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r 'i b ,.'Ap r%.,Jrb, ~ ~,,. ..,t ~ ~ *. Qm~ .~ - ,,rr" S - Orono W..kly TUrnes, Wedneeday~ May 25,1003 A perfect time to quit smoking Anna and Anthony Quattrocchi and Dr. Robert Kyle, Medical Officer of Health, Durbami Region are previewing tbe Pbysician's Smoking Cessation Kit for Pregnant Women soon to be distributed by the Health Department to physicians throughout Durham Region. Becomingan ex-smoker may be the most difficult challenge many people will face and quite possibly the most important for their health. Anna Quattrocchi of Oshawa, Ontario undertook this very challenge at a crucial tim in ber life - during ber pregnancy. For the past two years Anna bad smoked one package of cigarettes per day. She initially quit smoking during the fîrst five months of ber pregnancy because smoking made ber feel ill. Even being near others who smoked was unbearable. Paying child Wben:people separate or divorce, a j udge may direct one spouse to continue to flnancially support the other, and/or chil- dren. The Ontario govcrnment created the Family Support Plan (FSP) in March, 1992 to address the problemn of unpaid support. Prevîously, the supporting per- son "paid" the family by for- warding money 10 the Support and Cusîody Orders Enforce- ment (SCOE) Branch of the Ministry of the Attorney Gen- eral. Now in most cases under FSP, wben the'court orders sup- port., thc money is automatically deducted from the supporting pcrson's-salary by the employer and forwardcd tb the Family Support Plan, which distributes it to the fainily. Fiction: "The old SCOE sys- îem worked just fine. Wby do we need FSP?" Fact: When FSP began, more Ilian 80,000 childrcn in Ontario were flot receiving the family support that the courts had ordered. Supporting parents paid littIe or no money - 75 per cent of the support orders regis- tered witb the Enforcement Branch wcre flot being paid completely, or properly. One year later, FSP is handling almost 110,000 cases, and approximately 68 per cent of support deductions orders are being paid so that a family receives at least some money from the supporting parent. Fiction: "If's j ust flot that big a problem. Parents will pay up eventually." Fact: The Famîly Support Plan began in Ontario because supporting parents owed their former partners or children a total of $465 million.* Some families that should have been receiving support,-lurnied in- stead to social assistance. Those who have quit smoking know it isn't easy. Strong cravings to resume old habits 'were overwbelm.ing and between ber fifth and seventh montb of pregnancy, Anna started smoking again. Two key influences in Anna's life encouraged ber to try to stop smoking second tome. She started reading about the effects thtsmoking can have on the unborn baby 'and she also consulted witb bier obstetrician, Dr. M.F. Beatty. These two factors belped Anna to become .a nonsmoker through tbc remainder of ber pregnancy. Perbaps the most rewarding outcome of this story is that Anna delivered a 9 pound 10 ounce, full îerm baby boy, Anthony, in April and she continues witb ber nonsmoking lifestyle. Anna's decision to stop smoking during ber pregnancy was an important one as the negative effects of cigarette smoking on a baby's and mother's health are many. Smoking decreases the baby's supply of food and oxygen. Oxygen in the mother's blood is replaced by carbon monoxide which means less oxygen for the baby. Nicotine causes blood vessels in the placenta to narrow which also reduces the amount of food and oxygen to the baby. As a result, babies born to smokers often weigh less tban babies born to nonsmokers. Health problems associated with low birth weight infants are sîgnificant as are the hospital costs to care for themn. Statistics gathered by the Peel Health Department indicate that it costs approximately $46,000 to care for a baby weighing between 1-1/2 and 3 pounds. The usual hospital cost of caring for a baby of average birth weight is approximately $2,00 for two days. Babies born to smokers are also more likely to born before their due date and are at a greater risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). A pregnant mother's ýchance of having a miscarriage or stfilborn increase if she is smnoker. Second band smoke can also be harmfu[, both to mother and baby. Help is available for those individuals wbo want to stop smoking. The World Health Organization bas designated May 31 as World No Tobacco Day and thiu aim is to discourage tobacco use and discourage tobacco use support: Fiction, and fact Money paid out in social assis- tance - that is, support money that is now owed 10 tbc taxpay- ers of Ontario - amounts to about $220 million. In the flrst year of FSP approx- imaicly $28 million was collect- cd and returned to the Ontario Treasurer, as rcpayment for social assistance funds. Fiction: "So wbat? The ot1-,.r parent cari look after the kids. He or she probably makes plen- ty of money." Fact: According to Statistics Canada, 61.9 per cent of female- bcaded families in Canada are living below the poverty lime. In Ontario, 41 per cent of ail social assistance beneficiaries are chil- dren. Fiction: "Men aren't the only ones wbo don"'t pay their child support. Thbere are women who don't as well." Fact: Approximately 97 per cent of parents ordcred t0 pay cbild support are men. Women make up the remaining 3 per cent. Fiction: "Parentswho have paid\ their support faitbfully are being tarred with thc sanie brusb as the dcadbeats." Fact:'The automatic deduction system doesn't single out "good" or "bad" payors. It's aulomatic - il applies to new support orders mnade since Marcb 1, 1992. I's simple, automatic and a couve- nient way 10 pay family support in Ontario. Fact: Automatic wage deduc- lion makes il easy for support- ing parents t0 be sure tbcy'rc fulfilling their obligations 10 their dependants. It's exaclly the same as alI the other deductions that are taken fromn your pay, sucb as income tax, pension plan contributions, unemploy- ment. insurance premiums and union dues. Fact: Supporting parents wbo were alrcady paying on lime, before March 1, 1992, don't have to switch 10 the aulomatic deduction system. ilowever, if the supportîng parent falîs bchind in bis or ber paymenls, he or she can be brought imtodte automatic wage deduction system. Fact: Parents can agree not 10 use the new system. In that case, a court order is required and tbe supporting parent is required 10 put up a securiîy deposit equal 10 four monîhs' support that will bc used if pay- ments are mîssed. Fiction: "Ibis makes me look bad 10 my employer and my co- workers." Fact: Ontario's Employment Standards Act spelîs out work- ing conditions in Ibis province., Il was cbanged 10 prevent an employer from laking any action against an employee because of wage deduction. Also, the employer can't disclose the pay- or's personal information, 10 any- one else - iî's confidential. Fiction: " Things have changed a lot since the divorce. I bave a ncw partuer and anot.ber faniily 10 look afler. And my ex has a live-in partnier now. Wby sbould I pay support?" Fact: Because if's an important social responsibility. You can have a former parîner but you cari neyer bave a former child. Paying your cbild,,support is the rigbt thing 10 do. You must fuI- fill your family support obliga- tions cxacîly as spellcd out by the court order or support agree- ment. To change a new'support order, you must apply 10 the court. If you have a separation agreement or other domestic contract, you can try to negotiate new tcrms wi th the other party. and increase.awareness of this problèih. With these goals in mind, the Durham Region Healtb Department in collaboration witb the Canadian Cancer Society of Durham Region has developed a Physician's Smoking Cessation Kit, similar 10 one created by Ottawa-Carlton Health Department. The kit will (SOP) The're are three main ways of insulaling the exterior walls of an existing home: fromn the interior, filling the cavily in frame wall construction, or fromn the exterior. Each of these methods bas ils own benefits and drawbacks. Insulating from the interior usually entails building new inte- rior walls and a certain loss of liv- ing space. But, as much insulation can be added as desired. Unfortu- nately, insulating from the interior generally means leaving a thermal bridge, wvhere beat loss still occurs fromt the uninsulated space be- tween floors. Depending on the type of con-, struction, insulation can be added to the exterior of a building. For esthetic reasons, you would not want 10 cover up a brick or stone facade to add insulation. But most bouses finished in aluminium or vînyl siding can be insulated from the exterior with rigid beadboard insulation and then resided. The advantage of this ,method is that if properly installed, the insulation will eliminate most thermal -bridges by creating a con- tinuous, insulated envelope. Insulating the inside of walls in wood-frame construction can be donc from cither the interior or exterior of the building by blowing insulation into the spaces that exist between the framing members, the 2-by-4s that are used 10 form the framework for the exterior walls. In most modern residential con- struction, because of space limita- tions, this will give you an R-value compliment the resources currently used by physicians in counselling their clients, especially pregnant women, in regard to smoking cessation. Distribution of the kits will occur over the next few weeks throughout Durham Region to those physicians whose practice involves the care of women expecting a baby. in the range of R-10, haîf of what is recommended for new construc- tion. R-values are the unit used to' measure thermal resistance, or the effectiveness of insulation. Once again, thermal bridges will. resuit where cross-members between the studs block the insu- lation. Loose-fill insulation is used to fill wall cavities. Some of the ma- teniaIs used can be cellulose fibre, glass fibre or mineral wool. Loose- fill insulation can either be blown or poured in place. Blown insula- tion will usually produce higher R-values, although il is quite diffiý- cult to ensure even installation. If you were thinking of having a polyurethane foani insulation in- jected into the wall cavity, this is flot allowed by the building code. While a high R-value Would seem to make it an ideal candidate for cavity insulation, the fact that polyurethan 1e expands 28 times after it 'is injected, means that there's too good a chance of the foani blocking air ventilation or even damaging structural memn- bers. Before deciding to insulate cavily walls with blown insula- lion,' check to make sure that there's no existing insulation in place. This can be done by remnov- îng the plate covers on wall switches and onîlets and looking mbt the cavity. Use a flash-ligbt and remember to turn off the power before making the inspec- tion. Mark M. Stapleton, Restorati*onf'f&prcdluctiort 6720 Leskard Rd. N., Orono 983-6098 We specialize li Historical Restoration and Reproductiîon of Century Homes. Also ail types of General Carpentry. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I IW .. . . .I.. . ..I.. . --- -- --- -- Insulatîng watts on older home