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Mammograms best screening

Women often ask what they can do to lower their chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer. Though some risk factors such as smoking can be avoided, others, such as genetics, cannot.

Women can increase protective factors by eating healthy foods and changing their lifestyle to include exercise and other stress-reducing activities. However, it is important to remember that the biggest risk women face is aging.

That is why early detection is the key to saving lives.

The American Cancer Society recommends that women 40 and older have a mammogram every year. Though many agencies are funding numerous research projects to improve breast cancer screening methods, at this time mammograms are still considered the best method to find breast cancer.

For women unable to afford the cost of a doctor’s visit or mammogram, the Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program, part of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, may be able to help. The program provides access to screening services for women 40 and older with little or no health insurance and who meet income guidelines. Women age 35-39 experiencing symptoms related to a possible breast or cervical cancer also may qualify.

For more information, call 800-350-5180.

Nurses alumni meeting

BANGOR – The Nurses Alumni Association will meet at 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, at the Dyke Center at Husson University. Nurse Beverly Wilson, manager of Hospice Service, Visiting Nurses Association, will be the guest speaker. A business meeting will start at 2 p.m. Refreshments will be served. For information, call Barbara Higgins, 942-9648 or 399-1972.

National week honoring gerontological nurses

BANGOR – During National Gerontological Nurses Week, Oct. 1-8, nurses throughout the nation participated in events highlighting the dedication of nurses who care for older adults. The focus included awareness of diseases that affect seniors, such as Alzheimer’s and other dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Maine chapter, some 30,000 families in Maine are affected by Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia.

However, the number of gerontological nurses available to care for this specialized population is low, creating a gap in needed healthcare services.

Amy Cotton, geriatric nurse and director of Rosscare, said, “Nurses who specialize in the healthcare needs of older adults are in short supply, not only in our community but all across the country. Gerontological nurses are being recognized for their innovative, competent and compassionate care this week. Increasing awareness of, and education about, diseases that frequently impact older adults – such as Alzheimer’s disease – is a priority for these nurses.”

Staff from Rosscare facilities, including Ross Home, Ross Manor and Dirigo Pines, participated in the three-mile Memory Walk on Oct. 4.

Rosscare’s Center for Healthy Aging can answer questions and provide Maine seniors with an outpatient memory evaluation and geriatric primary healthcare support services in the home. For more information, call 973-7094.

Caregivers may access The Employed Caregiver’s Survival Guide, a free resource specifically for working adults caring for aging loved ones, at www.rosscare.org.

Childhood obesity forum

BANGOR – Gov. John E. Baldacci addressed recently a public program on childhood obesity.

Sponsored by Eastern Maine Medical Center in collaboration with other health care providers, the event identified the major health risk of obesity and strategies to address the public health issue. The featured speaker was Dr. Kim Eagle, director of the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center, who discussed the “Project Healthy Schools” program developed in the Ann Arbor School System.

“This is a critical issue impacting Maine children,” said Baldacci. “A full 30 percent of Maine youth are obese or overweight. These are the highest rates in New England, and our obesity rates have doubled in the past 15 years. Addressing this issue is vital to the health and welfare of our most valuable resource, our children.”

Obesity and being overweight are key factors in the risk of serious medical conditions, generating high costs to our health care system.

Baldacci said that coordinated health and wellness efforts through Maine schools and other public programs are important.

“There are multiple causes to obesity, and that’s why the combined efforts of schools, health professionals, parents and others are needed to successfully address obesity in youth,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the governor gave opening remarks at the Governor’s Conference on Youth and the Natural World in Augusta.

The conference addressed strategies to help schools connect with nature and build healthy communities. The governor said other initiatives, including the Governor’s Council on Physical Activity, Take it Outside, and Dirigo Health Reform’s preventive health focus and development of the State Health Plan, are crucial pieces of the comprehensive work to address childhood obesity.

Emergency Caregivers Week

BANGOR – Eastern Maine Medical Center is celebrating Emergency Caregivers Week through Oct. 11.

“Every day, our staff provides outstanding emergency care to our region. On an average day we see approximately 120 patients, all with a variety of ailments,” said nurse Jeanne Leighton, head of EMMC’s emergency department. “More than 120 emergency caregivers work at EMMC, all of whom have specialized training and continually strive for excellence in patient care.”

Over the years, emergency care has expanded and changed. Nancy Carney, staff nurse in EMMC’s emergency department, has been a nurse for more than 30 years and has seen a lot of improvements and advancements.

“One of the biggest changes I’ve seen is in the area of EMS – they can now do so much more in the field,” Carney said. “The level of care, expertise and skills from critical care, Life Flight and paramedics has expanded the EMS system greatly. When I first started as a nurse in a smaller hospital, there was no radio contact between the ambulance and the hospital. You had to wait until the patient arrived to see what was wrong. Communication is much better and much faster now. In an emergency situation every second counts.”

Other advances Carney described are in the area of technology – having better monitoring systems and the use of computers at the bedside.

EMMC’s emergency department has planned a recognition luncheon to show appreciation to the staff and its dedication to the field of emergency care. Appreciation gifts will be distributed to staff members.

For more information about EMMC, visit www.emmc.org.

Maine Heart Walk

BANGOR – Join the fight against cardiovascular disease by signing up for the northeastern Maine Heart Walk, stepping off at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, from O’Donnell Commons at Husson University. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Wear sneakers, warm clothing and bring a bottle of water. Choose a one-, two- or four-mile walk. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

The walk is free to participate in, but donations are accepted to benefit the American Heart Association. For more information, e-mail Kristin.brooks@bangormaine.gov or call 992-4465.

Look Good…Feel Better

“Who doesn’t want to look good and feel better? I know I did when I was undergoing treatment for breast cancer,” said seven-year survivor Mash Sutton. The surgery, chemotherapy and radiation were as devastating as the diagnosis. Loss of hair, loss of energy, loss of skin tone and loss of feminine self-image are all side effects of surviving breast cancer.

The American Cancer Society recognized the impact breast cancer treatment had on women and established the program Look Good…Feel Better. The program is supported by funds raised at the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks each year in October.

Look Good…Feel Better is a free program that teaches beauty techniques to cancer patients. To help them combat the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment, trained volunteer cosmetologists teach women how to cope with hair loss and skin changes. Free cosmetic kits and helpful hints are provided to participants at group sessions.

Individual sessions also may be arranged. Women learn ways to disguise hair loss with wigs, scarves and other accessories.

“It wasn’t until after my own diagnosis that I learned the importance of this wonderful program,” said Sutton. “I will never forget the day a good friend and I were talking when she stopped suddenly and said, ‘You don’t have any eyelashes?’ It’s hard to disguise no eyebrows, no eyelashes and a grayish skin color when you are blonde and blue-eyed. I was crushed, thinking I had covered up my hair loss with a wig. I was wrong.

“The nurses at my oncologist’s office suggested I attend a Look Good…Feel Better session at the clinic,” Sutton said. “I didn’t think I would benefit, but I agreed to go. What a treat it was. I learned ways to care for my skin and healthy ways to eat to encourage a quick return to normal skin tone and color. The volunteer cosmetologist demonstrated ways to camouflage missing eyebrows and eyelashes. I was boosted by laughter, as stories of cold heads and not having to shave were exchanged by others coping with the similar side effects. I still incorporate many of the healthy skin care techniques into my daily regiment, seven years later.”

Surviving breast cancer is so much more than finding and removing a tumor.

The treatment and physical and emotional side effects are just as challenging. Programs like Look Good…Feel Better offer patients a chance to do just that – look good and feel better.

Participation in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer as a walker, donor or volunteer is a step toward making Look Good…Feel Better and other American Cancer Society programs possible.

To learn more about the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 19, in Damariscotta, call Carol Wise at 563-2667, or Melissa Cushman at 373-3723.

Visit the American Cancer Society Web site at cancer.org/stridesonline to register, form a team, make a donation or create a personal donation page.