Health

WINDHAM COUNTY, VT – Throughout the month of March, residents of Windham County are encouraged to take a brief survey to share what they consider their most pressing healthcare needs and concerns. It is available online at www.wellnessinwindham.org.

Holiday Support Gathering at Hospice on November 13th

Let’s be honest: the holidays are stressful! You’ve got relatives coming to town, long lines, holiday traffic. Add to all this the fact that the days are getting longer (and colder!) and it’s easy to see why people often slip into unhealthy eating habits over the holidays.

Zoning Administrator Brian Bannon sent along a flyer from the Vermont Department of Health with information about disposal of syringes. The text is below and the flyer PDF is attached so you can download, print out, and share. Thanks, Brian!

Grace Cottage Hospital has been recognized as a Top 20 Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Best Practice Recipient in Patient Satisfaction in the country by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). Grace Cottage was selected for this exclusive “Top 20” list out of all 1,339 CAH facilities throughout the U.S and is the only CAH in New England to receive the “Best Practice – Patient Satisfaction” designation.

An Appreciation for Brattleboro’s First Responders is going to be held at Turning Point this Wednesday from 12 – 1 pm.

A new Seven Week Bereavement Support Group for adults begins October 5th and will meet each Thursday from 5:00-6:30 pm, ending November 16th. This group is sponsored by Brattleboro Area Hospice and will meet at the hospice office at 191 Canal St. in Brattleboro. Connie Baxter is the facilitator of the group. Interested individuals must meet with her prior to the first session, so please call her at (802) 257-0775 x104 by September 29th for a pre-group appointment. The group size is limited to 8 people.

A brief community memorial service will take place on Thursday August 6th from 5:30-6:00 at the Hospice Memorial Garden located at Living Memorial Park in Brattleboro. The short program will consist of brief reflections on grief and loss, an opportunity to decorate a memorial stone to place in the garden or take home, and some quiet time to enjoy the beauty of the garden. Everyone is invited to this free event. The “First Thursdays in the Memorial Garden” program will be repeated on September 7th. The facilitator is Connie Baxter, Brattleboro Area Hospice Bereavement Program Coordinator.

Talking About Health Insurance? Don’t Forget Herpes, the Gift That Keeps On Giving & Costing $$$

Beginner’s Hunyuan Taiji Quan is a 8 week series that  introduces the principles of  alignment, balance, correct movement, qi (vital energy) cultivation. Each week participants will learn a new movement of the Hunyuan 12 movement Taiji Quan form. Through dedicated practice, students will complete the form by the end of the series. Participants will also learn chan si gong (silk reeling) exercises to help open and relax the joints while simultaneously nourishing the vital qi and blood of the body. All are foundational practices to re-condition the mind/body connection, deepening one’s capacity to relax, release stress, improve balance, and build core strength. 

Brattleboro, Vermont. On Thursday, April 27th, 2017 from 2-4 pm in Bellows Falls and 5:30-7:30 pm in Brattleboro. Brattleboro Area Hospice & the VT Alzheimer’s Association will host 2 presentations on Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia: Effective Communication Strategies for Caregivers. The daytime presentation will take place at the Immanuel Retreat Ctr and Stone Church Arts (Currier House) at 12 Church St. in Bellows Falls. The evening presentation will take place at the Gathering Place at 30 Terrace St. in Brattleboro. The presentations are free and the public is encouraged to attend.

Fluoride therapy as a medical necessity is a valuable tool in dispensing dental care. The question of whether or not it should be added to drinking tap water was resolved in 1995 when a majority of Brattleboro citizens decided against it being added to the municipal water supply. It was largely agreed that fluoridation of the water supply amounted to mass medication.

There is also the issue that most of any added fluoride would end up as runoff straight to waste treatment. Moreover, there is no room to site the equipment feeder to add fluoride to the water supply at the water works plant.In fact, Brattleboro’s Pleasant Valley Water Plant is a ground water supply where dissolved mineral residue does provide natural fluoride of about 0.10 milligrams per liter of water, well below any state regulations.

A new Six Week Bereavement Support Group for adults begins January 18th and will meet each Wednesday from 4:30-6:00 pm, ending February 22nd. This group is sponsored by Brattleboro Area Hospice and will meet at the hospice office at 191 Canal St. in Brattleboro. Interested individuals must meet with the facilitator, Connie Baxter, prior to the first session, so please call her at (802) 257-0775 x104 by January 13th for a pre-group appointment. The group size is limited to 8 people.

The Death Café Comes Back to Brattleboro!

Brattleboro, Vermont . On Thursday evening, November 3rd, from 6:00pm-7:30pm, Brattleboro Area Hospice will host a Death Café at The Restless Rooster, at 134 Elliot Street, in Brattleboro. This free event is part of an international movement begun in Europe (www.deathcafe.com ), and is dedicated to taking death out of the closet in order to discuss it publicly.

Previous events that have taken place throughout Windham County have been met with tremendous praise. People have reported them as comfortable, supporting a full range of emotions – from tears to raucous laughter, easier than anticipated, energy charged, inspirational and fun.

Most of us are unsure of what to say and do when someone we know has experienced a death loss. And the more traumatic the death, in our opinion, the more awkward we feel. This leads us to procrastinate or even fail to reach out to the bereaved person. Unfortunately, what the person almost always needs is to know that others are thinking of him or her.