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Memory Diagnostic Center Opens Its Doors The Memory Diagnostic Center opened its doors on November 16, 1998 and is located with the Geropsychiatric Partial Hospitalization program on Northwest Hospital's main campus at 1570 N. 115th St., Suite 115. The Center is for people over age 30 who are experiencing memory problems. The clinic staff will make recommendations, provide resource and education materials, and make referrals if warranted. The clinic is committed to communicating with the patient's primary care physician to provide him/her with the diagnosis and potential options. Clinic staff provide routine follow up calls to monitor the patient's progress for up to one year. The staff will provide information, counseling and support for the patient and family on a continuing basis. Please call (206) 368-1670 for further information and costs. |
Northwest News
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55 Alive Driving Class Northwest Hospital is pleased to announce the return of the AARP 55 Alive Driving class! We're offering three opportunities in 1999 to complete this two part course:
January Class
February Class
Spring Class
There is no registration form to complete. To sign-up, please call 206-368-1563 between 10am and 2pm, Monday-Friday. $8 per participant, payable to AARP. Please pay at the door. TCU Auditorium at Northwest Hospital. Classes fill up fast, so sign-up early. |
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Over 62,000 People Are Waiting Every 16 minutes a new name is added to the United Network for Organ Sharing national waiting list. The number of individuals in need of an organ transplant continues to grow while the number of people who give consent remains stagnant. Every two hours people die while awaiting an organ transplant. By deciding to be an organ donor you have the opportunity to give the gift of life to someone waiting for a second chance. Share Your Life. Share Your Decision. is an educational campaign geared at encouraging people to become donors by providing the facts necessary to make an informed decision. For more information on organ and tissue donation, donor cards, or educational materials, please contact LifeCenter Northwest at (206) 230-5767 or 1-877-ASK-LCNW. |
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Northwest Hospital Physicians Contribute to Local Schools Northwest Hospital is pleased to announce the return of the AARP 55 Alive Driving class! We're offering three opportunities in 1999 to complete this two part course: This fall, The Sports Medicine Clinic in Ballard, a Northwest Hospital-affiliated physician clinic, performed 45 school sports physicals for students from Whitman Middle School. Students were bused to the clinic along with their vice principal and school nurse and given a complete physical. The cost was $12/student, which in turn was returned to the school system for their athletic program. This program will take place again in Spring 1999, for the entire Shoreline secondary school system. |
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Northwest Hospital Foundation: Year-End Giving As 1998 is coming to a close, this is a good opportunity to make a charitable contribution that can also positively impact your 1998 federal income tax return. All gifts to the Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Because of the tax advantage, a $100 contribution costs only about $70 to $85 out-of-pocket. There are further advantages to gifting appreciated property, such as stocks or bonds that have grown in value since original investment. Donors should know that transferring ownership of the stock to charity prior to sale allows avoidance of capital gains tax. Year-end is an excellent time to update estate plans. Charitable gifts qualify as a way to reduce your estate and the consequent taxes, while at the same time allowing you to support the excellent work that is helping so many people through Northwest Hospital. Some charitable estate planning methods allow both immediate income tax relief, future estate tax relief and lifetime income options. Finally, you might consider making a memorial or tribute gift to the Foundation in lieu of giving gifts to people during the holiday season. A special holiday gift acknowledgment will be sent to anyone you want to remember in this way during the holidays. For more information, please contact the Foundation at (206) 368-1647. Print out the gift form. |
Past Issues
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Comments and suggestions from readers are encouraged. Write to Med-Info Newsletter, public relations department, Northwest Hospital, 1550 N. 115th Street, Seattle, WA 98133 or call 368-1739 during office hours. Valorie J. Fanger, Editor Hospital operator: 206-364-0500 Education and Training: 206-368-1621 Northwest Hospital is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against individuals because of race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, sexual orientation, handicap, marital status, political ideology, ancestry or national origin. © Copyright, 1998 Northwest Hospital. All rights reserved. |
Happy Holidays from the Northwest Hospital Childbirth Center
If play is the work of children, toys are the tools of their trade. Toys allow children to develop motor skills, solve problems, model and reinterpret the world around them - all under the guise of having fun.
As neurologists learn more about the development of the human brain, they are finding that infants are not born hard-wired, as previously thought, with an intellectual capacity essentially locked into place. They now know that the infant brain develops by laying down intricate networks of neural pathways. The richer a child's environment, the more numerous and complex the connections.
A few simple guidelines can help you stay focused and find toys that have more than novelty value.
Toys for Infants and Toddlers
Because infants explore by putting things into their mouths, it's essential that toys be large enough that they can't be swallowed. Cloth books that can be chewed and generally mistreated are a good choice for babies who are crawling.
Although most children aren't talking in the first year, they are delighted when an adult talks, reads or sings to them. These activities foster language and cognitive development.
Toddlers from ages one to three keep busy learning to communicate, socialize and master both small and large motor skills. Dolls and stuffed animals allow children this age to express emotional needs. Wooden blocks are a classic and popular toy for this age. Sturdy books, a simple children's tape player, large beads for stringing, hammer and peg benches, drums, friction cars, trucks and planes, toy telephones and sorting puzzles are all good choices.
The Preschool Set
Preschoolers are able to build with more complex blocks such as the large-sized Legos, bristle blocks and other blocks that snap and lock. Art supplies such as crayons, modelling clay, sidewalk chalk, felt pens and finger paints allow children to express themselves creatively.
A wide range of beautifully illustrated books offer preschoolers a chance to slow down and spend a few quiet moments with an adult. Hearing books read aloud is an important pre-reading step. Children who are read to a lot have an enriched vocabulary and tend to have less trouble learning to read in school.
By this age, children are able to pedal tricycles and big wheels but must always be carefully supervised when riding near roads or driveways.
Gifts for Schoolkids
Games can teach many social skills as well as how to listen, follow directions, agree on rules, take turns and act cooperatively. Board games such as Monopoly, Scrabble, checkers, chess, Chutes and Ladders and Chinese checkers bring children together for fun and laughter.
Model building, musical instruments, computer games and scientific and mechanical toys are all good choices for older grade school children.
After children learn to read, books become a more solitary pursuit. There are numerous titles that young readers will enjoy as a source of humor, adventure and inspiration.
Toy mega-stores attest to the enormous variety of toys available today. When you make a choice, think safety, fun, the child's interests, how appropriate the toy is for age and developmental needs and, last but not least, how you might be involved in play. There's nothing that children love more than playtime with adults.
Providing a stimulating environment doesn't mean attempting to teach math or Latin to toddlers. Rather it means providing a rich and nurturing environment that includes color, tactile objects, singing and play. Adult involvement is also critical. Play that stimulates a child's senses and interaction with a caring adult are the keystones of physical, intellectual and social growth.
Infants from birth to 12 months need toys that will stimulate the senses of sight, sound and touch. Bright crib mobiles with music boxes help stimulate interest in visual stimuli, tracking skills, sound and movement. Rattles allow an infant to hold objects as well as provide auditory
stimulation. Soft, colorful blocks and balls plus toys that offer a variety of shapes and textures are all good choices for babies. Stuffed toys offer babies a sense of security.
Between the ages of three and five, children are more serious in their imitation of the adult world and also more capable of creating fantasy worlds. Doctor kits, play tool sets, tea sets, toy stoves and tiny shopping carts filled with play groceries let children take charge in their own play world.
In the grade-school years children are improving their physical and social skills. Bicycles, roller skates, sports equipment and jump ropes can all help children improve their physical coordination and develop balance. If you buy a child a bicycle or roller blades, remember to add a safety helmet and wrist, elbow and knee pads as well.
No Time to Hibernate During summer, and even through most of the fall, it's easy to get enthused about an invigorating run or brisk walk in the pre-dawn hours. Winter exercise is another matter. There are, of course, days when ice, snow and slush make outdoor exercise hazardous if not impossible. For those days and for the individuals who would rather not fight the elements, there are other alternatives for winter exercise.
The Health Club Crowd Health clubs and Y workout centers fill up quickly when the weather outside is nasty. And the most popular machines are understandably the treadmills. One study recently found that subjects burned 700 calories an hour when exercising at a "somewhat" hard pace on a treadmill, 500 on a stationary bike and 600 on a stepper, rowing machine or NordicTrack. All these machines offer excellent ways to burn calories and improve cardiovascular fitness.
Don't forget weight training. Doctors now recognize that muscle strength and tone are as important to good health as cardiovascular fitness, particularly for persons over age 50.
Working Out at Home Activate Your Life There are many other options for winter exercise: ice skating, TV aerobics, cross country skiing, dance lessons, power walking in the mall, racquetball - it all depends on your interests, ability and fitness level. You don't have to make tracks in the snow, but it's important not to curl up and hibernate.
Winter Exercise Is Important
While you can't beat a health club or fitness center for variety, exercise at home is much more convenient. When the snow is swirling, it's nice to be able to change into exercise clothes and head for the family room rather than driving across town to a health club. You can also tune in to your favorite TV show or exercise through a basketball game. Some studies show that people who have equipment at home are more likely to keep a regular exercise program than those who go to a gym.
Another alternative, which can also work any time of year, is to activate your life or make a conscious effort to put more physical activity into your daily routine. This means, for example, taking the parking spot no one else wants or climbing the four flights of stairs rather than taking the elevator.
Expert Sports Advice from New Sports Medicine Physician
"First and foremost, I'm a primary care family physician." Judith Molin, MD, is emphatic about that. The newest member of The Sports Medicine Clinic, an affiliate of Northwest Hospital in Ballard, Dr. Molin has experience in both family medicine and sports medicine.
Sports have always been a part of her life, she said, and that's what led her to take additional training in sports medicine. After a three-year family practice residency in Phoenix, she completed a year-long sports medicine fellowship at the Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopedics. She helped care for Phoenix's professional sports teams, high school and junior college athletes, and the dancers of the Arizona Ballet in addition to the Mariners.
Dr. Molin is particularly keen on preventive medicine. "It's hard to break bad habits and form new ones,Ó she said, "but it can be done. You just have to do it right. Sometimes people decide one day to Ôget in shape' and do too much too fast. I applaud motivation, but it's better to see the doctor first and set up a diet and exercise program that will work for you and not land you in the emergency room.Ó
Dr. Molin's Tips for Healthy Exercising
A New Vaccine Against Infant Diarrhea
Dr. Smith is a Family Practice Physician in practice at Roosevelt Medical Center in Northeast Seattle. She earned her medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and completed her Family Practice residency in Seattle.
Dr. Smith's practice includes a special interest in women's and children's health care, and preventative care.
With all the immunization choices available for kids today, it may be difficult for parents to get excited about the arrival of a new vaccine. However, most parents are interested in preventing their baby from getting diarrhea, and certainly want to decrease the chances of their baby being hospitalized.
A new vaccine was recently approved against rotavirus, the most common cause of severe diarrhea in infants and children.
The infection is very common: almost all children have become infected by the age of 2 to 3 years old. It may be very severe, or even fatal. Most cases occur between November and May. A child may become infected more than once, but subsequent infections are less severe than the first.
In the coming months, your child's physician will be able to obtain the vaccine, either privately, or through the state-supplied vaccine program.
The American Academy of Family Physicians and American Academy of Pediatrics published guidelines, which should be available soon, will assist you in your decision regarding whether or not to have your child vaccinated. These guidelines generally become standard practice, but you can best make a decision by being well-informed. Please contact your baby's personal caregiver for more information.
Shauna M. Smith, M.D.
Results of the Northwest Hospital brachytherapy study were published in the September 1, 1998 issue of Cancer. "An equal or better disease-free survival rate at ten years, combined with a lower risk of incontinence and impotence may make brachytherapy a procedure of choice in medicine's efforts to save lives and preserve life-styles," said Haakon Ragde, MD, primary author of the study. "This is especially true among men who have other life-threatening illnesses which prohibit them from being candidates for surgery." In 1985 at Northwest Hospital, Dr. Ragde pioneered the use of ultrasound-guided radioactive seed implants for prostate cancer in the United States. He has performed more than 2,000 of the procedures.
| Community Health Classes |
Community Classes Call 368-1621 for more information or visit our website at www.nwhospital.org.
Pre-registration is required
for all classes. Unless noted, print out this
registration form to register.
Childbirth and Parenting Classes
Prenatal education courses include: Prepared Childbirth Series, Infant Safety and CPR, Sibling Class and Refresher Course. Call the Childbirth Education Office at 368-1784 and request a brochure with listings and descriptions of our classes for Prenatal Education and Infant Parenting.
- Infant CPR and Safety: For parents, grandparents and baby-sitters (over age 14) who care for an infant 0 - 12 months old. This course teaches infant CPR, accident prevention and product safety. Taught by American Heart Association certified instructors. Cost: $20 per person, or $35 per couple. January 20, February 16 and March 24. 6:30 - 9:30pm.
- Child CPR and Safety Class: Designed for parents, grandparents and others who care for children 1 to 8 years of age. Course covers accident prevention and child CPR. There will be time for discussion, questions and CPR practice. March 31, 6:30-9:30pm. Cost is $20 per person or $35 per couple.
- Grandparents Class: This popular class provides support, guidance and encouragement to prospective grandparents. Discussion includes current practices in childbearing and infant care, the grandparent's role, and grandparent's feelings. The instructor is a CBC nurse and grandmother of eight. Offered Quarterly. First class - February 1. 7 to 9pm. Cost $20 per household.
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