Boquete Health and Hospice

Welcome to the newsletter of Boquete Health and Hospice Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Report on Being Prepared Part 2: What You Need to Know Juan Contreras and Lourdes Miranda, local attorneys, presented recently at BCP the second part of our Being Prepared presentation. They addressed the legal aspects of a Last Will and Living Will here in Panama. Yes, things do change. It was good information for all no matter where you are in the process of being prepared. Some interesting facts: • If your foundation and bank account are set up properly, you do not need a Panamanian marriage certificate. • In Panama before you get married you need to declare you are single. Therefore, if you are married in another country, you would be making a fraudulent statement on the application for marriage. • All Last Wills go through probate, it is best to review your documents every few years to make sure they are in order. • Make sure your spouse is the beneficiary on your bank account. Then your spouse will have access to the account funds. • Check your property documents. If you have a corporation with bearer shares, you need to look at changing it because of changes in Panamanian law. As always, check with your attorney. If you missed Being Prepared Part I, presented by a Betty Landis, and would like to see it offered again soon, please let us know at boquetehealth@gmail.com. If there is enough interest, we will reschedule. Be on the lookout for Part 3 of the Being Prepared series to be offered this summer by Nikki Steele. In this workshop, you will have an opportunity to ask “Being Prepared” questions of medical and counseling professionals. BHH's VIDEO Wins "YouTube Fan Favorite" Award at the 2018 Boquete Film Festival! Thanks go to our talented producer Jamie Clem, and to all of you who viewed and voted for our video. We have reached over 642 views, 142 thumbs up, and lots of people have received our message to “Just Call!” June Health Tip Future Community Informational Presentation Be watching for the announcement of the informational presentation at our next general meeting. Betty Landis will present information on the topic: Communication Strategies for the Cognitively Impaired. Charlotte Lintz will present home modifications for keeping your cognitively impaired loved one at home. BHH is adopting a new Respite Care service, which will be mostly for people with dementia. The council felt it appropriate to do a training on communicating with people with dementia. The meeting is scheduled for July 12, at 1 pm a location to be determined. Be watching for the announcement of the informational presentation at our next general meeting. Save the Date! Boquete Heath and Hospice will host the annual HEALTH FAIR on October 14 at the Fairgrounds. Mark your calendars today. Watch our Award Winning Video! https://youtu.be/EbYmYqBRs3Y Our Mission Our Mission is to provide palliative care for the terminally ill in order that they experience death with dignity; to inform and promote community health; and, to support people with health and wellness needs by providing information, equipment and volunteer services. To Make a Donation: BHHF functions with the donations provided by the community. If you are interested in supporting the work we do, please make a donation. To make a financial contribution by check or cash contact Merl Will-Wallace, our treasurer, at dharma49@icloud.com to arrange a place and time to pick up your donation. For more information, visit our website: www.boquetehealth.org We also have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/boqueteheartshandsandhelp/?ref=bookmarks Please Like our page and Share the contents with your friends and families. To Contact Us Hospice/Health: 507.6781.9250 Blood Donor Program: 507.6590.2000 E-mail: boquetehospice@gmail.com E-mail: boquetehealth@gmail.com Confidentiality All patient information shared with any Boquete Health and Hospice volunteer is kept in the strictest confidence. Copyright © 2017 , All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: boquetehealth@gmail.com Unsubscribe | View in browser

Join us Thursday at 1:00 Hear the latest Boquete Health & Hospice news and updates Bonus Event! Guest speaker, Michael Cooper, presents an Introduction to The Five Rites Learn about the benefits from this ancient form of exercise. Improve your: STRENGTH & STAMINA ENERGY LEVEL IMPROVE YOUR BALANCE AND EQUILIBRIUM BLOOD PRESSURE NORMALIZED FLEXIBILITY INCREASED LESSEN YOUR BACK PAIN AND JOINT PAIN LOSE WEIGHT DRAMATICALLY REDUCE ARTHRITIS SYMPTOMS DRAMATICALLY REDUCE SYMPTOMS OF FIBROMYALGIA June 14, 1:00, Animales Building Alto Boquete SEE YOU THERE!

Welcome to the newsletter of Boquete Health and Hospice Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Boquete Health and Hospice Has a New Medical Director Dra. Digna Diaz has graciously agreed to be the new medical director of Boquete Health and Hospice. Dra. Diaz was the guest speaker at the BHH April General Meeting. Dra. Diaz is the founder of Boquete Medical Associates. The initial objective of the clinic is to provide emergency services. She is currently looking at property to build a clinic in the Boquete area. The plan is to expand the services and to bring specialists to Boquete and to assist clients with access to medication through a US pharmacy. For more information about the website go to https://www.boquetemedical.com/ On the website you will be able to find more information about the clinic membership plan, the doctors and specialists and the office hours and telephone numbers. Dra. Diaz answered questions on a range of topics. There was a question about access to anti-venom for snake bites. Since the anti-venom doesn’t have a long shelf life extensive supplies are not feasible. It should, however, be available at the Social Security Clinic in Boquete. One member described a choking incident in a restaurant where he was choking and no one in the restaurant knew how to handle it. This story reflects the need for more training in the community about how to handle emergencies like choking. Dra. Diaz offered to help BHH arrange Basic Life Support Training which covers CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver. The initial training will take place with BHH members and guests; and in the future, restaurant employees and interested community members can be trained. For medical emergencies, specifically heart attack or stroke, call the ambulance- Dra. Boya 6728-3098 or Rodny Direct members can call Rodny. For other medical emergencies you can call Dra. Diaz until 10 pm: 6615-6740. During the off hours you can call Keep it Simple Panama 6705-9845. Hip Surgery in Panama, Boquete Health and Hospice Can Help! Recently Boquete Health and Hospice has been helping people having hip replacement surgeries experience a positive transition to recovering at home. BHH has provided an array of aides to make the return home safe and to assist with the rehabilitation phase. The equipment includes bath bench, bedside commode/raised toilet seat, walker, crutches and a cane. A recent hip replacement patient said, "Thank goodness for Boquete Health and Hospice, they made my home experience so much better after the surgery." If you have to have hip replacement surgery in your future be sure to call BHH FIRST! Being Prepared Part 1 Getting Started/Restarted Once again the Being Prepared Part 1 presentation was held at BCP to a standing room only audience on May 22. Thank goodness our community of Boquete Expats is interested in learning how to deal with emergencies and end of life in Panama. One important request was for all to have a local doctor. There are two public clinics and four private clinics in Boquete. Check out Chiriqui.life for contact information for our local doctors. Boquete Health and Hospice Presents Being Prepared Part 2: The Living Will and Last Will May 29 at BCP at 10:30 Do you need an attorney to develop your living will? Is your last will from your homeland valid in Panama? Juan Contreras, a Boquete attorney, will address Panamanian Living Wills and Last Wills. There will also be time for questions. Book Corner When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi Paul Kalanithi's life was full of promise. He was in his residency training in neuro-surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. His previous academic accomplishments were impressive; a BA in human biology and a Masters in English literature from Stanford, a Masters in history and philosophy of science and medicine from Cambridge, and graduating cum laude from Yale University School of Medicine. However, after some health issues and numerous tests, his life changed when he was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic lung cancer; he was 36 years old and a non-smoker. Transitioning from doctor to patient, Paul reflected on what would be most important to him in the time he had left. His passion became this book, which chronicles his illness, his days as a neurosurgeon, the birth of his daughter, and his strength and dignity in facing terminal cancer. I recommend it as a how-to book on living when faced with illness, death, and dying (emphasis on "living") and close with Dr. Atul Gawande's comments: "Rattling, heartbreaking, and ultimately beautiful, the too-young Dr. Kalanithi's memoir is proof that the dying are the ones who have the most to teach us about life." Book review by BHH member Kay Wade May Health Tip Vote for our Video! Click on the link below to watch our informational video. From June 1-15 you can vote for this video on the Boquete Film Festival competition. Be watching for the link on News Boquete, Facebook, Chiriqui Life and Boquete.ning. We appreciate your vote! https://youtu.be/EbYmYqBRs3Y Our Mission Our Mission is to provide palliative care for the terminally ill in order that they experience death with dignity; to inform and promote community health; and, to support people with health and wellness needs by providing information, equipment and volunteer services. To Make a Donation: BHHF functions with the donations provided by the community. If you are interested in supporting the work we do, please make a donation. To make a financial contribution by check or cash contact Merl Will-Wallace, our treasurer, at dharma49@icloud.com to arrange a place and time to pick up your donation. For more information, visit our website: www.boquetehealth.org We also have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/boqueteheartshandsandhelp/?ref=bookmarks Please Like our page and Share the contents with your friends and families. To Contact Us Hospice/Health: 507.6781.9250 Blood Donor Program: 507.6590.2000 E-mail: boquetehospice@gmail.com E-mail: boquetehealth@gmail.com Confidentiality All patient information shared with any Boquete Health and Hospice volunteer is kept in the strictest confidence. Copyright © 2017 , All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: boquetehealth@gmail.com Unsubscribe | View in browser

Dra. Digna Diaz has graciously accepted the request to become Boquete Health and Hospice’s Medical Director. Dra Diaz has a busy practice in Boquete as her patients are both Panamanians and ex-pats. After graduating as a General Physician in 1999 from Universidad Autinoma De Ciencias Medicas De Centroamerica in Costa Rica, then completing two years internship and three years as a specialist of internal medicine at the Seguro Social Chiriqui, two years Masters on Aesthetic Medicine and then ten years private practice in Panama, Dra. Diaz moved to Boquete. She now works and has established Boquete Medical Associates with Dra Sue King Loo. The doctor’s vision for Boquete Medical Associates is to gather together needed specialists in Boquete plus include all medical related services into one main clinic. This medical clinic will provide consultations, small procedures, emergency procedures, laboratory, pharmacy, radiology, physiotherapy and alternative medical related issues to the residents of Boquete all in one place. Already the medical issues solved in the town have lessened the frequency of trips to David. The doctors are appreciative of the support, trust and positive insight of their local patients. The Medical Directorship of Boquete Health and Hospice includes the possibility of assisting any attending physician, reviewing a patient’s eligibility for hospice services, developing and implementing a plan of care, performing a home visit to assess a patient’s need, rendering the necessary medical and pain management consistent with a patient’s need, working with governmental palliative care programs to insure a patient receives appropriate medical care and pain management, and possibly accepting a patient for care when they do not have an attending physician. Dra. Digna Diaz has graciously accepted the request to become Boquete Health and Hospice’s Medical Director. Dra Diaz has a busy practice in Boquete as her patients are both Panamanians and ex-pats. After graduating as a General Physician in 1999 from Universidad Autinoma De Ciencias Medicas De Centroamerica in Costa Rica, then completing two years internship and three years as a specialist of internal medicine at the Seguro Social Chiriqui, two years Masters on Aesthetic Medicine and then ten years private practice in Panama, Dra. Diaz moved to Boquete. She now works and has established Boquete Medical Associates with Dra Sue King Loo. The doctor’s vision for Boquete Medical Associates is to gather together needed specialists in Boquete plus include all medical related services into one main clinic. This medical clinic will provide consultations, small procedures, emergency procedures, laboratory, pharmacy, radiology, physiotherapy and alternative medical related issues to the residents of Boquete all in one place. Already the medical issues solved in the town have lessened the frequency of trips to David. The doctors are appreciative of the support, trust and positive insight of their local patients. The Medical Directorship of Boquete Health and Hospice includes the possibility of assisting any attending physician, reviewing a patient’s eligibility for hospice services, developing and implementing a plan of care, performing a home visit to assess a patient’s need, rendering the necessary medical and pain management consistent with a patient’s need, working with governmental palliative care programs to insure a patient receives appropriate medical care and pain management, and possibly accepting a patient for care when they do not have an attending physician.

Welcome to the newsletter of Boquete Health and Hospice Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Thank You Doctor Osborne! Boquete Health and Hospice gives a big THANK YOU to Dr. Newton Osborne. When Boquete Health and Hospice formed in 2007, we needed a Medical Director in compliance with the guidelines of hospices in the U.S. and the Palliative Care initiative locally. Dr. Newton Osborne graciously agreed to fill that position and has performed that service since our inception. Boquete Health and Hospice appreciates all that he has done for us and we thank Newton very, very much for having fulfilled the role as Medical Director when we needed him most. BHHF Annual Board Retreat The Boquete Health and Hospice annual board retreat was held in April to discuss the goals and mission of our organization. The Mission Statement was updated. Our Mission Since 2007, Boquete Health & Hospice Foundation (BHHF) has provided free, caring assistance to people with temporary illness or at the end of life. Our Mission is to inform and promote community health; and, to support people with health and wellness needs by providing information, equipment and services. 2018 Goals The goals for the coming year include increasing participants in the Blood Donor Program; continue our outreach to the community for better name recognition and utilization of services; provide continuing education on health related topics at our monthly meetings and presentations like Being Prepared: and provide local medical services information to the community through the Health Fair. Being Prepared May 22, at BCP 10:30 Being Prepared by BHHF Part 1: Getting Started/Restarted How many of your friends know how to contact your loved ones back home in an emergency? Who would you call for help here in an emergency? Do you know medical or end of life decisions cannot be made by a spouse, friend or partner without proper documents? Come to BHHF’s Being Prepared presentation, Getting Started/Restarted, and find out how to be prepared here in Boquete. We will go through these forms to help you get organized. * 1. Buddy Connection 2. When Someone Dies at Home in Boquete 3. Final Arrangements Check List 4. Information Needed On a Panamanian Death Certificate 5. Important Information Notebook *A packet of these forms will be available at all presentation for a small donation. Also included in this packet is information on the Five Wishes document to help you create your Living Will. May 29 at BCP at 10:30 Being Prepared by BHHF Part 2: The Living Will and Last Will Do you need an attorney to develop your living will? Is your last will from your homeland valid in Panama? Juan Contreras, a Boquete attorney, will address Panamanian Living Wills and Last Wills. There will also be time for questions. Part 3: Workshop (TBD) Part of the Being Prepared process is creating a living will. If you need help in creating/developing a living will and have questions, attend our workshop (date and locations to be determined). Facilitators will be medical and counseling professionals to help answer your questions. SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES, SKILLS and KNOWLEDGE at OUR MONTHLY MEETINGS. SAVE THESE DATES! April 12 - May 10 - June 14 - July 12 - August 9 - September 13 October 11 - November 8 - December 13 1:00 at the Amigos de Animales building in Alto Boquete To suggest topics & speakers write: Laurie Collier - klcollier5@gmail.com or Linda Sanchez - boquete720@gmail.com April Health Tip Book Corner The April book selection is Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande. The following is a review by one of our members: This book has become a must read. It addresses end-of-life care, and how we are getting it wrong, both within the medical establishment and in our families. Dr. Gawande’s book is a good read because it is a personal collection of stories. Its protagonists are people approaching the end of life, hoping always to lengthen their time, learning the inevitability of life’s end. Their stories are interspersed with the story of Gawande, the doctor learning more than he has been taught in medical school, how to talk to patients, especially at those times when medicine and surgery, “cures”, are no longer effective and may in fact lead to an earlier, more painful death than abandoning vain hope. It highlights the human needs during the ending stages of life. It’s not just quantity, but quality of life that counts. Gawande gives great advice for how to have the hard discussions and what the right questions are so that we can make the best decisions for ourselves and our loved ones. What really matters most to the individual? What makes life worth living? What trade-offs are you willing to make? A very good book! It will start some important discussions for sure. 6,984 FIVE Star ratings can’t be wrong. Please take 1 minute to view our descriptive video. Click on the link: https://youtu.be/EbYmYqBRs3Y We have entered our video in the Video Festival. The festival has been postponed. Between June 1-14 go to the YouTube link and click on the thumbs up to vote for our video. You can only vote once. We will appreciate your votes!! To Make a Donation: BHHF functions with the donations provided by the community. If you are interested in supporting the work we do, please make a donation. To make a financial contribution by check or cash contact Laurie Collier, our treasurer, at lojocollier@yahoo.com to arrange a place and time to pick up your donation. For more information, visit our website: www.boquetehealth.org We also have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/boqueteheartshandsandhelp/?ref=bookmarks Please Like our page and Share the contents with your friends and families. To Contact Us Hospice/Health: 507.6781.9250 Blood Donor Program: 507.6590.2000 E-mail: boquetehospice@gmail.com E-mail: boquetehealth@gmail.com Confidentiality All patient information shared with any Boquete Health and Hospice volunteer is kept in the strictest confidence. Copyright © 2017 , All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: boquetehealth@gmail.com Unsubscribe | View in browser

Welcome to the newsletter of Boquete Health and Hospice Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. The Vision and Mission Statements for Boquete Health and Hospice The vision statement for BHHF is: Supporting a Healthy Community Our mission is to inform and promote community health; and, to support people with needs by providing information, equipment, and services. As part of the mission to support a healthy community BHHF provides community information programs, health related articles in our newsletter and in the media and a presence at community functions like the Tuesday Market and Boquete Jazz and Blues Fest. Perspectives on Grief In speaking with members of our community whose spouses have died, it is clear that the different perspectives on grieving are very personal. Everyone experiences grief differently. Were you the main caregiver for a long time for a disabled or dying spouse? Did your spouse die sooner than expected in your life together? Did your spouse die suddenly and unexpectedly? In a split second everything in life changes. These different scenarios, and people’s various reactions to the death of a loved one, have to do with the circumstance of the death, the quality of the relationship, as well as with the personality of the one left behind. As described by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, the five stages of grief, shock/denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance are part of the framework that makes up our learning to live with the loss. They are tools to help us frame and identify what we may be feeling. However, emotions are malleable, they are not fixed, and they do not usually follow steps 1 to 5 in order. Reactions can show up simultaneously. For example anger because of all the things that you now have to take care of, feeling sorry for yourself, not knowing, now, what to do with yourself as your identity has shifted, and feeling guilty for a sense of relief when the passing is a blessing for both the deceased and the caregiver. Sometimes grieving is unconventional and does not fit into the 5 stages framework at all, such as the feeling of being set free. During the grieving process we may experience myriad emotions, such as confusion, sadness, fear, guilt or hopelessness. These feelings will vary in intensity. Emotional ups and downs are a normal part of any grieving process. The paradox may be that in order to get past the difficult feelings, you must experience them. Grief has its own time schedule and will heal you if you allow it to. It is important to be kind to yourself, especially in the early stages. Get a massage, accept invitations from friends, embrace your pets. Pets can provide great comfort and can help the overwhelming need for touch or hugs. They even give you somebody to talk to in the middle of the night. Many people feel isolated and alone after the death of a spouse. After a short time has passed, “others” seem to forget that you are still in unknown territory, or they might not know how to be with you in this new land. It’s important to realize there is help out there, you are not alone, but it’s not always an easy thing to acknowledge or ask for. You don’t have to face this alone. Certain areas of one’s life take longer to heal than others. When a painful loss first occurs it is impossible to imagine that anything good could come from it. There is a richness to grief that is seldom acknowledged. There is the possibility to learn things about yourself you would not have discovered any other way. You may find strength and resilience you didn’t know you had. Your capacity for compassion and empathy may deepen. Over time the memories of good times will exceed the painful ones, and you may be able to appreciate good times more than ever before. Written by Babbie Earle, Judy Sacco, and Carol Cardinale-Santana Continuing Education Is Here! We have a new focus for our monthly general meetings. At every meeting there will be an informational presentation in addition to the usual agenda. The presentations will include, but not be limited to: speakers, group discussions, mini-workshops and book and article reviews. Everyone is welcome to attend our meetings. We meet the second Thursday of the month every month. Our meetings take place at the Amigos de Animales Event building in Alto Boquete and begin at 1pm. Book Corner The Biblioteca de Boquete has an extensive selection of books related to hospice topics. There are over 70 titles in this book section. Be watching for future postings in the newsletter Book Corner section. We will have book recommendations, book reports and other offerings. Please take 1 minute to view our descriptive video. Click on the link: https://youtu.be/EbYmYqBRs3Y We have entered our video in the Video Festival. The festival has been postponed. Between June 1-14 go to the YouTube link and click on the thumbs up to vote for our video. You can only vote once. We will appreciate your votes!! To Make a Donation: BHHF functions with the donations provided by the community. If you are interested in supporting the work we do, please make a donation. To make a financial contribution by check or cash contact Laurie Collier, our treasurer, at lojocollier@yahoo.com to arrange a place and time to pick up your donation. For more information, visit our website: www.boquetehealth.org We also have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/boqueteheartshandsandhelp/?ref=bookmarks Please Like our page and Share the contents with your friends and families. To Contact Us Hospice/Health: 507.6781.9250 Blood Donor Program: 507.6590.2000 E-mail: boquetehospice@gmail.com E-mail: boquetehealth@gmail.com Confidentiality All patient information shared with any Boquete Health and Hospice volunteer is kept in the strictest confidence. Copyright © 2017 , All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: boquetehealth@gmail.com Unsubscribe | View in browser

Welcome to the newsletter of Boquete Health and Hospice Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. 2018 Boquete Health and Hospice Officers On February 8, BHHF held the annual election of officers at our volunteer luncheon. The officers for 2018 are David Wulf- President, Laurie Collier- Vice-President, Linda Sanchez-Secretary and Merl Will-Wallace-Treasurer. BHHF accomplished almost all of the 2017 goals that were set last year. In the near future the board will be meeting to develop the 2018 goals. President: David Wulf Vice-President: Laurie Collier Treasurer: Merl Will-Wallace Secretary: Linda Sanchez The History of Boquete Health and Hospice In 2006 John and Babbie Earle decided to form a hospice organization in the Boquete area. Having been volunteers of two hospices in the U.S. for 30 years, they were firm believers in the concept of death with dignity, and palliative care for the infirm and dying. In 2007 John and Babbie financed and formed the Boquete Hospice and Health Foundation, with the help of Jerry Hendrick and Mary Feldbrugge. Services were offered to the ex-pat community, given limited Spanish language skills of the volunteers, and the complication of creating a separate Spanish speaking administration. As founding members they added the concept of health support, realizing that there were many ex-pats in the community that would need help when incapacitated or infirm. They decided that BHHF would provide temporary services such as; driving, shopping, delivering meals and performing basic household chores. BHHF had now developed two missions. The first goal was to create an operating manual. With help from many people and sources from New England hospice organizations, the manual was written. Today it is still used (with yearly updates) for trainings and guidance. Next, trained volunteers were needed. BHHF is very fortunate to have Beverly Stearns as our training officer, a job she has done so well for many years. Many others have contributed to the training, such as; nurses, communication experts, and doctors. As of the last training, there are more than eighty people that have benefitted from this instruction! Another mission was added when BHHF brought in containers of medical equipment to loan out to members of the community; both ex-pats and Panamanians. Oxygen concentrators, wheel chairs, commodes, hospital beds, and more, are all available to the entire community, free, delivered and cared for by more dedicated volunteers. BHHF also recognized the need for a list of current blood donors for times of need, since blood banks aren’t common here. The palliative care program in Boquete, mandated by the government, is an example of where BHHF hopes to work with the government to renew the vision of death with dignity and minimal suffering. Many people have worked hard to get BHHF where it is today; the volunteers provide care and compassion at especially difficult times of life. BHHF volunteers will tell you the rewards they receive from doing this work far exceed the time and effort they put in. Babbie and John express profound thanks to all the trainers, volunteers, administrators and organizer for their many contributions to create this viable and valuable organization. Best Wishes to Karen Hill Karen Hill has been a member of Boquete Health and Hospice for many years. Her contributions to our organization are numerous. She has left the Boquete area to begin a new life in Bend, OR. Karen has contributed in numerous ways to BHHF: past-secretary, past-president, team leader and chair of the mentoring program. But most importantly, Karen is an example to all of us of the kindness it takes when we share our hearts, hands and help. Karen will be greatly missed by all of us. Her warm smile, thoughtful observations and gentle negotiation skills have helped to form BHHF into the organization it is today. We wish her the best as she begins her new adventure. Here is a poem for Karen that expresses the feelings of us all: Karen Hill Dedicated hearts like Karen Hill’s Are not so easy to find. It takes a special person to be So generous and kind. To care so much for others Is a quality all too rare. Yet Karen gave her time and talents, For all in need to share. So thank you for being a BHHF volunteer, We're privileged to work with you. We want you to know how appreciated you are, Not just today, but your whole life through. We're GROOVING at the Boquete Blues and Jazz Festival! Boquete Health and Hospice will have a booth at the Feria Feb. 23, 24 and 25. Volunteers will explain our services, and check your blood pressure for free. "Slide on by" - we're down from the Main Stage on the river side. A Gift for You! Boquete Health and Hospice will have a table at the Tuesday Market. Volunteers will answer any questions you have regarding the services we offer. A nurse will also be there to take your blood pressure. As a thank you for donations of $20 or more, we will be giving away exceptional gift bags. These insulated tote bags have a front pocket, a zippered enclosure and our logo that shows you are a supporter of Boquete Health. We will be at the Tuesday Market every Tuesday until the end of March. Please stop by and see us! Or email lojocollier@yahoo.com to donate and receive your gift. Watch for our friendly and helpful volunteers at the Tuesday Market! Please take 1 minute to view our descriptive video. Click on the link: https://youtu.be/EbYmYqBRs3Y We have entered our video in the Video Festival. The festival has been postponed. Between June 1-14 go to the YouTube link and click on the thumbs up to vote for our video. You can only vote once. We will appreciate your votes!! To Make a Donation: BHHF functions with the donations provided by the community. If you are interested in supporting the work we do, please make a donation. To make a financial contribution by check or cash contact Laurie Collier, our treasurer, at lojocollier@yahoo.com to arrange a place and time to pick up your donation. For more information, visit our website: www.boquetehealth.org We also have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/boqueteheartshandsandhelp/?ref=bookmarks Please Like our page and Share the contents with your friends and families. To Contact Us Hospice/Health: 507.6781.9250 Blood Donor Program: 507.6590.2000 E-mail: boquetehospice@gmail.com E-mail: boquetehealth@gmail.com Confidentiality All patient information shared with any Boquete Health and Hospice volunteer is kept in the strictest confidence. Copyright © 2017 , All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: boquetehealth@gmail.com Unsubscribe | View in browser

You won't want to miss the next Boquete Health and Hospice meeting!

Welcome to the newsletter of Boquete Health and Hospice Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Did You Know? Perhaps the best kept secret of the Boquete Health and Hospice Foundation is our extensive array of equipment and expertise to assist Boquete residents with their respiratory (lung) problems. Whether it is an acute problem requiring equipment and medications or a chronic problem requiring continuous oxygen and other respiratory services BHHF is ready and able to help. BHHF has equipment for nebulizer medication treatments, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) and portable or stationary supplemental oxygen. One of our members, Merl Will-Wallace, is a registered respiratory care practitioner with over 30 years of experience in managing respiratory disorders in the hospital or at home. He heads the BHHF respiratory team and can answer specific questions regarding our ability to support a expat or Panamanian resident in need of respiratory equipment. To find out more, please start with a contact to our administrator at 6781-9250. Health tip: when traveling by airplane especially in cold weather, the oxygen at high altitudes might become problematic for you. Plan ahead if you have lung disease. Even though the airlines have oxygen on the flight, they can ask you to deplane before taking off if they feel you are at medical risk. A Gift for You! On Tuesday, January30, Boquete Health and Hospice will have a table at the Tuesday Market. Volunteers will answer any questions you have regarding the services we offer. A nurse will also be there to take your blood pressure. As a thank you for donations of $20 or more, we will be giving away exceptional gift bags. These insulated tote bags have a front pocket, a zippered enclosure and our logo that shows you are a supporter of Boquete Health. We will be at the Tuesday Market every Tuesday until the end of March. Please stop by and see us! Or email lojocollier@yahoo.com to donate and receive your gift. Watch for our friendly and helpful volunteers at the Tuesday Market! Please take 1 minute to view our descriptive video. Click on the link: https://youtu.be/EbYmYqBRs3Y We have entered our video in the Video Festival. The festival has been postponed. Between June 1-14 go to the YouTube link and click on the thumbs up to vote for our video. You can only vote once. We will appreciate your votes!! To Make a Donation: BHHF functions with the donations provided by the community. If you are interested in supporting the work we do, please make a donation. To make a financial contribution by check or cash contact Laurie Collier, our treasurer, at lojocollier@yahoo.com to arrange a place and time to pick up your donation. For more information, visit our website: www.boquetehealth.org We also have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/boqueteheartshandsandhelp/?ref=bookmarks Please Like our page and Share the contents with your friends and families. To Contact Us Hospice/Health: 507.6781.9250 Blood Donor Program: 507.6590.2000 E-mail: boquetehospice@gmail.com E-mail: boquetehealth@gmail.com Confidentiality All patient information shared with any Boquete Health and Hospice volunteer is kept in the strictest confidence. Copyright © 2017 , All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: boquetehealth@gmail.com

On Tuesday, January 16th, Boquete Health and Hospice will have a table at the Tuesday Market. Volunteers will answer any questions you have regarding the services we offer. A nurse will also be there to take your blood pressure. As a thank you for donations of $20 or more, we will be giving away exceptional gift bags. These insulated tote bags have a front pocket, a zippered enclosure and our logo that shows you are a supporter of Boquete Health. We will be at the Tuesday Market every Tuesday until the end of March. Please stop by and see us! Or email lojocollier@yahoo.com to donate and receive your gift.

Last year we premiered our informative video on our new website. This year we have submitted it to the Boquete Film Festival. One of the competitions is a Popular Vote on YouTube. We need your help! PLEASE CLICK ON THE YouTube Link below and "LIKE" IT!!! You can send it to family and friends, and you can vote as many times as you want. THE DEADLINE IS JAN. 31. We need your votes!!! Thank you for your support!!! Laurie Collier, Treasurer https://youtu.be/fxL1RH_pVmE Boquete Health and Hospice.mp4

Welcome to the newsletter of Boquete Health and Hospice Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Looking Back on 2017 Early in 2017 the BHHF board met to define our vision and mission statement and goals for the year. Our vision and mission statement is: To inform and promote community health: and, to support people with needs by providing information, equipment and services. The goals were developed this year to reflect the expansion of our services to the Boquete and surrounding area. Our goal of providing health information to the community was addressed with a new and informative website, Being Prepared and Preventing Falls presentations, an informational video and the first Health Fair. This educational outreach increased the public awareness of our organization as well as provided vital health information. Our equipment loan program has grown. We now have an additional storage room for our equipment and now have room to store our 17 oxygen concentrators. At this time about 25% of our equipment is loaned out to Panamanians. We hope to expand our loan program even more to the Panamanian and expat community. Our home health care and hospice services continue to be an important part of our organization. We have expanded our respiratory support program. Numerous meals were delivered, home visitations made, rides given and home support care provided this past year. We continue to recruit volunteers to maintain our services and twenty-three individuals have signed up so far for the next training to take place in early 2018. BHHF was successful in expanding our programs and reaching out even more to the community. In return, we have received many generous donations which will enable us to continue growing and improving. Looking forward to 2018 the board will meet and create new goals for the coming year. Many thanks to our volunteers and to the community for supporting us. “A Gift for You!” Look for Boquete Health in 2018 at the BCP Tuesday Market. We have a gift for you! Donate $20 or more and receive your special insulated zippered tote bag. Happy New Year! Happy Shopping! Health Tips for the Holidays and Into the New Year! Please take 1 minute to view our descriptive video. Click on the link: https://youtu.be/EbYmYqBRs3Y To Make a Donation: BHHF functions with the donations provided by the community. If you are interested in supporting the work we do, please make a donation. To make a financial contribution by check or cash contact Laurie Collier, our treasurer, at lojocollier@yahoo.com to arrange a place and time to pick up your donation. For more information, visit our website: www.boquetehealth.org We also have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/boqueteheartshandsandhelp/?ref=bookmarks Please Like our page and Share the contents with your friends and families. To Contact Us Hospice/Health: 507.6781.9250 Blood Donor Program: 507.6590.2000 E-mail: boquetehospice@gmail.com E-mail: boquetehealth@gmail.com Confidentiality All patient information shared with any Boquete Health and Hospice volunteer is kept in the strictest confidence. Copyright © 2017 , All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: boquetehealth@gmail.com Unsubscribe | View in browser

Welcome to the newsletter of Boquete Health and Hospice Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. A Message from the Blood Donation Program Coordinator Charlotte Lintz There is no blood bank for any of the hospitals in Chiriqui. Thus, for everyone, obtaining blood in any emergency situation is difficult. For almost all situations, the ONLY way to receive blood at any hospital is to ask donors to come and donate for you at the hospital. You cannot purchase blood from the hospitals, but you can pay someone to donate for you at the hospital. This is not always the safest way, since some people can feel compelled by money to withhold information about their medical histories. In emergency situations, the staff at the hospital or the firemen will donate blood, but there is often an expense involved. For these reasons, Boquete Health and Hospice Foundation maintains a blood donor list for all residents of the Boquete area and provides guidelines for prospective donors. This list is not published or shared in any way. You can volunteer to donate blood by putting your name on the list of people to be called if someone needs blood of your type at Chiriqui Hospital, Mae Lewis Hospital or the Regional Hospital. Your blood type is on your Panamanian driver’s license. It may be on your U.S. or other license. You can get your blood typed by paying a small fee at any lab. The cost is usually around $5-$10. The confidential list is maintained by two volunteers. We will find donors for you whether you have volunteered to give blood or not. Giving Blood is not a requirement for receiving blood. Our Spanish is not good so there must be an English speaking contact person. When you volunteer to donate, some hospitals can take several hours to run the tests. They will take your phone number & call you back to donate. We are looking for donors, no matter what your age! For more information and the criteria for donating blood, go to our website: http://www.boquetehealth.org Once you are on the website go to More and then click on Criteria for Donating Blood How We Help In late July, an elderly Panamanian woman named Magarita fell and broke her hip. She had hip replacement surgery a few days later. A family friend who is a member of Boquete Health and Hospice helped the family contact BHHF to find out what services would be available to the family. Betty Landis and her bilingual neighbor Yari made a home visit. They assessed the medical equipment needs and determined that Magarita didn’t need a hospital bed but would benefit from having attachable sides fit to the bed to prevent her from falling out of the bed. A walker was also provided to use once she gained her mobility. Several days later another member from BHHF visited the family. Magarita’s son and daughter both report that this visit was very helpful to all of the family members. Magarita had been sent home from the hospital after her surgery with no instructions to the family how to care for her. The family is grateful for the training they were given to learn how to move their mother, the best method to have her get up and start moving again and how to care for her while she is bedridden. They expressed warm feelings of appreciation for the services and compassionate treatment they received from the BHHF volunteers BHHF Health Fair Just a few weeks ago, Boquete was buzzing with care and concern for its residents. The Boquete Health Fair on October 22, 2017 was an energetic event promoting health and wellness to all locally. Panamanians were lining up an hour early to get their blood glucose tested. There was rarely an empty seat at any of our eleven vendors’ tables.Many were lucky enough to win certificates for free lab work, doctor visits, dental exams or cleaning, 24-hour blood pressure monitoring, and more. Dra. Sue King and Dra. Digna Diaz, Dentist Dra. Luz Barria, Chiriqui Hospital, MINSA, the Policlinica, Revilla pharmacy and Laboratoria Analytek answered questions and educated, provided medical testing, and promoted health and wellness to residents of Boquete. The folks at RodnyDirect and AAC were constantly busy answering medical and security questions. Keep It Simple Panama helped so many trying to navigate the Panamanian medical system. And, our dear friends at Foundation Pro-Integration showed how they help and how you too can help those less fortunate. Yes, we promote health and wellness but Boquete Health and Hospice Foundation was also proud to show how we serve the sick and dying in Boquete. Our hearts, hands, and help are here for you. The first BHHF Health fair was a success! Thank you to all who helped put on this event; and, thank you to those who came to promote health and wellness in Boquete. For more photos, check out our website: http://www.boquetehealth.org We Have a New Look on our Website! Come see our new improved website. We’ve had a face lift. The website can now be viewed in many languages. Just click on the Google translation at the top. To check out our new website go to: http://www.boquetehealth.org Please take 1 minute to view our descriptive video. Click on the link: https://youtu.be/EbYmYqBRs3Y To Make a Donation: BHHF functions with the donations provided by the community. If you are interested in supporting the work we do, please make a donation. To make a financial contribution by check or cash contact Laurie Collier, our treasurer, at lojocollier@yahoo.com to arrange a place and time to pick up your donation. For more information, visit our website: www.boquetehealth.org We also have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/boqueteheartshandsandhelp/?ref=bookmarks Please Like our page and Share the contents with your friends and families. To Contact Us Hospice/Health: 507.6781.9250 Blood Donor Program: 507.6590.2000 E-mail: boquetehospice@gmail.com E-mail: boquetehealth@gmail.com Confidentiality All patient information shared with any Boquete Health and Hospice volunteer is kept in the strictest confidence. Copyright © 2017 , All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: boquetehealth@gmail.com Unsubscribe | View in browser

Come see our new improved website. Just go to boquetehealth.org and check us out. We’ve had a face lift. The website can now be viewed in many languages. Just click on the Google translation at the top.

Boquete Health and Hospice is sponsoring the first annual Boquete Health Fair. Plan on attending to learn about health care services in our area.

For all the information about the Boquete Health Fair, please open the following attachment. FLYER Health Fair 10-6-17.pdf