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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 1983)
Tuesday, November 22,1983/The Battalion/Page 3 New 47-foot ship added to Texas A&M’s fleet Brian Boyer, Battalion photo foot. The tournament, which was organized by the Brazos Valley Footbag Fanatics, featured both competitive events and informal kicking. ental health program ill help the elderly id Pers‘ By Debbie E. Warren Battalion Reporter rained volunteers will soon oing into four local nursing lies to help residents there |h their mental health needs; Is that are sometimes under- erved because of time and ihancial constraints. The paraprofessional volun- i program is being developed V /Texas A&M by Michael Duf- Uian assistant professor of edu- \Hional psychology and project jestigator. ■ The elderly comprise about 2 percent of the population, a igure predicted to increase in |e next century, Duffy says. The fastest growing group the elderly is the older seg- ntof the elderly,” Duffy says, he very old are living longer.” And “■Those statistics are making •inert Itfig-term care a critical issue t couldftay. residtfl “I’m concerned about the mental health aspects of that care,” he says. “Clearly there sfi’t available funding for a health service delivery aragoffstem in nursing homes.” antpkMDuffy, Texas Agricultural igjjjilxtension Service aging special- ]e upB Judith Warren and director , of ihe Bryan Retired Senior ‘I Vhlunteer Program Shirley I|S , Jjfcpp are working together on & llK the project to provide a partial rf |(l! solution to the problem. ght"®Warren says the program will er col encompass recruiting, training r velOWid supervising volunteers to ,yerDtfp r k as mental health parapro- ■ssionals in the Brazos Valley eiiatric Center, Crestview Re tirement Community, Sher- gvood Health Care Facility and |eisure Lodge Nursing Home. CiiAn executive committee, in- 1 deluding nursing home adminis trators and representatives from the area aging agency and the Texas State Health Department, are working out criteria for re cruitment, techniques for train ing and specific types of services to offer the elderly, Warren says. “I think the success of the program depends on the nurs ing home environment, the staff and how well our volunteers are received,” Warren says. “We’re trying to work very closely on that angle by involving the nurs ing home administration and staff. We want to find out what they think and what the prob lems are, if there are any.” The two-year project, funded by the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health in Austin, is not designed to take the place of professional mental health care. “We won’t be working with cases that are desperately in need of professional help,” War ren says. “We can attend to peo ple who are having adjustment problems, for example if they hav^ just come into a nursing home. “We can help people who are getting over a loss and haven’t completed the grieving process. I don’t think we can be a solution to all mental health problems. We will just supplement the cur rent volunteer programs with about four paraprofessionals in each facility.” After the local project is com pleted, a packaged program for training paraprofessionals will be made available to other com munities through the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Warren says. “By looking at four different nursing homes we will be able to - better understand what some of the problems are we might en counter in other areas,” she says. “If it works here, what about the rest of Texas? Are we going to encounter different kinds of concerns there? I don’t know. “The ability to replicate this program is critical. We’ll run the project, find out how it works and put that into communicable form.” ATTENTION AGGIES!. N6ed a place to rent for your sorority or private, parties? Sons of Hermman Lodge is the place. For additional information call: Don Roberts 822-4238 or 845-0336^ STARSHIP When You Care Enough DECORATE STTEES We Have ALL Your Maroon and Wt 1 * e Party Needs! For: Picnics 10-9 Non-Sat Manor East Nall 822-2092 Before/After Game Celebrations Parties r/ °Ns 10-7 Mon-Sat Culpepper r a 693-3002 By Debbie E. Warren Battalion Reporter The Texas A&M Oceanogra phy Department now has a 47- foot, steel-hulled yacht thanks to a Houston businessman and amateur scientist. The 1967-vintage vessel is similar to a Norwegian trawler, sleeps eight and is equipped with satellite navigation equip ment, radar and sonar. Richardson Electrical and In strumentation Co. president H.K. Richardson says he has al ways been interested in the Texas A&M Oceanography De partment. “I did some experimentation with shrimp myself for 25 years,” Richardson says. “Most of the information I got from Texas A&M’s marine operations at Galveston.” The $185,000 boat, named the “Deborah Suzanne” after Richardson’s two daughters, will be used for oceanographic re search along the shoreline in the Gulf of Mexico, says Jim Par- rack, the University’s oceanog raphic operations manager. Parrack says he was pleased for economic reasons to add the boat to Texas A&M’s fleet of three research vessels. “One of the advantages of the smaller boat is the fact that it costs $7,000 a day to operate the Gyre,” he says. “It costs $500 a day to operate the Deborah Suzanne, so people who can’t afford to charter the Gyre and go on scientific cruises will be able to afford the Deborah Suzanne.” “We already have a large, deep ocean research ship, the Gyre, a mini-submarine and a converted cabin cruiser which is used for inshore work,” he says. Parrack says Texas A&M stu dents have been going out on commercial charters to collect data, but those were quite ex pensive also. The charters will not be necessary now and stu dents will be able to go out more frequently. Parrack says the University also has been using a 32-foot, wooden-hulled boat called the “Lamer.” The Lamer also was a gift to the University, but was not properly outfitted for re search purposes. “This one (the Deborah Suzanne) has more radio gear, more navigation gear, a more reliable engine and more horse power,” he says. “It’s about 25 feet longer and has a lot more space. The Lamer would crew five people.” The boat will carry eight peo- f )le plus a crew. The Lamer was a ight boat — not heavy enough to be equipped with winches. “We couldn’t put winches on it and they are a necessity for gathering core samples and biological net samples,” Parrack says. Parrack says the boat will have to have some minor repairs and equipment modifications, but it’s in good condition. The only problems with it, he says, happened during Hurri cane Alicia. r PARKWAY SQUARE (Southwest Parkway at Texas Ave.) COLLEGE STATION 696-4418 «SUB WOODSTONE SHOPPING CENTER 913 C HARVEY RD COLLEGE STATION 764-3990 SANDWICHES & SALADS Receive FREE 1 large soft drink AND 1 bag of chips with purchase of ANY of our foot long sandwiches OPEN TILL or ^ ar 9 e sa lads at regular price 2 a.m. I* 1 - 04 VALUE ) DAILY Limit one coupon per customer per visit Not valid in conjunction with any other discount VOID 12-15-83 OPEN TILL 2 a.m. DAILY Padre Cafe ear*