Growing Up Upbeat

By Catherine Steele

How would you answer the question in the subtitle above?

This question was asked of 319 youth with disabilities, aged 11 to 16 years, who live in Ontario. As one might expect, these youth were very upbeat. Only eight per cent said their disability affected their overall health "very much," 21 per cent checked "somewhat" and 71 per cent ticked "not very much." Ah... isn’t being young grand?

But how would adults with disabilities respond? We asked 280 Ontarians with disabilities, aged 19 to 35 years. These adults had disabilities similar to the youth that we had previously questioned (e.g., cerebral palsy, spina bifida). What would you expect from these adults? Would they be as upbeat as the youth? They weren’t. Nineteen per cent checked "very much," 29 per cent said "somewhat" and 52 per cent answered "not very much."

Quite a difference in responses between youth and adults with disabilities! This may not be so surprising. In recent years, researchers have written on various health phenomena that occur as people with disabilities age, such as: post-polio syndrome; the earlier aging process for those with cerebral palsy affecting mobility or stamina; and the increased risk of secondary conditions, such as respiratory or emotional conditions, that people with disabilities experience.

You cannot stop the aging process -- that’s just life, which people with or without disabilities must face. But you can follow a healthy lifestyle (eat a well-balanced diet, do not smoke, drink in moderation, exercise), take time to have fun, look with childlike wonder at the world around you, know your limits (rest and pace your activities), have patience, look on the bright side of things, substitute something new for whatever you can no longer do, be interested in and concerned about others, and... be gentle with yourself.

Enjoy life. If youth can be upbeat, then certainly we older and wiser adults can be upbeat too!

(If you have any ideas on disability and health, please call Catherine Steele at Bloorview MacMillan Centre in Toronto, (416) 425-6220 (or 1-800-363-2440), ext. 3642, or leave an e-mail message at csteele@bloorviewmacmillan.on.ca.)