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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1998)
November 1, 1998 Community 5 Concerned about diabetes? Here's what you can do By Kathy Faber, FNP So, what is diabetes? What can be done to prevent diabetes? How do I know if I have diabetes? If I have diabetes, what can I do about it? These are some questions you may have asked yourself. Diabetes affects the way your body changes food into energy. Typically, your body breaks down the foods you eat (sugar, starches, meat) into "fuel,'' a form of sugar called glu cose. Glucose travels into the blood stream. It can be used by body cells as a source of energy, or it may be stored in the liver, muscle, or fat. Insulin, a hormone made by the pan creas, helps glucose enter the body cells that need energy. When a person has diabetes, the pancreas may not make enough in sulin, or the body can't use the insu lin correctly. Therefore, the body cells cannot get the energy they need and the glucose level builds up in the bloodstream. High levels of blood sugar (glucose) cause damage to all body organs, including the eyes, kid ney, heart, blood vessels, and nerves. It is important to recognize diabetes early to prevent consequences of pro longed high blood sugar. Symptoms of high blood sugar include feeling weak, dizzy, very hungry or thirsty, passing urine frequently, blurred vi sion, slow healing of wounds, fre quent infections, or numbness to the hands and feet. The three keys for correctly man aging diabetes are: a healthy diet of low-fat foods in small portions throughout the day; proper exercise to control weight and keep choles terol and blood pressure regulated; and medication if necessary. These can include oral pills or insulin. Per sons with diabetes can live long and healthy lives. It can be a challenge to maintain interest and commitment to these things. Health care provid ers work in partnership with persons with diabetes to control blood sugar in normal range. It is important to have regular physical examinations. Diabetes is a very large problem within the Native American commu nity. The overall prevalence among Native people is 12 percent, much higher man the general U.S. popula tion of five percent. Currently, the Clinic hosts a Dia betes Support Group meeting the third Tuesday of every month from 11 a.m until noon. Persons with dia betes and their family members and friends are welcome to attend. Be sides having some healthy snacks, checking blood sugars, and sharing with each other, a topic pertinent to living with diabetes is discussed. ( But there is much more that can, be done! We need interested people with good ideas and time. If you have a special interest in developing a more comprehensive diabetes program in the community, please contact me at (503) 879-2002. Bookkeeping class offered Nov. 3 Doug Iverson from Valley Bookkeeping Service located in Dallas, Or. will be offering a class on business recordkeeping and taxes. This class will be offered on Tuesday, November 3 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Grand Ronde Room at 28840 Salmon River Highway. The public is welcome to attend. For more information call Small Business Development at 879-2476. Coastal Hills Art Tour; Nov. 13 & 14 Begin your Holiday Celebration with a trip to the 7th Annual Coastal Hills Art Tour in Willamina on Friday, November 13 and Saturday, November 14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Local artists and crafters will be showing their work in downtown store fronts and individual galleries. Tour the historic Dr. An drew Kershaw House where you will meet local published authors. Linger to sip tea and savor fine pastries and desserts from Piontek's Bakery and the Cheesecake Lady. Step back in time with a ride on an old fashioned hay wagon to downtown destinations. On Saturday, the West Valley Country Cruisers Vintage Car Show will be on display. Fine art, crafts, antiques, music, and the hospitality of small town Oregon make this a "must do" in beginning the holiday season. Bingo fundraisers Nov. 17 and Dec. 1 "Welcome to Grand Ronde" signs is a community project that needs your support. In addition to the $1,000 already raised, Bingo fundraisers are sched uled at the Casino on November 17 and December 1 to help raise more money to furnish these signs. At a recent community meeting a decision was made to have a tall "Welcome to Grand Ronde" sign with a long planter. Under the planter will be a place to hang event banners. As community members, here is your chance to participate in some real "community fun." For more information or bingo tickets, call Barbara Lake at 879-2476. Deputy urges winter highway safety By Deputy Tom O'Brien, Polk County Sheriffs Office Winter is almost upon us. The nights are descending earlier. Fam ily activities have turned indoors. These conditions work to the advan tage of those who would steal from you. It is common for deputies to take reports of mail theft when vari ous government assistance checks are sent through the mail. Recently the Grand Ronde tribal deputies took a report for theft of a tribal check. It was one of the checks that are issued to all tribal members and sent through the mail. It is sad, but also true that there are community members who do take ad vantage of their neighbors. Please take time to protect yourself and give some thought to how you can pre vent from being victimized. Maybe you will need to secure your mail box or rent one at the post office. Recently, the Grand Ronde depu ties gave a Highway Safety talk at the Natural Resources Center. It is in teresting how big of an audience you can draw when pizza is being served at a meeting! We answered questions and addressed concerns from those who attended. For an hour, (or at least until the pizza was gone) we had a great discussion. The federal funding has expired for Deputy Fredinberg. He could be seen stopping vehicles during the summer Help your neighbors; help yourself Perhaps you have noticed flyers up around town decorating the Grand Ronde bulletin boards. But have you taken a moment to stop for a closer look? If not, you should. These flyers are part of a campaign happening right now in Polk County, that will ultimately benefit you and your community. The Polk County Commission for Children and Families recently named Michele Peterson to serve as Volunteer Coordinator for Polk County. Peterson's main job will be to link people who want to volunteer with an opportunity that best suits their interests and time schedules. From child care to technical support and corrections, there are opportunities to volunteer in every area, county-wide. Peterson is working hard to focus on rural parts of Polk County, like Grand Ronde and Falls City. While the growing number of volunteers is encourag ing, there is still a great need. "If we could increase the number of volunteers in Grand Ronde by even 20, I can only imagine the impact we could make," said Peterson.. People with an interest in volunteering should contact Michele Peterson, Polk County Commission for Children and Families Volunteer Coordinator at (503) 623-5526. Santa and Xudolph TLXI When: Monday, December 14, 1998 til Where: Tribal Community Center Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For: Tribal children ages five and under Please join us for arts and crafts, refreshments, safety and prevention activities, photos with Santa and Rudolph. : Xl.' ' 'hi f 'V' 's months on highways 18 and 22. He will be missed, as we are presently without that position. This winter we will not see the traffic teams like we did last summer. This does not mean that traffic will disappear, but it does mean that you will have to exercise care as you will experience longer response times from officers on duty. Winter driving is hazardous and re quires a slower response time to safely drive to a scene. You can plan ahead and equip your vehicle with items to assist you if you are disabled or stranded. Carry road flares, a warm coat or blanket, and have drinking water available. And of course, carry a working flashlight. If you are stuck on a highway on a cold, dark night, you will need these items. The pre cautions you can take to prevent from being a statistic are simple. Now is the time to take them. c r
