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Healthy Athletes |
The SO Healthy Athletes program helps athletes to improve their training and competition by focusing on overall health and fitness. This is achieved through basic health screenings, provision of preventative and some treatment services, educational information, and referrals for follow-up care.
The goals of Healthy Athletes are as follows:
• To improve access to care at event-based and other health screening clinics;
• To make appropriate referrals for follow-up to community health professionals;
• To train health care professionals and students about the needs of people with ID;
• To collect, analyze and disseminate data on the health needs of people with ID; and,
• To advocate for improved health policies and programs for people with ID.
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Healthy Athletes Disciplines (In chronological order of introduction to Special Olympics) |
SO-Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes® (1991)
Opening Eyes, introduced to Special Olympics in 1991, conducts extensive vision screening and provides athletes with prescription daily and sports eyewear. Through a global partnership of SOI and Lions Clubs International (LCI), and with corporate support from Safilo, Essilor, and Liberty Optical, SO athletes receive the following:
• Extensive vision and eye health tests and refraction for those requiring further screening;
• Prescription eyeglasses, if needed;
• Prescription protective sports eyewear, if appropriate; and,
• Referral for follow-up care
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Special Smiles® (1993)
Special Smiles offers dental screenings, health education and prevention services, and refers athletes to potential sources of treatment and follow-up care. At a Special Smiles event, dental professionals provide the following services to athletes:
• Oral screenings;
• Oral health education;
• Individually fitted sports mouth guards, if needed;
• Oral health education and personal prevention products; and,
• Information for follow-up care by community-based dentists.
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SO FUN fitness (1999)
FUN fitness, developed by the American Physical Therapy Association for SOI, has been a part of SO events since 1999. Physical therapists, assisted by physical therapist assistants and students, provide an assessment of athlete flexibility, functional strength, balance, and aerobic condition. Flexibility of hamstring, calf, shoulder rotator and hip flexor muscles; functional strength of the abdominal, upper extremity, grip and lower extremity muscles; static and dynamic balance; and, aerobic fitness are assessed and used as the basis for one-on-one education and on-site consultation to athletes and coaches on how to improve performance.
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Healthy Hearing (2000)
Healthy Hearing provides external ear canal inspection, evoked otoacoustic emissions screening, tympanometry, and pure tone screening for those with identified need. Individual molded swimming ear plugs are offered at many Healthy Hearing screening events and referral and access to hearing aids is beginning to be offered. Healthy Hearing assesses the hearing of individual athletes, and reports to coaches and caregivers if any follow-up care is needed.
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SO Health Promotion (2001)
Health Promotion focuses on healthy lifestyles and the facilitation of healthy choices by athletes in the areas of nutrition, bone health, hydration, sun safety, and tobacco use prevention and cessation. The rationale for SO to promote overall health is the long-standing awareness that people with ID frequently develop chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes, and that they tend to develop these conditions at earlier stages of life.
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SO Fit Feet (2003)
Fit Feet was developed 2003 in collaboration with the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine, based in part on anecdotal reports from podiatric doctors about frequent foot and ankle pain in this population. Early Fit Feet screening events confirmed the extent of podiatric concerns in athletes with ID, concerns that were undoubtedly impacting sports performance. Healthy Athletes has developed Fit Feet to evaluate foot and ankle conditions. Athletes receive foot and ankle screening for deformities and are checked for proper shoes and socks. Education is provided in proper footwear and care of the feet and toes. When indicated, referrals are made for follow-up care.
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SO Med Fest® (2004)
Since the earliest days of Special Olympics, “medical volunteer days” have been organized in order to help athletes obtain the necessary sports physical exam for participation in SO. In 1999, medical volunteers in Chicago coined the term “Med Fest” to describe these events and, in 2004, SOI adopted this concept as a new Healthy Athletes discipline.
The purpose of Med Fest is five fold: 1)to provide a high quality sports physical to people with ID, 2) to expose physicians, nurses and other healthcare providers to the ID population, 3) to recruit new athletes to SO, 4) to retain existing SO athletes and, 5) to forge new partnerships between SO and the community. This event also offers Special Olympics a unique opportunity to exhibit local sports offerings and other opportunities to incoming athletes.
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