Health news

Warren Center grant

BANGOR – The Warren Center for Communication & Learning audiology program is the recipient of a grant from the Gannett Foundation, which owns television station WLBZ 2 here in Bangor.

The grant is in support of the Warren Center’s “Be a Hearing Aide” program, which began in 2003. A check presentation was held in late December at WLBZ’s studios in Bangor.

An increased need for hearing-related services made it necessary for the Warren Center to expand the capacity of its audiology program.

An additional audiology booth gives the Warren Center the ability to see more clients in a timely manner, and also reach into the community to promote hearing health and protection through screenings and educational outreach programs. Last year, more than 1,100 individuals received audiology services at the center.

“We appreciate the generosity of the Gannett Foundation,” said Mary Poulin, administrative director of the Warren Center. “This grant will make a difference in the lives of the Warren Center’s clients.”

The Warren Center for Communication & Learning is Bangor’s oldest nonprofit professional speech and hearing center. The Warren Center provides evaluations, therapies and technologies in the areas of speech, language development and hearing to the children and adults of Eastern and Central Maine.

For information, call 941-2852 or TTY 941-2833.

Stroke research project

ORONO – People who are recuperating from a stroke are being sought for participation in a research project by a University of Maine communication scientist.

Judy Walker, an associate professor in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders, studies the effect of stroke on the ability to understand language.

Participants in the study must have had a stroke that may have caused specific types of problems, such as difficulty understanding and speaking with others, paying attention and remembering, solving problems and recognizing visual cues.

Walker received her doctorate from the University of Massachusetts in 1994. She has 25 years of clinical practice and 10 years of experience in clinical research in studying certain aspects of language disorders known as aphasia.

The results of her research assist the medical community and other researchers in identifying specific areas of brain damage and prescribing the newest rehabilitation techniques for stroke survivors.

Walker and her students have developed a testing system that uses a computer to play words and sentences and record a subject’s responses. She will work with participants in their homes and other settings. The initial screening will last for about an hour. People who qualify for additional testing can expect to spend about two to three hours on the test procedure, which can be spread over two sessions. Participants will receive a free hearing screening and language test.

People interested in participating in this project can contact Judy Walker at 581-2003.