: ~ á < P age A 5 T he P ortland O bserver • S eptember 4 , 1996 (The JJnrtlan ù (Dhseruer . X-..-..X. Working at the Zoo It takes all kinds o f anim als to m ake up a successful zoo. It also takes all kinds o f people. T he M etro W ashington Park Z oo is one o f the largest jo b recruiters in the region. Som e 400 full and part- tim e staffers m ake up the z o o ’s w eek­ ly p a y ro ll-m o st o f w hom have actu­ ally little to do w ith the day-to-day care o f animals. T hese include office clerks and receptionists, food com m issary and restaurant w orkers, gardeners, m ain­ tenance personnel, graphic artists, railroad technicians, security w ork­ ers, librarians, photographers, edu­ cational personnel, and retail sales­ people. “ W e focus on bringing al I types o f people into our zoo fam ily,” said Carm en Hannold, m anager o f recruit­ ment and training. “ We especially reach out to m inorities, and persons who are m entally challenged and the physically disabled. W e believe a zoo is a com m unity enterprise and as such, its sta ff should represent all facets and w alks oflife in that com ­ m unity.” This y e a r’s sum m er recruits re­ ceived 16 hours o f both classroom and on-the-job training. T heir pay will range from $5 to $7 an hour depending on experience. H annold noted when she first came to the zoo 17 years ago, there was no recruitm ent office, much less any policies. “Things ju st seem ed to hap­ pen,” she laughed. T he zoo offers a trem endous train­ ing ground for jo b seekers and can be a m ajor career opportunity for some. H annold h erse lf is a good exam ple o f a sum m er zoo w orker w ho w ent on to bigger and better things. N ow 34, the am icable Hanno Id start­ ed at the zoo as a food handler while a 17-year-old junior at Cleveland High School. “ 1 simply fell in love with the zoo atm osphere and decided to make it a career,” she recalled with a smile. W hat reasons do applicants give for w anting to w ork at the zoo? “Oh, th e re’s a num ber o f reasons,” H annold said. "M any say they sim ­ ply like the anim als. O thers say it sounds I ike a fun place to w o rk . Som e want to work tow ards becom ing keep­ ers. T o those, I always tell them to get a degree first and then be prep ared to start cleaning up cages. “ W e do have a unique and p leas­ ant environm ent,” H annold adds. "A lot o f people say this is the best jo b th ey ’ve ever had. T o obtain its annual sum m ertim e personnel, the zoo sends out special “help w anted” posters to m ore than 200 Portland m etropolitan area ag en ­ cies, including schools, co lleg e s, outreach program s and com m unity centers. It also advertises in the help w an t­ ed sections o f The O regonian and various m inority and school n ew sp a­ pers. Sept, is baby safety month Today m arks the beginning o f Baby Safety Month and the Juve­ nile Products M anufacturers A sso­ ciation (JPM A ) will again remind parents about the safe use and se­ lection o f ju v en ile products. A l­ though many new parents are pur­ chasing products designed to keep baby safe, not all o f them follow the m anufacturers instructions. F orexam ple, every state in A m er­ ica requires that an infant be placed in a car seat, but many consum ers are still using car seats improperly. And, many parents and child care givers are unaw are that a rear-fac­ ing car seat must never be used in the front seat o f a car containing an 1 ”' » OM MU»» M « « DM ««O n «I N DM- When do aging parents need care? As A m e ric a ’s popu la tio n rapidly ages, m any adu lts w ill be fa cin g the question, “H ow d o 1 know i f Mom o r D a d n eed h e lp ? ” W hile it may seem obvious, dis­ covering w hether aging parents or grandparents need assistance is no, always easy. "M any older people m ay seem perfectly capable o f running their own lives and hom es, but often they are reluctant to adm it they need help,” said Patricia A. Lynett, vice presi­ dent and chief operating officer of Kelly A ssisted L iving Services, a hom e health care provider. Lynett listed a few com m on symp­ tom s that might indicate w hether an older person needs som e added as­ sistance. * Inadequate m eals and nutrition. O lder individuals may lose interest in preparing w ell-balanced, nutritious meals — especially if they live alone. * U n o p en ed o r p ile d -u p bills. Failing eyesight, recurring memory lapses, or ham pered w riting abilities are som e o f the reasons bills go un­ paid. M any tim es older people have difficulty w riting legibly or they are confused by particular billing proce­ dures. * Recurring m em ory lapses. Many o ld e r in d iv id u a ls ca n rem e m b er events that took place 30 years ago with more clarity than what they did yesterday. M em ory iapses are not uncom m on, but if they interfere with taking m edications properly or re­ m em bering to turn o ff the stove, dai­ ly assistance may be needed. * Frequent falls. If a parent or grandparent seem s to be falling a great deal, m ake sure he or she has a com plete physical exam ination. M any illnesses, as well as the side effects o f some m edicines, may be causing dizziness or lack of balance. A doctor may recom m end using a cane or walker, or suggest personal assistance in the hom e as an appro­ priate solution. * Lack o f interest/feeling down. A lthough feeling depressed at times is a normal occurrence, continuation of this condition could be sym ptom ­ atic of more serious health problem s and the family doctor should be con­ sisted. In m ost cases, how ever, sim ­ ply encouraging a parent or grand­ parent to ge, involved in outside ac­ tivities m ay help. O r if they are hom e-bound, obtain a com panion service for them. These steps may help relieve their loneliness and reju­ venate their enjoym ent of life. * U nsafe driving. W ith age com es a natural slow ing o f the reflexes and a decline in eyesight, which could h am p er an older p erso n ’s driving ability. If a parent or grandparent is no longer able to drive safely, dis- cuss the issue openly with him or her, and le, the relative know that trans­ portation needs can be me, in other ways. * A marked change in behavior. Behavior changes — such as no long­ er attending church or not cleaning the house — might indicate it is time for a frank and open discussion be­ tween family members. A radical change in mood or behavior that per­ sists should be discussed with a do c­ tor as soon as possible. A variety of hom e care services are also available to help older per­ sons achieve the greatest possible level of health and com fort in their own homes. Vatican says child abuse is challenge fo r all T he Vatican, on Sunday, w elcom ed the first global conference on child abuse and called on C hristians and governm ents everyw here to tackle the problem “ W e w elcom e w ith hope and enthusiasm the W orld C ongress A gainst C om m ercial Sexual E xploitation o f C hildren,” C ardinal A ngel T rujillo, head o fth e V atican ’s Pontifical Council for the Family, said in a docum ent on the subject. T he conference, held in Sw eden, closed on Saturday. “ It is a great challenge and the Holy Father says: 'H o w is it possible to rem ain indifferent in the face o f the suffering o f so m any children, especially when it is caused in this w ay ’,” T rujillo said. “T his challenge represents a particular duty for the C hurch, for all C hristian com m unities in the w orld for bishops, for the bishops confer­ ences, for all fam ilies and pastoral agents. “ It is also a challenge for governm ents, in particular for law m akers and ju rists and for all civil authorities.” Trujillo described children as a “precious treasure" and said the causes o f child abuse included the collapse o f fami I ies and the "widespread banal isation o f sex, in particular where the traditional values o f the person and the family have been weakened under the Western influence o f secularisation.” T h e YMCA OE COLUMBIA-WILLAMETTE CORDIALLY INVITES YOU T O ATTEND ITS SECOND ANNUAL BL^CK ACHIEVERS RECOGNITION B^N O /JET (iS WE HONOR ELEVEN ^ERJC(AN-^MERJC^ri INDIVIDUALS (iNE> THIER CORPORATIONS E O R THEIR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE. DEDICATION and COMMITMENT T O TFJEIR COMMUNITY. AND GENUINE CONCERN E O R THE WELFARE OE YOUTH- KEYNOTE SPEAKER.- MR CA RLES JORI^N DIRECTOR OE PORTLAND PARKS THURSDAY SE PT E M B E R 12. 1 0 0 0 4 5 7 5 N CHANNEL. SWAN ISLAND 5 : 3 0 RECEPTION EO R RORE INFORMATION. PLEASE CONTACT THE BLACK ACHIEVERS OEEICE AT 221-5343 Prices Effective 9/4/96 thru 9/10/96 at your nearby Safeway store. SAVE UP TO $1.42 • Smaller Packs,$1.37lbs • Tenderized, $1.47 lb Head Lettuce 0 3 0 DINNER $ 5 0 P E R PE R SO N / $ 5 0 0 P E R TABLE BIG SAVINGS • H a lf Gallon • Assorted Flavors • First Two RECREATION SHENANIGAN’ S ON THE WILLAMETTE BACK-T0-SCH00L DAYS Snow Star Ice Cream air bag. In addition, many parents accept hand-m e-dow n or second hand cribs not realizing the older models may not meet today’s safety guidelines. Parents w ant to keep their children safe, but many need more information about safe use of products. Consum ers may receive a com ­ plim entary brochure, “Safe & Sound For B aby,” a colorful 16-page book­ let providing inform ation on the safe use of the most com m only used juvenile products, by sending a self- addressed, stam ped business-size envelope to Safety Brochure, 236 R o u te 38 W e st, S u ite 100, M oorestow n, NJ, 08057.