HEALTH
y
1
ocl ed ith
.Are your eyes trying to
tell you something
Remember quinting to re d
t e cards t your Over the Hill
(40th) birthd Y party? Of course
there j t w n't enough light in the
pi ceo Or perhap it w that mid
way point between maturing and
over-the-hill (35), when you tarted
holding the new paper at a di lance
to re d it.
Are your ey trying to tell you
something and you're not li ten
ing??? Now hear this: The aging
process is not prejudice. All body
parts re affected by this natural
phenomenon, including your eyes.
you approach 40 your eyes
may take longer to foe you
can the ale ad in the weekend
paper. Thi i the first indication
that reading gl s are in your fu
ture. Light and darlcn will affect
your ight the tense to the eyes
become Cloudy.
As a matter of fact, you will need
2-3 times more light in your sixtie
than you did in your twenties for
needlepoint and other close work.
culty uri on
-Interruption of the urin ry
tream
-Inability to urina
pro
TH LAC Occupa ion 1
Therapy CaUcus committed to in-
creuin diversity throughout the
profession. " Achievln gre ter
diversity among occupational
therapy penonnel will m e more
viable in an increasingly competitive
Ith care environment," accordlo
to Cotton. "Our society· changl
and e need to cbanF alon with It,
or e extinction."
The Caucus also concerned with
helping to make the occupational
therapy educational programs more
"» er-friendly" for minorities.
"Recruitment, itself, is not enough,"
id Cotton. "We have to be equally
commi tted to helping tudent
graduate, the certification exam,
and then exeell once in practice."
To furtber ist with the educa-
tional needs of minority tudents, the
Black Occupational Therapy
. presents the Frances Swift Memorial
Scholarship AWIId. Frances Swift
w an 'African-American, occupa
tional therapiafwho was killed in the
crash of Korean Airlines FUghlllOO7,
in 1983.
AOTA, celebrating its 75th· an
niversary in .1992, is the oldeat of the
professional rehabilitating societica.
It repreaen tbe interests and con
cerDa of 45,000 occupational therapy
practitiollel'lJWtionwfde and seeks to
improve the quality of occupational
y COl t OODiumert
D- F ci ng the progr ms re offered, on vera e,
need or Imo t 15,000 more four jo e h.
h ltheare profe ion by the year "But tbere I another important
2 , well incre ing numbe rea on for African-America to
of p tien who are minoriti , the choo e a career inoccup tional
American Occupational Therapy As- therapy," s id Cotton. "We need
oci tion, Inc. (AOT A) is targeting more people of color in this profe -
African-Americans J1 rt of its ef- ion! In p rticular, Bl care
fort to recrui t more pe onnel. needed to help inc e the number of
Central to the camp ign i the in- vi ible, African-American role
troduction of material de igned pe- model in the occupational therapy
cially for African-American high community.
chool tridents and econd-career Role models are crucial not only
candidate. The new materials, plus for the ucce ful recruitment of
additional information about occupa- minority therapis , but also for the
tional th rapya a career, can be ob- retention of minority therapl ts once
tained by calling AOT A's toll-free they enter the field. Role models pro
Careerline,1-800-366-9799. vide the upport and encouragement
"There never been a better n sary to uceeed."
time to choo e occupational therapy In addition, African-American
a career," aid Tany Cotton, Presi- therapi ts are needed to help make
dent of the Black Occupational non-minority practitioners more en
Therapy Caucus. sitive'to Black patien and theirspe-
"The hortage of therapists and cial concerns. "We don't Deed more
certified assistants, currently about minority practitioners to just help
25 percent nationwide and expected proved services to minority patients.
to increase as demand continu to
grow, means good-paying job are
readily available for everyone who i
qualified. "
BPH· a coodi tion of the p tat,
the male se gland t t produces tbe
fluid t rri perm. It ec
more t n half of men in their ixtie
nd many 85 percent of men in
their eighti
BPH i ca ed by two cto
enlargement of the prostate and con
tractio of mooth m cl that re
Researchers are enrolling 1,800
men who uffer from symptoms -
sociated with BPH to participa in
the tudy. Individuals bo are inter
ested in finding out if they qualify to
Those inevitable day
whenyourchildi ick
Jean Marzollo, author of
numerou books and articles on
WE ARE GREETED by mid- parenting, emphasizes an ounce of
die age with the potential of prevention in "Your Maternity
numerous serious eye conditions. . Leave" (New York: Poseidon Press,
Presbyopia, affectionately known $8.95). She has this to y:
as "old eyes," is unavoidable. The THE SICK-BABY TRAP: You
blurring of near vision is a result of know you've fallen into this trap if
growing old, which happens to you are completely thrown each time
everyone. your baby gets sick. Your baby will
The jellylike lens loses elasticity get sick, and thi inevitability will
and Can't quite keep up with the cause contlicts wlthyourwor .Have
shape changing that occurs when
focusing switcbesfromfarvislomo a backup plan to cope with uch
an object close by or vice versa. emergencies.
Here comes the reading glas ' Your b ckup plan hould involve
A loss of peripheral. vision in your whole baby care team. Perhaps
anyone 40+ could signal glaucoma. you or your husband could stay
The optic nerve is damaged by the home, or alternate day staying
build up of eyeball fluid which no home. Perhaps you could do some
Ion e· .. ne yo home. It's a good
ch ec mos pe ot ea to al .. usick
th <'Ver 4S .... PliHop.ul .... ati"'0 .... rP��,.rs�toftl·.,... ... b " work t is, a
ve hered'"l'
Blacks 3 times more often than project that you can't get to now but
whites. will if you ever have U)stay home for
It can be found in Blacks and a day or two.
those with a family history of it as
early a35 years of age. Regular
screening for those 35 and older is
very crucial. Glaucoma has no
symptoms or pain associated with it
- but will result in gradual loss of
vision if not treated.
Another common ailment of the
aging process is "dre eye," caused
by the natural decrease in the
amount of tears. Mostly seen in
those 40 - 60 years of age, it is
easily treated with over-the-counter
eye drops (watch for vasconstric
tors).
with a Ic child, you may not h ve
to take a ick day or a personal day.
You might even want to have a fax
machine in your home so th t you can
wire paperwor back and forth. It's
also possible that workers could
come to your home to work if your
baby doe n't need constant care and
i n't contagio .
,
IF YOUR WORK DOESN'T
allow you to tay home to take care
of your child and you want to, tell a
white lie ami ay you're sick. If
you're married, ask your husband to
do the same, splitting at-home ick
baby day with you. If appropriate,
ask your employer if you can bring
your baby. to work with you. _
We also need minority prac
titioners to help everyone better un
derstand the culture and background
of Black patients. In work like ours,
where communication is vital to
being effective, it i essential that we
get to know omething about the
values our patients bring-with them."
ACCORDING TO STATIS
TICS complied by AOTA's Re
earch and Information Department,
graduates of accredited educational
ASK YOUR BABY sitter if she's
willing to care for a sick baby. Ask
your day care center about their
policies for sick babie . Check out the
resources in your community. Ask
your pediatrician if there's private or
public sick-child day care available
in your area. Find out about private
baby sitters and nurses who might
come to your home to care for a sick
baby.
Don't feel guilty as a worker when
you have a work/sick-baby conflict.
Such problems are a part of life, as are
snow-day/work conflicts and
transportation-strike/Work conflicts.
Deal wi th the conflict in a
businesslike manner ....
By setting up the possibility of
your working while you stay home '
Today, almost
one million '
Americans are
·nfected with HI'/.
How's it all �
.to end.
ADD TO the list spots and
floaters that result from the break
down of eye fluid and drops of
protein getting caught in these
fluids. For the most part they are
harmless.
The leading cause of blindness
is cataracts. Blurred vision is
caused by cloudy eyeball lens as a
result of age related protein brown
ing. While cataracts begin to
developed around age 50 they' do
not negatively impact the vision
until about 60 or 70.
It is ironic that advice on keep
ing our eye healthy and youthful
has not been plentiful in this era of
fitness. Have no fear, contrary to
popular belief, the eye don't just go.
With an eye on fitness and a few
tips in mind, you'll be reading the
fine print for a long time!
DO - use good lighting when
reading - you won't go blind if
you don't but you will cause serious
fatigue to the eyes.
DO - wear sunglasses - ex
posure to ultraviolet radiation
damage the retina. Some re
searchers believe exposure to
ultraviolet-b rays over a period of
time causes cataracts.
DO - watch your diet -
Vitamin A deficiency can ag
gravate night blindness. The body
needs carotene to make vitamin A,
which can be found in carrots,
chicken, fish, broccoli and weet
potatoes.
DO - give your tired eyes a
break - watching television in a
pitch-dark room forces your retina
and lens to work harder than they
would otherwise have to.
If you don't do anything el e, do
get a complete eye exam regularly.
If you are 35 or older, every other
year. Where there is a family his
tory or glaucoma or diabete , have
an exam �very year.
This year alone, thousands more Americans ar.
expected to let HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
WhyP The answer is simple.
Every day, many sexually active people put
themselves at risk for s xually transmitted
diseases (STO's). And what puts them at risk
for these STO's is exactly what puts them at
risk for HIV - their behaviors.
The truth Is that all sexually transmitted
diseases are preventable. Abstinence is, c:A
course, the safest measure. People who nJoy a
mutually faithful relationship with an lRnfected ,
partner can feel completely safe. And; the ... ar.
condoms. When used properly, condoms can
prevent not only HIV, but all xually trans- _
mitted diseases.
Patient
assistance
available
The Children's Leukemia Founda
tion of Michigan (CLF) helps patients
and families throughout the state cope
with a diagnosis of leukemia, lym
phoma, multiple myeloma or one of
13 other serious blood di orders.
Now CLF is distributing the Oient
Information and Services brochure, a
new CLF publication intended for
patients, their friends and families.
HIV i� friahteninl. But it's also pr ntabIe. All
it tak s is your commitm nt.
To find out how you can prev nt HIV, call the
CDC Natkx'lal AIDS Hoplne at 1-800-341-A�DS.
OFTEN NEWLY diagnosed
patients and concerned family mem
bers may not know where to tum for
help. The Client Information and
Services brochure outlines CLF's
program in financial assi tance,
emotional support and information
resources. By returning the postage
paid form in the brochure, patients
can register with CLF and connect
with caring staff and volunteers who
can help.
For more information and the ob
tain a copy/copies of the Client Infor
mation and Services brochure, please
call the CLF Client Services Depart
ment toll-free at 1-800-825-2536.
("� u.s. DEPARTMENT Of H
� Public
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