The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

SUPPORT OUR LOCAL NURSES Its not just nurses employed by Halton Region, but all nurses in Halton who should be commended and recognized as a valuable resource in our community and to our health care system. Regional Chair Gary Carr Thank You To Our Nursing Staff For All You Do Extendicare / Halton Hills 9 Lindsay Crt., Georgetown, Ontario Tel: 905-702-8760 Fax: 905-702-7430 www.extendicare.com Dear Nurses, Thanks for caring and making a difference! Especially our Know Risk Health Services Staff Nurses: Maureen, Jody, Helen, Lisa and John 280 Guelph St., Unit 29 Georgetown, Ontario L7G 4B1 Telephone 905-873-0301 www.independentfreepress.com Fax 905-873-0398 SERVING HALTON HILLS AND SURROUNDING AREAS National Nurses Week In celebration of May 12-18, 2008 Georgetown Market Place 905-702-8204 Your choice for quality nutritional supplements. YOUNGS PHARMACY & HOMECARE Bare Image Electrolysis & Laser 50 Main St. South, Georgetown 9058736388 downtowngeorgetown.com LASER HAIR REMOVAL SINCE 1999 ONLY 4-6 TREATMENTS NEEDED! To free you from that unwanted hair. Affordable Safe Gentle Permanent Hair Reduction For Him: chest, back, shoulders, etc. For Her: bikini, facial, underarms, etc. Call today for a free consultation Certified Electrologist & Laser Technician SINCE 1999 8 HEALTH CARE - Wednesday, May 21, 2008 Imagine going through life not being able to understand what people are say- ing to you. Having to constantly ask peo- ple to repeat themselves. Not knowing whats expected of you or how to behave. Imagine what its like when you cant express your feelings to your family, friends or, especially, strangers. Imagine the sense of isolation, frustration, anger. For one out of every 10 Canadians who has a speech, language or hearing problem, these things can be an everyday occurrence. But it doesnt have to be that way. The ability to hear, understand and be understood is fundamental to our devel- opment as productive citizens and when hearing and speech problems go unde- tected and untreated, the results can be grievous. According to the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA), the organization that represents 5,000 speech, language and hearing specialists across Canada, dealing with this crisis is an up-hill battle. One of the biggest challenges is in get- ting referrals being put in touch with people who need help. Often, individuals with hearing or speech disorders are labeled as having some type of behav- ioural problem. Theyre seen as either uncooperative or withdrawn, or unpre- dictable and hostile. This can be especial- ly true with children. In many cases, this kind of behaviour is often merely the symptom of a more profound hearing or speech disorder and unless these individ- uals are referred to a hearing or language specialist, the problem can go undetected and untreated. Daycare workers, teachers, social workers, public health nurses and doc- tors need to understand that behavioural problems that appear to be purely psy- chological can often be traced to a hear- ing or speech disorder. Call in the experts they know what to look for the subtle signs that are so often missed by professionals in other disciplines. CASLPA estimates that Canada cur- rently has only about half the number of speech-language pathologists and audiol- ogists that are needed to provide Canadians with an adequate level of ser- vice. The organization is currently involved in a study that will identify the extent of that need and what will be nec- essary to provide Canadians with ade- quate detection and treatment programs. In the meantime, other health care and social service professionals can help make better use of existing resources. This has to be a team effort, and while S- LPs and audiologists are an important part of that team, they are only one play- er, counting on the other members of the team doctors, nurses, teachers and social workers to help them, help oth- ers, in need. News Canada Communication disorders affect 1 in 10 Canadians