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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 14, 2010)
Page 14 ffl’‘|JortIanb (.Observer luly 14, 2010 H ealth Prioritize Age-Related Care L arry L ucas M any o f us fo cus on th e w rinkles and gray hair that are an un avoidable part o f the aging process. But with age also com es w isdom and know ledge gained through a lifetime o f experience. As I look tow ard my ow n retirement, I want to be able to enjoy time with my fam i ly and friends, and share som e o f my own life les sons with the next generations. In order to ensure that I - and other seniors in our com m unity - have many healthy years ahead, we need to be certain that proper care for chronic aging-related diseases is a priority. by Across the country, more than 11 million African A m erican children grow up with a grandparent in the home. This dynam ic can present a trem endous opportunity for differ ent generations to learn from one tothe A lzheim er’s A ssociation, these taking your m edicine regularly. It is another, and for grandparents to be factors m ay account for som e o f the im portant to keep a list o f your m edi- a c tiv e ly in v o lv e d in th e ir d if f e r e n c e s in p re v a le n c e o f cines, in clu d in g n o n -p rescrip tio n grandchildren’s lives. M any o f my A lz h e im e r’s am o n g o th e r racial m edicines, and give the list to each friends have had more fun being a groups: African Americans are nearly d o cto r you consult. G iv e a copy to grandparent than they did raising tw ic e as lik e ly to s u ffe r fro m a fam ily m em b eras w ell, and update their ow n children! But chronic dis A lzheim er’s as their w hite counter- it every tim e you visit y o u r do cto r or eases that disproportionately affect parts. get a new prescription. Let your A frican A m erican seniors, like high blood pressure and arthritis, can rob grandparents o f this precious oppor tunity. M ost A frican A m erican seniors have at least one chronic condition and m any have m ultiple conditions, according the D epartm ent o f Health and Human Services. A m ong the m ost frequently occurring chronic conditions are high blood pressure and diabetes. Both o f these chronic diseases are m ore com m on in older African A m ericans than older whites, and they are also know n risk factors for A lzheim er’s disease. A ccording Most African American seniors have at least one chronic condition and many have multiple conditions, according the Department o f Health and Human Services. Though w e c a n ’t control aging, we can take steps to m anage chronic aging-related diseases. To m anage conditions like hypertension and dia betes, it’s so im portant to follow your d o c to r’s reco m m en d atio n s - this m eans exercising, eating right and d o cto r know about any illnesses or co n d itio n s for w hich an o th er d o c to r o r health care professional is treatin g you. A s w e g et older, it's ju s t as im p ortant to keep our m inds active as it is o u r bodies. Social en g ag em en t w ith fam ily and friends and p artici pating in m en tally stim u lating a c tivities can help seniors stay healthy and m ight also help to reduce the ris k o f c o g n itiv e d e c lin e a n d A lz h eim er’s disease, according to The N ational Institute on A ging. T hese are sim ple steps w e can take to en su re a high q u ality o f life through o u r g olden years. For patients w ho need help ac cessing their prescription m edicines to m anage aging-related diseases, the Partnership for Prescription A s sistance is available to help. For five years, PPA has helped connect 6.5 m illion patients in need to program s that provide either free or nearly free medicines. For m ore inform ation, pa tients can call 1-888-4PPA -N O W or visitp p arx .o rg. Larry Lucas is a vice president for Pharm aceutical Research and M anu facturers o f A m erica. New Birth Control Option: Planned Parenthood offers procedure P1<ir»ru»/4 n 1 ■..-v -» bia K«n for the __ • r* It • is Planned PornntL/\,\zl Parenthood f C ' olum rest a o f a w o m a n ? ’s i life. W illam ette has begun o fferin g 98.4 percent effective in preventing A diana, an affordable perm anent pregnancy, and can be perform ed birth control option for w om en, to during a sim ple office visit. patients in Portland. A diana is a m inim ally-invasive, A diana is a safe, sim ple, in-office in-office p rocedure (no cuts o r inci procedure that prevents pregnancy sions). Tiny, soft inserts (about the • r* • size o f a grain o f rice) are placed in v a siv e, c o n v e n ie n t o p tio n for inside a w o m a n ’s fallopian tubes, p erm anent birth co n tro l,” described stim ulating the body's ow n tissue Dr. M ark N ichols, the local health to grow in and around the inserts, c lin ic ’s m edical director. “ T he re perm anently blocking the fallopian co v ery period is ex trem ely fast - tubes. No drugs o r horm ones are m ost w om en are able go back to used. T he procedure takes less than w ork o r norm al activities the very 15 m inutes to perform , and only a next d ay .” local anesthetic is needed. M ost A d ia n a is a p e rm a n e n t b irth w om en report little or no pain, and c o n tro l o p tio n fo r w o m e n w h o are return to norm al activities w ithin fin ish e d h a v in g c h ild re n o r d o n ’t one day. d e sire to h av e c h ild re n in th e fu “ For w om en w ho no longer w ant tu re . T h e p r o c e d u r e p r e v e n ts to have children, A diana is a non- p r e g n a n c y f o r th e r e s t o f a w o m a n ’s life, so sh e no lo n g e r has to re m e m b e r to tak e a b irth c o n tro l p ill, schedule appointm ents for a birth control shot, apply a birth control patch, o r rem em b er o th er types o f birth control. T he o n e-tim e cost o f A diana also elim inates the need to pay m o n th ly o r an n u ally for birth control. For m ore inform ation about these p ro ced u res o r to m ake an ap p o in t m ent at P lanned P arenthood, call 1 - 8 8 8 -5 7 6 -P L A N (7 5 2 6 ) o r v is it w w w .ppcw .org. Chiropractic Auto Injury Clinic, PC Zchon R. Jones, DC 333 NE Russell St., #200, Portland, OR. 97212 (503) 284-7838 Truly making a difference in the lives of Auto Accident victims and Injured Workers for 16 years. If you or someone you know has been in an accident, call us so we can help you with your needs. (503) 284-7838 We are located on the corner o f MLK and Russell Street, on the second floor above the coffee shop. Friday August 6th, 2010: Place to be announced Saturday August 7th, 2010: Embassy Suites Portland Airport Hotel (rooms available for only $109 + tax) VV Cost for reunion: Classmates $65 spouse or companion $ 4 5 Please R.S.V.P. as soon as possible to E-mail to: leilablakely@gmail.com (preferable) Voice mail: Carol Erdmann 503-982-3051 Snail mail: JHS Class of 70 / PO Box 19905 / Portland, Oregon 97280 a Parkins Area -, ■■■■■■Mi Russell St 8