Tap the Tap: more important than ever
The IWK’s Tap the Tap: Water between Meals campaign got a boost following the release of a study from the Harvard University School of Public Health that reveals kids are not hydrated properly.
According to the study, published this past June in the American Journal of Public Health, excessive dehydration is associated with serious health problems. Even mild dehydration can cause issues, including headaches, irritability, poor physical performance and reduced thinking ability.
The Tap the Tap community initiative, started by Dr. Tara Chobotuk, an IWK Health Centre community pediatrician at the Spryfield Community Wellness Centre, encourages parents and other child care providers to offer young children water between meals and snacks as a healthy alternative to sugary drinks.
Amber alert
IWK emergency physicians and Child Safety Link warn that a recent trend in pain relief for teething babies is dangerous and puts children at risk of choking or strangulation.
Amber teething necklaces, sold as a “natural” means of alleviating teething pain in babies between three months to two years of age, are worn by the teething baby, posing serious safety risks, according to the IWK Health Centre.
In a recent release, the IWK refutes marketers’ claims that the amber necklaces are “safe” and have “healing properties,” saying there is no evidence to support the use of amber teething necklaces. “In fact,” the release states, “Health Canada has put out a warning about the risks linked to these necklaces.”
Child Safety Link, an organization that focuses on children’s injury prevention, has also released a fact sheet warning about the teething necklaces.
You’re in Charge camp for teens
In partnership with Camp Brigadoon, the You’re in Charge camp for teens and their families aims to help kids with chronic health conditions learn how to manage their own health.
Designed for teens 13 to 15 years of age, the camp builds on the successful peer-led, skill-building program of the same name held throughout the year at the IWK.
According to camp organizers, the program helps youth make the transition into adult care, one step at a time.
The inaugural camp is set for October 2-4, at the Camp Brigadoon site—a camp for children and youth with chronic illnesses in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley.
Funding rehabilitation therapy
The QEII Foundation has completed funding to help renovate—and rejuvenate—two Assisted Daily Living (ADL) suites at the QEII’s Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre. ADL suites provide QEII rehabilitation patients a place to practice daily living routines while having the support of staff nearby.
This project will deliver two brand new and fully accessible units as part of the foundation’s $2.6-million campaign, Revitalizing Rehab.
The project also includes funds to reopen the therapeutic pool, which was closed in 2011.
Treating brain disorders
The Biomedical Translational Imaging Centre (BIOTIC) has received government funding to advance research and treatment of brain disorders at the QEII. The centre received $212,500 through ACOA’s business development program, along with $50,000 from the QEII Foundation and $5,000 from Conquer Mobile. Video recording equipment and specialized lighting will be installed in the QEII’s neurological suite, which will host a simulation platform as well as a new electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure brain activity, to support research and collaboration on PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and other traumatic brain injuries.
Correction
Incorrect information appreared in the nutrition column “Make Lifestyle Changes the Goal” (page 23 Living Healthy in Atlantic Canada Spring/Summer 2015). The recommended “normal” waist circumference is less than 88 cm for women and less than 102 cm for men.