Dennis Lanane column: Growth of Mental Health Coalition progressing
Madison County Triad will hold a pitch-in Christmas luncheon on December 15 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the theater area of Mounds Mall.
Those wanting to attend the luncheon should bring a dish or dessert. Triad will furnish the main dish. We will also have some door prizes, and Buddy and Joyce Patterson will provide Christmas music.
We want to thank St. Vincent Medical Group for providing ophthalmologist Dr. Elizabeth Groves to give a presentation on taking care of your eyes. Dr. Groves explained what causes some eye problems people experience get as they older. This was another program about health maintenance that Triad puts on throughout the year. We want our seniors to have a decent quality of life through education.
We've had some health maintenance programs, too. One was aimed at lowering your risks of getting Alzheimer’s. We had two registered dietitians who told us what we should eat that will keep both our hearts and brains healthy. The October Triad meeting was about the resources that are available to those who might be victims of mental health issues such as depression, suicides, addictions and overdoses.
Triad also started a fall prevention physical therapy program. It meets from 9:45 to 10:15 a.m. in the theater area of the mall, right before our regular meeting. This program is without cost and is taught by Darla Gibson, clinic director of ATI Physical Therapy.
I want to thank the Anderson Mounds Mall for letting us use the theater area to hold our meetings and Garfield's for donating coffee every month. Health care providers also donate snacks for our members.
It was mentioned in a previous Triad column that we are starting our own newsletter that will give us enough space to explain some of the programs in more detail. This will happen in the next several months. These will be newsletters that you might want to keep and share the information with others about some of the programs and information we have at the mall on the third Thursday of each month at 10:30 a.m.
The coalition is looking for better ways to educate the community on what resources are available to individuals and their families who have issues with mental health care, depression, addictions, etc.
Madison County has some very serious problems. We are trying to pull all the health care agencies and law enforcement agencies together so that they better understand how to help these victims and their families.