November 9, 2011
flortlanh (Obserücr
For Your Health
W hen life begins, a person is
b o m com pletely dependent on o th ­
ers for his or her w ell-being. As we
age, the relationship betw een child
and parent becom es m ore balanced.
A nd as life goes on, we becom e
aw are that our elders also have
needs, and our roles slow ly reverse.
Being a caregiver to a paren t can
be both em otionally and physically
trying. Yet as T hanksgiving Day
nears, w e also reflect on how g rate­
ful we are to have our loved ones in
our lives. Serving as a caregiv er for
a fam ily m em ber can also be in cred ­
ibly rew arding, and for m any, it is
the ultim ate expression o f gratitude.
N ovem ber celebrates “ N ational
Fam ily C aregivers M onth,” a tim e to
recognize the enduring efforts o f
fam ilies, partners, friends and neigh­
bors to sustain and im prove the
quality o f life for others.
The A A R P Public Policy Insti­
tute estim ates that the n a tio n ’s 65
m illion unpaid caregivers not only
c o m p rise the fo u n d a tio n o f the
n atio n ’s long-term care system , but
a lso c ritic a lly im p a c t th e U .S.
econom y w ith a contribution val­
ued at about $350 billion.
B eing a careg iv er is a tough role
to fill. It can feel like y o u ’re “on call”
around the clock - w ithout any o f
the fin an cial b e n efits that m ost
health care professionals receive.
H ealth W ATCÏ
mation, call 503-261-6611.
by
L arky
L ucas
Page 25
Caregiving is Tough Role to Fill
As a result, caregivers have higher
stress levels than average A m eri­
cans, especially if th e y ’re caring for
som eone afflicted by a particularly
difficult con d itio n such as dem entia
o r A lzh eim er’s disease - both o f
w hich are m ore likely to affect those
in the A frican-A m erican community.
It’s easy to put y o u r ow n health
on the b a ck b u rn er w hen y o u ’re
continuously fixated on the w ell­
being o f another. But it’s im portant
to m ake y o u r health a top priority.
T hankfully, there are groups across
the country dedicated to helping
caregivers cope with their adm irable
bu t a rd u o u s ro le s. T h e F am ily
C areg iv er A lliance suggests in co r­
porating exercise into y o u r daily
routine, scheduling reg u lar ch eck ­
ups w ith y o u r doctors and p a rtic i­
pating in pleasant, nurturing a ctiv i­
ties.
C A R E, or visit w w w .m edicare.gov
fo r m o re in fo rm a tio n . •
P a tie n ts n o t e lig ib le fo r M e d i­
c are c an tu rn to the P a rtn e rsh ip
fo r P r e s c rip tio n A s s is ta n c e
(P P A ), a n a tio n w id e e ffo rt s p o n ­
so red by A m e ric a ’s p h a rm a c e u ti­
cal re se a rc h an d b io te c h n o lo g y
c o m p a n ie s th a t has h e lp ed c o n ­
nect n e arly 7 m illio n u n in su re d
and fin a n c ia lly -stru g g lin g A m e ri­
c a n s to p ro g ra m s th a t p ro v id e
p re sc rip tio n m e d ic in e s fo r free or
at low co st. F o r m o re in fo rm a tio n
call 1 -8 8 8 -4 P P A -N O W o r v isit
w w w .p p arx .o rg .
T h is N o v e m b er, d o w h at y ou
can to e n su re th a t y o u r lo v e d
o n es are re c e iv in g the c are th ey
need . M ak e su re th o se w h o are
e lig ib le are ta k in g a d v a n ta g e o f
M e d ic a re ’s O p en E n ro llm e n t P e ­
rio d , w hich en d s D ec. 7. M ed ic a re
p lan s ch an g e fro m y e a r to y e ar, so
e x am in in g se n io rs ’ o p tio n s fo r the
u p c o m in g y e a r is im p o rta n t in
g u a ra n te e in g th ey se le c t the p lan
b est su ite d to m eet th e ir u n iq u e
h e alth n eed s.
M ed ic a re c o u n se lo rs are a v a il­
Larry Lucas is a retired vice
a b le to h e lp a n s w e r q u e s tio n s president for the Pharmaceutical
a b o u t M e d ic a re P art D c o v e ra g e . Research and Manufacturers of
G iv e th em a c all at 1 -8 0 0 -M E D I- America.
C an cer R esource C en ter -- P ro v i­
B ereavem en t S u p p ort G rou p s -
dence St. V incent M edical C enter
Free, safe confidential group m eet­
and the A m erican R ed C ross have
ings for those w ho have experienced
jo in e d forces to create the first in-
the death o f a loved one offered on
hospital resource cen ter providing
various nights and locations. For
books, printed m aterial, com p u ter
inform ation and registration, call
access and m ore for individuals and
503-2154622.
fam ilies dealing w ith cancer. The
c e n te r is open M onday through M aternity W ater W orkout - H elp­
T hursday, 9 a.m . to 4 p.m.
ing new m om s regain m uscle tone,
strength, and flexibility, all in the sup­
Lead Poisoning Prevention - Learn
port and freedom o f the water. Call
how to protect your fam ily from lead
503-256-4000form ore information.
poisoning. Ideal for folks in live in
older hom es w ith children o r p reg ­ S en ior A erob ics — A low -im pact
nant w om en. Q ualified participants
receive a free kit o f safety and test­
ing supplies. Call 503-284-6827.
w orkout geared specifically tow ard
seniors. C all 503-449-0783 for c u r­
rent schedule.
P aren tin g C lasses — N ew borns
d o n ’t com e w ith instruction m an u ­
als but parents and parents-to-be
can learn about a variety o f topics
fr o m p a in a n d c h ild b ir th to
breastfeeding to infant C PR and
m uch more. For a schedule o f events,
c a ll 5 0 3 - 5 7 4 - 6 5 9 5 o r v is it:
p ro v id e n c e .o rg /c la sse s.
M ind B ody H ealth C lass - Learn
and practice techniques to help you
im prove y o u r m ood, health and
w ellbeing, including effective w ays
to m anage difficult em otions and
chronic stress o r illness. R eg istra­
tion is $ 70 fo r K aiser P erm anente
m em bers and $95 for nonm em bers.
C all503-286-6816.
H eart Talk Support G roup - M eets R ed C ross C ertification - T he Or-
on the second M onday o f each egon T rail C h ap ter R ed C ross now
m o n th ;fro m 6 p .m .to 8 p .m .F o rm o re offers credits to helps profession-
inform ation, call 503-251-6260.
als m aintain licensing o r certifica­
F am ilies w ith M en tal Illness - A
free, 12-w eek course for people
w hose fam ily m em bers live w ith
m ental illness is offered at E m anuel
H ospital, M t. H ood M edical C en ter
and Providence M edical Center. The
course has been described as “ life­
ch anging” by form er participants.
R egistration is required by calling
503-203-3326.
C holesterol P rofiles — G et the re ­
sources to help you keep an eye on
y our cholesterol and o th er in dica­
tors o f heart health. E ducational
m aterial provided. F or m ore info r­
tion. F o r a cum ulative list, visit
pdxinfo.net.
C hronic P ain S u p p ort G rou p —
M eets the first W ednesday at 4 p.m.
to 5:30 p.m . and the third W ednes­
day o f each m onth, from 7 p.m . to
8:30p.m . F o r m ore inform ation, call
503-2564000.
W eight Loss H elp—Take O ff Pounds
Sensibly (TO PS) m eetings are held*
every W ednesday from 8:45 to 10
a.m. at the H ollyw ood Senior Center,
1820 N.E. 40th Ave. A nyone inter­
ested is invited to visit and learn
more. For details, call 503-287-0731.
Dr. Billy R. Flowers (above center) and his skilled s ta ff are ready to help those in need.
____________ THE____________
SPlNAlCOLUMN
An ongoing series of questions and answers about Am erica’s natural healing profession
Part 8. CONSTIPATION:
The backing up of body’s sewage system.
Q
do?
: Nothing has ever really move our bow els regularly, but never to have tw o, three o r even four
helped my constipation. com pletely elim inate ev ery th in g in bow el m ovem ents after the first
What can Chiropractic possibly
o u r colon (large intestine). T h is adjustm ents on his or h er spine. A
causes the colon to back up arid m an with FB SS (failed back surgi­
spread toxic poisons throughout the cal syndrom e) w ent hom e and had
ing, there is m uch a C h iro ­ body. T his can lead to ev ery th in g 12 bow el m ovem ents that night.
practic and the im proved lifestyle
from sinusitis to allergies to a rth ri­ A nd he claim ed he w asn ’t even
w e recom m end can do to rem ove tis.
constipated! W hatever questions
the im m ediate distress and long C hiropractic can help to alleviate you m ight have about health and
term health hazards o f co n stip a­ this problem by gently turning nerves healing, y o u ’ 11 find that C hiroprac­
tion. B ut before we begin, you back on in the colon and sm all in tes­ tic is often the answ er. C all us for
should understand that co n stip a­ tine. It is not uncom m on fo r a patient
an appointm ent today.
tion takes tw o approaches. The
first is the tight, som etim es painful
feeling in the lo w er back area. The
2124NEHancock, Portland O regon97212
second and m ore insidious type is
w hat w e call “hidden co n stip a­
tio n .” T his is w hen w e seem ingly
A
: As a natural form o f heal­
flowers' Chiropractic Office
Phone: (5 0 3 ) 287*5504