WHO ESTABLISHES THE POST-POLIO CLINICS IN THE STATES AND HOW ARE THEY ORGANIZED? Joan L. Headley, MS, Executive Director To establish a post-polio clinic, a need has to be perceived for such a clinic. This need may be generated by the medical community, but more likely the catalyst will come from the demands of the post-polio population, in particular, the …
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Evaluation Suggestions
To evaluate for post-polio syndrome, one must establish that an individual had paralytic polio and that current symptoms are due to the aftereffects of the remote polio and not due to other medical, orthopedic, or neurologic conditions. A comprehensive evaluation is done by a physician with input from members of a health care team who are experienced in the assessment …
Options When a Post-Polio Clinic Is Not an Option
Carol Vandenakker, MD Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation University of California, Davis, Health System Sacramento, California Presented at PHI’s 9th International Conference: Strategies for Living Well (June 2005) A. You must start with a good primary care physician. 1. Keys to finding a good doctor: a. Look for a physician you trust and can communicate with. b. Identify the best hospitals …
What’s a Patient to Do?
Nancy Baldwin Carter, BA, M Ed Psych, Omaha, Nebraska, is a polio survivor, a writer, and is founder and former director of Nebraska Polio Survivors Association. Let’s say we’re doctor-shopping. Maybe we’ve moved to a new city or our long-time doc is retiring—for whatever reason, we need a different doctor. Question is—where to start? How to choose? We all want the best. Someone …
Post-Polio Medical Care: Post-Polio Specialists and Primary Care Physicians
Joan L. Headley, Executive Director, Post-Polio Health International Post-Polio Health International created a survey asking polio survivors about their post-polio medical care. The survey, Post-Polio Medical Care: Post-Polio Specialists and Primary Care Physicians, was posted online and a version was also published in Post-Polio Health (Volume 30, Number 2). Data was gathered from 632 people; 496 completed the survey online and 136 copies …
Working With Physicians In Our Area
∞ LEADERSHIP Nancy Baldwin Carter, Omaha, Nebraska QUESTION: “My physician seems to have little knowledge of potential polio problems. Should I be worried? What are my options?” ANSWER: The good news is that we are way beyond the days when polio survivors took their complaints to a puzzled doctor who felt his only recourse was to refer us to shrinks for what he …