Donations & Pledges
From County Health Officer
Richard S. Buker, Jr., M.D.
WHAT A GOOD SWIMMING POOL CAN DO- ESPECIALLY OLD FOLKS
The swimming pool committee has asked the writer to inform the readers of this newspaper about some of the benefits a good pool could bring to this community. In addition to the obvious benefits of teaching people and especially children how to swim and being a healthful and enjoyable exercise there are several important advantages that a properly designed swimming pool can bring to this community.
It is obvious that this is gradually becoming a community of older people. Schools have closed, those remaining are downsizing, but people are living longer. People of retirement age are moving into the area, and services of all sorts designed to meet the needs of the elderly are growing and being steadily improved. It is not only the retired aged that need to be considered, if it were not for the significant number of very able and active grandmothers at work in this community it would be impossible to run a hospital and nursing home plus several other businesses of considerable importance to our wellbeing. As these people get older their problems increase, and we need to try to be prepared to do all we can to keep people healthy and productive.
Arthritis is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in the U.S., and the most prevalent chronic conditions in women. In addition, arthritis is one of the leading causes of disability and limitation of activities of daily living. Its economic, psychological, and social impacts are enormous, and we all see evidences of this around us every day. The impaired balance of people with arthritis involving the legs and feet is much worse than that of people of the same age with no arthritis. Impaired balance (alone with the snow covered ice locally ) are the leading cause of falls which often result in serious injury, and in people over 65 years of age their death. Province et al, in an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1955 concluded that the most effective way to prevent falls is to select an exercise mode that has a balance component. The American College of Rheumatology has published guidelines recommending exercise as a mainstay of treatment for knee osteoarthritis. Inasmuch as some authorities feel such exercise will in time aggravate osteoarthritis of the knee or result in injury an alternate mode of exercise that will achieve good results is aquatic exercise which is safe and does not cause progression of the arthritis.
Three principals of physics explain whey aquatic exercise are beneficial for people with lower extremity arthritis: 1) buoyancy in water diminishes joint loading, making movement in water easier and less painful. 2) Turbulence occurs when a body part moves through water, when the speed of movement increases the resistance increases in a smooth pliant manner proportional to the speed movement. 3) The relative specific gravity of a human body compared to that of water is such that a person at rest will float or almost float. These principals make physical therapy and exercises in water uniquely effective. At this time Medicare will pay for such treatment, all that is needed is a suitable pool. The new swimming pool is planned to have suitable stairs with hand rails to enable the weak and feeble to get in and out of the pool safely and comfortably.
The new pool is great idea for the old and arthritic plus all other adults. It is never too late to learn to swim, or to get regular much needed exercise in a swimming pool.
Richard S. Buker, Jr., M.D. County Health Officer
The letters of support have been reproduced with permission from the authors. These letters have been included in various "grants" the HLP&RF are pursuing. If you would like to offer a letter or note of support to be printed here or to be used in a grant proposal....PLEASE CONTACT THE BOARD.....we would appreciate hearing from you.
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