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HOEM hospice training

BANGOR – Hospice of Eastern Maine is seeking caring men and women of all ages and walks of life to join its family of patient care volunteers. The hospice’s volunteers are people who share their time and friendship with terminally ill patients and caregivers.

Hospice care focuses on the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of hospice patients and their loved ones. Trained medical professionals deliver the physical care; hospice volunteers provide companionship and comfort care. They are “friends in a time of need” to the patients and families they serve. Volunteers generally give two to four hours of service each week when assigned to a patient and family.

The hospice’s fall training course will meet 5:30-9 p.m. six consecutive Tuesdays, Oct. 7-Nov. 11, at the Eastern Maine Medical Center Healthcare Mall, 885 Union St., Suite 220.

The comprehensive training course will help prospective volunteers understand end-of-life matters and prepare them to provide emotional support, respite and bereavement care for hospice patients and their families.

The hospice’s volunteers are members of an interdisciplinary team that plans and delivers patient care services. To obtain more information about becoming a volunteer with Hospice of Eastern Maine or to request an application packet, call Wayne Melanson, director of volunteer services, at 973-8269 or e-mail wmelanson@emh.org. Aspiring volunteers must complete an application and interview by Oct. 3. Class size is limited.

St. Joseph Hospice training

BANGOR – St. Joseph Hospice is seeking volunteers to provide nonmedical support to hospice patients and their caregivers.

Volunteers are people of all ages, faiths and walks of life who serve two to four hours each week, depending on their availability.

Training sessions for new Hospice volunteers begin Saturday, Sept. 13.

Deadline for advance registration is Friday, Sept. 5.

Volunteers offer companionship to hospice patients by simply talking to them, playing games, reading or playing music. Hospice volunteers also provide respite to patients’ families so that they can run errands or rest.

And when a patient passes away, volunteers stay in touch with the families to offer bereavement support.

For more information about the volunteer training session, call Jane Folsom at 262-1810.

Beacon Hospice training

BANGOR – Beacon Hospice Inc. recently announced the start of a new seven- week volunteer training and orientation program.

Orientation will be held 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17. Volunteer training sessions will take place 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, and Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29. All sessions will be held at Bangor High School, 885 Broadway, in conjunction with the Bangor Adult and Community Education program.

Beacon Hospice provides end-of-life care to terminally ill patients and relies on volunteers to ensure the delivery of care to these patients. Volunteers provide much needed support to patients and their families in a number of ways including:

. Visiting with patients on an ongoing basis.

. Sitting vigils.

. Organizing craft projects.

. Working in the Beacon Hospice office.

For information, interested volunteers should cal Roanne Austin, volunteer coordinator, at 942-2920.

Physical Disabilities Support

BANGOR – Ross Doerr, from the Disability Rights Center in Augusta, will speak on and demonstrate adaptive equipment for voting during the meeting of the Physical Disabilities Support Group at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, at Alpha One, 1048 Union St.

At the same time, the SOS group for family and friends will meet for a program by Mary Knowlton, Hospice of St. Joseph, on grief.

Those attending either group are welcome to arrive at 5 p.m. for a potluck meal.

Diabetes Support Group

BANGOR – St. Joseph Healthcare’s monthly daytime Diabetes Support Group will meet at 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, in the Diabetes & Nutrition Center, Building 1, St. Joseph Healthcare Park, 900 Broadway, Bangor.

Group members share personal experiences relating to diabetes management, stress reduction and coping skills.

The September program will feature Riva Greenberg, a member of the A1C Champions program, a patient-led approach to diabetes education. Greenberg will discuss using insulin and ways to keep blood sugar levels under control.

A separate, evening support group meets the second Tuesday of each month. This group will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9, also at the Diabetes & Nutrition Center. For more information about either support group, call St. Joseph Healthcare’s Diabetes and Nutrition Center at 262-1870.

EAAA advisory council

BANGOR – Eastern Area Agency on Aging is seeking community members to serve on its advisory council and its board of directors.

The advisory council is made up of 24 members, with at least four from each of the counties that EAAA serves: Penobscot, Washington, Hancock and Piscataquis.

The Eastern Area Agency on Aging board consists of 17 members. Twelve must be from the four counties and must be 60 years of age or older.

Several positions are open for representation from all four of the counties on both the advisory council and the board of directors due to members reaching their term limits.

EAAA is hoping to find residents of the four counties who want to participate in advocacy opportunities and regularly held regional forums and who want to make a difference in the lives of aging residents of eastern Maine.

Besides governance, the board of directors can act as legislative advocates for the elderly. Serving on EAAA board will keep the member’s finger on the pulse of public policy and legislation as it applies to those served by the agency.

To be considered for a position on the advisory council or board of directors, call Noelle Merrill, executive director, Eastern Area Agency on Aging, at 941-2865. A job description and application will be sent to prospective members. The application deadline is Oct. 1.

The advisory council meets four times a year; the board of directors meets monthly, 10 times per year. These are daytime or morning meetings.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to help govern this agency and be a leader on aging issues in the community, as well as be instrumental in structuring policy for Maine’s seniors,” said Merrill. “If you are interested in serving, but cannot make regular meetings or have travel constraints, still give me a call at 800-432-7812. We can find a way for you to help.”

Dental hygiene equipment

BANGOR – The University College of Bangor’s Dental Hygiene Clinic unveiled new dental radiographic sensors on Aug. 26.

The new equipment will deliver improved care to community patients who use the low-cost clinic, as well better prepare UCB’s dental hygiene and dental assistant students for jobs after graduation.

The new equipment, purchased with help from a grant from the Northeast Delta Dental Foundation, makes digital images of teeth, reducing patient exposure to radiation from X-rays. The equipment is now used in about half the dental practices in Maine.

For more information on UCB’s dental hygiene programs and public access to its dental hygiene clinic, visit www.uma.edu/dentalhygiene.html.

Eat and raise funds

BANGOR – Help the Warren Center raise money and have a great lunch or dinner at the same time on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Uno’s Chicago Grill.

Bring with you a coupon, available at the Warren Center, 175 Union St., when you go to Uno’s for lunch or dinner, or pick up take-out orders. The coupon will entitle the Warren Center to receive up to 20 percent of your bill.

For more information, call 941-2850, 877-542-9000 or TTY 941-2833.

Post-polio conference

AUGUSTA – The annual statewide Post-Polio Conference will be 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Calumet Club, 334 Northern Ave., Route 104. Keynote speaker will be Dr. Nicholas Hill, chief of the pulmonary medicine division at Tufts Medical Center.

Sean Ociepka, a lawyer from the Disability Rights Center in Augusta, will discuss various aspects and rights under both the Americans with Disabilities Act and Maine Human Rights provisions.

For more information, call Ann Crocker of the Post-Polio Support Group of Maine at 724-3784.

Remembrance blood drive

GLENBURN – G&H Ambulance Service will sponsor the 9-11 Heroes Remembrance Blood Drive 12:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, at the Glenburn Fire Station, 144 Lakeview Drive. Refreshments will be served and door prizes awarded.

People who want to make an appointment may call Donna Heathcote at 884-7479, but walk-ins are also acceptable.

A fundraiser, in cooperation with Uno’s Chicago Grill, will be held all day Thursday, Sept. 18. Mention that you are participating in a G&H Ambulance Service fundraiser and 15 to 20 percent of proceeds from take-out and in-house orders will be donated to the ambulance service for equipment, training and community outreach.

Patient-centered certification

BANGOR – Eastern Maine Medical Center’s Husson Internal Medicine has become the first primary care office in the Northeast – and the second in the nation – to be certified as a Patient Centered Medical Home by the National Committee on Quality Assurance.

The committee is the nationally recognized, quasi-governmental agency which assesses quality in a variety of healthcare settings.

Until recently, the committee’s highest certification was Physician Practice Connection Certification, which all EMMC primary care offices achieved two years ago.

Here in Maine, state employees can save money on their doctor visits if their physician is committee-certified. To date, EMMC primary care offices are the only ones in Maine to have the Physician Practice Connection quality certification.

“PCMH certification is the highest primary care quality assurance that NCQA bestows,” said Michael Donahue, vice president of physician practices at EMMC. “The medical home replaces traditional episodic care with care based on an ongoing relationship between patient and personal physician and a team that is responsible for that patient’s care. The model enhances care through open scheduling, expanded hours and heightened communication, as well as careful tracking and management of chronic illnesses.”

The concept of medical home describes the place where the patient and physician together take responsibility for health, chronic disease management and lifestyle choices to maintain good health.

EMMC’s other primary care offices are expected to receive the certification by the end of September.