Maine Kids-Kin

BANGOR – Maine Kids-Kin, a program of Families And Children Together, will continue presenting the three-part series, “Addiction: Understanding Its Roots and Learning About Its Effects.” The series is specially designed for grandparents, aunts, uncles and other relatives who are raising children affected by addiction and substance abuse.

The final free program, “Learning Disabilities and Behavior,” will be held 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, at Families And Children Together, 304B Hancock St.

The video features Richard Lavoie, noted teacher and consultant, explaining his guide to improving the behavior of children with learning disabilities. Although the program is helpful in parenting all children, it has a special application to children whose parents have addictions. Licensed counselor Susan Burgess will answer questions afterward.

The presentation is free, but registration is required. Child care is available by request. To obtain information or to register, call Janelle Wuoristo at 941-2347 or (866) 298-0896.

The Maine Kids-Kin program assists those who are caring for relatives’ children. More than 11,000 Maine children live with relatives other than their parents. The program offers legal, educational and financial information to assist them.

Gam-Anon meetings

ORONO – Gam-Anon, a program for family and friends of problem gamblers, will hold meetings at 7:15 p.m. Thursdays, beginning April 12, at the Church of Universal Fellowship, 82 Main St. For information, call 827-5406.

Alzheimer’s Care Residence

BREWER – On April 6, Woodlands Assisted Living celebrated the grand opening of its new Alzheimer’s Care Residence. Owner Lon Walters cut the ribbon and Brian Ames, senior principal of Ames A/E, presented him with an architectural rendering of the buildings. The interior of the Alzheimer’s Care Residence was specially designed to meet the needs of people with Alzheimer’s disease.

The design includes a walking circuit with seating areas and a country kitchen to help residents feel right at home. One local resident commented how nice it was to drive by in the evening and see the cupola lit.

The community had been eagerly awaiting the opening of the new Alzheimer’s Care Residence due to the lack of options in the area. Woodlands Assisted Living has been providing services to elders for over a decade and officials said they were committed to providing the highest level of individualized care and services.

Walters also owns Woodlands Assisted Living in Waterville and Hallowell, and Hillside Terrace in Hallowell.

The Alzheimer’s Care Residence will hold open houses for the community 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, April 12-15, in Brewer.

Neighbors are invited to attend an educational seminar, “A Truth Stuck In Time – Communication with People Who Have Dementia,” 2:30-4 p.m. Friday, April 13, with Darlene Field, education and training specialist from the Alzheimer’s Association of Maine.

Call to 989-7577 to schedule a personal visit.

Institute of Genetics

BREWER – The Maine Institute of Human Genetics and Health has received a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor “for research to benefit the health of people in Maine.”

Director Dr. Janet Hock said she was “grateful to have such generous support in these early days while we try to get our translational cancer research program off the ground.”

The Maine Institute of Human Genetics and Health is a subsidiary of Eastern Maine Healthcare and was founded in 2005 in collaboration with the Jackson Laboratory and the University of Maine.

The goals are to improve health through breakthrough research, develop new approaches to prevention and management of chronic diseases and cancer, especially in rural communities of Maine, and spur the regional Maine economy by attracting new bioscience based businesses.

Hock said a portion of the funds will support two projects that promote collaborations between scientists in Maine.

The first is a study to implement genomic technologies to examine tissues from human cancers to test for biomarkers that will help doctors determine if treatment is successful.

“We are especially interested in investigating lung cancer, where new treatments are needed for what is often an incurable condition because it is diagnosed too late,” said Hock.

The second project is a collaboration between scientists at the Maine Institute of Human Genetics and Health, the Jackson Laboratory, the University of Maine and the state of Maine to support mapping cancer cases to the geography and history of environmental exposures in Maine.

Another project under way is a University of Maine collaboration that studies the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder in siblings of children with cancer, using a drug-free intervention developed by the Supersibs! Organization, which will advise on the project.

Upon hearing of the gift, EMHS president and CEO Michelle Hood said, “We are so grateful to this remarkable donor whose generosity will advance the institute’s work at an important time. This gift is a testament to the importance – and opportunity – of ‘bench to bedside’ research. Our vision is for the Institute to become a dynamic research and clinical applications organization. One that stimulates the creative use of emerging technologies while focusing on the dream of speeding the translation of bench research to the patients we treat today. We want to create, develop and test effective strategies, which continuously improve patient care in rural communities.”

The Maine Institute of Human Genetics and Health is located at the Brewer Professional Center in Brewer on the campus of EMHS at 43 Whiting Hill. The institute is expected to move into a new building next door. The new facility also will house the patient care center for Eastern Maine Medical Center’s CancerCare of Maine. Groundbreaking is expected this fall.

For more information on the Maine Institute for Human Genetics and Health, call Suzanne Spruce at EMHS Community Relations at 973-5758, or log onto www.mainegenetics.org.

For information on making a gift to the Maine Institute of Human Genetics and Health or other organizations, call Healthcare Charities at 973-5055.

Manpower MS Walk

With one of the highest rates in the country, Maine has more than 4,000 residents battling the effects of multiple sclerosis daily. In a show of support, each year, thousands of loved ones, friends, neighbors and co-workers across the state lace up and step out in solidarity for a single cause – to end the devastating effects of MS.

This year’s walk is scheduled for Saturday, April 28.

Each walker is encouraged to raise $100, but most easily collect more than the fundraising minimum. Last year, more than 2,300 walkers raised $422,000. Teams of family members and co-workers can register to walk or volunteer by visiting www.msmaine.org or calling (800) 526-8890 or 781-7960.

Manpower, Maine’s largest staffing service, has teamed up with the Maine Chapter of the National MS Society for the seventh year to be the title sponsor for the MS Walk.

“Manpower’s leadership, size and geographic scope make it a perfect fit for the title sponsorship of this highly successful statewide event,” said Russell Anderson, president of the Maine chapter, National MS Society. “We are extremely grateful for their participation and support.”

“Manpower-Maine is pleased to be the title sponsor of the MS Walk for the seventh consecutive year. As the Maine chapter’s premier fundraising event, the walk is a critically important event in the effort to find a cure for this devastating disease. Manpower is proud to support this noble effort,” said April Clark, vice president, Manpower-Maine.

The Manpower MS Walk will take place at Brewer Auditorium, Ellsworth Middle School, Colby College in Waterville, Togus VA Center in Augusta, Lewiston High School, Brunswick Junior High School, Camden-Rockport Middle School, Eastport Youth Center (May 6), Scarborough High School, Kennebunkport Elementary School and Sanford High School.

Registration will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 28, and the walks at 9:15 a.m.

MS is a chronic, neurological disease that affects the central nervous system, causing unpredictable symptoms including fatigue, paralysis and blindness. Most commonly diagnosed between ages 20 and 50, MS affects women two to three times more often than men. In the United States, more than 400,000 people have MS, and 200 new cases are diagnosed each week.

Relay for Life

OLD TOWN – The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is just around the corner. Register your team today by calling the American Cancer Society at (800) ACS-2345.

This “celebration of life” brings together Penobscot County in a unified effort to fight cancer. Former and current cancer patients, their families, businesses, civic organizations and the public are invited to take part in this exciting team event.

Relay For Life takes place 6 p.m. Friday, May 18, to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 19, at the Old Town High School track.

Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s version of an athletic relay, but with a new twist. Relay For Life is a family oriented event where participants enjoy the camaraderie of a team and also raise funds to support the activities of the American Cancer Society. Participants camp out at the relay site, and when not taking their turn walking, they take part in fun activities and enjoy local entertainment.

Teams from companies, organizations, hospitals and schools collect donations and can win individual and team prizes for their efforts.

“Relay For Life brings the progress against cancer to the forefront,” said Carla Bommarito, event chairwoman. “Many participants are our family, friends, and neighbors who have dealt with cancer themselves. Their involvement is proof of the progress that has been made not only reducing death rates, but also in improving the quality of life following cancer treatment.”

For information on cancer, how to form a team, or how to become involved in Relay For Life, contact the American Cancer Society at (800) ACS-2345, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or online at www.cancer.org.

‘Minorities, Aging, Health’

ORONO – One of the world’s leading authorities in the field of minorities, aging and health will be on campus at the University of Maine for a special guest lecture.

Dr. Kyriakos S. Markides, author, researcher and professor of sociology and gerontology at the University of Texas, Galveston, and cousin to University of Maine sociology professor Kyriacos C. Markides, will present “Minorities, Aging, and Health: An Overview of the Field,” 3:15-4:45 p.m. Friday, April 20, in the Bangor Lounge of the Memorial Union. The talk is free, open to the public and sponsored by the UM department of sociology.

Markides is the Annie and John Gnitzinger Distinguished Professor of Aging Studies, and director of the Division of Sociomedical Sciences, Department of Preventative Medicine and Community Health at the University of Texas. He is the author or co-author of several books and more than 250 journal articles on aging and health issues in the Mexican-American population, as well as minority issues in general.

Markides serves on the boards of five professional journals, including Research on Aging and Gerontologist. He also is editor of the Journal of Aging and Health, which he founded in 1989.

Markides is the principal investigator of the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly, a longitudinal study of the health of more than 3,000 Mexican-American elderly from the Southwest.

He is credited with coining the term “Hispanic Epidemiological Paradox” with J. Coreil, which is the leading theme in Hispanic health. Markides is in the process of editing the Encyclopedia of Health and Aging, to be published by Sage Publications this month.

The Institute for Scientific Information listed Markides among the most highly cited scientists in the world. He is the 2006 recipient of the Distinguished Mentorship Award of the Gerontological Society of America, behavioral and social sciences section.