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New Dates for Medicare Boot Camp

by SeniorSolutions | Health

At this free class, Senior Solutions staff will provide unbiased information about the Medicare system. Medicare has strict enrollment periods, and this session will help  participants make timely decisions about drug plans and supplemental plans as well as many other issues.

This class is appropriate for those who are currently enrolled in Medicare, as well as anyone who will be signing up in the near future. Family members who help elders may also find this class useful. Space is limited, so please call ahead to register. There is no fee, but donations are appreciated.

To register or get more information, call the Senior HelpLine at 1-800-642-5119.

Bereavement Support Group for Adults

by Not Signed In | Health

A new Six-Week Bereavement Support Group for adults begins on Thursday April 9th and will meet each Thursday from 4:30-6:00 pm, ending May 14th.

The group is free of charge and open to anyone in the community grieving the death loss of a loved one, no matter when or where the loss occurred. Bereavement Support Groups offer a safe, mutually supportive environment for sharing experiences through discussion, readings, simple activities, and suggestions for moving through grief.

This group is sponsored by Brattleboro Area Hospice and will meet at the hospice office at 191 Canal St. in Brattleboro. No prior connection with hospice is required in order to participate. Connie Baxter, Bereavement Care Coordinator will be the facilitator. The group size is limited to 8 people.

Tour de Heifer Promises “Vermont’s Most Challenging Dirt Road Rides”

by MartinLangeveld | Recreation & Sports

Registration is now open for the fifth annual Tour de Heifer, which, organizers say, includes Vermont’s most challenging dirt road cycling rides.

The Tour is organized as a fund-raiser for Strolling of the Heifers, and takes place on Sunday of Strolling of the Heifers Weekend, June 7.

The Tour’s 60-mile and 30-mile challenge routes follow dirt roads with mimimal pavement.  Both entail significant elevation change — nearly 7,000 feet for the 60-miler, and over 3,000 feet for the 30-miler.

March For Meals

by KathrynT | Activism

Brattleboro Senior Meals Celebrates March for Meals

Brattleboro Senior Meals joins with the Meals on Wheels Association of America to celebrate March for Meals.  The month of March mobilizes hundreds of local Meals on Wheels programs across the country to reach out to their communities and build support that will sustain them all year long.

Susan Keese

by cgrotke | Obituaries

I just read that VPR’s southern Vermont correspondent, Susan Keese, passed away.

I’ve known Susan for many years, after first meeting her to talk about things going on at the Estey Organ Museum. Being a radio producer, her medium was sound, and stories that had interesting sounds or music being played were often of interest to her and her listeners.

She got very interested in the 2005 EsteyFest, a gathering of reed organ enthusiasts, many of whom brought instruments with them.

Over the years, whenever I had a potential story that included good sounds, I’d make sure she knew about it.

Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast Invitation – RSVP by Mar 17

by RobertOeser | Health

What Do Advance Care Directives have to do with Being a  Local Citizen?  

Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast Invitation

The next Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast is planned for Friday, March 20, 2015 at the Gibson Aiken Center, downstairs, hosted by Senior Meals. Doors open at 7:30am.

What Do Advance Care Directives have to do with Being a  Local Citizen?

Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast Notes from Feb 20 – Center for Wound Healing @BMH

by RobertOeser | Health

Brattleboro Citizens’ Breakfast                                                      

February 20,  2015  •  Gibson-Aiken Center                                                                                                                                                                 

On Elephants and Circuses

by cgrotke | Nature

Ringling Bros is going to end the era of elephants performing in their circuses in the near future.

I have mixed feelings about this, given where we are in history. Elephant population has dropped significantly, so much that they could become extinct within decades. Hundreds are killed each day for ivory, meat, and trophy.

I like elephants and would hope we don’t eliminate them from the planet. I don’t want to see them abused, either.

I worry that freeing them from circuses and zoos won’t be enough to protect them. That is, I worry we are trading some good feelings about ending abuse at a circus, when wealthy hunters may just kill them all anyway.

Guiding Good Choices Courses in Windham County

by BAPC | Family

Guiding Good Choices Course for Parents and Caregivers Throughout Windham County in March

Windham County- Guiding Good Choices is a free, interactive, five-session course for parents and caregivers of 4th to 9th grade children. The series provides the tools and strategies to meet the challenges of guiding your child through adolescence. The course covers setting clear guidelines with both positive and negative consequences, controlling and expressing anger constructively, promoting family bonds, and preparing kids with “refusal” skills for the time down the road when trouble may tempt them.

Teams Sought for Bowl for Kids’ Sake Benefit April 4

by Not Signed In | Recreation & Sports

Brattleboro, VT–Families, friends and teams from work are invited to celebrate the 34th Annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake to benefit Youth Services’ Big Brothers Big Sisters program on Saturday, April 4. The fundraising event will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with teams signing up for a one-hour time slot at Brattleboro Bowl on Putney Road.

Dr. Craig Rinder Joins BMH Physician Group

by BMH | Health

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital announced that Craig Rinder, MD, will join , effective March 2, 2015.

When the transition is complete, Dr. Rinder’s current practice, known as Craig Rinder, MD, LLC, will be called BMH Urology. Its offices will still be located at 375 Canal Street in Brattleboro, Vermont. The new phone number for making appointments will be 802-251-8720.

Dr. Rinder has been practicing urology in Vermont and New Hampshire for over 17 years. His practice provides medical and surgical care for illnesses involving the male and female urinary tract (kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra), the adrenal glands and the male reproductive tract.

Area Hospitals Launch Community Health Needs Assessment

by BMH | Health

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, the , and are launching a new community health needs assessment (CHNA) to engage the communities they serve and learn more about the most pressing health care concerns and needs. Based on the data that the hospitals gather, each hospital will develop an implementation strategy to address prioritized health care needs. This CHNA is also an opportunity for hospitals to maintain compliance with federal regulations.

The three health care organizations are working collaboratively to gather information by conducting focus groups, developing and disseminating a short survey to the general public, and collecting and analyzing quantitative data. The Vermont Department of Health is providing population based indicators as part of the process.

How Hard Is It To Find 100,000 People To Sign A White House Petition, To Qualify For An Official Response?

by CrisEricson2016 | Activism

It is extremely hard to find 100,000 people to sign a White House “We the People” petition, in order to qualify for an Official White House response.   There have been a lot of marijuana, cannabis, hemp, and medical marijuana White House petitions.   None of them have received the response the petitioners want to hear, so we all just keep filing more petitions, hoping that attitudes up on The Hill will change.  This new 2015 Make Marijuana Legal! petition is really dragging its feet, averaging only 100 signatures a day.  This petition needs help!

Qigong and Healing – Taming the Monkey Mind

by Not Signed In | Health

Quieting one’s mind can often feel like an overwhelming task. During this half-day workshop, participants will learn simple yet effective ways to quiet the busy mind, also known as the “Monkey Mind”. Through the practice of Qigong we will gradually let go of the limits of our acquired self and open up to the infinite experience of our true nature. Participants will leave with a renewed and empowered sense of health and well-being.

Qigong consists of simple movements and breathing practices that 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.

New White House Petition: Make Marijuana Legal

by CrisEricson2016 | Activism

There have been so many marijuana legalization petitions at the White House, and none have succeeded in the ultimate objective, so it is important to keep signing more peititions.   The squeaky wheel is the one that gets greased; right?