Parents have lot to learn at school sport

Cape Argus

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Mother’s words make problems seem trivial

http://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/mother-s-words-make-problems-seem-trivial-1.1513758#.UaEN3r1vVAU

Parents have lot to learn at school sport

http://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/parents-have-lot-to-learn-at-school-sport-1.1521466#.UaENUb1vVAU

Dolls help kids ‘talk’ about sexual abuse

http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/dolls-help-kids-talk-about-sexual-abuse-1.1521265#.UZ8ug6Ks-lg

May 24 2013 at 11:04am

 By Nontando Mposo

Cape Town - They may look just like any other rag dolls, but the anatomically correct forensic dolls have an important role to play for children who have been sexually abused.

Complete with genitalia, breasts, fingers and tongues, the forensic dolls are designed to help children who have allegedly been sexually abused to explain what happened to them during a forensic assessment.

A total of 34 of these special dolls were donated to the police family violence, child protection and sexual offences units at the Old Commando Building in Stellenbosch on Thursday.

This was part of a Matla A Bana Charity Trust initiative ahead of Child Protection Week.

Monique Strydom, the trust’s founder, explained that the dolls were donated by Thorburn Security Solutions and cost R30 000. The annual Child Protection Week begins next Monday and runs until June 2.

The campaign, launched in 1997, is a bid to raise awareness about the rights of children and to urge society to ensure the care and protection of children. The dolls come in a family unit of six, which includes a grandmother and grandfather, a mother and father and a boy and girl.

All the dolls are dressed.

Provincial co-ordinator of forensic police social workers, Captain Neville Dampies, said the dolls were designed to help in a forensic investigation.

“It’s hard for children to tell a stranger about the abuse especially if the perpetrator is someone they trusted. These dolls help them to communicate what happened and help us to identify their alleged abusers,” said Dampies.

The family violence, child protection and sexual offences units work with children aged three to 12 years.

“Most children are too traumatised to talk and it can take up to eight sessions for them to open up. Some of the children are mentally challenged, so we rely on techniques such as playing with dolls to help them tell their stories,” he said.

Dampies said a “blind assessment” was used to determine what happened to a child.

This meant that the medical or the police’s investigation report on the child was not read before assessing a child and reliance was exclusively on what the child revealed through “play” in the assessment room.

Forensic social worker at Stellenbosch’s family violence, child protection and sexual offences units, Maria Goosen, said more people were reporting cases of child abuse.

“The children will use the dolls to demonstrate what they want to say when they can’t put it in words,” Goosen said.

nontando.mposo@inl.co.za  

Cape Argus

What is a pulmonary embolism?

By Omeshnie Naidoo

Early reports that SABC TV and radio presenter Vuyo Mbuli died of a heart attack were untrue. Mbuli had two large clots which resulted in pulmonary embolism.

The sudden death of 46-year-old journalist Vuyo Mbuli has focused attention on the condition from which he died. We take a closer look at pulmonary embolism.

Durban - A blood clot, the result of long periods in bed, sitting at your desk, on a flight or in a car, as well as serious illness such as cancer or stroke, is the root cause of pulmonary embolism.

A small blood clot can be quickly treated; however, one large enough to block a major blood vessel or artery can be deadly.

Medical professionals will tell you that in most cases, pulmonary embolism is caused by a blood clot in the leg – known as deep vein thrombosis – that breaks loose and travels to the lungs.

A blood clot in a vein close to the skin is not likely to cause problems. But having blood clots in deep veins (deep vein thrombosis) can lead to pulmonary embolism.

Dr Matthew Krausey at Netcare St Augustines Hospital says: “Blood clots that travel to the lungs often arise in deep veins in the pelvis as well as the legs. In the legs, the DVTs low down are thought not to embolise to the lungs. We are concerned about DVTs above knee level/in the thigh, technically referred to as ‘proximal DVTs’.”

It is estimated that more than 300 000 people each year have deep vein thrombosis or a pulmonary embolism. However there are no available stats for South Africa, and Krausey says it is likely that many people go undiagnosed.

Tumours, air bubbles, amniotic fluid, or fat that is released into the blood vessels when a bone is broken may also cause a blockage, but is rare.

The symptoms are the same as for many other illnesses – sudden shortness of breathe, sharp chest pains that are worse when you cough or breathe, as well as feeling light-headed, are among them. More certain clues are rapid heart rate, palpitations or a cough that brings up pink, foamy mucus.

Unfortunately you can’t see these blood clots and tests are necessary to make a diagnosis.

Krausey says: “Clinical diagnosis is unreliable, even by experienced doctors. Tests must be done to confirm a diagnosis.

“Blood tests may be of value, but the current gold standard test is a CT scan. We used to use radio-isotope scans (called “VQ scans”) but CT scans have become more popular. Ultrasound and ECG may give clues as to the diagnosis, but are not adequate.”

As with many illnesses, it’s up to you to visit a doctor if you feel you are at risk.

Remember, anything that makes you more likely to form blood clots increases your risk of pulmonary embolism. For example some people are born with blood that clots too quickly.

Other things that can increase your risk include:

* Being inactive for long periods. This can happen when you have to stay in bed after surgery or a serious illness, or when you sit for a long time on a flight or car trip. Being inactive causes stasis of blood. Stasis makes blood more likely to clot. This is why you are advised to get up and walk around on long flights and exercise your calf muscles.

* Recent surgery involving the legs, hips, belly, or brain, as surgery makes your blood more likely to clot.

* Some diseases, such as cancer, heart failure, stroke, or a severe infection are more likely to make your blood clot.

* Pregnancy,<&eh> because the female hormone oestrogen causes blood to clot and these levels are raised during pregnancy. There is also oestrogen in birth control pills and hormone therapy drugs.

* Smoking makes blood more likely to clot.

* You are also at higher risk of blood clots if you are an older adult (especially older than 70) or extremely overweight as you are less mobile.

Doctors usually treat pulmonary embolism with anticoagulants. They are often called blood thinners, but they don’t really thin the blood. They help prevent new clots and keep existing clots from growing. If symptoms are severe and life-threatening, “clot-busting” drugs called thrombolytics may be used. These medicines can dissolve clots quickly, but they increase the risk of serious bleeding. Another option is surgery to remove the clot, called embolectomy.

Some people can’t take blood thinners, because they form clots in spite of taking the medicine. To prevent future problems, they may have a filter put into the large vein (inferior vena cava) that carries blood from the lower body to the heart. A vena cava filter helps keep blood clots from reaching the lungs.

HOW TO REDUCE THE RISK

You can reduce your risk of pulmonary embolism by doing things that help prevent blood clots in your legs:

* Avoid sitting for long periods. Get up and walk around every hour or so, or flex your feet often.

* Get moving as soon as you can after surgery.

* When you travel, drink extra fluids. But avoid drinks with alcohol or caffeine.

* Wear compression stockings if you are at high risk.

* If you take blood thinners, take them just the way your doctor tells you to. - The Mercury

Renowned SABC presenter Vuyo Mbuli dies

http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/67bd50004fac8f35bfedff0b5d39e4bb/Renowned-SABC-presenter-Vuyo-Mbuli-dies-20131905

It-s not what you say, It-s what you do!

Renowned SABC television and radio presenter Vuyo Mbuli has died in a Bloemfontein hospital. He was 46. Mbuli collapsed while watching a rugby match between the Cheetahs and the Reds at the Free State Stadium on Saturday night. He was treated at the scene before being rushed to the Mediclinic hospital in the city.

A family spokesperson told the SABC that the cause of death has not yet been determined. The spokesperson has requested that the family's privacy be respected as they try to get to terms with the tragedy.

photos

http://www.google.hr/search?q=vuyo+mbuli&client=opera&hs=zbg&channel=suggest&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=GxahUc-bIIyQ4gSKpYHoCA&ved=0CEYQsAQ&biw=991&bih=651

Disabled gogo, 89 gets a home at last

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/disabled-gogo-89-gets-a-home-at-last-1.1521699#.UaESRr1vVAU

Cape Town - Lena Maasdorp, 89, said she had “suffered long enough” as she received the keys to her new house from Human Settlements Minister Bonginkosi Madikizela on Friday.

Maasdorp, left homeless in a devastating fire that razed 1 360 shacks in Kayamandi’s Zone O in March, was among nine disabled people who received fully furnished homes. A further 90 two-bedroom homes will be handed to other Zone O residents on Monday.

Wheelchair-bound Maasdorp said it was fantastic to have her own house, “with running water”, after so many years……