Program 20, February 20,

2001

A Special Edition on Cochlear Implants

It's hard to imagine that anyone wouldn't be upset at the news their child was deaf or hearing impaired. That's news that parents of more than 2,000 children in Canada get every year.

Today, kids who are profoundly deaf can receive a cochlear implant, a device that simulates hearing. They wouldn't have to go to a school for the deaf. They wouldn't have to learn sign language.

And all of this is decided for them, by their parents, usually before the child is four years old. That's what upsets many people in the deaf community.

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Next Week

February 27, 2001

Adult Type Diabetes in Children

The most common form of diabetes is Type 2 .. or adult onset.  But we can't call it that anymore because more and more children are getting it. 

Not juvenile diabetes .. but type 2 .. the kind we used to see only in  adults.  And while diabetes can be managed, imagine having to manage it for your whole life. 

And being at risk of kidney failure, heart disease, blindness and amputation.

How Private are our Medical Files?

Our doctors know things about us that we wouldn't really want shared with everyone.  If you had a history of alcohol or drug abuse, or were seeing a psychiatrist for depression, you might not want your employer to know about it.

  So how confidential are your personal medical files?  And how will new legislation at the federal and provincial levels affect our private health records? 

An interview with Ann Cavoukian, Ontario's Privacy Commissioner, and Stephanie Perrin, a former director of privacy policy for Industry Canada.