In Brief

By Alain L. Sanders

ROSEBUD SAFETY TIPS For many kids, the best part of winter is a good sled ride down a snowy slope. To keep the thrill safe, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is urging parents to supervise the fun--and to put helmets on children under 12. Each year about 7,000 kids suffer head injuries in sledding crashes. Younger children are especially vulnerable because they have proportionally larger heads, higher centers of gravity and less developed coordination. For a brochure on how to sled safely, call 800-824-2663.

MEMORY CHECK The Alzheimer's Association is urging families to take advantage of holiday reunions to assess elderly relatives for that most delicate of problems: memory loss. An association poll reveals, however, that 1 in 2 persons incorrectly believes normal forgetfulness could be Alzheimer's. To provide some better guidance, the group is offering a booklet of warning signs to those who call 800-272-3900. Among the disease's indicators: preparing a meal and forgetting to serve it; putting things in wrong places, such as a watch in a sugar bowl.

GET IN THE BACK Where should kids under 13 be seated in the car? The government strongly recommends the backseat, especially if there is a front-passenger air bag. Yet a New England study in December's Pediatrics journal shows that kids are being ferried in the front seat in nearly a quarter of vehicles (in 1 of 6 equipped with a passenger air bag, and in 1 of 3 without one). During the heavy-driving holiday season, safety experts urge parents to heed carefully the well-known seating precaution.

--By Alain L. Sanders