Aloha … from BetheChronic illness sufferers benefit from free classes
New workshop starts evenings this June at Gifford
RANDOLPH, May 26, 2009 – Red Lion Inn resident Barbara Pritchard is on oxygen to treat her chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and has arthritis that causes significant pain in her legs.
She used to be “negative” about her ailments, she says. “Why me?” she would frequently ask herself.
But a class three years ago changed Pritchard’s outlook.
Healthier Living Workshops Chronic illness sufferers improve your quality of life, Tuesdays, June 9-July 14, 6-8:30 p.m., Gifford Medical Center Conference Center, 44 S. Main St., Randolph, free, call (802) 728-2118 to register. |
Pritchard took a Healthier Living Workshop series at Gifford Medical Center. She liked it so much that she took it again recently.
“I loved the workshop,” says Pritchard. “The first class I took changed my attitude a lot. I didn’t really accept what was going on with me. I was always like ‘Why me?’ Now I accept it, and I go on.”
Healthier Living Workshops are offered as part of the Vermont Blueprint for Health. They’re free and have been designed to add vitality to the lives of those with chronic diseases.
For individuals with arthritis, asthma, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic illnesses, the six-week classes provide tools for better dealing with frustration, fatigue and pain. They also help improve strength, flexibility and endurance as well as managing medications, healthier eating and improving communications with family, friends and health care providers.
Past participants report increased energy, reduced stress, more self-confidence and fewer doctors’ visits as a result.
Pritchard’s self-confidence has returned. She’s also learned – and shared – coping mechanisms. And she’s made friends.
“It’s something where you can be yourself and nobody laughs at you. Everybody works together. It’s like a big happy family where everyone is trying to do better in their lives and accept what is happening to them,” Pritchard says.
One of the keys to Pritchard’s success is setting realistic goals.
“I was always like ‘Why me?’ Now I accept it, and I go on.” Barbara Pritchard, Randolph |
She writes herself a to-do list each day, but only puts one or two things on it, like “clean the bathroom” or “dust.”
By limiting her tasks, she avoids becoming overwhelmed or discouraged by what she can’t do.
“I’m not growing old gracefully at all: I’m fighting it all the way. I feel like I can get out and conquer the earth.” But, she says, “I’ve accepted that I can’t do what I did. This is just a way of life. You’re not going to be 16 anymore.”
Prichard is now on a mission to sign others up for the class. She’s told family and fellow Red Lion Inn residents about it. She’d even like to take the class again herself.
“It’s very educational,” she says. “It does make you feel better. This class can help anyone and everyone.”
Another workshop is upcoming at Gifford – and it’s being offered in the evenings for the first time.
“We are offering an evening class to accommodate people living with a chronic condition who work,” Gifford Healthier Living Workshop coordinator Susan Delattre says. “Of course, the class is open to everyone living with a chronic condition and also their caregivers.”
The classes are Tuesdays, June 9 to July 14 from 6-8:30 p.m. in the Gifford Conference Center. The hospital and Conference Center are located at 44 S. Main St. (Route 12) in Randolph. Anyone interested in participating in the free classes should call Delattre at 728-2118 to register or for more information.