Colon cancer awareness

BANGOR – March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, and St. Joseph Healthcare’s recently expanded endoscopy department is ready to show the public just how simple a colonoscopy can be.

Visit the facility’s open house 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, March 29, for a tour of the department and each step of this quick and lifesaving outpatient procedure.

During a colonoscopy exam, a physician uses a narrow, flexible, lighted tube to look at the inside of the rectum and entire colon while the patient is under sedation.

The exam only takes about 30 minutes, and is recommended for everyone age 50 and older.

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, and yet more than 60 percent of these deaths could be avoided with a simple screening, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Colorectal cancer develops from pre-cancerous polyps, which can be detected and removed during a routine colonoscopy.

Participants should enter the hospital through the ambulatory surgery unit entrance on Center Street.

Senior health, information

ORONO – Dirigo Pines Retirement Community will host a Senior Health & Information Fair 9 a.m.-noon Thursday, April 3, at the Dirigo Inn.

The public is invited to visit with more than two dozen local senior service agencies that will have information booths and staff on hand to discuss their programs.

They include: Rosscare, RSVP, Gentiva, Bangor Area Visiting Nurses, Dragonfly Therapy, Eastern Area Agency on Aging, Miller Drug, Affiliated Pharmacy, Orono Pharmacy, Care & Comfort, Alpha One, Orono Commons and Dirigo Pines.

“We are fortunate to have nursing students from our local colleges working with our Dirigo Pines staff to put on a fair to address questions that seniors have about local health care and housing,” said Dirigo marketing director Steve Bowler.

“With over 24 agencies attending, it should be a great opportunity for seniors and their family members to get questions answered about senior service available in our area,” he said.

The Senior Health & Information Fair is free to the public and is sponsored by Dirigo Pines Retirement Community and nursing students from Husson College and the University of Maine.

Diabetes support groups

BANGOR – Looking for more resources, or maybe just someone to talk to about diabetes and how it affects your life?

Join the St. Joseph Healthcare Diabetes and Nutrition Center’s daytime or evening support groups.

The Daytime Diabetes Support Group meets at 1 p.m. the first Thursday of each month. The Evening Diabetes Support Group meets at 6 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month. Both are held in the Diabetes and Nutrition Center, Building 1, St. Joseph Healthcare Park, 900 Broadway.

The support groups are open to those with diabetes and their families.

The guest speaker at April’s daytime group will be St. Joseph Healthcare dietitian Georgia Clark-Albert, talking about cooking and dining for two. For more information about the support groups, call Sheryl at 262-1870.

Support group on sexuality,

gender identity topics

BANGOR – Outrageously Supportive is the new name of the group formerly known as Bangor Outright.

For GLBT – gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered – youth up to age 22 and their allies, Outrageously Supportive is a social support group on sexuality and gender identity topics, held at 6 p.m. every other Thursday, sponsored by the Eastern Maine AIDS Network.

For information, call 990-3626 or visit the Web site at www.maineaidsnetwork.com.

University study on panic attacks in women

ORONO – A University of Maine research team is investigating the stress response in women who suffer panic attacks. The researchers are looking for women to participate in the study.

UM psychology professor Sandy Sigmon and her graduate students are seeking women who experience the physiological sensations of panic attacks, such as difficulty breathing, racing heart, trembling, hot or cold flashes, numbness or tingling in hands or feet, chest pain, thoughts of death, etc., typically lasting 10-15 minutes. Women who experience these symptoms and are postmenopausal or have a normal menstrual cycle of 25-35 days are eligible to participate.

Participants will visit Sigmon’s lab twice. The first time, they will be asked questions about their symptoms, complete questionnaires and give several saliva samples because the researchers are interested in the saliva-borne stress hormone cortisol.

That session will take about two hours. Research participants will then monitor their daily symptoms for 30 days and return for a second lab visit, during which they will be asked to complete two brief tasks and give several saliva samples. This part will take about 90 minutes. For each part of the study, participants will be paid and can earn up to $75 for the entire study. Those interested in participating are asked to call Sigmon at 581-2034 and leave a message, or e-mail sandra.sigmon@umit.maine.edu.

Caregivers Respite Retreat

Are you in a care-giving ministry or situation – professional or personal – that takes much of your time? Do you long for some respite to experience for yourself some of the personal care you give to others?

Plan to attend the non-denominational Caregivers Respite Retreat set for 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 19, at the Living Water Spiritual Center, 93 Halifax St., Winslow.

Presenters will be Bill Lagerstrom and Lee F. White of Lazarus Ministries in Hampden. The retreat is designed to allow participants to be receivers of care, grace and spiritual nourishment. The cost is $45, lunch included. For more information, call 872-2370.