Health Matters

Edema is a common problem often ignored

Challenge Trophy was won by the Kemptville Agricultural School’s Literary Society in the face of strong competition from a wide variety of amateur groups, including the St. James’ Anglican Young People's Association [A.Y.P.A.], the Holy Cross Parish Players, St. John’s Young Peoples’ Union [ Y.P.U.], Kemptville High School Literary Society, Oxford Mills Y.P.U., and the South Mountain Players. Clearly, amateur dramatics was a very popular pastime in the area, particularly among church youth groups.

The following year saw even more drama groups taking part in the festival, including some from Oxford Mills, Spencerville, Burritt’s Rapids, and Merrickville, as well as those from the 1937 event. But the onset of the Second World War brought an end to the festival, and it was not until 1946 that amateur theatrics returned to Kemptville. It was the Women’s Institute in the village (as it was then) who established the Drama League, to “stimulate public interest in drama and in the study and advancement of literature generally, to encourage the art of acting, and to entertain the members and the public by dramatic, terpsichorean and choral performances”, quite a lofty ambition for an amateur enterprise.

In the event, it proved too ambitious. Although membership reached a high of 220, and Ferguson continued as patron, the League lasted just three years, and it was not until 1950 that the next attempt to bring theatre to Kemptville was made.

This resulted in the “Play for Fun” Group, which presented its first production of two one-act plays in the Kemptville High School on November 30, 1952, directed by Jim Morton and K. Purvis. Over the next few years, the Play for Fun Group mounted plays at festivals around Ontario, working at times with the Ottawa Little Theatre, and many of the plays were directed by Miss Laura Winford and Mrs. M. Barr.

Kemptville High School was home to the Play for Fun Group during the 1950's, but it, too, ceased operations by the end of the decade.

After a 10-year hiatus, Vida Hopson revived the group in April, 1967, naming it the St. James Players. Its first production was Noel Coward's “I'll Leave It To You,” put on at St. James' Leslie Hall. By 1974, the group had changed its name to the Kemptville Players to reflect the community. The name was incorporated in 1980 and the group became Kemptville Players Inc. (KPI). The late lamented Leslie Hall became the rehearsal and production location for the KPI, where actors and production staff contended with a rather unreliable electrics and a sloped stage. Eventually, the wiring became too dangerous to use, and the Players lost a valuable space, and the community an irreplaceable venue when the Hall was demolished in 2019.

In 2021 the Players changed their brand, becoming the North Grenville Community Theatre (NGCT), although for legal reasons they continue to be the Kemptville Players Inc doing business as North Grenville Community Theatre. Most of the company’s plays are now presented at Urbandale Arts Centre at the Municipal Centre.

After so many false starts, amateur dramatics seem to be here to stay in North Grenville, and an exciting branch of the NGCT has been launched with the creation of the North Grenville Youth Community Theatre (Kemptville Players Inc Kids), which started in 2019 and aims to provide “an opportunity for youth, grades 3 and up, to experience the excitement and fun of theatre”.

by W. Gifford-Jones and Diana Gifford-Jones

What is one of the most common health problems that develops in people as they age, and also one of the least discussed? The answer is chronic swelling of the legs. At best, it’s a natural consequence of aging. But also known as peripheral edema, there can be medical, nutritional, or lifestyle causes and serious health consequences.

Edema is a general term meaning swelling. Peripheral edema occurs in the legs, ankles, feet, as well as arms and hands. Swelling in other parts of the body include pulmonary edema (in the lungs), cerebral edema (in the brain), and macular edema (in the eye). It’s a medical emergency when the lungs or brain are affected, and a life-altering condition when vision is impacted.

But in the legs, while victims must deal with pain, weakness, and limitations on mobility, for many, there is a sense of stigma, when once shapely or muscular legs have become less sightly. That’s at least one reason why there’s not a lot of information about how many people are suffering from the condition. In the minds of sufferers, it doesn’t warrant a visit to the doctor, and clothes can help conceal the issue, if not make it go away.

One research team at the University of Rochester used data from the American Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative longitudinal survey of about 20,000 U.S. adults over the age of 51, to estimate prevalence of the condition, which they found to be 19-20% of survey respondents.

They also found social disparities among those reporting lower limb edema. Blacks/African Americans and other racial minorities, women, and less wealthy individuals were more affected. As is the case with many other health conditions, the researchers reported, “Minority racial status and lower wealth could be associated with peripheral edema for multiple reasons, including higher rates of other chronic health conditions as well as lower access to healthy foods and preventive care services.”

What is causing edema is not always easy to determine. For the individuals involved, it can be hard to know if the swelling is the result of fluid gathering in the tissue. Or is it from the buildup of fat? Known as Lipedema, it is fat, not fluid, that occurs in the limbs, and in the early stage, people do not typically have diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure. But peripheral edema is an accumula- tion of fluid.

Causes of fluid buildup can be long periods of sitting or standing. Pregnant women can develop the condition, as can people with low levels of protein in the diet.

But more sinister causes are also common, including chronic lung diseases or congestive heart failure, when the heart muscle doesn't pump well. Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when leg veins fail to carry blood back up to the heart. When valves that normally ensure blood flows toward the heart don't work well, gravity takes over, causing blood to pool in the legs.

Depending on the cause, the treatment should be tailored. This is not the time for armchair medicine. An accurate diagnosis depends on a full medical history and potentially a battery of tests to pinpoint the issue.

Keep in mind, it’s better to treat the underlying cause than the symptom. Raising the affected limbs will help. Diuretics can also help but need to be used with care as removing too much fluid too quickly can, among other things, impair kidney function.

Attention to diet, consistent moderate exercise, and maintenance of a healthy weight should be the goal –early in life, and all lifelong.

COMMUNITY INFORMATION SESSION Oxford Village - Phase 2

L.A. DEVELOPMENTS INC. and their consulting team, Arcadis IBI Group, invite you to join them at a community information session for Oxford Village - Phase 2.

PURPOSE

To inform and seek feedback from residents and interested stakeholders on the draft concept plan for Oxford Village - Phase 2. Presentation boards illustrating the vision will be available for viewing with the team present to answer any questions you may have. Also, refreshments will be served.

TIME 3-5 PM and 6-8 PM Tuesday, January 31, 2023

LOCATION North Grenville Municipal Centre Suite A-4, 285 County Road 44 Kemptville, Ontario

Please note this meeting is initiated by the developer for information purposes and does not satisfy the requirements of a Statutory Public Meeting, as per Sec. 17(15) of the Planning Act.

Those green firefighter lights aren’t a decoration

Baldwin's Birds

A mystery bird appears

It’s an all-too-familiar sight – a speeding ambulance or firetruck is approaching, and amidst a long lineup of pulled-over cars is one that keeps driving, oblivious to what’s going on. It’s easy to imagine how much worse the problem is when the first responder is in their personal vehicle, using a single flashing green light instead of the brilliant red and blue flashing lights.

In 2017, Ontario’s Bill 174 made changes to an old law that specified only police vehicles (not firetrucks or ambulances) could use blue flashing lights in addition to red flashing lights to indicate an emergency. This decision was made in part because it was deemed that motorists are more likely to pull over and heed the authority of emergency vehicles if all emergency vehicles use the same light colours as police vehicles. After all, few motorists would dare disobey the police.

It's safe to assume that if changes made by Bill 174 were put in place to acknowledge that fire and ambulance vehicles do not get the respect warranted by the severity of the emergencies to which they respond, then personal vehicles with a small green flashing light surely get less respect. In small communities such as North

Grenville, fires and other emergencies requiring a response from the Fire Department are the responsibility of volunteer firefighters. When they respond to a call, they may be on their way from work, a family gathering, or their own bed. Being able to get to the station or the scene quickly can literally make the difference between life and death for someone experiencing the most tragic day of their life.

A North Grenville resident recently visited the Times office to report that he has observed all too often people ignoring firefighters who are driving with their green lights flashing. Why do people ignore these lights? Logically, it has to be either indifference or ignorance. To combat indifference to the flashing green lights, fire departments have often used the campaign of “it could be your house we are going to”. This message, while likely effective at encouraging motorists to get out of the way when they see a firefighter, can perhaps be seen as a commentary on the selfishness of many people. Motorists should be able to make the right choice and pull over even if it helps someone else, rather than themselves. But we nevertheless must cater to people’s selfcentred natures in order to guarantee a clear path of travel for firefighters.

The other reason motorists may not pull over

We are now well into the New Year and all the questions that it has already posed, in respect to some of our avian friends and who they might be. We have had a bird, about the same size as a Junco, come and visit on a couple of occasions who definitely is not one of them, and whose colors do not give it a clear clue as to what it is. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a really clear well defined picture of it, and despite the help of a couple of more qualified local people than my own very amateurish self, I/we still do not know what it is. The beak suggests Grosbeak family, a Bunting or even a Finch, but between us it still remains a mystery. I am still awaiting its return to try and get more details from a decent picture, so my fingers are crossed, but not very hopeful!

At one time, my research conversations began to get quite technical regarding the pigmentation of the feath- ers and all the other scientific factors and theories that could contribute to this odd bird. It is a bit above my head, so I won’t take up your time on the matter, but just thought that I would mention it in passing! You have probably had the same sort of quandary, when spotting birds at your feeders too. Hopefully you have, or