From the August 2018 archives.
Monday, April 8, 2019
Meet Logan Wednesday at Clark Memorial Library in Bethany
Logan, R-Ansonia, represents the 17th District.
Griffin Hospital in Derby to mark National Health Care Decisions Day
DERBY - Griffin Hospital and other national, state, and community organizations are leading a large-scale effort to highlight the importance of advance health care decision-making in recognition of National Healthcare Decisions Day April 16.
As a participating organization, Griffin is providing information and tools for the public to talk about their wishes with family, friends and health care providers, along with options for completing advance directives.
State documents (Appointment of a Healthcare Representative and Living Will) along with other versions of advance directives valid in Connecticut are available at griffinhealth.org/ACP or in the hospital’s Community Health Resource Center.
Griffin has scheduled several activities for the public during April to highlight why all adults need advance care planning.
On April 16 Griffin will host an Advance Care Planning information table outside the hospital dining room where ACP experts can answer questions, take appointments to meet with a trained ACP facilitator, and enter a free drawing to win one of four “Conversation Starter Baskets.”
On April 17 at 11 a.m., Griffin’s Community Health Resource Center, located in the hospital lobby, will present “Knowing and Honoring What Matters Most,” an interactive presentation on the facts and misconceptions of advance care planning and the use of advance directives.
Register at 203-732-7399 or email griflib@griffinhealth.org.
“Understanding and honoring what matters most is key to our Planetree philosophy of person-centered healthcare and Advance Care Planning,” said Lynn Aiksnoras, Advance Care Planning Coordinator for Griffin Health. “As a result of National Healthcare Decisions Day, and our activities throughout the month, many more people in our community can be expected to have thoughtful conversations about their health care decisions and complete reliable advance directives to make their wishes known. Fewer families and health care providers will have to struggle with making difficult healthcare decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient, and healthcare providers and facilities will be better equipped to address advance health care planning issues before a crisis and be better able to honor patient wishes when the time comes to do so.”
For more information about National Healthcare Decision Day, call 203-732-1255, visit griffinhealth.org/ACP or check out the national picture at nhdd.org.
This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.
Create crafts from recyclables in Ansonia Library class
Jeanie Roslonowski will teach you how to make fun crafts using recycled materials.
This class will be an Earth Day project on how to make bird seed.
Please register; space is limited. Call 203-734-6275. The Library is at 53 S. Cliff St.
This is shared from an online community calendar sponsored by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and The New Haven Independent.
Griffin Hospital in Derby to offer free hernia screenings
Griffin Hospital to offer free hernia screenings April 25./ Contributed photo
DERBY - Griffin Hospital will host a free hernia screening event from 5-8 p.m. April 25 at the hospital, 130 Division St.
The screenings will be conducted by area surgeons specializing in hernia treatment.
The test takes about 10 minutes and participants will receive information and referrals if there is a suspected hernia.
A hernia occurs when an internal organ or other body part protrudes through the wall of muscle or tissue that normally contains it. Most hernias occur within the abdominal cavity, between the chest and the hips, or the groin.
“It is estimated that 5 million people in the country have an abdominal hernia, but only about 700,000 of them seek medical treatment each year,” said Griffin Hospital Chief of Surgery Dr. Richard Salzano. “It can be very painful to live with a hernia and potentially life-threatening, so we’re hosting this free screening to encourage anyone who believes they have a hernia to come in and have it checked.”
A hernia in the abdomen or groin can produce a noticeable lump or bulge that can be pushed back in, or that can disappear when lying down. Laughing, crying, coughing, straining during a bowel movement, or physical activity may make the lump reappear after it has been pushed in.
More symptoms of a hernia include:
- Swelling or bulge in the groin or scrotum
- Increased pain at the site of the bulge
- Pain while lifting
- Increase in the bulge size over time
- A dull aching sensation
- A sense of feeling full or signs of bowel obstruction
- In the case of hiatal hernias - when the upper part of your stomach bulges through the large muscle separating your abdomen and chest (diaphragm) - there are no bulges on the outside of the body. Instead, symptoms may include heartburn, indigestion, difficulty swallowing, frequent regurgitation, and chest pain.
Hernias occur in a higher frequency in men between the ages of 40 to 59 years of age, but approximately 2 percent of all women will have an inguinal hernia at some point in their lifetime.
If left untreated, hernias can get bigger over time, become more visible and can cause serious problems, including blocking the intestine, pinched blood vessels and the hernia can break through the skin.
Interested individuals must make an appointment, which will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis.
To make an appointment, call 203-732-3443.
This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.
Helpful hints to keep bugs away now that warmer weather is almost here
Saw this on Facebook and thought I'd share.