Aloha … from BethC Gifford raises money for March of Dimes
Free Healthier Living Workshop coming to Chelsea Health Center
CHELSEA, Sept. 7, 2010 – Gifford Medical Center will offer a new Healthier Living Workshop series – this time in Chelsea.
Offered for free as part of the Vermont Blueprint for Health, Healthier Living Workshops are self-help groups, with trained facilitators, designed to help individuals with chronic conditions and their caregivers manage their diseases and improve their health.
Gifford Medical Center offers the courses several times a year, but this is the first time the class will be held in Chelsea and it’s being held in the evenings. The new series begins Oct. 7 and will continue Thursdays through Nov. 11 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Chelsea Health Center on Route 110 in Chelsea.
Anyone with arthritis, asthma, heart disease, diabetes, emphysema, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis or another chronic illness is encouraged to attend. The 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.
“These classes are really for anyone who is living with a chronic condition and hoping to improve their quality of life,” notes Susan Delattre, who coordinates Gifford’s Healthier Living Workshops. “Living with a chronic condition can also be isolating, so this is also an opportunity to meet others coping with illness. And we’re so excited to be offering a class in Chelsea for the first time.”
To register or for more information, call Delattre at 728-2118. The Chelsea Health Center – a new family clinic built behind the former building – is located at 356 Route 110.