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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1972-05-11, Page 9«see W., V. ", • ••• r\,tirti4vW'r+:S�� Piot unexpected4*. Stanley Martin, former chairman of the Ontario Hospital -Services °Commission, and now an upper level official of the Ontario De- partment of Health, is worried about health care costs. So worried, in fact, that he has warned both patients and doctors that there will be a crack -down on use of hospital beds. Mr, Martin is right. Insured hospitaliza- v tion has sky -rocketed the patient population in every hospital in Ontario. The cost, in pre- miums and taxes, is staggering_but not in any way surprising. Many interested people, both lay and professional, forecast this very situation well in advance of the introduction. of the hospital care plan in the years prior to 1960 when it was started. Mr. Martin's remarks place the blame for the present situation on the patients and * their doctors. Wecannot agree that they are solely to blame for a problem which might have been forestalled'y adequate planning 10 or 15 years ago. There . is a small percentage of hypo- chondriacs who actually enjoy the attention they get in hospital. The vast majority of us, however, don't look forward to this sort of vacation and when the necessity does arise we like to rnake,our stay in hospital as short • as possible. It is, therefore, the decision of the at- tending physician on which hospital popula- tion is based. If the doctor says, "Stay here for another week," most of us do as we are told. Thus the public and the health authori- ties pin the prime responsibility for over- crowded hospitals on the doctors. Before we condemn them out of hand it would be wise to look at the reasons which motivate. the physicians. I' 1 0 For the past 20 years or more the family doctor, particularly in rural communities, has been handling a tremendous work load. Shortage of medical school graduates has meant- that the average doctor has been forced to look after two or three times as many patients as did his counterparts in pre- war Ontario. Sheer lack of time.makes it im- possible .for the family physician to go around from house to house, treating pa- tients in their- own beds. The only feasible answer to the doctor shortage, has been to bring the patients to a central point—the, We -don't get value People with money to spend, on equip- ment have usually had two options open to k them. They could save dollars by purchasing used or rebuilt items—or they could go whole hog, buy , brand new and be su+ &.that. what they purchased would operate trouble-free for a given period of time. Automobiles were the •prime -example, but the same principal applied to household, business and manufacturing equipment. Gone is that happy day. The decision to. , buy it new and "guaranteed" does not, in fact, guarantee the buyer anything atl all. Faults and malfunctions in new equipment are the rule rather than the exception to- day—and a gullible public is putting up with what is, in fact, a' basic dishonesty. The only smart buyer today is the one who holds " back payment until he has community hospital;. If provincial health authorities had been sufficiently foresighted to expand educa- tional facilities for doctors 20 years ago the shortage need never have occurred. Another means of providing less expen- sive health care Iles right in the lap of the To- ronto officials/ They refer repeatedly to the overlapping and duplication on the part of hospitals and the services they provl de --yet hospital staffs and governors are Ii well aware, of the tremendous waste of time and high-priced help on the part of health care officiaidorti. Inspection teams are followed by in- specting consultants. Hard on their heels come accreditation teams and a dozen and one other "experts" who poke and pry into every.nook and cranny of hospital operation. Not only are these teams composed of highly -paid personnel -many of them are doctors occupying jobs which could as well be performed by trained lay people. Then the doctors could get back to the important work for which they were educated. There is a limit to the amount of infor- mation obtainable from any one hospital and most of it is supplied through the mountains of month -by -month reports which have to be sent in to Toronto. Why, then, -are the facts not fed into a central computer so that the in- specting teams could stay in their plush city offices and punch the buttons to find out how each hospital stacks up? The inspectors would save thousands of hours of time and hospital staffs could get on with the really important aspect of their job—caring for the sick. A staring example of the inspector com- plex was a "role study" carried out in the Huron -Perth area within the past two years. Despite the bales of information which have been accumulated over the years in Toronto the hospitals in these two counties; along with OH$C, had to share the cost of a total in- depth survey by a firm of outside consult- ants—to learn nothing that was not already known and recorded. There is pressing need to reduce health care costs. The first move is` obviously to re- turn some of the chiefs to the ranks of the In- dians. operated the new equipment and satisfied himself that it is working properly. Thus the reputation of the dealer assumes new im- portance. Unless a purchase is made/from a well-established and conscientious firrn the chance for redress is small indeed if defects emerge. Perhaps it is the change in rate of de- velopment.which has created this condition of unreliability: So keen is the race to get new products onto the market that manu- facturers are allowing little if any time for testing in the field. The machine is designed and built to do a certain job—butnobody takes the time to prove that it really works. The delay might allow a competitor to sell a few potential customers. All this inefficiency adds upto high cost. Our grandparents used to say, "Haste • makes waste." How right they .were! All we lack is nerve One of the more interesting facts con- tained in the Gray report to• the federal gov- ernment on foreign' ownership of Canadian business is the evidence that Canadians have sold their birthright—and financed the pur- chase with their own money. • In the years between 1960 . and 1967 foreign purchases of Canadian business were paid for largely by borrowings in Can- * ada. In fact, foreign investment represented only 19 per cent of the total. The remaining 81 per cent came from Canadian lending sources. The percentage of Canadian money involved has substantially increased since 1967. The situation bears out a contention ex- pressed in this column many times over the years. Canadian —and more particularly Canadian moneygsources, such as banks and * insurance companies -simply don't have much faith in Canadian business ability. Most of these lending institutions.have been ready to, part with business capital only when the borrower had 200 per cent colla- teral. Nor has this spirit of ultra -conservatism been confined to the really big operators. It filters right down to the local level. We cer- tainly are not a nation of gamblers. We don't mind betting as long as we have a gilt-edged guarantee that we will win. It is nota pleasant prospect to see n'iore and more Canadian enterprises falling into American hands—but, by golly, you have to admire the Amerman who can take a look at Canada from across the border and realize, even from that distance, that there is a promising future here. He owns our busi- nesses because he has more faith in our na- tion than we have. He's been gambling .6n a good horse, but the owner just doesn't think hi•s nag will make it to the home stretch. A Standard of Living Developing a standard of living is a powerful breeder of wants. It makes people seek to raise their level of living to match the ideal -they set up. . A good standard of living does not de- pend upon status, wealth, and ease, but is a guide •to -happiness arising out of the wise choice you make from among the services it and goods offered within the limits of your time, energy, interest and the money you have to spend. The peoples of the earth differ greatly in living standards. A plot of land may yield a Chinese family a living which to them Seems 4 bounteous; it may yield a fair living to a family in one of the new African states; and it may yield no living at all to a family .of Canadians. Every 'Person's experience of life enters into his sense of values1 This accounts for our revision of things we value as we grow older. The baubles of adolescenino longer dazzle us. The tempests of youth enter a temperate phase. Every year sees changes in the ma- terial conditions around us, and these im- pinge upon and modify our ideas of values. "The value of a thing." said Karl Marx in Capital, "consists solely in its relation to our wants." —Royal Bank of Canada Monthly Letter. THE WINGHAM ADVANCE -TIMES Published at. Wingham, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited. Harry Wenger, President Robert O. Wenger, Secretary -Treasurer Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Member Canadian and pntario Weekly Newspaper. Associations. Subscription Rate: .2d for slot months, in United States 512.60 in advance. Sicond Clus Mail tration No .0821 Return Postage Guaranteed Subscription $10.00 a year, 71 CHILDREN ENROLLED* the Silver Circle School held at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church each week have a play period under the watchful care of Mrs. H. Eadie and Mrs. G., Winkel. —Staff Photo. r X, f , r rr, !rlrs •••/;-.. r LETTERS TO TIE EDITOR / .% /fFf•,•,ry' �J,.r •r�,',rJ i.��//ter/.. . .. May 6,1972. • Dear. Readers: At our April meeting of the Bruce County Geneology I was asked to try and contact some person in each area of a local paper who would ' be kind enough to cut out the obituaries, family reunions and wedding anniversaries and mail them to me each month or so. As Wingham is close to us, and part of the surrounding area is in Bruce County, I would be glad to • hear from anyone who Would be interested in .doing this from items in The Advance -Times. (Mrs.) Muriel Harrington 'RR 2, Tiverton, Ont: • 90 Longwood St., Hamilton 15. Dear Sirs: • lease find enclosed cheque for renewal which I resent paying and receiving the paper the following Tuesday. I would like to add my protest to the inefficiency of our Postal Service. • Yours truly • 41 Mrs. George McKay Twenty-nine out of thirty .men- tally retarded children ,can be helped to grow into useful, happy `ttembers Of the community -With a considerable degree of self-suf- ficiency. TODAY'S CHILD .BY HELEN ALLEN Arnie Murray asks support for Flowers of Hype Canada's top female vocalist, Anne Murray, has proclaimed May 14th -20th as National Week for the Mentally Retarded and asked all Canadians to join her in making Flowers of Hope bloom, both figuratively and literally, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. During the week, more than 350 local associations for the men- tally retarded throughout Canada .will seek public understanding and support through their Flow- ers of Hope campaign. "Volunteers are always needed at local associationssaid Miss Murray, "and financial support is of course essential. But most of all. we ask for more understand- ing and acceptance of the rights, the abilities and the potential of Canada's 640.000 mentally retarded people." "If, for one reason or another you can't actively support your local association," she added, "you can show you care by plant- ing Flowers of Hope seeds. They are symbolic Of the hope, courage and promise of the mentally retarded, and sent to you by retarded youngsters and adults from workshops throughout Canada "The mentally retarded ° them- selves are like flowers of hope," she suggested, Miss, Murray is an active volunteer, with the national association and recently donated her talents in making radio and television promotional material for use across Canada. A former teacher. she has also worked as a volunteer in sheltered workshops in the Maritimes. Wedding Bells and Sad Dads Roughly one milllon people read this column. And they read it roughly, because that's the way it is written. . . Many of the old faithfuls have read the column since the time - my daughter firsts, burped and covered the old man's shirt with baby -spew. And they have associated, and laughed and crieddas I described the peculiar creature that I pro- duced. With a little help from my' wife, of course. I feel it is only fair to the old faithfuls to keep them up to date. Anyone who is not interested can turn to Ann Landers or Billy Gra- ham or somebody who writes about something important. Kim is getting married. Nor- mally, this is an occasion of great hilarity, geniality, joviality, and sometimes even spiritualty. Personally, I think she's out of her mind. But this, at least, is ., normal among parents. So every- thing is proceeding normally. Today, I came home and found my wife surrounded by income tax forms and samples for ma- terial to cover one df our chairs. Normally, I wouldn't be sur- prised by -this. It's typical. But it's not exactly the pre- ' wedding hysteria one might ex- pect. And where is Kim, with a wed- ding about ten days away? She's im+the city with her boy -friend, looking for a second-hand ,van in which they can eat and sleep and have their beingduring the sum- mer. And they have my car. Every time the phone rings; I flinch, expecting to hear a police officer telling me they've cracked up, my beautiful 1967 Dodge. And tomorrow night there's a • shower for her, and the next day a dental appointment,' and next week an appointment in the .city about a job, and another dental appointment; . and ',•ya„ hair' dresser's appointment. And She hasn't even , bought her wedding.: dress yet. She's not at all worried about .her "going -away" outfit. She as- • sured her mother, "Don't worry, • Mom: I'll be going away in my jeans. Well; I'm sorry I can't invite everyone to the wedding. You would enjoy every minute of it; but we can't get one. million people' into our living. -room, though you'd never believe it when we have our, annual party. And you'd enjoy the reception even more, with Kim's cat and ours flying into a screeching, , spitting, squalling fight every three minutes. . One of the biggest ordeals, of course, is meeting the future in- laws. We got through that last Sunday, and it went off fine. The kids sat nervously biting their nails up to the knuckles, as they watched ft.., . Dot, a sensible person like mv- self, and 1 got along One. She ac- ceptslife as it is, and does some- thing about- it. ,.'She'll be a fine mother -i i-aw. Doug and my wife are both nuts—about classical music—and they got along fine- He and 1 are going trout fishing, so .we got along fug. We had some chili and some cough medicine (an excellent combination, by the way), and could scarcely bear to part. But to get back to my 'thesis, and I'm afraid I've wandered a bit, we can't invite everybody, So I'll make it official. Mr. and Mrs- W. B. T. Smiley announce the marriage of their, daughter, KIM ELIZABETH (university drop-out) to Mr. Donald Sieber - (im- poverished artist) on May 6th, 1972. This dubious affair will take place at Kim's hone 303 Hugel Ave., Midland, Ont. (Probably) That's the gist of the thing. There. Don't feel hurt because you haven't received a personal lnvitationdf you had, it would be like getting a personal invitation to the Black Hole of Calcutta. Why do young people want to get married anyway? In my day, it was the only way to do you - know -what. But with the pill, and the new concept of "morality", it all seems . rather dopey. Oh, well, I'll probably weep during the ceremony. And when I weep, it's a sight to behold. - • Strong women, who have never wept in their lives except over a lost eye -lash, come up and pat me,,and try to dry my eyes with. Kleenex and all they do is make me weep louder and wetter. - The .only advice 1 can give at this moment is that if you have to ° • have a . daughter, have five. 1 imagine by the time the fifth was gotten rid of, you'd be able to con -- trot yourself, to some extent. • Maxi fashions present Iiazards The Ontario Safety League does not fpr one moment suggest that the maxi should be aban- doned, but , rather, that women should take a cram course on how to protect themselves when wearing the longer lengths. Falls present the greatest danger. When getting on or off a bus, make sure your heel does not catch in your hem and send you fora spill. When walking down stairs, your downfall may not on - y be caused by your own. heel catching, but you may also be thrown off balance by the person behind stepping on your „trailing hem. ' And beware when behind the wheel, especially of a compact or sports car. The gearshift and other controls offer excellent snags forthe longer hem. 0 ? ..t; s% , 44Ki Vit: r' Ai.t1',11'; c HEFRFU'i, Just to look at five-year-old Jamie you know he's a lovable child. With that appealing expression he has shining blonde hair, fair skin, rosy cheeks, blue e' es and lovely long lashes. Jamie's cheerful disposition stands him in good stead. for he has a handicap that might spoil life for some children. 'Phis little fellow was born with mild paralysis on the right side. When he was a baby it was thought he might never walk or talk, but now he walks quite well and though he limps a little he does not need a brace. He may fall more than the average child but he sturdily picks himself up and gets going again. Jamie is inclined not to tr t.) use his right hand. but can u hen reminded. Physiotherapy is helping and so does the urge to do things other children -are doing. He is also having speech therapy, hecause he was sloe in speech. NO% tests shop+ Jamie is of average intelligence and considering his handicap he is developing normally. Peppy Jamie likes to be on the go. He rides all oyer on hii favorite tractor, is interested in cars —real or toy — and enjoys doing puzzles. He is an affectionate youngster who still enjoys being cuddled and he loves babies. Jamie needs warm understanding parents who are'ready to learn his physio and speech therapy and do them with him. He will always have a handicap. but loving parents can do a great deal to handle it: To inquire about adopting Jamie, please write to Today's Child, Box 888, Station K, Toronto. For general adoption in- formation, ask your Children's id Society. "HOW a0itiE r c a v i Ask ANY Qcar aNs /N mis 1Op0it4 = "