Diabetes group programs

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

Louise Bonawitz, fitness center manager at the Hammond Street Senior Center, will speak on “Bone Builders,” an exercise program to strengthen bones.

A second support group meets at 6 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month. The Nov. 13 meeting will feature a presentation on the 2-1-1 human services information referral hot line.

For information about either group, call St. Joseph Healthcare’s Diabetes and Nutrition Center at 262-1870.

The daytime support group will not meet in December.

Van fund

ORONO – Funds are being raised to help 8-year-old Logan Severance obtain a handicapped-accessible van. Logan Severance, son of Stan and Terri Severance of Brewer, has a motor neuron disease, spinal muscular atrophy.

To help, visit www.logansfreedomride.com.

Breast and bone health

BANGOR – “Breast Health and Bone Health for Breast Cancer Survivors” will be the topic of the Bone Health Information and Discussion Group at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, at the Isaac Farrar Mansion, Bangor Y, Second Street.

For information, contact Robin Long, 941-2808, Ext. 338. The group is a program of Caring Connections. All are welcome.

Dental hygiene clinic

BANGOR – The University College of Bangor Dental Hygiene Clinic students and staff volunteered Oct. 13 to take dental x-rays of members of C-Company, 1-126 Aviation Regiment, who will deploy to Iraq soon.

The clinic also assisted the same unit, formerly the 112th Medical Co., before it deployed in 2003.

The UCB Dental Hygiene Clinic provides low-cost services to the public while providing training to dental hygiene students seeking bachelor or associate degrees at the college. The clinic is located in Lincoln Hall, 29 Texas Ave.

Alzheimer’s conference

BANGOR – “Meeting the Challenges of Dementia: Preserving Cognitive Function in the Early Stages,” will be the theme for the Alzheimer’s Association Maine Chapter’s statewide conference, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, at the Spectacular Event Center.

The program will feature former psychologist and author Dr. Richard Taylor on “Alzheimer’s Disease from the Inside Out: One Man’s Story.” Other topics include “Staying Sharp and Functioning Better Longer: Evidence-based, Drug-free Therapies that Work” with Dr. Nancy Richeson, and “CTRS and Innovative Early Stage Programs and Approaches” discussed by a panel of practitioners from across Maine.

Family and professional caregivers are welcome to attend. The cost is $35 to family caregivers, $25 members; $90 to professionals, $80 members. The fee includes lunch and six CEUs or equivalent for professionals. To register, call 800-272-3900.

Breast cancer awareness

AUGUSTA – In recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services reminds Maine women of the importance of early detection of breast cancer.

According to the DHHS Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 980 Maine women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and 30,224 women need breast and cervical cancer screening services based on health insurance coverage and income.

As the most frequently diagnosed non-skin cancer, breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in women.

To qualify for free mammograms and Pap tests, a woman must be between 40 and 64 years old; meet certain income guidelines; have no medical insurance, including MaineCare and Medicare Part B, or have insurance which does not cover screening services.

The Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program and the Maine Comprehensive Cancer Control Program recommend that women age 40 and older have a clinical breast exam and mammogram every year. Also, the American Cancer Society recommends that women age 20 to 39, without symptoms, receive a clinical breast exam at least every three years.

For information, call 800- 350-5180, or 287-8068; TTY: 800-438-5514.