Managing Post-Polio. A Guide to Living Well with Post-Polio Syndrome.

Edited by Lauro S. Halstead, M.D., Managing Post-Polio provides a comprehensive overview on dealing with the medical, psychological, vocational, and many other challenges of living with post-polio syndrome. Written by authorities in their fields, the majority of whom are polio survivors themselves, Managing Post-Polio distills and summarizes the wealth of information presented at conferences and published in the medical literature over the past 15 years. This information is supplemented with personal stories of seven individuals who provide eloquent testimony to the many ways people have prevailed in the face of ongoing disability. Managing Post-Polio was written by healthcare professionals who work with and counsel patients with post-polio syndrome and who need an up-to-date and quick reference, as well as a guide to living well for persons who have had polio, their families, friends, and loved ones. As Dr. Halstead, a polio survivor himself, observes in the introduction, "this book was written and edited partly to help me deal better with my own unique disability and to help the many thousands of other polio survivors in this country and around the world deal more effectively with their unique version of polio disability."

Contents:
* Acute Polio and Post-Polio Syndrome / by Lauro S. Halstead
* New Health Problems in Persons with Polio / Lauro S. Halstead
* Aging, Comorbidities, and Secondary Disabilities in Polio Survivors / by Julie K. Silver
* How to Find Expert Medical Care / by Julie K. Silver
* Energy Conservation / by Grace R. Young
* Lifestyle Changes: Taking Charge / by Laura K. Smith
* Psychosocial Dimensions of Polio and Post-Polio Syndrome / by Rhoda Olkin
* Polio / Post-Polio Syndrome and Specific Life Tasks / by Rhoda Olkin
* Journeying Together: Post-Polio Support Groups / by Nancy Baldwin Carter, Ruth Wilder Bell
* Vocational Strategies / by Beverly Neway, Liina Paasuke, Nancy E. Bogg
* Navigating the Managed Care Maze / by Naomi Naierman
* Playing the Social Security Benefits Card / by Kathryn R.B. McGowan
* A Guide to the Internet for Polio Survivors / by Anne C. Gawne, Tom Walter
* Appendix: Personal Stories

The editor is director of the Post-Polio Program at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, DC. Having done extensive research on the diagnosis and management of post-polio syndrome (PPS), a neurologic disorder that affects polio survivors, he has compiled a guide that summarizes in lay terms relevant medical findings from the last 15 years and illustrates how to apply those findings to daily life. Among the contributors are physicians, counselors, and psychologists, most of whom are polio survivors. Collectively, they provide authoritative yet practical information resulting from a combination of professional knowledge and personal experience. A comprehensive array of topics are addressed: the diagnostic process, finding expert medical care, energy conservation, psychosocial aspects of disability, support groups, vocational strategies, managed care concerns, Social Security benefits, and Internet resources. The text is supplemented by a concise list of additional reading and resources as well as contact information for national associations. Another excellent feature is the appendix, comprising personal essays by successful scholars and professionals who have survived polio. Highly recommended for all consumer health and public library collections.AXimena Chrisagis, Wright State Univ. Libs., Dayton, OH
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.