The Adult Down Syndrome Center in Park Ridge Hosts First-of-its-Kind Event
PARK RIDGE, Ill. - In celebration of the 10th Anniversary of World Down Syndrome Day, Advocate Medical Group's Adult Down Syndrome Center at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital hosted a first-of-its-kind event on Saturday, March 21, 2015. The conference called Healthy Me, Healthy You, Healthy Us, focused on health promotion for and by people with Down syndrome. More than 220 advocates, families and friends of the Down syndrome community, including Greg Bales, Outreach Coordinator from Senator Dick Durbin's office, attended the event.
"Our goal was more than just having another conference", says Dr. Brian Chicoine, Medical Director of the Adult Down Syndrome Center. "One of the unique aspects of this conference was presentations by persons with Down syndrome."
The day consisted of speakers discussing how to maintain a healthy lifestyle for people with Down syndrome. Each session featured both a person with Down syndrome and a subject matter expert as co-presenters. Presenters with Down syndrome shared how they independently manage their health care and work with others who have Down syndrome to do the same.
Christine Maxwell, 38, was among them. She's been a self-advocate, especially for her health, for years. She takes her medications and follows doctor's orders for medical conditions that many other adults with Down syndrome face at her age - sleep apnea, asthma, and celiac disease. But these health issues don't stop her from living life as she wants. She works at a local movie theatre as an usher. Christine has recently been featured in the WGN story New approach to health care for adults with Down Syndrome.
The Center provides medical and psycho-social care to adults and adolescents with Down syndrome. As the oldest and largest center of its kind in the world, it has served more than 5,000 patients since 1992.
"When we opened the Center 23 years ago, health care was done for people with Down syndrome. Now we are seeing people, like Christine, do their own health promotion. One goal for this conference is to encourage people with Down syndrome to be participants in sharing and teaching health promotion for others," says Dr. Chicoine.
Christine shared her health experiences and listened to other people with Down syndrome as part of the conference. Some breakout sessions included: Promoting Strengths and Problem Solving in the Workplace and Community, When Someone with Down Syndrome Develops Alzheimer's Disease and Creative Counseling for People with Down syndrome.
The Center is the only facility of its kind in the Midwest. The Center's mission is to enhance the well-being of adolescents, 12 and older, and adults with Down syndrome using a team approach to provide comprehensive, holistic, community-based health care services.
Much of the overall care at the Center is funded through private donations. To learn more about contributing to the cause, visit www.advocatehealth.com/luth/makeadonation
About Advocate Medical Group
Advocate Medical Group is a physician-led medical group providing primary care, specialty services, medical imaging, outpatient services and community-based medical practices throughout Chicagoland and Central Illinois. One of the state's largest medical groups with more than 1,100 primary and specialty care physicians in over 200 locations, Advocate Medical Group is part of Advocate Health Care, one of the leading, integrated health care systems in the nation. More information can be found at amgdoctors.com, or by calling 1.800.3.ADVOCATE (1.800.323.8622).
About Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
Advocate Lutheran General Hospital is the premier academic referral hospital for northwest Chicago and north Chicagoland. The 638-bed research hospital offers the most advanced care in its Level I trauma center (the highest level), Cardiovascular, Orthopedic, Advanced Surgery, Oncology and Neuroscience institutes. Lutheran General Hospital has been rated 16 times a 100 Top Hospital® by Truven Health Analytics and was the first hospital in the area to be awarded the American Nurses Credentialing Center's prestigious Magnet designation. In addition, it is one of only 30 hospitals in the nation to achieve exemplary outcomes for surgical patient care by the American College of Surgeon's National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Located on the campus of Lutheran General Hospital is Advocate Children's Hospital - Park Ridge, one of the 14 largest children's hospitals in the country. Lutheran General Hospital is part of Advocate Health Care, based in Downers Grove, Illinois, which is the largest health care provider in the state and one of the nation's top health care systems.