Vol.. 15, No. 1, Winter, 2007
What’s The Future For Health Care With Democrats Riding High
When A Feller Needs A Friend
Ninety-year-old Martin Giragosian, a resident of Royal Nursing Center in Falmouth, and his visiting pal, Nicholas, a Registered Therapy Dog from Allegiance Hospice. Nicholas, a five-year-old Standard Chocolate Poodle, and his handler, Sharron Mack, are hospice volunteers from Allegiance Hospice who care for residents with advanced illnesses.
Nicholas and Ms. Mack visit twice a week. “You should see their faces light up when they see us,” Ms. Mack said. “It doesn't take long for Nicholas to become a friend to the people we visit. As soon as he enters their rooms, their moods completely change. For people facing the end of life, a visit from Nicholas can make a huge difference in helping them forget about their illness—at least for a few minutes.” Nicholas was trained by the Therapy Dog Institute. Research has shown that seniors who receive pet therapy are better able to cope with stressful life events, and are less likely to suffer from depression and loneliness. Pet therapy has been shown to be an important tool for treating people with advanced illnesses.
As we enter the new year in Washington, we have Democrats now in control of both houses of Congress, albeit with a Republican still wielding a veto pen in the White House. Click here for full story
Mental Health Issues Being Faced
Head On By Cape Cod Agencies
In many communities, mental health issues fester in the shadows. Not here on the Cape where enlightened concern is more the rule than the exception…and where recent new developments have further brightened a too-often bleak landscape. Click here to read some of the stories.
Custom Providers Serve Cape
In recent months, we’ve been learning about health care providers on Cape Cod who have made a place for themselves by providing local residents with particular services.
In our last issue, we introduced West Barnstable’s Joel Dwyer, a Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist, the only craftsman on the Cape to provide those customized devices.
This time—marking our 15th anniversary, incidentally—To Your Good Health, A Health Care Newsletter, will present a trifecta of what we’d like to call custom providers who stand alone in the type of service they offer.
They are:
- The Infusion Network of the Cape and Islands, unique in that it provides outpatient infusion (intravenous) therapy away from the hospital, in the home or via its ambulatory suite;
- Mayflower Place of West Yarmouth, which bills itself as “Cape Cod’s only continuing care retirement community,” meaning they provide for independent retirement living, assisted living and skilled nursing care all on one campus;
- Men’s and Women’s Health Solutions of Hyannis, which, in addition to providing prosthetics for women who have undergone mastectomies, focuses on the customized fitting of compression sleeves and stockings to help patients of both genders relieve the swelling caused by vascular problems as well as a little-known condition called lymphedema.
These are their stories…and if you have one to add, let us hear from you.
Elsewhere In This Issue
RHCI Expands Options For Treating Children
State Grant Helps VNA Extend Program For Men’s Health Screenings