Special Olympics
 Healthy Athletes Programme
One of the most innovative and most progressive programmes of recent years set up by Special Olympics is their "Healthy Athletes Programme". It is one which members of South and East Cheshire Special Olympics made full use of during their participation at the National Special Olympic games in Glasgow

.

This programme was set up in recognition of the fact that many athletes do not have the opportunity to get regular health checks by professionals. In response to this a special Healthy Athletes tent was set up at the Olympic village and accredited athletes could have their Vision, Hearing, Teeth and Feet examined by top consultants and professionals.

Healthy Athletes Opening Eyes
Research has shown that large numbers of Special Olympics athletes have visual problems and may not even realise that they could see better. At the Opening Eyes screening, top consultants were able to use very sophisticated equipment to screen for many common eye and vision abnormalities. Every athlete with glasses had their prescription checked and if new glasses were required then they were made up on the spot and presented free to the athlete. If more sophisticated lenses needed to be prepaired then they were made up and sent onto the athlete later. In cases where more serious problems were noted then a referral would be made direct to the athletes GP.

Mark Hughes getting his eyes professionally checked
What really impressed me as a coach was the way that eye charts were used which did not have letters on them but shapes. Athletes who had language difficulties were able to communicate by pointing to 'shape cards' in reference to what they thought the shape was they were looking at on the wall chart. I saw many children being screened whom I had previously thought would be a nightmare to test, however with their well designed screening methods the opthalmic consultants were able to screen every single person from our group.

The consultants were able to make corrections to the glasses worn by a number of athletes and new prescription glasses were made on the spot for the athletes. In some cases new glasses were sent on to the athletes direct.

Healthy Athletes Healthy Hearing
A special port a-cabin was set up to test athletes hearing. Various tests were carried out to measure the athletes overall level of hearing, and machines were used to test athletes hearing at different frequencies. Athletes with hearing aids had their aids checked and their ear mouldings inspected. Instruments were used to look inside athletes ears to check for any infections or problems.

Healthy Athletes Fit Feet
Qualified Podiatrists measured many aspect of the athletes feet. They checked the way that athletes walked and examined feet and ankles. Footwear was also checked and discussed. There were a number of unpleasant surprises for athletes in our group and Podiatrists picked up a number of serious concerns, which we were able to pass onto parents.

Healthy Athletes Special Smiles
Top dentists gave everyones teeth a check and were able to give advice about teeth cleaning and brushing. They talked about the sort of food and drink which was good for you, and gave lots of free toothpaste and such. They were able to tell the athlete if they were required to visit a dentist.

The healthy athletes programme was most impressive and carried out in a highly professional manner. Fully written reports were made available with recommendations (and referals) to GP if required. The professionals picked up a number of problems our athletes had and we were only too pleased to discuss these issues with parents on our return.

The healthy Athlete programme is one I would highly recommend and every athlete who attends future games should definitely make full use of the facilities.

Report from

Iain Chalmers