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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2009)
health and wellness december 2009 19 For Goodness Sake... Promoting Health of the Mind, Body, Spirit and Community By Heather Lewis, LMT, CLT, NT I would like to take this opportu- nity to congratulate Mrs. Carolyn Keas- ey on her recent award for “Compassion and Wisdom” as volunteer of the year, from Providence Health & Services. Not only has Carolyn helped to safe- guard this community’s history by vol- unteering at the museum and contributed to this community’s future by providing young women educational opportunities through her efforts with PEO, she has been dedicated to the day-to-day health and welfare of this community by serv- ing on the Vernonia Health Board in or- der to maintain quality medical services here in our fair town. The last week of October, the Vernonia Health Board received the news that Carolyn was to be presented her award November 11 th , at the “All Saint’s Day Community Breakfast” hosted by Providence H&S. This is an annual event to recognize the volunteers in our regional community that embody the beatitudes of St. Matthew and self- lessly strive to feed the hungry, heal the sick, provide shelter to those in need and seek justice and respect on behalf of those unable to do so for themselves. However, Carolyn was unable to receive her award in person. The week prior to the event, she had a heart attack. Fortu- nately, due to the efforts of the Board led by Carolyn, we have medical services available in Vernonia-- without which, she may not have survived. So, while recuperating in the hospital, the award was presented by our own Dr. Phyl- lis Gilmore to Carolyn’s husband, Mr. Ralph Keasey, accompanied by her son and daughter, in front of The Vernonia Health Board and volunteer peers from throughout Oregon and SW Washington. Priscilla Lewis of Providence closed the ceremony with a quote from Senator Ed- ward Kennedy, “The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die.” Quite an appropriate quote. As stated in prior columns, the Health Board is currently restructuring their business model and simultaneously working to move the clinic out of the floodway. To maintain compliance with new regula- tions regarding floodway management, the Board has set a deadline for moving by fall, 2011. Reorganization of the business model will be done concur- rently with consideration to providing a seamless transition for the community. As part of this restructure, the Vernonia Health Center Board of Directors would like to invite applications for new board member positions from any person cur- rently living in the service area. This is an exciting time for members of the community to participate in designing how health care services are provided here in the Upper Nehalem Valley. The Board has held presen- tations at the November Chamber of Commerce meeting and the November Mist-Birkenfeld Fire Department Board meeting, to ensure that all members of the service area feel informed and in- cluded in the process. Also, part of their communication strategy will be regular updates on the Health Board’s webpage located on the Chamber of Commerce’s website. If you feel called to be of ser- vice to your community in this capacity, you may submit an application in writ- ing to Carolyn Keasey, 14426 Keasey Road, Vernonia, OR. The next time you walk through the doors of the clinic or even if you are not currently a patient, the next time you drive by the clinic, remember all the behind-the-scenes efforts by your neigh- bors in this community that have made it possible to have medical services avail- able should you need them. And please, the next time you see her, join me in con- gratulating Mrs. Carolyn Keasey on her many years of service to the history, the future and the day-to-day welfare of this community. Here’s wishing you good health… Better Parenting: The Spoiled Child - PART II By Sonia Spackman, them and teach them that you are the parent and they are the children. In Part I, we heard about the hidden costs of spoiling If many of the statements below sound familiar to you, our kids and the toll it takes on our child’s self-worth try not to worry-- it’s never too late to start over. At the and emotional development. It was pointed out how end, we will go over strategies to get on track. our own painful childhood, and feeling tired and guilty can influence our giving and “giving in” to our kids. “A 1. Making your child the center of the world. spoiled child is one who’s demanding, self-centered, Making your children’s wishes top priority teaches and unreasonable,” says Harvey Karp, M.D., creator them that the world revolves around them. This could of The Happiest Toddler on the Block DVD and book. prevent learning to consider other people’s needs and He states that giving in to their demands ends up mak- wants. Children need to understand give and take. ing kids feel alone and confused… they manipulate so When take is the only function they know, they tend to much to get what they want that they don’t know when be frustrated. someone is giving in to them because they really care about them. As parents, we do not realize the damage 2. Ignoring positive behavior. we do when we mistake their “wants” for their needs. Parents may not notice when children play well or stay We also heard about how spoiled kids grow up facing out of trouble. If we don’t let them know when we are many painful challenges as adults because, growing up, pleased, we miss an opportunity to motivate them to they did not learn how to cope in the real world. With keep this positive behavior. that all being said, let’s move on with some ways that we can recognize what we need to stop doing and what 3. Accidentally rewarding bad behavior. we need to start doing to finish well. If we make the mistake of ignoring the above positive behavior and notice the kids when they whine and cry, 10 Ways I Can Tell If I Am Spoiling My Child: we send them the message that tantrums and tears are the best way to get our attention. If your kids still live under your roof, you can influence 4. Failing to put clear limits on your child’s behav- ior. If we don’t set and enforce guidelines for good behav- ior, we are likely to raise a child who is rude, uncoop- erative, and disrespectful. Part of our job is to teach them patience and being respectful. 5. Not enforcing rules on a regular basis. While some of us parents fail to set rules, others set “mushy or inconsistent” rules. If we don’t enforce the rules regularly, we give our kids the message that the rules are not important. 6. Picking fights we can’t win. Getting our kids to eat their veggies is not a battle we should get into. They can spit them out and you cannot control that. Picking these kinds of fights you cannot win tells your children that they can defy you and get away with it. 7. Not making our child take responsibility. Refusing to make our kids accountable and take re- sponsibility when they do something wrong sends the message that they never make a mistake. This teach- es our kids to blame others whenever problems arise. continued on page 21 Total Body Conditioning Are you ready to get serious about your fi tness? Join today! Boot camp style training with a serious kick - to give you real results! 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