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Family Health Forums -- Fostering Healthier Lifestyles and Behavior Change
Health educators often say that knowledge is “necessary but not sufficient” for behavior change. Even once we know what we need to do to be healthy, we don’t always have the confidence, motivation, or tools to make healthy changes in our lives. We may also experience significant barriers to making these changes. A stressful job can make it hard to quit smoking. A birthday cake for a colleague can challenge any diet. Knowledge is critical, but knowledge alone does not usually lead to behavior change.
Read Darcie's complete column...
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| FEATURE ARTICLE |
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Healthy Hearing 2.0 Bears Fruit as Athletes Receive Free Hearing Aids
The stories are coming in! Special Olympics athletes around the world are being fitted for free hearing aids thanks to the new model of Healthy Hearing and the partnership with the Hear the World Foundation.
Alva Stinson from Indiana (United States) received his devices in September, and they have transformed his life in immeasureable ways. Read his story here.
Japanese athlete Hiromi Nakada was the first athlete screened at the 2011 World Summer Games to receive a hearing aid using the Healthy Hearing remote access model. Now, she hears clearly and can use her mobile phone to stay in contact with her family and friends. Read her story.
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| POLICY CORNER |
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Obesity Report Shows "We all Deserve a Failing Grade"
Special Olympics Chairman and CEO Timothy Shriver had strong words during a press conference November 2 announcing the launch of "Finding Balance," a new report detailing the obesity epidemic among children with disabilities. The report was released by Ability Path, in coordination with Special Olympics.
“This is really bad news for us," he said. "Decades of providing sports for people with intellectual disabilty and we are still seeing these levels of obesity. We all deserve a failing grade for the current efforts.” He called on Special Olympics and others on the frontlines of the fight to respond by doubling their efforts.
Read the complete report...
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| INNOVATIVE PRACTICE |
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Family Health Forums Delve into New Topics, Reach New Audiences
The traditional model for Healthy Athletes is successful in providing health information to thousands of Special Olympics athletes every year. Yet, this information can be less powerful if it doesn’t reach the athletes’ caregivers, mostly often family members. In addition, particularly in the developing world, traditional Healthy Athletes screenings focus on universal issues and sometimes omit the most pressing local health concerns. This year, Healthy Athletes piloted a series of events that addressed both of these issues.
Read this complete article...
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| INNOVATIVE PRACTICE |
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Free Dental Care at a “Day for Special Smiles”
On December 9, the dental college at A.T. Still University in Mesa, Arizona will be closed – unless you are a Special Olympics Arizona athlete. For that day, the entire faculty and students there will completely devote their time and efforts to fill cavities, conduct cleanings, and provide a multitude of other dental care procedures to dozens of athletes in need – all free of charge.
The event is the brainchild of Abrahim Caroci, a student at the college who has been increasingly active in the Special Olympics Special Smiles program.
“This is all a product of me being exposed to Special Olympics,” he said.
Read this complete article...
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| INNOVATIVE PRACTICE |
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Train-the-Trainer Event Brings Program Staff Together
As with other Healthy Athletes events, the TTT held September 15-17 at Special Olympics Massachusetts headquarters provided free health screenings for hundreds of athletes and training for new clinical directors, but it also allowed a one-of-a-kind meeting of Healthy Athletes coordinators from Programs across the United States. Staff from 12 Programs met at the event to discuss topics like grants writing and reporting and volunteer recruitment.
The meeting was a valuable experience for the staff, regardless of the size of their Program or their experience with Healthy Athletes. Anna Guzdzial from Michigan said she was able to learn a lot from her colleagues even though she has been working for Special Olympics for 12 years, and Isaac Sanft said he felt lucky to have the opportunity to compare notes with others after only a few weeks as coordinator for Special Olympics Arizona.
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| RESOURCES |
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"Ten Commandments" - a Quick Overview on
Communicating with Athletes
Communicating with a Special Olympics athlete can be intimidating for a first-time volunteer. They may feel like they are going to do something "wrong" or inappropriate or that they and the athlete won't be able to communicate effectively. The "Ten Commandments" is a very basic set of suggestions on interacting with someone with a disability. Available as a short video or as a paper hand-out, these suggestions are a very quick way to orientate new volunteers on this topic.
Watch the Video...
Download the Hand-out...
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Quick Fact:
Among Special Olympics athletes under age 22, 32.9% are obese and 16.1% are overweight.
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Kudos!!
To Dave Jenkins for receiving Special Olympics Arizona’s Physician of the Year award given at their 5th Annual Breakfast With Champions.
To Healthy Hearing Volunteer Stuart Morgenstein and Special Olympics Indiana. Stuart recently donated audiology equipment to the Program, including a GSI 38 Tympanometer/Audiometer and an AuDX OAE unit.
To Dr. Jonathan Dubin for being named Special Olympics Georgia’s October Volunteer of the Month. Dr. Jonathan Dubin has led the Special Olympics Special Smiles Oral Health Screening for more than nine years.
To Avi Tania, Healthy Athletes regional coordinator, and the Asia Pacific Healthy Athletes team for organizing a success Train-the-Trainer event on October 15-16.
Have some news that you want to share with your Healthy Athletes colleagues? Contact us and let us know!
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