News at a Glance
Eye Injury Report
According to a recent
report by the U.S. Department of Labor, more than one million Americans
required time off from work due to injuries or illness obtained
on the job in one year alone. Eye
injuries accounted for more than 36,000 of that total.
The report also found:
• More eye accidents at work happen on Tuesday than any other
day of the week.
• Those aged 25-34 reported the most eye injuries. 29,460
or 80 percent of workplace eye injuries were to men.
• Cuts, lacerations or punctures were the most common eye injury.
Fortunately for employers
and employees, 90 percent of all job-related eye injuries can be
prevented by simply wearing the proper eye protection! For
more info, contact Sarah Hecker, Director, Media Relations, Prevent
Blindness America, 312-363-6035.
Book Review -- Head and Brain Injuries
In 2002 Elaine
Landau published Head and Brain Injuries. An award-winning author
of books that include writing for children and young adults, she
avoids the dry text that tends to lose many readers. This concise,
informative guide about traumatic brain injuries (TBI) is geared
toward young readers as well as adult readers.
She provides an overview of TBI that includes case examples of how
injuries occur. With her focus on infants, children, teenagers, and
young adults, she covers sports injuries (specifically soccer, football,
and golf), automobile accidents, and falls.
The brain, its anatomy and functions are explained in an easy, understandable
text. To highlight key points, she uses photographs and illustrations.
Readers gain insight into the treatment and rehabilitation process.
She includes an overview of legislation impacting people with disabilities.
She concludes with a glimpse into the future. With the excitement
of new discoveries under current research, she also fosters public
awareness of the importance of practicing safety in the prevention
of head injuries.
Landau’s remarkable
skill in striking the median for layperson and professional, young
reader and adult reader place Head and Brain Injuries high on the
list of recommended reading for those with a desire to learn more
about preventing, treating and coping with TBI.
For more information about
Elaine or other books that Elaine has written visit, www.elainelandau.com/home/other
books.htm
Community Effort Offers Help with Part D
Students at
the Wright Technical Center are assisting with a community effort
to help people understand and benefit from Medicare Part D. During
a recent session at the school, students did the information keyboarding
into Medicare’s Web site. Here, student Lillian
Parks (center) and pharmacist Brad Winterhalter (right) enjoy
working with Gerald Mundell (left). For more information about
the program, call Buffalo, Hanover, Montrose Community Education
at 763-682-8770.
Efforts of several local community groups and individuals
have developed a program to help people better understand and benefit
from Medicare Part D.
Medicare’s NEW ‘Individual’ Prescription Plans
require some effort to get the ‘best’ deal (and there
are ‘good’ deals for most people) while providing more
freedom of choice and greater consumer influence than previous choices.
Part D offers a variety of
prescription plan choices, some providing a better ‘fit’ for
your individual needs and some that don’t, much different from
a traditional, one-plan-fits-all. A friend’s recommendation
isn’t likely to be the best
choice for you unless they take the very same medications you do
and live in your neighborhood. Instead, in about an hour, you can
identify plans that best meet your individual prescription and economic
needs without touching a keyboard or hearing a sales presentation.
Call Buffalo, Hanover, Montrose Community Education at (763) 682-8770;
advance sign up is needed. If you need transportation, let the Community
Education staff know.
Friends and family members
are welcome to come along. Sessions are held across from Wal-Mart
at the Wright Technical Center, 1400 Hwy. 25 N. in Buffalo on Thursdays
through May 11, 2006. Morning, afternoon and evening times are available.
All sessions are free.
Volunteer operators, supported by pharmacists and Senior Linkage
Line healthcare insurance consultants, will do all the computer
entry for you and explain each step. You will get the total estimated
annual costs you will need to make an informed choice for your ‘individual’ prescription
plan. You can enroll in the plan of your choice during the session
or get information printed out to study at your convenience. The
initial 2006 enrollment period continues until May 15, 2006.
Experience shows that
people do save money by choosing a plan that meets their individual
needs, even if you buy medications from Canada or don’t take
many medications. The diversity of available plans reflects the
unique needs of the people who are eligible, allowing each individual
to choose a plan that best meets their own needs.
This is a cooperative,
community effort between Community Education, Wright Technical
Center, Buffalo Community Center, Senior Linkage, Buffalo Ministerial
Association, Congressman Mark Kennedy’s
staff, local pharmacists, community members, and volunteers.
If you would like more information
or would like to volunteer, please contact: Dave Strait, dave@1man.org,
or call (612) 245-1268.
