Does Your Loved One Have a Diagnosis of Dementia?

As a caregiver, are you finding it difficult to meet your own needs while caring for your loved one?

Senior Solutions (Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont) has respite funding available through the Dementia Respite Grant. This grant, funded by the State of Vermont, supports paid respite opportunities for primary, unpaid caregivers in Windsor and Windham counties.  The elder’s income eligibility limit is $2,917.00 per month for an individual or $3,932.00 per month for a couple.

For more information please call the Senior Helpline at 1-800-642-5119 and ask to speak to our Grant Manager.


Holistic Expo – A Complementary Trail to Wellness

Holistic Expo ~ A Complementary Trail to Wellness

Come out to the HOLISTIC EXPO this Friday, November 13th!  This event, free and open to the public, is a chance to experience many complementary
options offered to improve your health and wellness. Experience mini
sessions, as well as 30-minute educational discussions. Reiki, Medicinal
Herbal Remedies, Bowenwork, Reflexology, Massage, Shiatsu, Astrology,
Expressive Arts Therapy, Clinical Hypnosis, Dowsing, Spiritual Soul
Readings & Counseling, Somatic Breath Therapy.

November 13, 2015, 11am – 4pm

The River Garden

157 Main Street

Brattleboro, VT 05301


BMH Offers Free Workshop on Bone Health

On Tuesday, November 3, 2015 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM Brattleboro Memorial Hospital will be offering a free workshop, open to the public titled: “Bone Health: Make It Or Break It” in the Brew Barry Conference Room. This workshop will highlight the perspectives of providers in two disciplines, Orthopaedics and Endocrinology, as they discuss evaluation and treatment of our bone health.

Margaret Ferry, MD and Maureen Mahoney, PA-C


Holistic Expo ~ A Complementary Trail to Wellness

Holistic Expo free and open to the public to experience the many complementary options offered to improve your health and wellness. Experience mini sessions, as well as 30-minute educational discussions. Reiki, Medicinal Herbal Remedies, Bowenwork, Reflexology, Massage, Astrology, Expressive Arts Therapy, Clinical Hypnosis, Dowsing, Spiritual Soul Readings & Counseling, Herbal Products with Counseling & Nutrition.

Friday November 13, 2015
11am – 4pm

The River Garden
157 Main Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301


BMH Presents Lower Back Pain Workshop

As part of its commitment to community wellness, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital will present a workshop examining different perspectives on treating lower back pain. of and Brett Hynninen, MD of Pioneer Spine and Sports Physicians, West Springfield, MA will be the co-presenters of “We’ve Got Your Back” on Monday, October 26, 2015 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM in the Brew Barry Conference Center. The workshop is free and open to the public, refreshments will be provided.

Wayne Temmen, PA-C and Brett Hynninen, MD


BMH Offers Free WRAP Wellness Workshop Series

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is offering a WRAP () workshop series scheduled on Oct 16th (3-8pm), 17th (9-6pm), 18th (9-5pm) in Brew Barry Conference Room 2. This free workshop, conducted in three sessions, provides participants with tools to deal with life’s complications and to plan for the inevitable bumps along the way.

WRAP was developed in 1997 by a group of people searching for ways to overcome their own mental health issues and move on to fulfilling their life dreams and goals. It is now used extensively by people in all kinds of circumstances, and by health care and mental health systems all over the world to address all kinds of physical, mental health and life issues.


New Midwife Joins Brattleboro OB/GYN

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is pleased to announce that midwife Emily Martyn, CNM has joined the staff of and is accepting new patients.

Martyn received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Kenyon College in Gambier, OH, her Certificate in Nursing and Masters of Science in Nursing from Yale University School of Nursing in New Haven, CT.

Martyn says that her background in movement and dance piqued her interest in nursing as a career. “I have always been interested in human bodies, in how they work and move. “As a dancer I have seen how humans have an innate sense of what is good and right in their own bodies. I was drawn to being a midwife because I get to help my patients find that in themselves, pregnant or not, and help them advocate for their own bodies.”


BMH Launches “Mindful Eating For Weight Loss” Workshop Series

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital’s Community Health Team will present a free 4-part workshop series focused on the role of mindful eating for those seeking to lose weight.

Presented by Peg Canal MS, RD, CDE Nutritionist/ Registered Dietitian/Certified Diabetes Educator, Carrie Quimby MS, RD Nutritionist/ Registered Dietitian and Nancy Schaefer, BS Health Coach, the workshop series will help participants identify triggers that contribute to unhealthy eating and learn to develop mindful eating practices.


YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program To Be Offered At Brattleboro Memorial Hospital

The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program helps adults at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes reduce their risk for developing the disease by taking steps that will improve their overall health and well-being.

The (CDC)-led evidence-based program is delivered over a 12-month period in a supportive small group classroom setting. Sixteen weekly one-hour sessions are followed by eight monthly sessions. Facilitated by trained lifestyle coaches Teri Kneipp and Nancy Schaefer, the class is scheduled to begin October 1, 2015 and will be held at the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital from 3:15 – 4:15 PM.


Medicare CGM Access Act of 2015

The first time I knew I was hypo-unaware I understood the danger I was in. Without knowing if my blood sugar is dropping to critically low numbers it was just a matter of time before this peculiar type of Russian Roulette would catch up to me. As vigilant as I am at testing, even I can’t beat those odds.I became a Type I diabetic at the age of 58. Like most Type I diabetics I was born with it. However, I have a rare form of adult onset insulin dependence. For most of my life I enjoyed robust health, unaware that an internal deadly clock was ticking inside of my body.


Qigong for Healing and Living Fully – Stories from China

Thomas Garbarino license acupuncturist and partitioner of qigong and taiji quan just recently returned from an epic pilgrimage to Wu Dang mountain in China. He will be sharing his experiences and stories as well as presenting new material to deepen our understanding of healing through the practice of qigong. All are welcomed.

You are your best healer! Come learn how each and everyone of us is born with the innate gift to heal ourselves. In this half-day intensive, you will experience simple and profound ways to awaken your body’s innate healing ability while deepening your capacity to relax and enjoy your life more completely. Participants will leave with a renewed and empowered sense of health and well-being. All are welcome; no experience required.


Brattleboro Area Hospice To Hold a 7 Week Bereavement Volunteer Training

Brattleboro, VT. Beginning on Thursday, October 8, 2015 Brattleboro Area Hospice will offer a Bereavement Volunteer Training at its home office at 191 Canal Street in Brattleboro. This 21 hour volunteer training will run on Thursdays from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The final session will take place on November 19th.

Bereavement Volunteers provide emotional support and companionship to individuals grieving the death loss of a loved one. Applications for the training will be accepted until September 4th, or until the training group has filled. Trained volunteers are asked to commit to one hour per week spent with a bereaved individual.


Powerful Tools for Caregivers

Powerful Tools for Caregivers is a class series that provides family caregivers of elders with the tools they need to take care of themselves. Reduce stress, improve communication, balance your life! 

This fall Senior Solutions is offering the six-week series starting in September in both Brattleboro and Windsor, co-sponsored by SASH. RSVP by Sept 3.


BMH Introduces New Endoscopy System for Earlier Digestive Disease Detection and Treatment

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is among the first hospitals in Vermont to acquire the Olympus EVIS EXERA III video endoscopy system. This system uses a video processor, light source, endoscope, and monitor to enable physicians to look inside the gastrointestinal (GI) system to diagnose, detect, and treat GI diseases such as colorectal cancer. The advanced imaging in the EVIS EXERA III system will help BMH physicians to detect GI disease at an earlier stage when treatments are most successful.

“By acquiring this new system we are able to further our commitment to providing exceptional care to our patients. With this advanced technology we increase our capacity to provide more accurate diagnoses, shorter procedure times, and an overall improved procedural experience,” said Steven R. Gordon, President and CEO of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital.


Brattleboro Hospice Hosts 7th Death Café to kick off The Wake Up to Dying Project

On Wednesday evening, June 24, 2015, from 7 – 8:30 PM, Brattleboro Area Hospice in partnership with the Wake Up to Dying Project will host a Death Café at The Works Bakery Café, 118 Main St. in downtown Brattleboro. This free event is part of an international movement begun in Europe (www.deathcafe.com ), and is dedicated to taking death out of the closet in order to discuss it publicly.

This event will represent Death Café #7 for southern Vermont. Previous events that have taken place throughout Windham County have been met with tremendous praise. People have reported them as comfortable, supporting a full range of emotions – from tears to raucous laughter, easier than anticipated, energy charged, inspirational and fun.


Qigong for Healing and Living Fully – Momentum

You are your best healer! Come learn how each and everyone of us is born with the innate gift to heal ourselves. In this half-day intensive, you will experience simple and profound ways to awaken your body’s innate healing ability while deepening your capacity to relax and enjoy your life more completely. Participants will leave with a renewed and empowered sense of health and well-being. All are welcome; no experience required.


BMH Announces 2015 Employees of the Year

To cap off a week’s worth of employee recognition events in celebration of National Hospital Week, Steve Gordon, President and CEO of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital invited all hospital staff to join him for an ice cream social where he announced BMH’s 2015 Employees of the Year.

Departing from BMH’s tradition of naming one employee for the honor each year, two employees were named for 2015. According to Gordon, “Their nominations from colleagues described qualities we all appreciate in our co-workers and to which we should aspire ourselves,”

Described as “positive, helpful, knowledgeable, dedicated, caring and skilled,” the two award winners were celebrated for their commitment to patient care and exceptional standards of professionalism.


Brattleboro Area Hospice Invites All to Annual Memorial Planting Service

On Sunday, May 31, 2015 at 4:00 pm, Brattleboro Area Hospice will host its 18th Annual Memorial Planting Service. The event will take place at the Hospice Memorial Garden located at Living Memorial Park on Guilford Street in Brattleboro. The public is encouraged to attend.

The community is invited to join together to honor and remember loved ones who have died by planting flowers, painting memorial messages on stones to be placed in the garden, and by listening to the music of the Hallowell singers.


Qigong for Healing and Living Fully – Master’s Energy

You are your best healer! Come learn how each and everyone of us is born with the innate gift to heal ourselves. In this half-day intensive, you will experience simple and profound ways to awaken your body’s innate healing ability while deepening your capacity to relax and enjoy your life more completely.

Qigong is an ancient form of meditative movement that is over 5,000 years old. In China, qigong is one of the secrets to living a long and healthy life. The simple movements and breathing practices help relax the physical body, calm the mind and raise the spirit. It is an excellent form of preventative healthcare, and also used in treating major illnesses and minor ailments.