Polk County News
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • August 30, 2017 9A
ANNIVERSARY
THE DOCTOR IS IN
By John Lopez
Do you, or anyone you
know, continually invest in
incontinence products, ex-
perience involuntary leak-
age during physical activi-
ties or have back or pelvic
pain from giving birth?
These symptoms may be
caused by pelvic floor dys-
function. The good news is,
in the majority of cases, it’s
treatable.
The National Institute of
Health states that a third of
all women develop pelvic
floor dysfunction in their
lifetimes, including inconti-
nence and/or pain. Addi-
tionally, according to the
National Association for
Continence, 26 percent of
women between ages 18 to
59 have urinary inconti-
nence (involuntary leakage
of urine). Such was the case
with case with Amy, whose
name has been changed to
protect her privacy.
Amy is a mother of three
and in her late 40s. Five
years ago, she had devel-
oped bowel and bladder in-
continence associated with
exercise and quick move-
ments. She withdrew from
social situations to avoid
embarrassment. Though
once a teacher of fitness
classes, she stopped being
physically active.
Amy was referred to phys-
ical therapy for pelvic reha-
bilitation, unsure of what to
expect. Her therapist talked
to her on the phone about
the evaluation and treat-
ment of her symptoms.
After a comprehensive
evaluation she was found to
have: poor posture, signifi-
cantly underperforming
core and pelvic floor mus-
cles, signs of arthritic
changes in her left hip and a
lack of knowledge about
proper diet and daily habits
pertaining to her bowel and
bladder.
Her therapist detailed the
findings with her and shared
a treatment plan aimed at re-
turning to her life pursuits.
Amy participated in a pro-
gressive pelvic floor muscle
training program with spe-
cialized equipment, under
the direct supervision of her
pelvic health therapist. She
learned about the anatomy
and function of her pelvic
floor muscles, how to use
them correctly and what food
and drink items to avoid in
order to keep control of her
bowel and bladder.
After fewer than three
months of committed team-
work between herself and
her therapist, she was able
to participate in practical
daily task simulations to test
Parker — 50 years
About the author
John Lopez is the Rehab Services Supervisor for West Val-
ley Hospital and a licensed physical ther-
apist.
John completed his physical therapist
education and training in 1998 at Loma
Linda University in southern California,
taking staff and leadership roles in vari-
ous settings including: skilled nursing,
comprehensive outpatient rehab facili-
ties, work injury management, and out-
patient orthopedics. He is a certified er-
Lopez
gonomics evaluator and enjoys further-
ing his clinical education and practice,
particularly in the areas of sports, the spine, and pelvis. He
appreciates being a part of a dynamic rehab team that is
committed to growing specialized patient care.
He spends his extracurricular time in church activities,
exploring the outdoors with his family, and in the gym.
and train her bowel and
bladder control. Graduation
time had come as she re-
ported no bowel or bladder
leakage with exercise in-
cluding fast-paced walking
and quick changes in posi-
tion. Most important to her
was being able to go out and
enjoy a movie with family —
without interruption.
With proper care from a
specially trained pelvic
health physical therapist,
Amy’s outcome is not un-
usual. A 2008 study by the
department of gynecology
of a university in Brazil
showed that patients with
stress urinary incontinence
(involuntary leakage associ-
ated with exercise, sneezing,
or coughing) who under-
went pelvic health physical
therapy clearly improved
over a group of patients that
did not receive such treat-
ment.
If you or someone you
know is experiencing pelvic
floor dysfunction symptoms
similar to Amy’s, remember
that there is specialized care
available to help, for males
as well. For more informa-
tion, contact your primary
care provider or call West
Valley Hospital Rehabilita-
tion Services at 503-623-
7305.
Dennis and Linda
Parker will celebrate
their 50th wedding an-
niversary on Sept. 1,
2017.
On Sept. 2 at 2 p.m.,
there will be an anniver-
sary party in their honor
at the First Christian
Church in Salem.
Dennis Parker spent
30 years in the Dallas
School District teaching
seventh-grade science.
One of the classes he
taught was required for all students, so if you went to
school in Dallas between 1968 and 1998, you probably
had Mr. Parker as a teacher.
Dennis also is the owner of Dennis Parker Logging.
Linda Parker is an accomplished musician, playing
piano and various percussion instruments, and spent
much of her husband’s teaching career also in the Dallas
School District, most notably with the DHS band. Linda
has been honored with the Dallas Chamber of Commerce
Good Samaritan Award. She was an active volunteer in
the band program, and is still active in playing the piano
for her church and with her family.
MI TOWN
Although the calendar
says that the official begin-
ning of fall isn’t until late
September, for many of us,
Labor Day signifies the
transition as children begin
another school year, and
we pack away our swim-
suits and rafts and beach-
wear. If history repeats,
we’ll continue to have sev-
eral weeks of wonderful
weather with cool evenings
and fresh, crisp mornings.
In our house, the unani-
mous vote would be for
endless summer — but the
reality of a change of sea-
sons is also something to
look forward to.
—
Autumn is a very special
time of year for me with the
beginning of school, foot-
ball season, a time to make
applesauce and pies from
the tree in our backyard,
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
and to watch the grapevines
over the back deck as the
fruit changes in color from
green to deep purple.
—
This evening is the last
concert in the summer
Music in the Park Series in
Monmouth. What could be
better than a summer
evening listening to Celtic
music with your family and
friends, while enjoying a
picnic from home, or pur-
chasing food and drink
from our local vendors. The
concerts have been well at-
tended all summer long,
and we’ll enjoy another
great evening close to
home. Tonight’s group is
Coming Up Threes. Thanks
to the generosity of several
local businesses, merchants
and other organizations,
these concerts are free to
everyone who attends. Even
though this is our last con-
cert in the Main Street Park
for the season, let’s thank
our friends and neighbors
by supporting their restau-
rants and other businesses
during the year.
—
My all-time favorite sum-
mer event of the year is
here. What fun to eat corn
dogs, ice cream bars and
enjoy the best milkshake of
the year at the Oregon
Dairy Women booth. The
Oregon State Fair is in full
swing in Salem, where there
is truly something fun for
people of all ages. A day at
the fair is quite unlike any
other — with so many op-
portunities to have a won-
derful time. I remember my
very first state fair when I
was a 4-H kid — excited to
spend some of my berry-
and-bean picking, and chit-
tum bark money (Anybody
remember what hard work
that was?) on corn dogs and
curly fries and elephant
ears. It’s good to know that
some traditions are just as
enjoyable no matter how
many years have passed.
There have been some
changes — admission fees
are reduced, but there is a
$5 (cash) fee for parking.
Senior citizens — admis-
sion is $1 all day, every day.
That’s really good news for
those of us of a certain age
who are watching our ex-
penses. See you at the fair.
PEDEE NEWS
We in Pedee are so sorry
to hear of Peter Padilla’s
death. He and his wife Joyce
were such an inspiration to
many people in the area. He
had died of cancer on Au-
gust 7th at the age of 60. His
memorial service will be on
September 8th in Dallas.
—
Most people in Pedee
stayed in the community to
view the “Great American
Eclipse” last Monday, watch-
ing with friends and family;
where better to be since we
were in the path of totality?
Mike Heggen invited friends
Jason Pargeter from Seattle
and Tom and Jake from Eu-
gene to watch with him,
plus his help, Draven More-
head and James Johnson
from Salem joined the group
for the spectacle. A number
of Chris and Jennifer Van-
denberg’s friends camped
for the long weekend on
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
their place on Pedee Creek
Road and so had a great
view of the eclipse. The Rus-
sells and Brothertons were
getting together at the
church to watch and were
greeted by couples from
Seattle, the coast, and Cali-
fornia who had stopped by.
Same thing happened at the
women’s club. June Clark
had a small group over, but
pointed out that as soon as
totality hit, their night light
turned on — she’s planning
to stay away from it the next
time!
—
And we possibly had the
best view of all, right in our
driveway, as the eclipse was
framed by our beautiful hills
and trees. Judy Guida, Joe
Guida, and Suzanne Bur-
bank came over and we ate
cinnamon rolls and “Eclipse”
cookies while watching this
amazing sight. My only re-
gret was that two minutes
was not long enough.
—
Paul and Diane Telfer re-
turned home two weeks ago
from a week-long vacation
at Seaside with their three
children and five grandchil-
dren. They enjoyed their
time in the pool and on the
beach, and making s’mores.
Paul and Diane ended their
vacation by hiking 10 miles
from Cannon Beach to Sea-
side over Tillamook Head. At
the top is an old bunker
from World War II. They
then had family over for the
eclipse, which they watched
from the back of their place,
which had a good view.
—
It has been a busy sum-
mer for the Telfers, includ-
ing an overnight trip to Sis-
ters for Diane to assist the
Red Cross with wildfire re-
lief. She and I both have
quilts at the State Fair, plus
we will be helping with the
“quilt walk” on one of the
days.
—
Pedee Church will be
sponsoring a 4-H club this
year for interested kids be-
tween the ages of 10 and 18.
An organizational meeting
will be at noon on Sunday,
September 10th, but if you
can’t make that, your kids
are still welcome to join.
They will try to have leaders
for any projects the kids
would like to have. Call
Heather Traglia at 503-623-
9188 for details.
Senior Living
Fall 2017
DEADLINE to Reserve: Sept. 21
PUBLISHES: Oct. 4
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