Drugs education, toxic guilt, adapting to loss, pelvic floor exercises and mens' health have a lot in common in a handbook just produced by the Western Health Board. They're all looked at in the board's New Wellbeing Through Groupwork Book, which is described as "a manual for facilitators who are promoting health" and which contains details of all of the WHB's community education courses along with details on how to organise similar courses in your own area, if you live in Galway, Mayo or Roscommon.
It gives instructions on how to run sessions on issues such as violence, stress, teenagers and carers. Ringbound, this is a solidly put together manual. Copies are available from the Health Education Department, Western Health Board, County Clinic, Shantalla, Galway - phone (091) 523122, fax (091) 529416.
One in five Irish women will be aged 60 or over by the year 2010. The statistic gives rise to endless discussion - some of which has resulted in a new Irish Women's Health Directory. It provides a listing and comprehensive data on information services and support groups around the country which deal with diseases most likely to affect women in later life.
All of the better (or worse) known afflictions are here - osteoporosis, coronary heart disease, cancer, depression and Alzheimer's. It also deals with `smoking cessation services', a section on health boards and a miscellaneous section which looks at groupings like the Carers' Association, the Arthritis Foundation of Ireland and Age and Opportunity. The directory hopes to help women make informed choices about lifestyle, health risks, preventative measures and treatment choices.
In a foreword to the directory, Dr Maire Milner, director of the Menopause Clinic in Dublin's Rotunda Hospital, points out that Irish women over the age of 75 now outnumber men by 2:1. "The most powerful tool in preserving one's health is knowledge," she asserts, "and this can only be acquired through information."
The directory is available from Eli Lilly Women's Health Bureau, Saval Park Crescent, Dalkey, Co Dublin. Send a stamped (45p) self-addressed A5 envelope for a free copy.
