Aloha … from BethCLiving with a chronic disease?
Free workshop begins Jan. 28 at Gifford
RANDOLPH, Jan. 4, 2010 – Healthier Living Workshops are offered for free as part of the Vermont Blueprint for Health, a statewide effort to improve health and the health care system in Vermont.
In central Vermont, Gifford Medical Center offers the free Healthier Living Workshops and a new class is slated to start Jan. 28.
Healthier Living Workshops are self-help groups, with trained facilitators, designed to help individuals with chronic conditions and their caregivers manage their disease and improve their health.
For individuals with arthritis, asthma, heart disease, diabetes, emphysema, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis and other chronic illnesses, these six-week classes are designed to add vitality to participants’ lives and provide tools to better deal with frustration, fatigue and pain.
They also help to improve strength, flexibility and endurance as well as provide tips for managing medications, eating healthier and improving communications with family, friends and health care providers.
According to the Vermont Department of Health, past participants report increased energy, reduced stress, more self-confidence and fewer doctors’ visits as a result.
“Some of our past participants have even taken the workshop again,” notes Gifford program coordinator Susan Delattre. “They’ve told us they enjoy the group support and wanted to continue to hone their management skills for their chronic conditions.”
The workshops are Thursdays, Jan. 28 through March 4 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Markle room in the Gifford Conference Center. The hospital and conference center are located at 44 S. Main St. (Route 12) in Randolph.
Call Delattre at 728-2118 to register or for more information.