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