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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1995)
Smoke Signals February 1 -1 5, 1 995 Page 7 Health and Human Services Dental Clinic news Let's Talk Teeth... By Linda Mann, RDM February is Children's Dental Health Month. The American Den tal Society notes that children's teeth are meant to last a lifetime. The dental society has these tips for keeping your child's teeth healthy and decay-free. Tooth decay is caused by bacte ria. The bacteria is found in a sticky, colorless film called plaque. For tooth decay to occur, three ele ments are needed: plaque, food containing sugars and starches, and a susceptible tooth. When foods containing sugars and starches are left in the mouth, plaque bacteria produces acids that can dissolve tooth enamel. The sticky plaque holds these acids onto the teeth, where they attack the enamel for twenty minutes or more. After re peated attacks, the enamel may break down, forming a cavity. To prevent tooth decay, toothbrushing and flossing are'; Vocational Rehabilitation program begins The Tribe is pleased to announce the first phase of the Tribe's voca tional rehabilitation services has begun. The State of Oregon Voca tional Rehabilitation Division proudly stated that they will begin offering counseling services in Grand Ronde on Feb. 6, 1995. To launch this joint effort an Orienta tion Training Meeting was held Jan. 23. Those attending included Geor gia Isaia, State of Oregon Voca tional Rehabilitation Division, Rebecca Crocker, Human Re sources Administrative Assistant, Elders should feel secure, comfortable with surroundings American Indians and Alaska na tives have always respected their elders. This is more important now than ever before. More and more American Indians are living into old age. This means many good things for families. Also, it means living into the ages where some el ders may appear confused and for getful. Some people believe that odd be havior is due to the elder preparing for another world. Also, medical needed daily to remove harmful plaque from your child's teeth. Children should clean their teeth twice a day with a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Flossing will remove plaque that hides between teeth and under the gumline, areas where a toothbrush can't reach. Supervising your child while brushing and flossing will insure a proper job is done. Dental sealants can help prevent or reduce tooth decay. A sealant is clear or shaded plastic material that is applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth where decay oc curs most often. The sealant acts as a barrier, protecting the teeth from plaque and acid. Each tooth only takes a few min utes to seal in the dental office. When the sealant is applied, finger like strands penetrate the pits and fissures of the tooth enamel. Al though the sealant cannot be seen with the naked eye, the protective effect of these strand continues. As 1 a result, it : may; be several years Bryan Langley, Tomoko Gersch, (Mental Health); Cindy Canty, Karen Williams (Chemical Depen dency); Doug Colton, Sheila Elliott, Darrell Kipp (Family Ac tion); Dr. Glen Gerritz, Darlene Aaron (Medical Clinic); and Marion Mercier, Adult Vocational Training Counselor in the Educa tion Division. The joint effort between the Tribe and the Vocational Rehabilitation Division was initiated for the pur pose of providing services to the disabled tribal population. The State Vocational Rehabilitation doctors may consider confusion and forgetfulness as signs of pos sible Alzheimer's disease. Either way, family members want to be sure their elders are feeling com fortable and secure. Many people combine expert advice of tradi tional healers and medical doctors to find out if their elder's confusion and forgetfulness is caused by problems that can be cured and treated from both perspectives. In order to provide the best pos before another application of a seal ant is needed. Reapplicationofthe sealant will continue to protect against decay and may save time' and the expense of restoring a tooth. Sealants are checked during your child's dental visits. For long-lasting, healthy smiles, the American Dental Society rec ommends a total prevention pro gram including regular dental vis its, the use of fluoride toothpaste, daily brushing and flossing, and avoiding frequent snacks between meals. If these measures are fol lowed and sealants applied to the child's teeth, the risk of decay is greatly reduced, and even elimi nated. .(;,' : Division has designated an out-stationed counselor to the Tribe: Geor gia Isaia. The VR Counselor will be working out of the Chemical Dependency office twice per month, half days and future plans are being formed for the Salem and Portland areas. The schedule for Grand Ronde is as follows: Feb 6 & 2 1 : Chemical Dependency Office, 8 a.m.-l2 p.m. March 6 & 20: Chemical Depen dency Office, 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Please contact Kathy Coley for an appointment with Georgia Isaia, 879-2026. Welcome, Georgia! sible care for the elder, you as a family member should: Keep a calm spirit yourself and among your household members. Listen to the elder talk of days gone by, history, and recollections. Keep the elder safe from harm while assisting them in doing as much for themselves as possible. Make sure the elder eats properly and regularly. Meal programs for Native American elders are avail able through Title III and Title VI New Face Georgia Isaia loves work in vocational rehabilitation Georgia Isaia wants to express her thanks for being invited to come to Grand Ronde and work with the people in the community. She looks forward to getting acquainted with everyone who wants to par ticipate in vocational services. Georgia has worked with the Vo cational Rehabilitation Division since 1983. She began as a secre tary in the Grants Pass office, but was so impressed with the counsel ing staff, what the program stands for and what it does to help people overcome barriers she wanted to be more involved. With the help of her supervisor and others within the agency, she worked her way up the career lad der. First, Georgia worked as a Human Resource Aide, assisting a counselor with Cerebral Palsy. She then became a Human Resource Assistant, providing test and evalu ation services to clients and assist ing counselors with their office and caseload duties. In 1990, Georgia was selected for a counselor training position with the West Salem Vocational Divi sion office. After eight months, she qualified for a vocational counse- 2nd flnnual Molar Roller kating party When: friday, fjzb. 103-5 p.m. Where: t. Michael' Church, Grand 'Rpndfz for: Children ages 6-12 Activities: Cental tlealth fair, tooth healthy snacks, "Tooth Talk", and special guest, Dudley the dinosaur! please join us in celebrating National Children's . Cental tlealth Month of the Older Americans Act. Make sure the elder is healthy in mind, body, and spirit. Try to understand that odd talk may simply be a different way of telling you that he or she is hun gry, in pain, or lonely. Sometimes a pet may be a source of comfort to an elder. You may have to help feed it and keep it healthy. Show respect for yourself by keep ing yourself healthy. That way you A Georgia Isaia lor position, and was hired by the Mid-Willamette office in August of 1991. Vocational Rehabilitation's mis sion is to assist persons who have barriers to returning to work. Counselors work with clients to determine what types of jobs would be suitable and then sort out which services will be required to help the person overcome the barriers. Some of the services available are on-the-job training, formal educa tion, job coaching, purchase of work tools or clothing, resume preparation, and job development or placement. These are only a few examples of services. Type of ser vice is determined by evaluating the needs of each client. will be able to provide help to your elders as long as possible. Contact the tribal seniors program to get involved. As the circle of life continues, show respect to your elders by car ing for them when they are depen dent. Above all, show them that you love them. This can never be overdone, especially when the el der is confused or forgetful. -reprinted from National Eldercare Institute
