Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Senior Center Hosts 67 In Health And Wellness Program

The Gurdon Senior Center hosted a health and wellness program last Wednesday, May 6, sponsored by St. Joseph's Regional Health Center in Hot Springs. Several exhibitors and guest speakers were on hand to provide health information to the 67 seniors in attendance.

Glenda Chunn of West Central Arkansas Area Agency on Aging was the moderator. Refreshments and door prizes were provided.

Ann Nagy, outreach coordinator for the Senior Horizons program at St. Joseph's, was the first to speak on the topic of depression.

"Depression is a normal reaction to life's stresses," said Nagy. "One in four women and one in ten men suffer from depression."

Senior Horizons is a mental health unit at St. Joseph's and is "designed to meet the needs of older adults," Nagy said. "We can specialize and offer you what you need. A whole team of professionals are working for you. We've had a lot of success."

The Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care (AFMC) was repre-sented next by Tammy Coggins. A registered nurse, Coggins spoke about stroke prevention.

AFMC recently led a nine-state regional stroke project funded by the federal Health Care Financing Administration.

"The new term for stroke is brain attack," Coggins said. "It describes the seriousness of the illness. Each year 700,000 people have a brain attack," she added, "and 150,000 of them will die. It is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. and the number one cause of disability in older adults.

"A stroke is caused when the flow of blood to the brain is interrupted," Coggins said. "The function of the brain is lost or impaired." She further explained that there are two kinds of stroke.

About 80% of strokes are caused by blood clots. The remaining 20% are caused by a leak in a blood vessel, but 50% of those will die. Some people may also suffer from mini-strokes, or TIAs, which is a sign of higher risk for a major stroke.

"Most strokes are preventable if you change your risk factors," said Coggins. "Prevention is the key word. We'd rather prevent them than treat them."

Controllable risk factors include high blood pressure, a high cholesterol level, smoking cigarettes, drinking too much alcohol, obesity and atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that increases the risk of stroke five-fold.

According to Coggins, men are most likely to have a stroke, but women are more likely to die from a stroke. African-Americans are also more likely to have a stroke. A family history of stroke is a factor, as is diabetes.

The signs and symptoms of stroke include one or more of the following: loss of vision; sudden numbness, especially on one side of the body; a sudden, severe, unexplained headache like none ever experienced before; dizziness; and the inability to speak or understand the speech of others.

Persons experiencing one or more of these symptoms should seek medical attention quickly. "Get to the emergency room immediately, don't wait," urged Coggins.

The final speaker was Stacey Selakovich of Seniors Insurance Network, part ot the Arkansas Insurance Department.

She reminded her listeners of the new changes in Medicare coverage for 1998. Benefits have expanded to include coverage for a yearly screening mammogram for women age 40 and older on Medicare. A pap smear, pelvic exam and clinical breast exam will also be covered every three years. No deductibles are required for these services and the beneficiary pays only 20% copay amount.

Medicare has also expanded coverage for colorectal cancer screening, but does apply a deductible.

Beginning in July, Medicare will expand coverage to include bone mass measurements for women at risk for osteoporosis, or losing bone mass. Medicare will also improve coverage for supplies and education for persons with diabetes beginning in July. Medicare continues to cover the full cost of flu and pneumococcal pneumonia shots for Medicare beneficiaries, said Selakovich.

She ended her presentation with information about Medicare managed care, called Medicare plus Choice. She emphasized that managed care is simply an alternative to Medicare, not a replacement for it.

Medicare managed care is not yet available in Clark County.

Bear Speaks At Seminary In Little Rock

Bobby Bear of Auburn, Ga., formerly of Gurdon, was the guest speaker at the Missionary Baptist Seminary graduation exercise in Little Rock Friday, May 8.

The services were held at Miss-ionary Baptist Church in Little Rock.

Robbie Ballard, son-in-law of Mr. Bear, was one of the graduates.

Ballard is the son of Mrs. Estelle Bear of Gurdon and is married to Judy Dickerson, formerly of Gurdon.