Here is a New Year’s resolution that can produce lasting effects in 1998: Vow to look at things differently at least once each day.
Taking your spouse’s perspective on a sticky issue might provide a breakthrough. Listening completely to a friend before responding — maybe even deliberately pausing before speaking at all — can lead both people to feel more respected. Speaking up for yourself at work might bring surprisingly rewarding results.
Driving a new route to the same location is a chance to appreciate your surroundings. Adding spice to leftovers adds flavor and variety. Exploring a new physical activity might create a different and more frequently followed component to your exercise program.
On the health and fitness beat, it is commonplace to write about medical conditions and their treatments. Exercise and nutrition are typically covered, as everyone looks for ways to make adjustments to everyday health habits. Recent trends demand a reporter to ponder the effectiveness of so-called alternative therapies, such as acupuncture and herbal remedies. There’s also a rapidly growing body of concepts in wellness of the mind, body and spirit to absorb.
But there are times when health stories should stretch beyond conventional boundaries. Domestic violence demands such special attention.
Research shows domestic abuse — usually the physical battering of women by husbands, boyfriends and ex-partners — is about four to five times more likely to affect women during their lifetimes than breast cancer. A 1997 report from the Chicago Department of Public Health estimated epidemic proportions, paralleling national statistics that project 20 to 25 percent of American women will be subject to such violence.
What’s more, domestic violence belies the Hollywood stereotypes, whether in the current movie “John Grisham’s The Rainmaker” or high-drama TV treatments inspired by Farrah Fawcett in “The Burning Bed.” The reality of such violence has an impact well beyond low-income, poorly educated men and women.
For instance, the Massachusetts Coalition of Battered Women found that more than one-third of men counseled for physically attacking their wives or girlfriends are respected in the community and hold regular jobs, including ministers, lawyers, executives, psychologists and doctors.
“We’ve been so preoccupied with infectious diseases,” Dr. Whitney Addington, president of the Chicago Board of Health, said last February. “But if we were truly evidence-based, we would see these issues are affecting far more of our citizens than so many other health concerns.”
That’s where a “think differently” New Year’s resolution fits. While so many social problems seem impossibly out of control, we can decide to come at any one issue, such as domestic violence, with a fresh start.
“Awareness is the first step,” said Kim Riordan, counseling coordinator of an on-site domestic violence advocacy and training program at Cook Country Hospital. “We want doctors to routinely ask the questions about possible physical abuse. We hope patients feel they are not alone with their fears.”
Riordan works for the Chicago Abused Women Coalition, which collaborates with the Cook County Bureau of Health Services at the hospital. She said about 10 to 15 percent of female patients who visit the Cook County emergency room each year are there because of domestic violence, but only a small number are diagnosed.
There will come a time when an abused person feels the need to take action to protect herself, and passing on the right phone number or address might be just enough help. The National Domestic Violence Coalition hotline at 800-799-SAFE (800-799-7223) is a good reference; it operates 24 hours in English and Spanish, and other translators can be found within minutes for other languages.
Local shelters for abused women and children are always looking for volunteers, though training is required to work directly with individuals. People can help out in many ways, such as helping to throw monthly birthday parties for all residents born in that month or to develop reading libraries and other recreational options. Nearly every community has a domestic abuse program that provide leads on local shelters.
You also can start 1998 in the giving spirit by contributing to the Chicago Tribune Holiday Fund. More than 20 other organizations throughout the Chicago area received funds last year that helped women who needed a place to turn away from domestic violence. It is a small gesture, but giving to the fund might just be a way to think differently about solving a big problem.
