Word: simonizers
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...just couldn't cope with that. 'It' was always on my mind." His fear forced him to curtail family and social activities. "I went out only when I had to," he confesses. Not anymore. Two years ago, LaPorte read about a self-help group in Wilmette, Ill., called the Simon Foundation. Desperate, he and his wife took a six-hour train trip to attend a meeting. "I was elated," says LaPorte, who at last can enjoy evenings out with friends who know his secret. "Back then I thought I was the only one in the world with this problem...
Most of the estimated 10 million to 12 million Americans who suffer from incontinence still feel that way. "We talk about rape or homosexuality but not about loss of bladder and bowel control," observes Simon's founder Cheryle Gartley. "It's the last of the closet issues." But the door is slowly opening. This month in Boston, researchers gathered to discuss promising medical remedies at a joint meeting of the International Continence Society and the Urodynamics Society. Encouraging, too, are recent developments, from newsletters to helpful products that greatly ease the daily burden of patients. Today's message: incontinence...
Despite its prevalence, only one in twelve sufferers seeks help, says the Simon Foundation. Older people are particularly wary of disclosure. Explains Nurse Lynda Austin, an Atlanta geriatrics consultant: "When a family discovers the problem, it's often the impetus for institutionalization." Victims devise homemade solutions instead -- menstrual pads, rags and tissues in underwear or rubber balloons over the penis. The stigma for all is intense. From early childhood a sense of self-control is deeply connected to successful toilet training, notes Psychologist Ronald Rozensky of Illinois' Evanston Hospital. "Losing that control as adults sets up a downward spiral...
...support groups are emerging to counter that spiral. In the New York City area, Continence Restored arranges lectures and meetings. HIP (Help for Incontinent People), based in Union, S.C., issues newsletters and audiocassettes; HIP's mention last month in "Dear Abby" drew 90,000 inquiries. The Simon Foundation, beyond offering a newsletter, an 800 phone number and seminars, has put out a book titled Managing Incontinence and a touching, enlightening videocassette called The Solution Starts with...
...nurse-staffed 800 line that answers 300 to 400 calls a month. One despondent young man called in daily for coaching on how to tell his fiancee about his incontinence. He broke the news to her just before the wedding; they were married as planned. "You know," says the Simon Foundation's Gartley, who suffers from incontinence herself, "negative attitudes are the real disability...