Health News 11-24
All area codes are 850 unless specified.
Alzheimer’s support group
Alzheimer's Family Services will host a support group for family members or friends coping with a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease at 2 p.m. Nov. 28 at The Great Event Center (Creehan’s), 12590 Emerald Coast Parkway, Suite C. The support group is free and respite care is available. To register, call 478-7790 or visit www.AlzFamServ.org. Sacred Heart Hospital
The following classes will be held at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast. To register, call 278-3600 or toll-free (877) 416-1600 unless noted.
• Joint replacement: Bi-weekly education classes at 10 a.m. Dec. 5 and 19 in the hospital’s Resource Center Suite 3 conference room. To attend, call Linda Ledford at 278-3646. • Online childbirth class: Families will learn about the stages of labor, comfort techniques, common medical procedures, including epidurals and cesareans, and newborn and postpartum care. Engaging videos, personal birth stories, 3D animations, games, and activities make learning easy and fun. Rolling registration. Cost is $35.
Alzheimer’s CARE program
Area families have access to free resources included in a new program designed to help them cope with the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Developed by the Home Instead Senior Care network, in conjunction with a team of the top Alzheimer’s experts in North America, the Alzheimer’s CARE Program focuses on the care and dignity of individuals rather than the symptoms, diagnosis, treatments and possible cures for the disease.
Available at HelpForAlzheimersFamilies.com, the online training will teach participants how to use the CARE approach to manage behaviors, encourage engagement and care for themselves while caring for their loved one.
Also available is a free booklet, Helping Families Cope, which includes information about the CARE approach and additional information to help families who struggle with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias.
To receive a free copy of the Helping Families Cope booklet, call 243-6464 or visit HelpforAlzheimersFamilies.com. Wound care
The Sacred Heart Center for Wound Care in Pensacola provides advanced wound care therapy to promote healing and a speedy recovery. The Sacred Heart Center for Wound Care team will see patients once a week in the Medical Office Building at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach. A physician referral is needed for an appointment and most major insurance plans are accepted. To make an appointment in Miramar Beach, call 416-2500.
Cooking for seniors
The Cooking Under Pressure program, sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care, is based on new research, which shows that cooking for seniors with nutritional risks adds to the stress of family caregivers.
Program resources include a free handbook and a specially designed website www.foodsforseniors.com with shopping tips, healthy food suggestions and recipes for a well-balanced senior menu.
Volunteers needed
Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast is seeking community minded volunteers to greet visitors at the main welcome desk during the evening. Volunteer opportunities are available seven days a week from 4-7 p.m. and 6:30-9 p.m. Contact Sharon Abele, volunteer services manager, at 278-3081 or email sabele@shhpens.org.
Community education classes
Destin Health Care and Rehabilitation Center offers community education the second and third Thursday of the month. Subjects from diabetic management to joint replacement education are free to the public. For more information or to schedule a class, call 654-4588 and ask for receptionist. Weight management classes
Curves of Destin will offer free weight management classes at noon the first Saturday of each month. Classes include 90-minute start-up class for first time participants; 30-minute phase 3 classes; and 30-minute special topics classes. Stroller Strides program
Destin Commons will offer a new Stroller Strides program from 9-10 a.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. This is a total fitness program that moms can do with their stroller-aged babies and is taught by certified instructors who are also moms. The first trial class is free. Call (888) 828-7775 or email heidiwong@strollerstrides.net for prices and information.
Sacred Heart Medical Park walk-in services
To better meet the needs of patients who need to see a doctor but cannot wait to make an appointment, Sacred Heart Medical Park in Destin is adding walk-in medical care services for patients with minor illnesses or injuries, including colds, sore throats, earaches, sprains, cuts, minor burns or other minor ailments.
Located on the Okaloosa/Walton county line on U.S. 98, Sacred Heart Medical Park walk-in medical services are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Volunteer opportunities at Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast is currently seeking volunteers interested in working in the hospital’s gift shops, including the main Gift Shop and The Baby Boutique in the new Family Birth Place. Call 278-3081.
American Red Cross training
American Red Cross training is available in Okaloosa and Walton Counties. For information on courses and prices or to register, call 800-773-7620 or visit www.northwestflorida.redcross.org.
Breastfeeding class
A free class, “Breastfeeding Basics: What to Really Expect after you’ve been expecting,” taught by an accredited La Leche League leader and experienced breastfeeding mom will be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursdays at Suncoast Healthcare Professionals, 128 NE Eglin Parkway in Fort Walton Beach. RSVP at 864-0800.
Bridgeway Center
Bridgeway Center offers classes in social skills, teen issues and adult coping skills as well as classes in parenting, driving, chemical dependency and anger management. Call 833-7400 or 689-7810 for cost and times.
Co-dependency Anonymous
A new Co-dependency Anonymous group meets at 4 p.m. Sundays at 52 Beal Parkway in Fort Walton Beach. Call 240-0384.
Brain disorders support group
A new support group for parents and caregivers of children and adults with from neurobiological brain disorders meets at 7 p.m. Thursdays at the Mental Health Association Building, 571 Mooney Road in Fort Walton Beach. Residents of Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties are invited. Call 936-7924.
Weight management support group
The Treasury: A Weight Management Support Group, will meet from 6-7 p.m. Wednesdays at Destin United Methodist Church in Room 602, Avery Hall. Nursery available. Contact Tina Kaple at kaple@cox.net or 865-0791 for information.
Peer-to-peer support group
The Mental Health Association holds a support group for persons with mental-health disorders and disabilities at 3 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 571 Mooney Road in Fort Walton Beach.
Narcotics Anonymous
The 24-hour hotline for Narcotics Anonymous is 496-1673 in Fort Walton Beach.