Technical Exploration Day at Husson University

BANGOR – In your lifetime, you or someone you know will need assistive technology. If you recently had surgery or find that certain tasks are increasingly difficult to do, you will find the Technical Exploration Center’s workshop to be just what you need.

The workshop will feature world-renowned assistive technologies expert R. J. Cooper, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at Husson University’s Dyke Center for Family Business, One College Circle. The event is free and certificates of attendance and-or CEUs will be awarded.

Cooper, maker of products for individuals with special needs, including software and hardware adaptations, will work one on one with students and those with disabilities for half-hour periods. He will evaluate and determine the optimal means each person requires to access assistive devices designed to make life more manageable.

TV monitors will display the results of individual sessions so that workshop participants may witness the variety of devices available. Parents, therapists, service coordinators and teachers are invited to observe for all or part of the day.

Cooper has 18 years of experience in making breakthroughs for people with disabilities.

To register for the free event, e-mail Mark McCellan at Info@tecmaine.org or call 992-9270.

The Technical Exploration Center is a community outreach program of Husson University, located at 34 Summer St.

The center is a place to discover and practice the use of assistive technologies in a safe, “try before you buy” learning environment. To find out more about the center, call Colleen Adams at 992-9270 or visit www.tecmaine.org.

Diabetes support groups

BANGOR – St. Joseph Healthcare’s daytime Diabetes Support Group will meet at 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, in the Diabetes and Nutrition Center, Building 1, St. Joseph Healthcare Park, 900 Broadway.

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

The October program will feature diabetes specialist Dana Green in a discussion on diabetes and the latest developments in diabetes care and treatment.

A separate, evening support group meets the second Tuesday of each month. The group will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, also at the Diabetes and Nutrition Center. For information about either support group, call St. Joseph Healthcare’s Diabetes and Nutrition Center at 262-1870.

Free prosthetic evaluations

BANGOR – World-renowned and certified prosthetist Kevin Carroll will provide free prosthetic evaluations to local amputees Thursday, Oct. 2, at Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics, 41 Bangor Mall Blvd.

An American Board-certified prosthetist with nearly 30 years of experience as a practicing clinician, researcher and skilled educator, Carroll travels daily treating the most challenging amputations nationwide and has appeared internationally on news broadcasts such as “Dateline,” “20/20,” “CBS Early Show,” “NBC Nightly News,” “ABC’s Good Morning, America,” and on the Discovery Channel.

He was featured in an article in Time magazine’s March 31 issue called “Innovators: Building a Better Athlete,” for his pioneering prosthetic solutions for amputee athletes.

Carroll has been in Beijing working with the world’s fastest, most athletic amputees.

Known most recently for his success developing the first prosthetic tail fluke for an amputee dolphin, Carroll volunteers many weekends at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

A 4-year-old Atlantic bottlenose dolphin named Winter was stranded and caught in a crab trap near Cape Canaveral in December 2005 when she was 18 months old.

Her tail fluke eventually came off when it was severely damaged by the trap’s rope entanglement. Winter received around-the-clock medical attention in an effort to save her life.

Having survived, she adapted to a less efficient and damaging side-to-side swimming style, as there was no tail fluke to give her thrust. Thanks to Carroll’s ingenuity, Winter became the first dolphin to have her entire tail fluke replaced with a prosthetic device.

Bangor-area residents interested in scheduling a prosthetic evaluation with Carroll should call 229-9912.

Blood pressure screening

BANGOR – High blood pressure can happen to anyone at any age. Those at risk include anyone 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 a free blood pressure screening 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 including, headaches, dizziness and blurred vision.

The screening will be held 9-10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 29, at the Bangor Y on Hammond Street.

For more information about the screening, call Alyssa Hanson, work-site wellness coordinator with EMMC, at 973-7089.

Addressing health needs

The Penobscot Valley Health Association Fund of the Maine Community Foundation awarded nearly $90,000 to eight organizations addressing health needs in the area.

Among the funded organizations is the Autism Society of Maine, based in Winthrop. The grant will be used to recruit autism information specialists in the Bangor area to increase capacity to respond to the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

Other grant awards went to:

. The City of Bangor, for an adventure and group-based experiential youth leadership program.

. Community Health and Counseling Services, Bangor, for Dance with Health, a collaboration between CHCS and a rural school to establish an exercise and nutrition education program.

. Day One, South Portland, to assist high-risk youth at Charleston’s Mountain View Youth Development Center to integrate into the community.

. Greater Old Town Communities That Care, to strengthen organizational capacity through board and staff development.

. Maine Association of Nonprofits, Portland, for a program for executive directors of nonprofits addressing the health and welfare needs of the Bangor community.

. Penquis Community Action Program, Bangor, to integrate pre-conception counseling and care into existing Penquis Health Services practices.

. Warren Center for Communication and Learning, Bangor, to open a program for hearing-impaired preschoolers.

The fund’s advisory committee, which reviews proposals and awards grants, is particularly interested in supporting efforts to address overlooked health needs in the community, especially the physical and mental health needs of youth. The next deadline for applying to the PVHA Fund is May 15.

For more information about the PVHA Fund, call Laura Reed at 564-3236 or e-mail lreed@mainecf.org.

Bid Against Cancer

BANGOR – Businesses and organizers are joining the fight against cancer through Bid Against Cancer, a charity event set for 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Sea Dog Brewing Co.

Those attending can support a worthy cause by bidding on items donated by businesses while enjoying the evening in a cocktail party atmosphere.

“Every dollar raised will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society,” said organizer Angela Conrad, who was 13 when she lost her mother to cancer. “We expect the bidding to be spirited, and everyone will have a good time contributing to a worthy cause.”

Interested businesses still have time to contribute anything biddable such as clothing, furniture, a dinner for two, a home cleaning and fuel oil.

Every year, more than 135,000 Americans are diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or some other form of blood cancer, with many of those diagnosed being children.

Bid Against Cancer is open to the public, but space is limited. The auction is a chance, Conrad said, “to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to promote research, provide support to families in need and perhaps save someone else’s mother or loved one.”

For information, call Conrad at 991-8702, e-mail angelaconcrad@hotmail.com or visit bidagainstcancer.com.

Fall Birth Night

BANGOR – The best things in your baby’s life are free. Join Penquis, the Bangor Public Library and Raising Reader as they discuss how reading to your child is one the most important things you can do for their development.

Parents also can learn more about childbirth education classes, lactation services, support groups, community assistance agencies, sibling preparation and much more.

Eastern Maine Medical Center will host Fall Birth Night 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, in the Mason Auditorium at EMMC on State Street.

For information, call EMMC Perinatal Education at 973-8742.