Health News

Changes in Medicare

BANGOR – Stacie Sparkman of the Eastern Agency on Aging will be the guest speaker at the bone health information and discussion group at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 27, at the Isaac Farrar Mansion, Bangor Y, 17 Second St.

She will provide information about changes in Medicare, including three new preventive health care services that will be available with no deductible and no co-pay. She also will discuss changes in the new prescription drug law.

The bone health information and discussion group meets monthly and is open to anyone interested in keeping bones strong and preventing osteoporosis. Calcium-rich dishes and recipes are featured.

The bone health information and discussion group is sponsored by Caring Connections, a cooperative program of the Bangor Y and Eastern Maine Medical Center and supported through Eastern Maine Charities. For more information about the group, call 941-2808.

Seminar on glaucoma

BANGOR – January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month. Vision Care of Maine will host a public seminar covering the early detection and management of glaucoma.

The seminar will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25, at the VCOM Learning Center at One Ridgewood Drive. Doctors will discuss risk factors for glaucoma, including diabetes and high blood pressure.

“The most important factor in preserving your sight with glaucoma is regular checks at three-month intervals and management of the disease by a glaucoma-trained doctor,” said Dr. Craig Young, Vision Care’s chief of medicine and surgery.

Road to Recovery

BANGOR – A training session for people who are interested in volunteering with the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program will be held 2:30-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, at the Hampton Inn, 10 Bangor Mall Blvd.

More than 7,000 Maine residents live with cancer. Because of advances in research, there will be cures for many. Getting to the cure, however, can sometimes be a problem.

The Road to Recovery program builds a local network of volunteer drivers to provide cancer patients with transportation for treatment.

Cancer patients are often too sick to drive themselves to treatment appointments, and many don’t have friends or family members who can drive them each time. Some treatments may take place as often as five times a week for six weeks. Elderly cancer patients are especially in need of rides to treatment.

ACS is recruiting volunteers to ensure that cancer patients have transportation when they need it. If you have a car and some spare time, you can help someone keep a very important appointment. Whether you are available once a month or once a week, you can be a Road to Recovery volunteer.

To register for this training session or to learn more about Road to Recovery, contact Andrew Harmon at 947-6546.

Sun safety

BANGOR – Recently, five schools in Penobscot County were each awarded $500 by the Maine Comprehensive Cancer Control Program to raise awareness of the importance of sun safety. Award recipients are the Earl C. McGraw School in Hampden, Eddington School, Enfield Station School, Hichborn Middle School in Howland and Pendleton Street School in Brewer.

The schools will focus their efforts on educating pupils, faculty and staff about sun protection behavior, including wearing protective clothing such as pants, long-sleeve shirts, hats and sunglasses; applying sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher; and seeking shade when outdoors.

The award money can be used for special event days, incorporating skin cancer prevention education into comprehensive school health education, creating educational materials, purchasing and building shade structures such as trees and awnings for the school or campus and providing faculty and staff training.

There are four easy steps to prevent skin cancer:

. Slip on a shirt.

. Slop on sunscreen with an SFP of 15 or higher.

. Slap on a hat.

. Wrap in sunglasses.

Even during the frigid days of winter it is important to remember sun protection for outdoor activities. Reflections from snow can more than double the danger from the sun’s harmful UV rays.

Funding for the awards was provided by The Maine Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, Bureau of Health, Department of Health and Human Services; and Maine Turning Point, provided in partnership with the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Cancer Consortium and the American Cancer Society. To obtain more information, call Anita Ruff at 287-5358, or visit www.MaineCancerConsortium.org.