLY TAKING PLACE. HE DIGRESSES INTO PAST MEMORIES AND EVENTS FROM HIS EARLIER CHILDHOOD, THIS INDICATES THE NARRATOR’S DIFFICULTY IN DEALING WITH WHAT’S HAPPENING IN FRONT OF HIM. IT’S ALMOST AS IF THERE ARE GAPS IN HIS ADULT MEMORY AS A RESULT OF HIS CHILDHOOD SELF DISTANCING HIMSELF FROM THE SITUATION. BY HAVING THE EVENTS TAKING PLACE IN AN ALLEY IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DARK NATURE OF THE EVENTS AND THE FACT THAT AMIR FAILS TO ENTER THE ALLEY SHOWS HIS UNWILLINGNESS TO DEAL WITH THE DARKER THINGS IN LIFE, IT ALSO AL- LOWS THE RAPE TO BECOME A SIDE EVENT, SOMETHING EASILY IGNORED AND NOT A PART OF MAIN- STREAM LIFE. CHAPTER 7 IS THE CLIMAX THE READER HAS BEEN WAITING FOR SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE NOVEL. HOWEVER WHEN THE EVENT OCCURS WE REALISE IT IS A THIRD OF THE WAY THROUGH THE NOVEL AND IT ISN’T THE EVENT ITSELF BUT THE AFTERMATH OF IT THAT HAUNTS AMIR AS THE EVENTS ARE FAR FROM OVER. DESPITE FROM THIS, WE KNOW THAT CHAPTER 7 IS THE PIVOTAL CHAPTER AS Micaela Mossop WITHOUT THE EVENTS THAT TAKE PLACE HERE WOULD BE NO STORY TO TELL. THE IDEA THAT THE REPERCUSSION OF AMIR’S ACTIONS WILL AFFECT THE REST OF THE NOVEL IS REINFORCED AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER WHEN HE SOBS IN BABA’S ARMS WHICH INDICATES THE GAIN OF HIS FATHER’S AFFEC- TION WILL BE TAINTED BY HASSAN’S SACRIFICE.

Comparing The Book And The 1932 Film Murders - 1470 Words

After reading and watching both the book and the 1932 film ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue.’ It is evident that the film went mostly it’s own way, taking only small bits from Poe’s actual story, discarding many important details. The book starts out with an intricate explanation of the analytical mind. As that is our introduction; it floats into our narrator recounting his acquaintance with another named: C. Auguste Dupin, whom our narrator recalls was very fond of books; having met him at an obscure library in the Rue Montmartre, they were searching for the same unique text. This accidental meeting brought them closer together, seeing each other frequently. Our narrator is fascinated with his new friend s’ family history, which he was told many times. And is enthralled by Dupin’s love of literature. It is then detailed how our narrator gives himself up to Dupin’s ‘flights of fancy,’ letting himself be sucked into a vortex of fey dreams. Prone to prowling the streets at night, conversing amongst themselves. He then praises his friend’s analytical inclination, his skills of observation proved by a little chat about a play and a fruiterer. While they are taking one of th eir many jaunts around Paris, the pair come across a newspaper describing a ghoulish unsolved case involving the murder of a woman: Lady L’Espanaye and her daughter Camille. It seems the Madame was found with her neck so ravaged, her head just fell off when moved. Her daughter cruelly contorted and shoved up aShow MoreRelated James M. Cains Novel Mildred Pierce: Comparing the Book and Movie Version869 Words   |  4 PagesJames M. Cains Novel Mildred Pierce: Comparing the Book and Movie Version Mildred Pierce is one of the greatest novels written by James M. Cain. After the success of the novel, the Hollywood film came out, produced by Jerry Wald. The novel and the movie are very different from each other. â€Å"James M. 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Role Of The United Nations And The WTO In Regulating Global Media - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2136 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Media Essay Type Analytical essay Level High school Did you like this example? The issue of politics and the regulation of media is not a new debate. Discussions around communications have a long history and governance and policy around telecommunications is a well-established topic at both national and international levels (Fylverboom, 2011). Even before national governments realised that international mechanisms were required to manage global issues such as trade of the environment, many realised that the benefits of international telecommunications would only be apparent if there were shared rules of the game in terms of governing how national networks would connect with each other (Fylverboom, 2011). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Role Of The United Nations And The WTO In Regulating Global Media" essay for you Create order This study looks at the role of two key intergovernmental organisations and their role in regulating the global media. The United Nations (UN) and World Trade Organisation (WTO) both exert considerable influence on the world stage and it can be argued that both are influential in the regulation of media around the globe. The United Nations was established in 1945 to bring together nations of the world to promote peace and security (United Nations 2015) it is involved in missions around the world ranging from peacekeeping and sustainable development to fighting terrorism and addressing climate change. In relation to global media, UNESCO is an arm of the UN with a focus on education, cultural understanding and promoting freedom of expression and democracy. It states that it has a specific mandate to foster freedom of expression and to promote the free flow of ideas by word and image, The UNESCO webpage states that the organisation works to foster free, independent and pluralis tic media in print, broadcast and online. Media development in this mode enhances freedom of expression, and it contributes to peace, sustainability, poverty eradication and human rights. (UNESCO, 2015). Interestingly, UNESCO itself has entered the debate around media regulation, although more with a view on the contract between media self-regulation and state regulation than addressing the issue of media regulation by NGOs. A UNESCO report by Pudephatt (2011) provides a useful declaration of a media environment that supports freedom expression stating: it will be a diverse media environment, part public, part private and part community; a plurality of different media outlets; and a system that is broadly self-regulating with the exception of broadcast media (where spectrum has been limited and a regulatory body allocates bandwidth) (Pudephatt, 2011, p10). Pudephatt debates a central question around media regulation, which is whether it threatens or supports democracy. Some ar gue that minimal state interference in the media is necessary for a media environment that supports democracy, whilst other will argue that state intervention is required to promote a pluralist and diverse media (Pudephatt, 2011). A good example to support this argument would be a democratic state in which a small number of wealthy individuals bought up most of the media outlets and used this near monopoly to promote one political or economic view with the result that democratic debate became stifled. Pudephatt (2011) makes the point that in the past many states have looked to prevent a company from occupying a dominant market share of the media in order to ensure freedom of expression. It can certainly be argued that many arms of the UN do oppose most forms of media regulation. Human rights instruments such as the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights for example can all be seen as tools to support rath er than suppress freedom of expression. OSiochru et al (2002) suggest that there have been three broad phases in the development of global media regulation. The initial phase, pre-UN was driven by the economic and industrial revolution and accommodated the societal concerns of the time. A second phase came with the emergence of the UN and closer international relations. The increased presence of developing nations within the UN and its bodies, and calls for societal and human rights saw freedom of expression on the UN agenda, and through bodies such as UNESCO it encouraged greater freedom of expression in both national and international media (O Siochru et al.,2002). The third phase is represented by a weakening of the UN role in global media governance and one in which big business with a focus on the commercial rewards of global media looks to undercut national regulation and looks to free trade proponents such at the WTO to support this. The WTO was established with a narro wer agenda. It is an international body established to promote free trade through the abolition of tariffs and other trade barriers. It is closely linked with the ideas of globalisation and faces criticisms that it is too powerful, indifferent to workers rights, biased towards the rich and that it lacks democratic accountability (BBC, 2012). These criticisms can arguably be extended towards the WTO and global media, particularly when consideration is given to the expansion of powerful media conglomerates which benefit from the trade liberalisation ethos of the WTO. The WTO has a great deal of power in relation to global economic matters and its influence on global media has also grown as media organisations become bigger business and increasingly commercialised (Leicester University, 2015). One of the key concerns for the WTO is promoting free trade and the addressing the pre-existing barriers that national sovereignty can out in place of media expansion globally. Hackett and Zhao (2005) argue that the WTO has become an organisation which straddles key areas of communication and is set to extend its mandate further (p212). The WTO appears to be as supportive of the liberalisation of media and telecommunications as it is for the liberalisation of other areas of trade. With its rulings on formal trade complaints enforceable in international law, it is increasingly being seen by the largest media organisations as an ally as they look to expand into new market (Mansell and Raboy, 2011). The difficulties that companies such as Google have establishing a presence in states where there is more rigid censorship serve as one example of this. Global broadcasting has been happening for decades yet whilst organisations such as the WTO have long had success in securing international agreements which liberalised trade, cultural industries have often been afforded greater protection by governments and certain restrictions have been placed on the importance of cultur al industry products and media services (Mansell and Raboy, 2011). One consequence of globalisation of the media however has been an increased commercialisation of the industry (Mansell and Raboy, 2011). Essentially, global media is now big business and there are huge profits to potentially be made if the largest media corporations can overcome national media regulation and expand into new territories. As Mansell and Raboy (2011) state global markets in broadcasting are commercial, even when they involve trade among national broadcasters (p55). In many individual nations, national broadcasters have seen their market share decline. The WTOs influence can be seen in the growing dominance of a small number of market leaders in the media industry and much of the context to this can be found in the US media. In 1984 around 50 corporations controlled the vast majority of news media in the US; this in itself seemed a small number but by 2004 similar criteria being applied found that this number had reduce to five huge organisations controlling over 90 per cent of mass media in the US (Mansell and Raboy, 2011). These organisation are looking to expand their influence globally and the liberalisation of trade under the WTO is enabling this to happen. The dominance of a small number of corporations, the majority of which share a similar world view, brings us back to the question as to whether regulation of the media is a good or bad thing in terms of promoting democracy and freedom of expression. As these huge corporations use their market power as leverage to reduce traditional national interest public broadcasting, there are questions as to whether broadcasting in the public interest is still happening. Mansell and Raboy (2011) suggest that there is no global forum with sufficient influence to tackle these questions; in essence the liberalising power of the WTO is overcoming national attempts to regulate media and also the efforts of organisations such as UNES CO to promote a diverse global media. One of the key media developments for both the UN and the WTO to address has been the growth of the Internet over the last two decades. Whereas global media had always been subject to some form of governance, the Internet has been portrayed as outside of the reach of regulation due to its global and decentralised nature (Fylverboom, 2005). Its ever-expanding nature and its versatile technical platform have left it for some time outside of global media governance but there is some evidence that this is beginning to change and the UN and the WTO have both had at least some involvement in this. In 2003 a UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) debated issues around global governance of the Internet. It looked at the status quo at the time where national governments were largely regulating the Internet within their own boundaries, and discussed whether some form of global governance was possible (Mansell and Raboy, 2011). It was clea r at this point that both democratic and authoritarian governments were taking steps to deny access to their citizens for content that was seen as illegal or objectionable. The WSIS was ultimately unable to make much progress on this issue, finding that the conditions for access to the Internet would continue to be determined by the national government policies that were established and the effectiveness of their implementation (Mansell and Raboy, 2011). This suggests that the UN at least is limited in its capability to regulate some part of digital media on a global scale. Whilst the Internet is a global tool to be used, national governments so far are able to maintain a certain level of control as to the level of access that citizens have. Unsurprisingly the WTO has looked to extend its influence into the complex area of Internet regulation. One of the difficulties it faces it that the complexity of Internet regulation makes it an issue much larger than something that simply co mes under the remit of free trade or trade liberalisation. The whole area of content regulation has to be addressed; the attitude of China for example towards Internet content from the democratic West for example is not something that can easily be resolved (Kong, 2002). There remains a possibility that the WTO may be asked to step into legal battles around freedom of trade related to provision of Internet services. There has been discussion recently that companies such as Google might look to sue governments such as the Chineses for discrimination because of its harsh web filtering conditions (World Trade Law, 2015). If this were to happen, the WTOs role in Internet governance would expand rapidly Issues around Internet content make ideas of global regulation difficult; different cultures have different views on acceptable content. For the WTO, there are other issues around the Internet which it can more easily address. It may be able to coordinate regulation and standard-settin g in areas such as data protection and enabling access to financial services (IP Watch, 2015). A summary of the current position would be that the UNs influence over global media regulation diminishes as the globalised nature of the Internet develops further, and as powerful media conglomerates exert influence to facilitate their own plans for future dominance. The WTO with its commitment to free trade has enabled some of these huge corporations to grow; the challenge it faces in future will be to resolve the ongoing issues between these media giants and the national governments which wish to maintain a level of control on the media access open to their citizens. The likelihood given its nature is that the WTO will support the media organisations; the question is whether individual governments will adhere to its decisions. 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