Boquete Health and Hospice June Newsletter

[Boquete Health and Hospice]

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Boquete Health and Hospice                 Community Outreach In May and June Boquete Health and Hospice provided outstanding educational presentations to the Boquete community.   BHH offers our sincere thanks and appreciation to Dotty Davis who was our special speaker at our May 9th fundraising event.  A good time was enjoyed by all. Money raised will help pay for our oxygen concentrator which we loan free of charge to members in our community.         Boquete Health and Hospice Offers CPR Training                                  BHHF's first ever CPR class was a success! Thank you to all involved, including the energetic students, who without you, there would not have been a class. Woohoo! The July 11th CPR class is full. We have opened up another class August 8th,  2pm, after the general meeting for more hospice volunteers. Please sign up ASAP. Whatever space is not filled, we will begin reaching out to the people who signed up at the  Health Fair last October. Morning classes are in the works for the 4th Thursday of August, September and October. Stay tuned. Great job Instructors, Leslie, Merl and Babbie. Linda/CPR Coordinator The First Blood Drive in Chiriqui Was a Great Achievement  Thank You Boquete! We collected 47 pints which will help 141 patients Boquete Health & Hospice extends A Gracious THANK YOU  To our blood donors, volunteers, Matching Fund donors, and our community partners who supported this first ever Blood Drive in Boquete. Of course, the real winners are the patients in need of blood. We are thrilled to report that 47 pints of blood were collected. Since each blood donation can help save three lives, 141 people are potentially impacted.   Thank you, Boquete!  Your support is truly appreciated by the blood recipients, their loved ones and all of us involved in this life saving initiative. Need help?  Just call 507 6781-8250 (8am-8pm) For Blood - 507 6590-2000 (8am-8pm) Click on TeleMetro link to view the TV clip broadcast to all of Panama: http://www.telemetro.com/nacionales/Realizan-jornada-donacion-sangre-Boquete_3_1255104491.html#.XQd-Dohxly4.email                                   It's a Matter of Heart         On May 28th at the BCP Tuesday Talks, Charlotte Lintz reviewed the symptoms of a heart attack, that most of us are familiar with, as well as the non-classical symptoms for women, diabetics, and the elderly.  Those include shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, mild chest pain, nausea, vomiting, & epigastric pain. In Boquete, if you think you or someone you are with, are having a heart attack, call your emergency number.  Most of us are not fluent in Spanish, especially in an emergency situation, so Rodney Direct is an invaluable service.  He will call Dr. Boya’s ambulance or the Bomberos for you.    If you are experiencing any of these symptoms chew a regular aspirin and lie down near the unlocked entrance door.  If you don’t have access to emergency services, then drive yourself to your nearest neighbor who can drive you to the nearest hospital.  Take a friend, they may have to do CPR!  Do not take NTG unless it has been prescribed for you. No one in Boquete is equipped to take care of heart attack.  Go to the emergency room at a hospital in David.  They have all the latest medications & equipment. A serious problem many physicians see here in Boquete, is new residents dropping dead, or suffering from complications of chronic problems.  Do Not Stop Your Medications!  Your health problems do not suddenly stop just because you retire!  Many people just stop their medications after moving here, then develop heart attacks, heart failure, kidney problems, or uncontrolled diabetes or hypertension.  All of the physicians I know in town will be happy to work with you to wean down your medications, if your chronic health problems improve.  Do not try it alone.  You don’t want to die or increase the damage to your body at the beginning of your new life!   Boquete Health and Hospice's Next Presentation in our Healthy Living Series: Tuesday, July 30 – Meditation for Health and Happiness.    Meditation was once considered just a spiritual practice, commonly associated with Buddhism. Over the past 20 years the universal practicality of a meditative practice has become a studied technique for health and happiness. Today medical doctors and psychologists regularly prescribe meditation as a positive treatment for many physical and psychological issues. This presentation will cover the identified positive effects of meditation as noted in the medical literature, a brief overview of various meditative practices prescribed in modern medicine and a brief, audience participation demonstration. Come find a practical, free process to greater health and happiness. Merl Will-Wallace has a Masters degree in mental health counseling and over twenty years of counseling experience. Merl personally utilizes a regular meditative practice and has taught meditation in private and group therapy sessions for many years.   Our Mission Our mission is to provide palliative care for the terminally ill in order that they may experience death with dignity and limited pain; to inform and promote community health; and, to support people with health and wellness needs by providing information, equipment and volunteer services. To Make a Donation  BHHF functions with donations provided by the community. If you are interested in supporting the work we do, please make a donation. To make a financial contribution by check or cash contact Merl Will-Wallace,our treasurer,at [e-mail] to arrange a time and place to pick up your donation. You can also click here to make an online Paypal donation. For more information visit our website: http://www.boquetehealth.org We also have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/boqueteheartshandsandhelp/?ref=bookmarks  Please Like our page and share the contents with your family and friends. Confidentiality All patient information shared with any Boquete Health and Hospice volunteer is kept in the strictest confidence. To Contact Us Hospice/Health:  (507) 6781-9250 Blood Donor Program:  (507)-6590-2000 Email:  [e-mail] Email:  [e-mail]