Health & Wellness
 

Open the door for the homebound Just a few caring actions and/or gifts can cheer up a confined person http://www.wcr.ab.ca/columns/lisapetsche/2008/lisapetsche060908.shtml Lisa Petsche Home Front By LISA PETSCHE Special to the WCR When someone is confined to their home due to convalescence from an illness, recovery from surgery or chronic illness or disability, their world shrinks considerably. It's easy to become disconnected from others and the world in general. Unfortunately, in our increasingly mobile society, family support for seniors in such situations is often limited. With people marrying later and having fewer children, our elders may find themselves isolated from family. Even if adult children live nearby, they're likely to be busy juggling careers and families of their own. I would like to share some ideas for supporting a friend or relative who is homebound and helping him or her stay engaged in life. Accept that you may have to make most of the effort in the relationship, since the person may be preoccupied with health issues and daily living activities. Plan to call or visit when you're not in a rush. Arrange a regular time to get together. Allow the person to express emotions freely. Illness and disability affect people physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. But although there may be similarities, no two people experience it the same way. Listen attentively, demonstrate compassion and provide encouragement. Encourage the person to practise self-care by eating nutritiously, exercising (if appropriate), getting adequate rest and avoiding unnecessary stress. Also encourage them to keep medical appointments. Do whatever you can to help make this happen. For example, bring over a meal or offer to drive him to an appointment. Ask what kind of practical help the person could use. Perhaps it's dusting and vacuuming, doing laundry or running errands. If your assistance is declined, continue to express your desire to help. Meanwhile, take it upon yourself to deliver a casserole or muffins or, if you're a neighbour, sweep both walks or bring in both sets of garbage cans. Encourage the person to ask for help rather than struggle alone. It's easy to become disconnected from others and the world in general. Bring a surprise gift, such as a favourite movie, magazine or food treat, fresh flowers or a plant or a gift certificate to a favourite restaurant that has takeout and delivery service. If you're on a limited income, sign out reading material, movies or music the person would enjoy from the public library. Help a female friend feel good about her appearance. Offer to style her hair or do her nails, for example. Put together a pamper kit of items to give her a lift, such as a relaxation CD containing sounds of nature, scented candles, fragrant shower gel or body lotion and gourmet tea. Encourage the person to cultivate some solitary pastimes - such as taking up word puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, writing or sketching - that bring pleasure or fulfillment and enable them to enjoy their own company. They may also wish to explore home-based volunteer opportunities - providing telephone reassurance or participating in a parish prayer network, for example. Help the person maintain connections to the outside world by sharing news about family, friends and current events. Bring a newspaper or newsmagazine with you. Better yet, arrange a gift subscription. If the person is connected with a faith community, offer to look into available social ministries, such as Eucharistic ministry to the homebound, telephone support, friendly visiting and transportation. If you attend the same church, provide a copy of the parish bulletin. Encourage the person to get a computer and teach them how to use it. Internet access can help them stay connected to loved ones, keep up with local and world news and gather health-related information, among other things. They can also play games like chess and bridge and connect with others in a similar situation through Internet message boards and chat rooms. If mobility issues prevent the person from accessing the community, encourage them to rent or buy a walker, electric scooter or wheelchair and help facilitate this. Research wheelchair taxi options or help them register with the local accessible transportation service if appropriate. Then plan an outing together. Offer to get information about community resources, such as home health care services, friendly visiting programs, shopping services, meals on wheels and accessible recreation and leisure programs. The local office on aging, public health department and community information service are good resources.

Understanding Prostate Cancer http://www.procure.ca/tiki-index.php?page=HomePage&switchLang=en Facts and Statistics Prostate Cancer Statistics, 2008 Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian men. In 2008, an estimated 24,700 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 4,300 will die of it. On average, 475 Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer every week. On average, 83 Canadian men will die of prostate cancer every week. One in 7 men will develop prostate cancer during his lifetime, mostly after the age of 60. One in 26 will die of it. Order your free copy of the book Understanding Prostate Cancer http://www.procure.ca/tiki-index.php?page=order_book&bl Understanding Prostate Cancer is a comprehensive and compassionate guide written by Dr. Michael McCormack and Dr. Fred Saad of the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Montréal (CHUM). The book introduces and explains the many issues surrounding risk factors and prevention of prostate cancer and provides answers to questions for those who have a diagnosis of prostate cancer, their families and loved ones.

No Smoking When Children Under 16 in Motor Vehicle Ontario Government Protects Children's Health http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2008/16/c4387.html A new law that protects children under 16 years old from second-hand tobacco smoke in motor vehicles was passed in the Ontario legislature today. Second-hand smoke in motor vehicles can be up to 27 times (http://www.oma.org/Health/tobacco/In-carSHSconcentrationsBackgrounder.pdf) more concentrated than in a smoker's home. Children exposed to second-hand smoke (http://www.oma.org/phealth/smoke2004.pdf) are more likely to suffer Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, acute respiratory infections, ear problems, and more severe asthma. Exposure to second-hand smoke among children has also been linked to lower cognitive test scores compared with children who were not exposed. Ontario has one of the toughest anti-smoking laws in North America. Since 2003, tobacco consumption in Ontario has fallen by more than 30 per cent.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Ontario Government Working To End Elder Abuse TORONTO, June 16 /CNW/ - June 15 was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and the Province is reminding Ontarians that the elderly are often targets of mistreatment. Elder abuse includes: Paying too much for a service Being emotionally mistreated or physically neglected or Suffering a violation of trust. The Province works year-round with the Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (http://www.onpea.org/) to detect and respond to cases of elder abuse, provide services to abused elders and raise awareness of the problem. If you have concerns about an elderly person in your life, call the Seniors Infoline at 1-888-910-1999. This toll free line offers information and referral service in multiple languages. QUOTES "Seniors have a right to live their lives safely, and with dignity," said  Aileen Carroll, Ontario Minister Responsible for Seniors. "Whether we're talking about financial, emotional or physical abuse, it is unacceptable and our government is working hard to put a stop to it." "Elder abuse is far more widespread than people imagine," said Chair of ONPEA, Lori Flynn. "The best way to fight it is with a comprehensive strategy that includes support for seniors and public education, and the government of Ontario should be commended for doing exactly those things." QUICK FACTS Today, 1.6 million seniors live in Ontario - 13 per cent of the population The World Health Organization defines elder abuse as "a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring in any relationship where there is an expectation of trust that causes harm or distress to an older person." It is estimated that between 4 and 10 percent of the province's seniors have experienced, or will experience, some form of abuse. LEARN MORE For information and educational videos on elder abuse, visit www.ontarioseniors.ca and click on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.

Chocolate May Prove Potent Anti-Cancer Agent - Study June 16, 2008 Washington: We have all heard that eating chocolate is good for you -- now here's a study that tells you why. A chemical synthesised out of a cocoa compound has accelerated the killing of human tumours in a lab environment, according to the study by Georgetown University researchers. The researchers described how four different tumour cell lines out of 16 tested sensitive to the chemical, known as GECGC. The strongest response was seen in two different colon cancers; growth was cut in half and most of the tumour cells were damaged. GECGC "seems to be safe... because it has a structure similar to a natural product in cocoa beans - the same beans that are used to make chocolate," said the study's lead author Min Kim. Researchers have long studied the beneficial effects of flavanols -- molecules in vegetables and fruits that exhibit potent anti-oxidant and potentially anti-tumour properties. As part of these studies, investigators have been testing a new synthetic version of natural procyanidins, a class of flavanols, created and patented by a confectionery company Mars Incorporated. In these studies, the scientists tested the effects of three different doses of GECGC on the cancer cell lines -- the first time that a synthetic cocoa derivative has been used to screen human cancer cell lines. None of the doses tested were extreme, Kim pointed out. "The effective concentrations were considered similar to what a person might eat or use," he said. They found sensitivity to GECGC in both colon cancer cell lines they tested, in cervical cancer cells and in one line of leukaemia tumour cells. Other cell lines were resistant, including ovarian and prostate cancer cells. Overall, GECGC showed the most effect in treating cancer cells that are normally fast growing, Kim said. And the fact that it demonstrated the most killing power in colon cancer suggests the chemical "could serve as a promising therapeutic for colon cancer," he said. "So far, these data are very convincing." The researchers do not yet clearly understand the mechanism by which GECGC disrupts tumour growth, but they think it inhibits the physical connections between cancer cells and blocks internal cell signalling pathways. The findings of the study have been published online Monday in the journal Cell Cycle. (IANS)

How to keep your PC cool during summer http://samachaar.in/Science/42662/print.asp June 15, 2008 Washington (DPA): Computers hate heat. So this summer, be sure to think about keeping your computer cool. Computer components themselves run hot, and yet they're not designed to operate above a certain temperature. When the temperature outside gets uncomfortable for humans, you can be sure that your computer isn't liking the situation any better. So for a trouble-free summer of computing, take steps now to ensure that your PC stays cool. In a sense, fans are a computer's most important component. Without them, your computer's processor, memory, and other vital parts would overheat and eventually fail or cause your computer to slow down or to start behaving erratically. So at least once a year - and the beginning of summer is a good time - you should inspect the fans in your computer to ensure that they're operating, and you should also clean them, for all fans collect dust and function less efficiently as a result. Notebook computers typically have a fan that vents to the back or side of the computer. The fan generally kicks in periodically, when the computer is doing lots of work or when the temperature outside is high. Desktop computers often have several fans: one or more on the back of the PC that vents to the outside, one inside the computer on the central processing unit (CPU), and often one on the graphics card. Each of the fans on your computer should be vacuumed out and cleaned. Turn the computer off, vacuum, and then use cotton swabs moistened in water to clean the fins. Also, make sure the fans are still functioning. With desktops, turn the computer on while the case is removed, and see whether the fans spin up. With a notebook, listen closely to determine whether the fans spin up from time to time. If any fans are no longer functioning, have the computer repaired before continuing to use it. Overclocking is the term used to describe attempts to run computer components at higher voltages or speeds than they were designed to support. In many modern computers, the basic input output system (BIOS) - typically accessible by pressing Del or F2 when your compute boots up - contains settings that allow enthusiasts or experimenters to overclock the CPU, memory, and graphics card. Unless you know what you're doing and have taken steps specifically to provide extra cooling to your computer, avoid the temptation to overclock. If your cooling fails, your components will overheat much faster than otherwise - and may even be damaged permanently. Where you situate your computer is important when it comes to keeping your computer cool. Place desktop computers on the floor, if possible, since it's cooler down there - and move them close to an air conditioning vent, too, if one is available. Do not place them close to other heat-generating devices. With notebook computers, there's often less choice about where to sit them, but try to keep them off your lap, which will make both you and your computer less comfortable. "Always on" computing is great in principle, but computers that stay on constantly in the summer are more susceptible to failure, if the heat rises or cooling fails. So turning your computer off when you're not using it will save not only electricity but potentially your PC as well. Monitors, too, generate a lot of heat when turned on - even when they're not displaying an image. Just put your hand near the back of your monitor - CRT or LCD - to find out. Get into the habit of turning off your monitor when you step away from the computer for extended periods of time. These days, some computers come with software programs that allow you to monitor the temperature of your computer. These can be handy, for even if you don't know what temperature is considered acceptable, the utilities will display warning signs when components get too hot.