National HIV Testing Day

BANGOR – National HIV Testing Day is an annual campaign sponsored by the National Association of People with AIDS to encourage individuals to receive voluntary HIV counseling and testing.

As part of this year’s campaign, Eastern Maine AIDS Network will offer free rapid HIV antibody testing, counseling and safer sex supplies 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, June 27, at EMAN, 370 Harlow St.

Rapid testing produces results in about 20 minutes.

The Maine Centers for Disease Control estimates that some 1,500 to 1,700 people in Maine are infected with HIV, and as many as 540 are unaware that they are infected. In Penobscot, Hancock, Piscataquis, Washington and Aroostook counties there are 203 known cases of HIV, approximately 18 percent of the total reported cases in Maine – all ages, races, genders, sexual orientations and walks of life.

Organizers of the event said the decision to have the test is the first step in taking responsibility for your health and the health of others with whom you may be intimately involved. For more information about National HIV Testing Day, visit www.hivtest.org.

Free blood pressure screenings

BANGOR – High blood pressure can happen to anyone at any age. Those at risk include people with a family history of high blood pressure and those who smoke, are overweight, have little physical activity or have high amounts of stress.

Because uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to a stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure, Eastern Maine Medical Center and the Bangor Y have partnered to provide free blood pressure screenings to the Bangor community.

Anyone may attend the event, and a special invitation is made to those who may be experiencing symptoms of high blood pressure – headaches, dizziness and blurred vision.

The screenings will be held 7:30-8:30 a.m. Monday, June 30, at the Bangor Y on Second Street.

For information, call Alyssa Hanson, EMMC work site wellness coordinator, at 973-7089.

A Matter of Balance

BANGOR – Chances are most of us know someone who has fallen or who is afraid of falling. A Matter of Balance is a program designed to help people manage concerns about falls and increase physical activity. Eastern Area Agency on Aging is looking for volunteers to help provide this program.

The next training session for Matter of Balance volunteer coaches will be held 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday, July 23, at Eastern Area Agency on Aging, 450 Essex St., Bangor.

A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls is conducted in eight two-hour sessions and uses group discussion, problem-solving strategies, videos and gentle physical exercise. Older adults learn positive coping methods to reduce fear of falling and remain active and independent.

A Matter of Balance coaches help participants become more confident about managing falls by believing that they can increase their strength, find ways to reduce falls and protect themselves if they do fall. In addition, participants report that they have increased the amount they exercise on a regular basis.

A Matter of Balance coaches need good communication and interpersonal skills, enthusiasm, dependability and a willingness to lead small groups of older adults. Coaches also need to be able to lead low to moderate level exercise.

For more information, call Valerie Sauda or Pat Keogh at 941-2865 or 800-432-7812.

Chiropractic practice

VEAZIE – Dr. Ryan Nadeau is now practicing full time with Dr. Gerard Graves at Tranquil Moments Health Center in Veazie.

Nadeau, the son of Thomas and Janice Nadeau, graduated cum laude from New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls, N.Y. He was accepted into the Phi Chi Omega honor society along with being the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award.

Nadeau is a 2000 graduate of Old Town High School and a 2004 graduate of Bates College in Lewiston.

For more information on Nadeau’s practice or Tranquil Moments Health Center, call 947-9200.

Excellence in Action Award

BANGOR – Stillwater Healthcare and Westgate Manor recently received My InnerView’s Excellence in Action award, a national honor recognizing exemplary nursing home quality care and service.

The award, presented annually, recognizes nursing homes that have made a commitment to continuous quality improvement and have successfully made quality a priority to better serve their customers’ needs.

“This year’s award recipients truly demonstrate their dedication to excellence in quality,” said Brad Shiverick, chief quality officer of My InnerView. “This is an exceptional group of providers and their efforts should be recognized.”

My InnerView, the applied research and quality management company that presents the award, supports leaders across the senior care profession with tools to measure, benchmark and improve performance.

The award was presented to My InnerView customers who completed a resident or family satisfaction survey in 2007, had a minimum 30 percent response rate and scored in the top 10 percent of qualifying facilities on the question, “What is your recommendation of this facility to others?” in terms of the percent of respondents rating the nursing home as “excellent.”

The award was presented to 299 nursing homes nationwide this year, including Stillwater Healthcare and Westgate Manor.

Stillwater Healthcare is a 63-bed nursing home specializing in nursing and skilled nursing care.

Westgate Manor is a 104-bed long-term and assisted-living health care center, providing a range of personalized skilled nursing services specially tailored to the needs of people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

For more information, or a tour, call Stillwater Healthcare at 947-1111 or Westgate Manor at 942-7336.