Warren Center staff
retreat offered insight into stress and stretching.
While many people
relaxed out of work on November 11, Warren Center staffers
worked on how to relax and work during their
annual staff retreat. Presented with nearly painless flu shots
in the morning, staffers were treated to “comfort food” -
pizza - and then an afternoon of anti-stress activities. Meeting
the staff at WellForms in Brewer, Becky Bell, RN, BS, HNC presented
a special workshop called, “Getting Out of My Box,” which
helped identify chronic stresses and how to confront and effectively
deal with them. Staff members had an opportunity to visualize
stresses, give them a good talking to, and learn about themselves
in the process. The wonderful workshop was thoroughly enjoyed
by the staff. After the workshop, there was a break for a snack
and then a wholly new experience for most of us - a pilates
class taught by Well Form’s instructor Val Kitchen. The
group learned about breathing and motion based on the work
of Joseph Pilates, and stretched, breathed and laughed their
way through the hour-long class. Many staffers said that it
was super - they felt relaxed, invigorated and even taller!
Waiting at the office at the end of the afternoon were goodie
bags put together by MaryBeth Richards and Mary Poulin, with
hand cream, body wash, aromatic candles and other nice things
to help their staff relax. Everyone felt special and good by
the end, a little vacation at the start of the week!
Warren Center sponsors
PTC's The Miracle Worker!
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The Warren Center
was given a wonderful opportunity this fall to be the producing
sponsor of Penobscot Theatre Company’s
production of William Gibson’s “The Miracle Worker.” The
show, which ran through November 23, included a signed performance
and a special rehearsal performance for guests of the Warren
Center. About 60 people showed up for the Monday evening rehearsal
where they had a rare opportunity to see a work at the very
end of the production process. Opening night guests of the
Warren Center were treated to a pre-show catered event at Montes
Catering. Included in the sponsorship was a full-page ad in
the season program, a corporate statement about the Warren
Center and a lobby display for the duration of the show, plus
the publicity on radio, television and posters where we are
noted as the lead sponsor. Of course, we would never have been
able to do this on our own, and so we give our greatest gratitude
to the Bangor Daily News who allowed us to have top billing
for this production. For more information on the show or Helen
Keller, we have a website just for you - go to www.warrencenter.org/ptc.html
to visit our Miracle Worker website.
Notes from
the Program Director…
The Sounds of the
Season - “Sleigh bells ringing”, “Children
singing”, Hear the snow crunch”—“noisy
shopping malls”,” large gatherings of family and
friends”. These are all sounds of the season. For many
people with hearing loss these sounds are muffled or it is
just too hard to tune into just one speaker during those gatherings.
Be aware that many people who have difficulty with their hearing
feel isolated in these situations. It sometimes takes too much
effort to try to keep up with the conversations going on around
them and they may withdraw from the festivities. It is with
concerns like these that we at the Warren Center have expanded
our Audiology department to better meet the needs of the community.
I want to personally thank all of our “Hearing Aides” who
have supported our expansion.
Here are some tips for communicating with those who may have
difficulty enjoying the holidays due to hearing loss:
1. Look directly
at the person you are speaking with. It is helpful to read
people’s non-verbal language. Good lighting
is also helpful for those who may read lips.
2. Decrease the distance between the listener and the speaker.
Background noise is hard to filter out.
3. Speak clearly, and at a normal rate.
From all of us at the Warren Center, I want to wish everyone
a happy and joyous Holiday season, may 2004 bring us all peace.
Sincerely,
MaryBeth B. Richards
Amy Bragg
Awarded ACE Award by the
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Warren Center for
Communication & Learning speech-language
pathologist Amy Bragg, M.A., CCC-SLP was recently granted an
Award for Continuing Education (ACE) by the American Speech-Language-Hearing
Association’s (ASHA) Continuing Education Board. ASHA
grants ACE awards to those who have made a concerted effort
to continue professional learning beyond an academic degree,
earning at least seven continuing education units in under
three years.
Amy joins a select group of professionals who have committed
themselves to lifelong learning and maintaining current knowledge
and skills. Amy also serves on the executive council of the
Maine Speech-Language-Hearing Association as Vice President
of External Affairs.
Amy is the lead speech-language pathologist in the Voices
to be Heard program which, with the assistance of hearing amplification
devices, teaches the deaf and hard of hearing how to listen
and speak. She resides in Holden with her husband Ron and their
son, Joshua.
Be A Hearing Aide Update
Fundraising continues
for the expansion of our audiology department at the Warren
Center. We’ve hired a second audiologist,
Kim Starkey, who came to us from Michigan. (There is more about
her inside!) She’s already been a great asset to the
Center, and has allowed us to do some unique events.
This fall the audiology
department visited Bangor Savings Bank’s Employee Wellness
event and screened 60 people! Dr. Amanda Samoluk was at the
Maine Discovery Museum in November
to do hearing screenings and she and speech-language pathologist
Colleen Nilan did some great activities with the kids about
hearing health and sound.
These kinds of outreach
events were very difficult for us to schedule without having
a larger audiology department, so
we’re very fortunate to have this expansion. The Center
has received gifts totalling $6,205 from local businesses and
individuals. We also are the proud recipients of a $10,000
grant from the Davis Family Foundation for the audiology department’s
capacity building, bringing our total to $16,250.
As the thermometer
indicates however, we’re still far
from our goal, which must be reached by the end of June. If
you haven’t supported this expansion, please consider
it. We really can’t do it without you! And we’d
like to especially thank our current supporters, who are listed
here.
Wish Mittens!
Little
things mean a lot, and at the Center, we go through a lot
of little things. So while bundling up
for winter, we decided that we would once again put our wishes
on mittens and place them in the lobby. Each mitten in the
Center lobby represents an item we could really use. They’re
all color-coded by price, and most of them even tell you where
the items can be found!
So
if you’d like to lend the Center a hand,
just pick a mitten! And we’ll put our mittens together
for you in big, though muffled, applause!
If you would like an on-line giving list, there will be a
web page at www.warrencenter.org/wishlist.html.
Warren
Center gives hearing screenings at
Bangor Savings Bank Employee Wellness Day!
The Warren Center screened about 60 people at the Bangor Savings
Bank Employee Wellness Day earlier this fall. Audiologist Kim
Starkey transformed a meeting space into an audiology center,
screening any interested participant. A table of information
was in the main hall, which was shared by many area agencies
and businesses promoting health and wellness. The event included
a great lunch of veggie burgers, turkey hotdogs and salad for
all the participants and attendees. It was a really lovely
day, even in the rain, and a great opportunity to meet some
of our supporters! Bangor Savings Bank has been a great supporter
of the Warren Center, assisting in both the capital campaign
and in Be A Hearing Aide campaign to expand the audiology department,
so we can participate in more events like these!
Ask the
Audiologists!
by Warren Center Audiologists Dr. Amanda
Samoluk and Kim Starkey
What do I need to know in order to be an informed consumer
when purchasing hearing aids?
Don’t be afraid to shop around for the best prices.
Anywhere you purchase hearing aids will offer a 30 day trial
period. Within this period, should you decide not to purchase
the hearing aids, a refund (less a small fitting fee) is appropriate.
Don’t forget to investigate payment options, as many
places will take credit cards or offer monthly payment plans.
My son is ten years old. He has been having reports of
behavior issues at school. He has also been speaking at a
louder volume and listening to the television at higher levels.
Should his hearing be tested?
Although ear infections or middle ear problems are usually
associated with younger children, some older children could
experience the same problems. It is important to have his hearing
tested to rule out such issues as hearing loss or middle ear
dysfunction.
Leave
a Legacy!
Planned Giving can be a wonderful way to continue to help
the Warren Center's future. For more information on planned
giving, please contact Monique at 941-2850, or email PRManager@warrencenter.org.
Meet the Staff!
Meet Kim Starkey - our new audiologist! Kim
moved to Bangor in August to work with us at the Warren Center,
and just married the love of her life, Ryan, in Los Vegas on
November 2, 2003! Kim earned a B.S. in Hearing and Speech Sciences
at Ohio University in 1999, and is currently finishing her
Doctor of Audiology degree through Ball State University. She
is most interested in hearing aids and aural rehabilitation.
She enjoys spending time with family, friends, and pets, reading,
music and movies.
Patty Irish has
joined the Warren Center as billing and collections associate.
She lives in Corinna
with her husband Pat, their two children, Kristen and Matt,
two cats and a dog. When not helping to keep the billing office
running smoothly at the Center, she likes walking in the woods,
cross country skiing, chatting with friends, playing pool and
spending time with her family. And we’re really glad
to have her in our family here at the Warren Center!
Good
Luck Lisa
We’re sad
to say that SLP Lisa Hosfeld has left the Warren Center to
be closer to her family in West Virginia.
Lisa worked a great deal with older folks and also conducted
our Coping With Memory Disorders workshops in the last year.
We will miss having her around and wish her the best of luck!
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