Digital mammography

BANGOR – St. Joseph Hospital’s Regional Breast Care Center has purchased a second full-field digital mammography machine for patients visiting the center. The imaging center uses digital mammography for the majority of all mammograms, and the addition of the second machine will increase the scheduling capability for screening and diagnostic appointments.

Chief technologist Laurie MacLeod said that the new machine, a GE Medical Systems Senographe DS, offers “increased clarity and greatly reduced wait times for patients.” She added that patients often find the machine more comfortable than previous models.

The digital images allow radiologists to highlight and magnify tiny details in a way not available with film images and may even save the need for taking additional views. This, combined with the fact that the machine requires slightly less radiation for each image than if done with film-screen, may mean less radiation exposure for the patient.

The Regional Breast Care Center was the first and only facility in the state to offer digital mammography in 2000 when the first machine was put into use and was among the first 24 facilities in the United States approved for service.

Conference on elder abuse

BREWER – The Greater Bangor Coalition to End Elder Abuse will sponsor “Safety for Our Seniors: What You Can Do about Elder Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation,” 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer.

Older adults who are abused or mistreated are three times more likely to die within the next decade than adults the same age who are not mistreated, coalition officials said. In 1978 the United States Congress declared elder abuse a “national disgrace,” but there is not one federal employee working full time on issues related to elder abuse.

The Greater Bangor Coalition to End Elder Abuse wants to prevent elder abuse from happening in this area.

Maine is the third-oldest state in the nation, with one in seven Mainers now 65 and older, and one in three of those people living alone. By 2020, one in five people living in Maine will be 65 and older.

The Greater Bangor Coalition to End Elder Abuse was formed in July 2004 to fashion a coordinated community response to the expanding problem of elder abuse by building a local coalition of key community members. More than 15 community members and organizations are members of this group, including Eastern Agency on Aging, Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, Phillips-Strickland House, Spruce Run Association and State of Maine Office of Elder Services.

The coalition is coordinated by United Way of Eastern Maine.

Valerie Sauda, registered nurse and director of outreach at Eastern Agency on Aging, said, “Elder abuse is one of the most important senior issues of our time. Now is time to educate ourselves and bring respect and dignity back to those seniors who it affects.”

“Safety for Our Seniors: What You Can Do About Elder Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation” will give participants an opportunity to learn about elder mistreatment from medical, legal and faith community leaders and experts. Participants will hear actual stories of victims and learn what they can do together to prevent abuse, neglect and exploitation.

The conference fee is $35.

For registration questions or more information, contact Shirar Wilder at United Way of Eastern Maine, 941-2800, or shirarw@unitedwayem.org

Child welfare agency

BANGOR – Casey Family Services, a nonprofit child welfare agency, will hold an open house 2:30-6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, in the Colby Building, Suite 5, 30 Summer St., to celebrate its move to the historic Penobscot River waterfront area and to highlight National Adoption Awareness Month.

Special guest Allen Sockabasin, Passamaquoddy storyteller and author, will sign copies of his popular children’s book, “Thanks to the Animals,” which will be available at a discount. In addition to tours, refreshments, entertainment and the book-signing, adoptive families will begin creating an unique quilt in honor of National Adoption Month.

In March, Casey Family Services moved from State Street to the Colby Building to accommodate growing programs and staff. The rehabilitation of the Colby Building is part of Bangor’s ongoing revitalization of the historic waterfront area.

The Maine division of Casey Family Services was established in 1986 in Portland. The Bangor office opened in 2001 to provide post-adoption services to families north of Augusta through the Maine Adoption Guides Program. The five-year research project was a collaboration between Maine’s adoptive families, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Casey Family Services and the University of Southern Maine.

In 2004 Casey began a five-year research project called Adoptions Created Through Relationships to create permanency for children languishing in the child welfare system. It is a collaboration between the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, the Connecticut Department of Children and Family Services, Casey Family Services and the University of Southern Maine with project sites in Portland and Bangor, and Bridgeport and Waterbury, Conn.

Casey Family Services is a fully licensed and accredited, providing support for vulnerable children and families through foster care, post-adoption and family support services. Headquartered in New Haven, Conn., the agency operates divisions throughout New England and Maryland as the service arm of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Visit www.aecf.org for more information.

Study on osteoporosis meds

BANGOR – The IQ study is evaluating a once-monthly oral medication, which is already approved for the treatment of osteoporosis. The study needs 100 postmenopausal women who have been diagnosed with osteoporosis to participate in this study between now and February 2006. In order to qualify, interested volunteers must be between the ages of 55 and 80, post-menopausal for at least 12 months, and diagnosed with osteoporosis.

More than 8 million women currently have osteoporosis, and millions more are at risk. Research now can lead to new treatment options for the next generation of women who may develop osteoporosis. Several medications are available for the treatment of osteoporosis. However, not all individuals respond in the same way to these medications.

The IQ study is evaluating a medication that requires only a monthly dosing. A monthly option may be easier for many women than daily treatments that have strict requirements or that may be skipped accidentally. The IQ study will evaluate this medication, which is already approved for osteoporosis, for its effect on bone quality and strength at the hip.

Women who qualify and decide to participate in the study will attend six visits to the center for 54 weeks and receive study-related medical care, including study-related examinations and study medication at no cost. Women interested in volunteering may call Maine Center for Osteoporosis Research and Education at St. Joseph Hospital at (800) 839-8311.

Tractor-A-Thon

BANGOR – The fourth annual Tractor-A-Thon to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network of Eastern Maine Healthcare System is on the road again.

Brewer Super Wal-Mart associate Carol Lackedy and her partner Shawn Cowan hit the road driving lawn tractors on Oct. 24. They will finish their trek today, Oct. 27. The ride began at the Presque Isle Wal-Mart and will end at the Waterville Wal-Mart, a distance of 225 miles.

In the last three years, the event has raised $26,000.

Carol Lackedy created the Tractor-A-Thon in 2002 as a way to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network.

Proclamation for UCP

BANGOR – The Bangor City Council issued a proclamation on Oct. 24 recognizing the efforts of United Cerebral Palsy of Maine, since 1954, “to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities by providing direct services to children, adults and families.”

The organization will hold its third annual Pumpkins in the Park event 3:30-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Bangor Civic Center.