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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1986-08-20, Page 4Page 4—CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1986 The Clinton News•Ilecord is published each Wednesday at P.O. Mo: 31. Clinton, Ontario, Canada. NIM 1 f,0. Tela 402.34 4 3. Subscription ��ote: Canada •$21.0 Sr. Citizen. $10.00 per year U.S.A. foreign $00.00 per year It Is registered es second class mall by the post office under the permit number 0011. The Nows-Record Incorporated In 1824 thoHuron News -Record, founded In 1001, and The Clinton News Era. founded in 1I$S. Total pros, runs 3,100. Incorporating THE BLYTH STANDARD) r J. HOWARD AITKEN - Publisher ANNE NAREJKO - Editor GARY HAIST - Advertising Manager MARY ANN HOLLENBECK - Office Manager Display advertising rotes available on request. Ask for Roto Card No. 11 effective Oc- tober 1.1984. GCNA eiA MEMBER MEMBER BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1985 Health issues highlighted The doctors' strike which lasted 25 days was the longest medical strike in Canada's history. Many people were inconvenienced and some were turned away from hospital emergency departments, but despite a major cutback of standard medical services, few serious problems were reported. The strike has underlined the problems in health` care and indicates people coped without medical services. This raises the question whether we really need as much service as we demand. Studies on the use and organization of emergency departments suggest the majority of people who go to them should be sent to a general practi- tioner or sent home with advice on self-help such as taking ice from the refrigerator and applying it. Doctors have angrily denounced patients who misuse emergency ser- vices, calling doctors to the hospital on weekends to perform procedures which could be done in the doctors' office during regular hours. The events of the strike suggest we have all used the health care system more frequently than we should. When we have the technology, we expect it to relieve discomfort. We almost fear neglecting something that needs early attention. If we have a pain, we wonder if it may indicate something more serious. It has become a part of our culture that doctors be consulted on every, ache and pain. We no longer use nor do we know about the home remedies which once treated so many problems so successfully. A generation ago, people looked after many of their health care problems themselves. Doc- tors were only consulted in true emergencies. The strike suggests reforms are required that would shift the health care system away from high cost, institutional -based care. While some things must be handled by health care professionals, the present system focuses too much on illness. Indeed, Dr. Michael Watts stated in a letter to the Goderich Signal - Star: "I don't provide health care. I diagnose and treat disease." Community base,, care,,coSell!ng and education about health should take a higher priority. The elderly, for example, can be maintained much more effectively and at less cost in their own homes with support ser- vices. The Huron County Home Care program is providing such support services at minimal cost compared to the cost of keeping seniors in in- stitutions. The elderly are happier in their own homes which reinforces their well being and their health. Doctors are concerned about these health care issues. They repeatedly stated during the strike that the issue was not money, but their concern about these health care issues and who would have control over the health care system, doctors or the politicians. Do rs may have to change, however. They must be prepared to share the vision of health care services with other health care professionals including chiropracters, homeopaths, midwives, nurses, nutritionists, natural healing practitioners and physiotherapists. There3„should be a multi -disciplined approach with each health care provider having an equal part and contributing their own skills. Education will also play an important role in changing people's at- titudes to health care. People should learn self-help so they become better equipped to look after themselves, _ enabling doctors to treat true emergencies. Doctors have talked about the holistic approach to health care for some time but they must work with other health care profes- sionals to provide holistic care and they must be prepared to refer their patients to them. They must also educate their patients to the fact that total health care is not done by one professional, the medical doctor. Health care providers have not done enough to explain the services they can offer. People think they must go to a physician. Perhaps most important, people must accept responsibility for their own health care. Maintaining one's health is a priority every day of our lives. We cannot continue to abuse our bodies with lack of sleep, over- work, poor nutrition, smoking and drinking and then run to a physician for a cure when the body can no longer cope and falls victim to disease. Preventive health care is also a must if we are to reduce the ever in- creasing cost of health care, which is burdening society and crippling our future. Withdrawal of services during the doctor's strike heightened people's awareness of problems in health care. In the aftermath of the strike, issues such as the over -use of services must be solved. Solutions require the co-operation of all health care professionals working together with the public and government. Egos will be dismantled in the process and it.will not be easy.- Goderich Signal -Star. it s better live Technology has brought many conviences to our lives. We no longer have to heat up the wood burning stove so we can have a bowl of soup, we don't have to light a candle when , we want to find our way in the dark and we don't have to travel to a stadium to watch a baseball game. All of these conviences are nice, but don't you sometimes wish you could go back to the simple way of life? You know, live the way grandma and grandpa did. Once in awhile I won't mind cooking food the way the pioneers did - in fact, I'm in favor of barbecues all year round. Lighting a candle to find your way in the dark seemings interesting, but I'm sure I'd have difficulty remembering where I placed the candle and matches last. Now television is one thing I think I may be able to do without, at least during the summer anyhow. During the summer, there is so much out- door activity going on that I feel a bit guilty if I stay inside to watch it. Therefore, I haven't been glued to the set much at all this summer which means I am quickly losing contact with the sports world. I have to admit I know very little about the tennis scene this year. About the only major event I've heard of is John McEnroe's return to centre court. In the football area, I couldn't even tell you who is playing quarterback for the L.A. Raiders or the Calgary Stampeders - two teams I followed last year. But when I sat down to think about baseball, I really shocked myself: Baseball has been a sport I have played and followed for a long, long time, yet until last Sunday, I hadn't watched one inning of professional ball. With the season well underway, I finally watched a game. This was not only a first for the season but it was also the first time I have seen a game live. • Signal Star Publishing chartered a bus and took about 30 of us down to Toronto to see the Blue Jays take on the Texas Rangers. Not being an American League fan and not following the sport this year, I thought the game would be an easy victory for the Blue Jays. I'm happy to say I was wrong. I couldn't have picked a more exciting game to watch as my first live contest if I had had a choice. It had all the elements - a come from behind win for the home team, extra innings which came to a conclusion with a homerun. There were errors in the game and policemen throwing spectators odlt of the standivan. What more could I ask for? The most exciting part of the game for me came in the latter innings. A Ranger player slide on his belly in an attempt to make it safely to second base. However, his efforts, and dirty uniform, were all for not. The umpire immediately called him out, but as quickly as the umpire motioned he was out, the player jumped up and went bel- ly to belly with the umpire in a shouting match. The first words out of my mouth were something to the effect of "neat, they really do that." I have watched many arguements bet- ween baseball players and umpires, you know the kind where they put their noses and bellies together, scream at each other while standing inches from each others mouths, but for some reason I was surprised when it happened live. After I thought about it, I was surprised someone didn't say, "No they just do that for the television cameras." If there was one element of the live game I could do away with, it would be the foul balls. If you happened to be looking at a spot other than home plate you could easily get bopped on the head, and even if you were looking, once the ball gets up to a certain height it's difficult to keep track of it. But I guess that's part of the excitement. All in all, I'd rather watch a game live. You get the chance to enjoy the sunshine and you don't have to put up with commer- cials. Oh ya, I should forget one of the best things - you have the opportunity to be apart of "The Wave!" Our Mistake Last week the News -Record office receiv- ed a number of calls with the people on the other end offering to buy 305 tickets for the Clinton Public Hospital draw. An ad in the paper incorrectly stated tickets for a 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera Brougham were only $1 but the tickets are actually $100. It's nice to see people are still keeping there eyes open for a bargain! I Readers ask does Bayfield need more developments? Dear Editor: Have you been down Bayfield Main Street lately? It used to be a pleasant little village but, with the overdose of publicity that it has received, all has changed. And some are seeking to bring in even more people. The Harbour Lights' Developments Limited already has 114 trailer sites in the south end of the former Jowett', Grove area and now they ask for the re -zoning of part of Lot 2 across the road so they can put in 110 more trailer sites along the highway, five more entrance/exits on the shortti� ocfh of Jowett's Grove Road (making ), Local businesses Dear Editor: The Clinton Playground children and staff would like to thank the following people for their support of our Summer Recreation Program. Groves , Star1ime Video, Clin- ton Merchants, Eric Mhuter's, Ian Fleni-, ing's, lack Vah Eginold,S, Piano FaetorY, Seaforth Vets, Van'j grrior►d Tonndhttoti, and, on the hillside, a water slide. Think of the traffic congestion, the potential for ac- cidents, the strain on all the services, the drainage problems. Does the Bayfield area need this? Leroy Poth - Ethel Poth A Day At The Races By Shelley McPhee-Haist SheIIQy McPheQ-IlcIiSt help Playground Clinton Pool, Fire Department, Police Sta- tion and Parents. A special thanks goes to all of those people who supported our hot dog lunches and to the arena staff for putting up een with Deb Sitlith and Rhonda Lobb. Still kicking My nose is sunburnt. My legs are covered with mosquito bites. My wrist is sore from playing volleyball. My big toe is throbbing after smashing into a rock. My body aches from too much physical exertion and too lit- tle sleep. My stomach feels queasy after drinking too many whiskey sours and eating too much junk food. I'm just back from a weekend at the cot- tage. I had a great time. It's hard work, a weekend at the cottage, but it's well worth the planning, the packing and the after effects. Every year now for the past six summers a group of more than 15 friends has been meeting at a tiny little cottage on Lake Erie's Mohawk Bay. We all look forward to this weekend with great anticipation for it offers complete relaxation, and lots of fun by a wonderful lakeside setting. It's a perfect way to forget all the hassles, con- cerns and pressures of day to day life. And so, for one weekend each year we all gather at the cottage for what has become fondly known as The Annual. It was the sixth annual such event this weekend and as always it offered a couple of days of relaxing fun with old friends. We're a diverse group of people who come together each year for The Annual, Amongst us is a teacher, a fireman, a nurse, a computer technologist, an education counsellor, a farm estate manager, a dental assistant, a couple of journalists, secretaries and salesmen. We see each other once a year, and :like the best of old friends, we easily pick up where we left off some 12 months ago. This tiny little cottage on Lake Erie's Mohawk Bay is our gathering point. The cottage is old and rustic. It's filled with odds and ends of furniture, lumpy beds, spiders and fishing poles. It has cold runn- ing water that you can't drink and a bathroom door that you can't shut. It's no Club Med this cottage of ours, but it more than adequately suits our purpose. Here we are offered the opportunity to be completely lazy. We all prepare for the event with great an- ticipation. On Friday night the gang starts to arrive and the massive task of unpacking gets underway. Everyone comes equipped with sleeping bags and bathing suits, lawn chairs and books, food and beer. The first hour after arrival is set aside for conversation - a time to catch up on the year's happenings with an exchange of photo albums to view all the snaps of the kids or shots of the latest weddings. With lawn chairs and tanning lotion, cool drinks and sunglasses, we begin what always is guaranteed to be a great weekend. The stereo belts out our favorite music, all the great hits from the '60s. The guys open a few beer, while the girls giggle and gossip over whiskey sours. The weekend, from start to finish, has become tradition. We tell bad jokes, play guitars, and sing songs around the camp- fire. We cook corn on the cob for supper and mounds of scrambled eggs and horde fries for breakfast. We windsurf, play volleyball and we canoe. We enjoy long afternoon naps beneath the shady maple trees. We watch the sunset, the stars, the lights of the freighters crossing on the lake's night horizon. We talk about our kids, our work, our futures, our pasts. Best of all, we enjoy each other's company. And we laugh and reminisce about An- nuals gone by - of fierce thunderstorms that terrified everyone, of the romances that began and The Annual and relationships that ended there, of great parties from the past and the hangovers that accompanied them the next day. We've changed and matured over the past six years. Some of us liave gotten married, some divorced. Some have changed jobs, some have had babies. Some have gained weight, some are showing a few more grey hairs. We used to sit by the campfire all night long, finally going to bed with the rising of the sun. Now we're snuggled into our sleep- ing bags by midnight and awake early in the morning. We used to play rock and roll tunes on th stereo as loud as the neighbors tolerate Now we enjoy some classical guitar musi and we complain about the neighbors who party all night to the beat of their stereo. We used to drink lots of beer and gin and eat only when necessary. Now we have huge breakfasts, lunches and suppers, complete with dessert, and there's always several full Nixes of beer to take home. It now takes each one of us a week to recover from a weekend at the cottage. We Soothe our sunburns with cream, our mos- quito bites with Calamine lotion, our upset stomachs with Brolno Seltzer and our stubb- ed tiles with bandages. We may be mellowing in our old age, but we're still kicking and nnual is stili the evrent of the summer season.TheA You can be sure we'll be returning next year, and the year after that, and the year after that, and the year after that