Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 1988)
Page 2 TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR HEALTH! JULY 15, 1988 Be practical when selecting gifts Every season is sweater time for nursing home residents, who tend to feel chilly all year around. Even so, holiday and gift-giving occasions usually bring too much of a good thing. What would be welcome alternatives to the warm sweater or cozy shawl? A survey conducted by a psy chologist specializing in geriat rics revealed that family members lean toward expensive luxury gifts: a cashmere sweater, gold jewelry, a box of expensive chocolates. But when nursing home resi dents were asked what presents they liked best, they listed, in the following order: visits, telephone calls, greeting cards with warm, personal messages, any draw ing or object created by a grand child. Fortunately the survey re vealed more tangible gifts that were also greatly enjoyed. Among these were: Warm-up suits in nice colors. Many residents have already adopted runnina shoes as com Elderly require additional water Even though a glass of water is the beverage least likely to be served the elderly, it is the one most needed by aging bodies. The level of water stored in the body declines as we get older. If we don't drink enough water to make up for this natural loss, kidney function and the ability to regulate temperature and tolerate heat will be im paired. It isn't enough simply to in crease the amount of fluid we drink. There is no substitute for water itself. Even drinks with high water content such as cof fee, tea or soda can actually retard water absorption. A report in Continuing Education Update (CEU) has these recommenda tions for serving beverages to the elderly: Men are subject to Women, particularly meno pausal ones, are prime candi- dates for osteoporosis. The di sease strikes older men as well. The rising incidence of hip fractures among the elderly is a sign that osteoporosis is at work. But the rate of hip breakage in men starts to increase about 10 years later than in women. So, physicians have been less likely to look for osteoporosis symp Family responsibilities Adults responsible for aging parents and teenage children often feel caught in the middle when trying to respond to both the young and old. Feeling stress from these responsibili ties is a problem many adults must cope with. Some adult children stay home longer than usual because of unemployment, divorce, college or university attedance, or health problems. Others set up their own homes, but still need par rental support for babysitting, transportation and other ser vices. Aging parents, on the other How to avoid food poisoning Don t let the tun of picnics and outdoor cooking be spoiled by food poisoning. The follow ing guidelines should help you prepare and store food safely: When packing foods for a picnic, wrap each food type sep aretely, and keep perishable foods covered with ice in the bottom of an ice chest. Don't allow liquids from raw meat and poultry to leak on raw foods while in the grocery bag or ice chest. fortable, steadying footgear and like the sporty "ensemble" look of trim sweat suits. Check to be sure your own parent won't feel foolish in this casual garb, how ever. Costume jewelry. Necklaces and pendants on chains long enough to be slipped over the head are best. Earrings are also favorites. Pins aren't a good idea because clasps are hard to man age. Men like monogrammed belt buckles. Housecoats and wrappers. These should be good looking but sturdy because they'll have to withstand repeated hotwater washinqs. 'An afghan, particularly one homemade. Used as a bed spread, it adds another personal touch to limited living space and serves as a constant re minder of the giver's affection. A collection of ankle- and knee-length stretch-tube socks in white and basic colors. Socks may not sound like a glamorous gift but residents like them. Dilute fresh fruit juices and sweet soda with water. The stomach needs time to process the sugar in these drinks, and the flow of water into the rest of the body is therefore delayed. Offer iced, unsugared her bal tea instead of regular tea or cola drinks, which contain caf feine, theobromine and teophy line. These ingredients actually step up water excretion. toms in aging males, although the outcomes are just as serious for men as they are for women. . In women, the disease is linked to the drop in estrogen produc tion that accompanies meno pause. Obviously men do not share this problem, so special ists theorize that osteoporosis has other causes as well. "Be sides the hormonal (cause), it's nutritional, it's genetic and it's hand, may be unable to care for themselves or may need help only occasionally. Adults who are caught be tween the generations feel de pressed, guilty or even angry. Often they lack financial and emotional resources to do as much as they might want to for their children and parents. This new responsibility means the caught-in-the-middle adults need support and help from family and friends. Shared respon sibilites and reasonable expec tations can help these persons cope with situations that could otherwise be physically, men Keep all raw foods refriger ated or on ice until you're ready to use them. Thaw meat in the refrigera tor overnight or defrost in a microwave oven. Do not thaw at room temperature. Cook all foods thoroughly and refrigerate promptly. Don't leave hot foods out for more than two hours. Keep cold foods cold (below 45 degrees) and hot foods hot (over 140 degrees). The poten tial forfood poisoning increases when food is kept between these temperatures. Transport and serve cold foods on ice to assure coldness. Eat hot foods imme diately. Leftovers should be refrig erated as soon as the meal is over. 'Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before handling foods and each time after you handle raw meat or poultry. If you have a cut or sore, keep the wound covered with a bandage, or let someone else cook. To avoid cross-contamination, keep the number of peo ple handling raw meat to a mini mum. Use an acrylic cutting board that can be sterilized in a dish washer. 'Wash sponges and dish rags frequently. 'Scrub all surfaces and uten sils used to prepare raw foods with a disinfectant which con Higher-ticket Items A color television set with earphones and automatic chan nel changer. A cassette recorder, if the person is able to handle it. An extra: specially recorded "mem ory" tunes. Even better, personal taped messages from family members that recall memorable, shared incidents. It's nice to be able to hear "I love you, you know" and "I think about you a lot" over and over. Book tapes are fine for people whose minds are hungry for stimulation but whose vision is impaired. Think-twice Presents Gifts that seem appropriate but aren't used too much, ac cording to nursing home staffers, include delicate blouses, sweat ers, slacks and robes that require dry-cleaning. Plants are supposed to give residents something to nurture, but residents have trouble keep ing them thriving in dry, over heated and underventilated Limit coffee intake. Save alcohol for very spe cial occasions and then only if thedrinker isn't on medications. Alcohol causes kidneys to ex crete more water. Older people should drink a minimum of three glasses of water a day and four during hot weather. If plain water is re jected, add a bit of mint, lemon peel or lime to party it up. osteoporosis, too environmental," says Dr. Richard Rivlin, professor of medicine and chief of the nutrition division at New York Hospital-Cornell Med ical Center. Contributing factors include excessive alcohol consumption, poor eating habits, lack of exer cise, the use of certain medica tions such as Dilantin and Cor tisone, and the overuse of laxa tives and diuretics. cause stress, tension tally or economically damaging. Here is some advice that might help. "Arrange for some private time for yourself with no specific tasks to do. 'Explain what you can and cannot do for other family members. Spend some time alone with your spouse if you are married. Remember that everyone needs family love and apprecia tion. Be aware of aging parents' or young families' needs for help with tasks in and around the home. tains chloride, then rinse. Never use the same platter that is used to carry raw meat to the grill for the cooked meat. Utensils used for preparing raw meat should not be used in sev ing cooked meat. For more information about handling meat and poultry safely, call the United States Depart ment of Agriculture at 1-800-535-4555. Good exercise habits How can we teach children good exercise habits? Many ex perts believe that attitudes about exercise develop early, and that people who learn to enjoy exer cise as youngsters are likely to make it a lifetime habit. Guidelines for Childhood Exercise 1. Family life, not classes, is the strongest influence on a child's exercise habits. Parents should set a good example by pursuing activities with their children. It's never too early or too late to start exercising with your kids. 2. Exercise should be fun; if it's not, the child will soon aban don it. The adage "no pain, no nursing homes rooms. Also, they feel guilty if the plant dies. Or. Buchner reminds that "a droop ing, dying plant is a very depress ing sight and is frequently sym bolized as the deteriorating self." Cut flowers, on the other hand, are colorful additions. Their eventual passing is expected and tolerated as a natural event. Fancy candies, cookies, nuts and cheeses are not the logical choices they may seem to be. Even if they don't violate dietary restrictions, they encourage weight gain which isn't desira ble for sedentary snackers. Cheese may interact unfavora bly with certain medications. Small packages of dried fruit are safe bets. Beware of If you are looking for the foun tain of youth, arthritis remedies or a miracle cure for cancer, then you may be a target for health quackery. Each year, Americans spend $10 billion for ineffective, expensive and some times harmful products ortreat ments. In a search for the fountain of youth, Americans spend millios on products to erase wrinkles, enhance virility and reverse baldness. A healthy lifestyle can help delay some of the normal changes that occur as we grow older, but there is no magic available to stop aging. Older people are more likely to become victims of quackery because they have more chron ic illnesses. Arthritis and cancer are two diseases that quacks often exploit. Arthritis is an illness in which symptoms come and go. This makes it an easy target for med ical fraud. People tend to asso ciate periods of recovery from arthritis with the remedy they are using at the time. So arthri tis sufferers spend money of copper bracelets, extracts from In men, testicular failure may play a role similar to that of menopause in women, since the depletion of sex hormones seems to increase vulnerability to osteoporosis; Calcium's role in the disease is still unclear. Doctors agree that men, as well as women, need 1,000 mgs of calcium every day as a safeguard. Doctor approved exercise, like walking, helps strengthen bones. If a relative orfriend is caught in the middle between the gen erations, help them by becom ing more aware of their needs. How to deal with addictions Are you a workaholic? Could you have a negative addiction to exercise? Do you overeat or smoke? Is alcohol or drug abuse your problem? Eeing a worka holic or an exercise addict may not seem as life-threaiening as smoking oralcoholism, but they take their toll on your health, and they all are symptoms of the addictive personality. Working late and keeping up an exercise routine are perfectly healthy for many people. You know you have a problem when you see work, drugs, food or anything else gaining control over your life. If you are ex tremely anxious, restless, inse cure and always reaching out side for satisfaction, you may be addiction-prone. Jacquelyn Small, a psycho therapist and author of two books on treating addiction, says gain," is even more dangerous for kids than for adults. 3. Avoid "Little League Syn drome" a strong emphasis on winning that can create undue tension and anxiety in youngs ters. Don't push them beyond their physical and emotional limits and don't impose adult standards on them. Try to make children feel worthy whether they win or lose. If they feel lik'j athletic failures at age six they may be turned off to exercise for life. 4. Teach a child to compete against herself, not others. Em phasize improvement as a re ward in itself. 5. It is important to stimulate an early interest in aerobic acti vities, which are likely to become lifelong habits. .1 .inning in mod for the elderly Sometimes we send or take a gift that is more for us than for them: Expensive jewelry fits into this category. We hate to give costume Jewelry to a person who, we feel, deserves "only the best." But valuable jewelry is likely to be a source of constant anxiety, and ends up wrapped in tissue at the bottom of the ever-present pocketbook. "The elderly have a deeply entrenched security anxiety be cause they lose, hide and forget things, or have things spirited away by mysterious forces," the psychologist finds. A missing hairbrush or fine fewelry takes on the dimensions of tragedy. The solution? Handsome cos tume jewelry makes a resident "quack" cures, remedies New Zealand green-lipped mus sels and Chinese herbal medi cines with the hope that these formulas will alleviate or cure the pain and suffering caused by this crippling disease. Although there is no cure for arthritis, the pain and crippling effects of this disease can be reduced with proven treatments using drugs and a balance of rest and exercise. Your physi cian should be able to put you in touch with a qualified arthritis specialist. Cancer is also a prime target for those who would sell false hope. Again, it is a disease that occurs more often in older people. The sad thing about quackery and cancer is that many people waste valuable time as well as money when prompt medical treatment is so important in the survivial of cancer victims. Whether you are young or old, you can avoid becoming the victim of quackery by fol lowing these guidelines provided by the National Institute on Aging: Carefully question what you Reflecting sometimes Sitting quietly in a chair or lying in bed with eyes closed is not always a sign of boredom. The elderly have great pride in their years of working and raising their families. Remem bering these accomplishments is an enjoyable way of filling their days. When they have no audience to listen, elderly peo ple can enjoy remembering just as well by themselves. And at times even when. they have vis itors, their preference may be to be quiet and remember. If Mom or Dad doesn't seem to be lis- ming, it might well be they are addiction is a problem of imbal ance or unease within the body or mind. It's the result of losing touch with ourselves always reaching outside for stimulation and satisfaction because we no longer find gratification within. The softer addiction, likework aholism and procrastination, stem from the same inner tur moil as addiction to cigarettes, alcohol or drugs. The only dif ference is that you can get by with the softer addictions longer. They don't break down the body as fast. But the pain and suffer ing is there with soft addictions, and most of them lead to health problems. Small says that addiction is becoming so attached to some thing that we forget who we are. It's obsessive and non-loving a way of staying stuck in the past. The person who is addicted begin at young age eration can be a good aerobic activity for children. Long-distance running, however, poses an increased risk of injury. If a running program is gradual and well-supervised and the child wears good running shoes and warms up properly, the risks should be minimal. Swimming, cycling and cross-country ski ing are o'.her good aerobic options. 6. One major step in encou raging physical fitness is simply to turn off the TV and give kids playtime. According to Nielsen estimates, the average child watches 25 hours of TV a week. 7. Competitive weightlifting, which calls for lifting as much weight as you can, may be hazardous for youngsters. If a child over nine wishes to begin feel fashionable and Is more likely to be worn and enjoyed. Gift of Laughter A present that makes the receiver laugh is tops, nursing home staff members agree. Even if the person only wears or uses It once, the amusement provided by the unexpected gift brings a smile every time he or she thinks about it. One 86-year-old lady's favor ite Christmas present was a pair of gigantic "bear-feet" bedroom slippers that were particularly funny peeping from an elegant robe. Every time she looked -own at her "paws," she'd emit other roar of laughter. see or hear in advertisements. Keep in mind that ads are not necessarily true just because they are presented by what may otherwise be a reputable source. Find out as much as you can ' about a product or clinic before you spend money on it. Beware of product adver tisements that promote a quick or painless cure. Don't buy a product just because the promoter can cite testimonials or case histories from satisfied patients. Watch out for products that are advertised as being effec tive for a wide variety of ailments. When someone tells you they have a cure for a disease that is not yet understood by medical science, check it out before you buy it. Your best source of informa tion about a medical product is your doctor. You can also con tact the Council of Better Busi ness Bureau, the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Postal Service and the Federal Trade Commission to find out if they've received complaints about a particular product. on past soothing listening, it might well be that there is a more important con versation going on in his or her mind at that moment. Many times, an exuberant vis itor or an enthusiastic activity coordinator can initiate invol vement from a shy or withdrawn elderly person. But, then again, the pressures from caring rela tives may be a daily source of frustration to the older person who has lived a full and active life and now looks forward to "just sitting and remembering" or "doing nothing" each day. postpones taking any action. You know you want to do some thing else with your life, but you say, "Tomorrow I'll be ready. Tomorrow I'll be stronger." But tomorrow never comes. Overcoming any compulsion is a process of self-discovery. Small says we all have a healthy side and an unbalanced side. To avoid or overcome addiction we need to get in touch with the healthy side that inner voice that helps us accept outselves and avoid destructive tenden cies. Facing up to your feelings, the ones that color everything you do, think and see, can be frightening and painful. But the result can be a rewarding reve lation and the beginning of a fuller, happier life without addic tion. a weighlifting program, make sure he works with a trained supervisor who allows only slow lifts. 8. Any child who wants to engage in a strenuouis after school exercise program should have a physical exam. I.