A positive attitude about health and wellness is maintained by becoming an active participant in one’s health care, planning an individualized program, accepting the fact that some aspects of life will change with age, and believing one can control one’s health. Attributes relevant in maintaining a positive mental attitude include: Optimism and hope. Believe that things can be better and …
Shared peer advice from polio survivors about what works for them.
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News about people who have made significant contributions to the disability community.
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Coping
Indicators of coping were first described by Beatrice Wright (1982). Coping individuals focus on what they can do, rather than on what they cannot do; play an active role in their lives, rather than respond as passive victims; and participate in areas of life seen as worthwhile and meaningful. Problems are perceived to be manageable, rather than overwhelming. Personal problems …
Dental Care
A GUIDE FOR PEOPLE WITH POLIO OR POST POLIO SYNDROME (PPS) Introduction “Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth”, wrote Pam Ayres in her famous poem. Good oral health and hygiene are not just about being able to smile with confidence and eat well – they are important for your general health and well being, becoming even more so …
Maintaining Health and Wellness
Good health is being the best that one can be – physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally and socially. Polio survivors do not need to constantly struggle from one health crisis to the next. While some health problems require professional assistance, your loved one can manage others. In addition to seeing appropriate health professionals to alleviate and manage the late effects of …
Proven Energy Boosts
Carol Elliott, polio survivor These are exercises that I find useful in bringing more energy into my daily life. These routines, practiced alone or in combination, have helped revitalize my daily challenge with PPS. Most of these stretches and gentle exercises can be done while seated. As always, check with you healthcare provider to be sure these activities are suited …
CAM: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You
Barbara J. Duryea, MSN, RN, CPHQ John P. Murtha Neuroscience and Pain Institute Johnstown, Pennsylvania Presented at PHI’s 10th International Conference: Living with Polio in the 21st Century (April 2009) Decisions about your health care are important—including decisions about whether to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has developed this fact …
Spirituality In Stillness: To Transcend, Transform, Then Transfuse
Spirituality: It’s Personal Alison (Sunny) Roller, MA Presented at PHI’s 11th International Conference: Promoting Healthy Ideas (2014) Definitions Spirit is “an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms.” Spirituality is defined differently by a variety of authors. There does seem to be a recurring theme, however. Spirituality is awe-inspiring and gives life meaning. It refers to the …
Living in Two Worlds – Physically and Spiritually
Vera Trout Moore While nurses and doctors did a remarkable job of preparing me for life after polio, my life could not have been as rewarding without my spiritual life. When I was a young mother, elder ladies of the church invited me to join them at a morning coffee time when items were crafted for the annual bazaar. This …
Please Be Seated!
Prolonged standing is stressful; some people find it harder to stand in one place than to walk. We need to conserve energy while doing everyday tasks so we have vitality left for the fun stuff. So…..sit down! Sitting while performing activities takes 25% less energy – how easy is that? And the benefits don’t stop there; sitting places less demand …
More Worry as I Age
From the series, Polio Survivors Ask, by Nancy Baldwin Carter, B.A, M.Ed.Psych, from Omaha, Nebraska, is a polio survivor, a writer, and is founder and former director of Nebraska Polio Survivors Association. Q: The older I get, the older my friends and families are, and it seems that they have one illness after another. Then there are the kids and grandkids, all with …