Health

The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program helps adults at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes reduce their risk for developing the disease by taking steps that will improve their overall health and well-being.

The (CDC)-led evidence-based program is delivered over a 12-month period in a supportive small group classroom setting. Sixteen weekly one-hour sessions are followed by eight monthly sessions. Facilitated by trained lifestyle coaches Teri Kneipp and Nancy Schaefer, the class is scheduled to begin October 1, 2015 and will be held at the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital from 3:15 – 4:15 PM.

The first time I knew I was hypo-unaware I understood the danger I was in. Without knowing if my blood sugar is dropping to critically low numbers it was just a matter of time before this peculiar type of Russian Roulette would catch up to me. As vigilant as I am at testing, even I can’t beat those odds.I became a Type I diabetic at the age of 58. Like most Type I diabetics I was born with it. However, I have a rare form of adult onset insulin dependence. For most of my life I enjoyed robust health, unaware that an internal deadly clock was ticking inside of my body.

Thomas Garbarino license acupuncturist and partitioner of qigong and taiji quan just recently returned from an epic pilgrimage to Wu Dang mountain in China. He will be sharing his experiences and stories as well as presenting new material to deepen our understanding of healing through the practice of qigong. All are welcomed.

You are your best healer! Come learn how each and everyone of us is born with the innate gift to heal ourselves. In this half-day intensive, you will experience simple and profound ways to awaken your body’s innate healing ability while deepening your capacity to relax and enjoy your life more completely. Participants will leave with a renewed and empowered sense of health and well-being. All are welcome; no experience required.

Brattleboro, VT. Beginning on Thursday, October 8, 2015 Brattleboro Area Hospice will offer a Bereavement Volunteer Training at its home office at 191 Canal Street in Brattleboro. This 21 hour volunteer training will run on Thursdays from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The final session will take place on November 19th.

Bereavement Volunteers provide emotional support and companionship to individuals grieving the death loss of a loved one. Applications for the training will be accepted until September 4th, or until the training group has filled. Trained volunteers are asked to commit to one hour per week spent with a bereaved individual.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers is a class series that provides family caregivers of elders with the tools they need to take care of themselves. Reduce stress, improve communication, balance your life! 

This fall Senior Solutions is offering the six-week series starting in September in both Brattleboro and Windsor, co-sponsored by SASH. RSVP by Sept 3.

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is among the first hospitals in Vermont to acquire the Olympus EVIS EXERA III video endoscopy system. This system uses a video processor, light source, endoscope, and monitor to enable physicians to look inside the gastrointestinal (GI) system to diagnose, detect, and treat GI diseases such as colorectal cancer. The advanced imaging in the EVIS EXERA III system will help BMH physicians to detect GI disease at an earlier stage when treatments are most successful.

“By acquiring this new system we are able to further our commitment to providing exceptional care to our patients. With this advanced technology we increase our capacity to provide more accurate diagnoses, shorter procedure times, and an overall improved procedural experience,” said Steven R. Gordon, President and CEO of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital.

Join us tomorrow as we close out the week refreshed and pumped for the weekend! Trisha has a few things up her sleeve, like yoga, an obstacle course, and who knows what else? She promises to take it easyish on us!!! cotact Brandie Starr with any questions! See you there!

On Wednesday evening, June 24, 2015, from 7 – 8:30 PM, Brattleboro Area Hospice in partnership with the Wake Up to Dying Project will host a Death Café at The Works Bakery Café, 118 Main St. in downtown 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.

This event will represent Death Café #7 for southern Vermont. 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.

You are your best healer! Come learn how each and everyone of us is born with the innate gift to heal ourselves. In this half-day intensive, you will experience simple and profound ways to awaken your body’s innate healing ability while deepening your capacity to relax and enjoy your life more completely. Participants will leave with a renewed and empowered sense of health and well-being. All are welcome; no experience required.

To cap off a week’s worth of employee recognition events in celebration of National Hospital Week, Steve Gordon, President and CEO of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital invited all hospital staff to join him for an ice cream social where he announced BMH’s 2015 Employees of the Year.

Departing from BMH’s tradition of naming one employee for the honor each year, two employees were named for 2015. According to Gordon, “Their nominations from colleagues described qualities we all appreciate in our co-workers and to which we should aspire ourselves,”

Described as “positive, helpful, knowledgeable, dedicated, caring and skilled,” the two award winners were celebrated for their commitment to patient care and exceptional standards of professionalism.

On Sunday, May 31, 2015 at 4:00 pm, Brattleboro Area Hospice will host its 18th Annual Memorial Planting Service. The event will take place at the Hospice Memorial Garden located at Living Memorial Park on Guilford Street in Brattleboro. The public is encouraged to attend.

The community is invited to join together to honor and remember loved ones who have died by planting flowers, painting memorial messages on stones to be placed in the garden, and by listening to the music of the Hallowell singers.

You are your best healer! Come learn how each and everyone of us is born with the innate gift to heal ourselves. In this half-day intensive, you will experience simple and profound ways to awaken your body’s innate healing ability while deepening your capacity to relax and enjoy your life more completely.

Qigong is an ancient form of meditative movement that is over 5,000 years old. In China, qigong is one of the secrets to living a long and healthy life. The simple movements and breathing practices help relax the physical body, calm the mind and raise the spirit. It is an excellent form of preventative healthcare, and also used in treating major illnesses and minor ailments.

Brattleboro, Vermont. On Wednesday May 6, 2015 from 4:00-6:00 PM, Brattleboro Area Hospice will offer an opportunity for people to make a remembrance flag to honor someone who has died. Creating a Remembrance Flag can be a valuable commemoration activity to help individuals with grief. Children are welcome as long as they are accompanied by a responsible adult. No special talent is needed, and all materials will be provided. The flags will hang at the Hospice Memorial Garden on Guilford Street during the coming year, though participants are welcome to take their flag home with them if they prefer.

You’re not the same driver you were when you were 16…or 35… or 65. As we age, our driving abilities change and our physical state can influence our behind-the-wheel state, too. If you want to refresh your driving skills, and get a discount on car insurance, you will want to register for the upcoming at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. The program will be held on Saturday, May 9, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, in the Brew Barry Conference Center.

Every year, there are new driving regulations and rules, as well as advances in car technology and safety. The course is for people 50 years old and older, and is designed to provide awareness of aging as it affects driving. You will learn about:

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and has been recognized by the with a Gold and Silver Award in recognition of the hospital’s Emergency Department “Rapid Care” campaign. With nearly 3,500 entries, the Healthcare Advertising Awards, sponsored by the (HMR), is the oldest, largest and most widely respected advertising awards competition in the country and one of the ten largest of all advertising awards.

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital’s Rapid Care campaign was comprised of various print, digital, and direct mail pieces that utilized a striking blue background offset with large, white icons depicting various accidents, such as falling off a ladder or toppling over the handlebars of a bicycle.

Thursday, April 30 at 6:30 p.m.

Robert H. Gibson River Garden, 157 Main Street, Brattleboro VT

Michael Finkelstein, MD, also known as the “Slow Medicine Doctor,” will present his approach to healthy living at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden in downtown Brattleboro on Thursday, April 30 at 6:30 p.m.

The session, entitled “Slow Living is Healthy Living,” is sponsored by Strolling of the Heifers. Finkelstein will be joined by Orly Munzing, founder and executive director of Strolling of the Heifers, and Linda McInerney, founder and artistic director of Old Deerfield Productions.

Finkelstein teaches that most health challenges are the result of an imbalance in our bodies and lives, and that most quick-fix solutions actually exacerbate these imbalances. 

As part of the Wellness in Windham Spring 2015 calendar, BMH certified orthopaedic physician assistants Maureen Mahoney, PA-C, ATC and Wayne Temmen, PA-C, will present a program on Monday, April 27 at 6:00 PM in the Brew Barry Conference Center. Their topic of discussion will be living with osteoarthritis.

“Osteoarthritis is one of the most common forms of arthritis. It is a chronic condition in which the material that cushions the joints, called cartilage, breaks down,” says Maureen Mahoney. “This causes the bones to rub against each other, causing stiffness, pain and loss of joint movement. About 27 million people in America have osteoarthritis.”

As part of the Wellness in Windham Spring 2015 calendar, BMH orthopaedic surgeon Elizabeth McLarney, MD, will present a program on Monday, April 20 at 6:00 PM in the Brew Barry Conference Center. Her topic of discussion will be shoulder arthritis.

“Almost all people who have arthritis find that it affects their lives in some way. It can affect their everyday activities, their jobs, their financial resources or their relationships with family and friends,” says Dr. McLarney. “Arthritis is not easy to live with, but there is much we can do to change, overcome or cope with the problems it presents.”

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital announced the addition of Angela Thomas, DPT, to its Rehabilitation Services staff.

Thomas just moved to the Brattleboro area after spending 20 years living in the southwestern United States. She holds a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Northern Arizona University and degrees in Educational Psychology and Physical Education from the University of Arizona. Thomas is also a veteran of the United States Air Force, having served five years as a Command and Control Journeyman.

Most recently, Thomas worked with adult orthopedic patients at a private practice in Tucson, Arizona. Her work experience includes a wide variety of settings, including acute care hospitals and outpatient rehab settings. She will provide both outpatient and inpatient care in her role at BMH.

The Northeast PsychoNeuroImmunology Institute for Healing presents “Train Your Brain to Retain,” a one-day program bringing people together to improve their mental acuity. On Saturday, April 11^th, we will gather in a relaxed, private home setting to learn memory strengthening techniques, to support one another on our memory journeys, to eat food that’s good for the brain (and the soul!), and to have a good time.

Participants will learn how to give their memories a workout by using tools proven through neuro-science. Advances in neuroplasticity show us that the brain can actually increase its capacity to learn and remember. This is a class for people who know their minds are still capable, but who have noticed declines in their sharpness.