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| 6/9/2009 12:07:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | Free community clinics continue at MCHS
Chad Koenen
If education is the key to understanding, Minnewaska Community Health Services is hoping a string of free educational clinics will be the key to clearing up some of medicines common misconceptions.
Over the past five months, Minnewaska Lutheran Home has played host to five community workshops to inform the public of everything from foot and vision care, to heart disease. The free health clinics are part of a year-long Rural Outreach to enhance Adult Dignity, or ROAD to Aging Gracefully program.
According to MCHS Director of Resource Development Holly Minners, the clinics were developed after learning about some common medical misconceptions from MCHS residents and older adults.
While much of the information presented at these clinics are available from other sources, Minners said one of the biggest setbacks to educating older adults is a technological gap which can prevent easy access to answers for questions. In order to give adults an easy, one-stop place to seek the information they desire, MCHS began hosting clinics to help educate people on certain issues which could affect either themselves, or someone they know in the near future.
The goal is to also help curb the stigma that people only go into the doctor or nursing home when they have a problem. Minners said the hope is to help people take the initiative to prevent issues like falling, rather than waiting until a fall has already occurred before seeking help.
So far Minners said the free clinics have attracted anywhere from 20-50 people per clinic. While the clinics are geared toward older people, they can also be important for people who have an older parent or grandparent.
In addition to the free clinics, the June clinic will feature a dental specialist and July clinic will give people a chance to have their prescriptions looked at by a pharmacist, there are BESTAge classes being offered free of charge.
The BESTAge program was offered for the first time to the general public on Monday and will be held every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at MLH. The exercise program targeted for older people, which features a workout regime that allows people to sit the entire time, was previously only offered to residents of MCHS.
For more information about BestAGE or the free clinics, contact Holly at MCHS at 239-2217.
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