Health news

Family Support Group

BANGOR – A new Family Support Group for anyone who has a loved one dealing with mental illness or substance abuse issues will be held 6-7:30 p.m. Thursdays in the Leonard Room at Acadia Hospital, Stillwater Avenue.

The first session is scheduled for July 19.

People can come to this open session to get support, share experiences, ask questions and just have a safe place to talk about what is on their minds as it relates to a family member struggling with mental illness or substance abuse.

The group will meet weekly, with sessions facilitated by Acadia clinicians.

For information, call 973-6100.

Hospice volunteers

BANGOR – St. Joseph Hospice is seeking additional volunteers to provide nonmedical, emotional and spiritual support to Hospice patients and their caregivers.

These volunteers also offer help, friendship, companionship and bereavement support to patients’ families.

Hospice volunteers are people of all ages, faiths and walks of life who serve two to four hours each week, depending on their availability. Those who feel they would like to make a difference by volunteering are invited to call Jane Folsom at 262-1810 for more information and an application.

The next series of hospice volunteer training sessions will be held Sept. 8, 15 and 19.

St. Joseph Hospice, an affiliate of St. Joseph Healthcare in Bangor, is a comprehensive program of care and support for the terminally ill and their loved ones.

Opioid and Addiction Education

BANGOR – A free educational program, “Opioids and Addiction,” will be held 6-7:30 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday every other month at Acadia Hospital, Stillwater Avenue.

The program is offered to anyone who is interested, including patients, their family and friends, providers and people from the community without connections to the hospital.

The program was created at the suggestion of Acadia patients and features Acadia’s Director of Substance Abuse Services Brent Scobie, licensed clinical social worker.

Scobie will discuss a variety of topics related to opiods -what they are, where they come from, the current environment in Maine relative to pharmaceuticals, how opioids influence the brain in the short and long term, and their addictive potential compared to other substances of abuse.

Scobie also will provide information on treatments for opioid addiction, issues with chronic pain and addiction, and outcomes relative to medication treatment options, such as agonists vs. partial agonists and standard therapeutic interventions.

The program will be presented in easy-to-understand terms with plenty of time to ask questions.

Programs will be offered Aug. 22, Oct. 24 and Jan. 23.

‘Diabetes Update’

BANGOR – St. Joseph Healthcare’s monthly daytime Diabetes Support Group will meet at 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2, in the Diabetes & Nutrition Center, Building 1, St. Joseph Healthcare Park, 900 Broadway.

Group members share personal experiences relating to diabetes management, stress reduction and coping skills. Guest speaker will be diabetologist Dana Green, physician’s assistant, on the topic “Diabetes Update – the Latest and Best.”

A second, evening support group meets the second Tuesday of each month. The next meeting of this group will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14, also at the Diabetes & Nutrition Center. For more information about either support group, contact St. Joseph Healthcare’s Diabetes and Nutrition Center at 262-1870.