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TTIEHERALDOUTLOOK Saturday November 1990 Page Seniors Impressive magazine for seniors Mam Street South Downtown Georgetown MP K1NSON seems a presumptuous for me to sit hen trying to write Ip for whin I am mil much for re newspapers whin as a matter of even handling v sprint can sometimes make nit sneeze until my teeth unit fill out However for better or worse here I sit I Rot started on this ar tide because I stepped out of character and picked up a copy of Today Seniors a monthly foi seniors which is sent across On tano The copy which I have says on the front Toronto and On tano edition I saw the paper first because it had a picture of Stompin Tom Connors on the front Now my mother of all people liked pin Tom I expect she liked him because she was a dedicated Canadian and showed apprecia for anyone who would be so out front in their appreciation of this country of Canada She also liked the way in which he could capsulize the very essence of Canada and it to the people so that it would become a part of all those who heard I he a page paper hud lots of things in it besides the on Tom but two or three things look my eye One was the article dealing with seniors in the workplace More than 7 peo ple turned up for the Seniors Job Fair which was sponsored by the newspaper Today Seniors If the pictures are accurate not all those who attended were seniors but even so is quite a number to be interested in jobs for seniors In the letter section there was a letter from a wife whose 56year old husband decided to sell out his own business and look for a job The only reason given for his re in the workforce was his age so he decided to lie about his age and become forty six He got the job and on location found out that four out of six of his co workers were seniors and had also filled out the wrong age on the application form so that a job was available This to me seems ralher sad If the official retire ment age is sixty five or even it seems to me that jobs should be available to anyone who is able In this case it turned out that those under age tired more quickly than those over age Can I hear many seniors mutter So what s new Another article which me was one called Seniors on Drugs This article quotes a report which was ed by the province recently and claims to have found the follow ing that widespread over prescription and misuse of drugs among seniors is generating big profits for pharmaceutical com panles nearly seniors a year die from over prescription or misuse of drugs about per cent of people entering hospital have illnesses due to drugs Toronto medical researchers step up Alzheimer fight By SALLY JOHN University of Toroito medical researchers appear o have taken a step forward in the fight against Alzheimer s disease which af at least 300 000 Canadians The team of scientists at the Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases has found that a drug called can decrease levels of aluminum in the brain Aluminum is thought to play a role in Alzheimer which causes mental deterioration Dr Ted Kruck one of the researchers cautions that the drug is not a potential cure But it does offer a hope of stabilizing or slowing the advance of the disease he adds We are optimistic that the drug will help patients to main tain quality of life he says Alzheimer s an insidious disease causes the steady death of brain cells At the same time an excessive amount of a certain protein it cumulates- in the forming a of angled twisted filaments Gradually pa who are become mere forgetful confused until in no longer look after themselves Kruck says that post mortem tests on the brams of about 50 Alzheimer s victims showed that all contained elevated levels of aluminum Those tested had about four micrograms of aluminum per gram of dried brain tissue compared to about two micrograms people who died of other causes including other dementia patients We believe aluminum messes up the normal processes of the brain says Kruck The element appears to adhere to certain brain cells causing an effect a bit like running through a library with a stick of glue he adds If the pages of books are stuck together the book no longer makes sense In a preliminary test the researchers used desfernox amine on Alzheimer s patients whose brains were examined for aluminum after they finally died The patients who had taken the drug had brain levels of aluminum 60 per cent lower than those who had not taken the drug Now Kruck has recently com pleted a twoyear study with Alzheimer patients half of whom were treated with At regular intervals the patients were given simple tests such as counting change and putting on a sweater The tests were recorded on videotape and later ti see if the pitients showed signs of progressing mental lion We are looking for an lion thai the drug wit prevent further deterioration sivs Kruck We can hope fur a cure because once the brain cells are dead you can t bring them back Results of the study are being evaluated and will be published soon Although the human body needs some trace elements for example iron in the blood aluminum has no biological ac tivity other than being toxic Krucfc says Because humans are constant exposed to aluminum one third of the Earth s crust con tains the element in one form or another so it s in many foods the body has built up an ex cellent resistance he says There a billion to once chance of any aluminum you swallow getting from your stomach to brain Normally its washed when you pee Still over a lifetime some aluminum does accumulate in everyone brain The body seems to be able to cope with it up lo about two micrograms per gram of brain tissue Why Alzheimer s patients accumulate more aluminum pushing them beyond Ihe tolerable limit is not fullv understood s Kruck Scientists suspect it be a genetic trill causing iks in resistance present trure no rumen on the use of aluminum m food But many food are dropping their use as scientific evidence builds about the dangers of aluminum to the human body Kruck says f in The Herald Thank goodness that commit tee which released the report pro poses a major overhaul of the On Drug Benefit Place as well as many other suggestions Of course this report comes from a party not now in power Let hope that the new Ontario government will not overlook the findings and the rccommenda tions made in this report I expect that those of you who belong to a seniors organization have already been to your first fall meeting Halton Seniors TV Productions to which I belong is working around the big move which Halton Cable is making As soon as everything has been installed in the new building which is only a couple of doors from the old building along Acton mam street there will be an official opening and we are looking forward to that day and hope many of you will be in terested in attending Cable is doing everything to keep the programming on the air during the move If our October show does not materialize it will be because of trouble with our own camera You are invited to watch our show which comes on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from7 00to8 OOp m I wish you good reading and good viewing GREETINGS GIFTS NOW OPEN GEORGETOWN MARKET PLACE 8737096 HEARING INSTRUMENT SERVICES Hearing Instrument oner of Ontario We will FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE lor the purchase of a ds lot dents Ontario who need them IN HOME SERVICE NO CHARGE EVENING APPOINTMENTS omit 102 East Drive Suite Bramalea Closed Thursdays CALL COLLECT 7918143 GEORGETOWN OPTICAL NO ONE EVER REGRETTED BUYING QUALITY MARKET PLACE PLAZA 8773562 HOURS CLOSED MONDAY Tues Fr 10 00 Saturday Postal boxes Pmaie cubicles where can pick up mail in person convenience Because our Postal boxes are open for business whenever we are 3 months 25o months 12 months Businesses Inquire About Our Volume Discounts On Stamps DELREX SMOKE SHOP GEORGETOWN MARKET PLACE FAX SERVICE AVAILABLE