Boquete Health and Hospice April Newsletter

[Boquete Health and Hospice]

View this email in your browser Table of Contents Don't Let Your Guard Down Incredible Volunteers Music Wellness Guide CPR Training Announcement CPR Testimonial Being Prepared Workshop Review Giving Blood in Boquete Next General Meeting The Tale of the Behemoth World Blood Donor Day is Coming Tree of Life Update BHH Policies Letter from the President Don’t Let Your Guard Down It is easy to believe that Covid-19 is on the way to being beaten.  Daily new cases have dropped from over 5000 in early January to an average of 300 in April.  And while most of the vaccine is being administered in Panama City, we expect/hope it will be available in Boquete soon.   However, the virus is still active.  In early April one of our members was exposed and then, unknowingly, exposed another member.  Both have since tested negative.  Then news was received that another one of our members and her husband had active Covid-19.   Please – wash your hands, use hand sanitizer/alcohol gel, social distance and wear masks.  Showing respect for others (and yourself) is what makes Boquete such a great community.   A question was asked why Boquete Health and Hospice had started having meeting and presentations again.  The short answer is that last year having a meeting was against the law and this year it is not.  BHH adheres to the MINSA guidelines and keeps up to date on the CDC/WHO recommendations regarding gatherings.  All of our meetings at the Animales Event Center require attendees to use the step-through tray, use alcohol gel, have their temperatures taken, remain socially distanced, wear masks and provide names, emails and phone numbers in case it becomes necessary to contact them.  The building is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before and after each event.  BHH wants people to feel safe coming to the events but understands if they do not.   Database Update The database project is moving along.  Christine has returned to the states but will help us long distance.  The hope is that testing will be done during April and that the database can go “live” by the end of the month.  Christine has been working hard with both the Administrator Team and the Equipment Team, making sure that all their needs are taken into account. Music Wellness Playlist Guide & Explanation from the "Magic of Music" Team Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory.  ‘Music Wellness’ is focused on tailoring your music experience to take advantage of these benefits.  However, rather than just reading about the benefits of music wellness, why not try it out for yourself?  The Magic of Music team at Boquete Health & Hospice has assembled a Music Wellness Guide with links to over a hundred music playlists that you can use to explore the landscape of music wellness!  Backed by research from Harvard Medical School, Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medical School, AARP, and the Global Council on Brain Health, our Music Wellness Guide is accompanied by an Explanation Document which briefly describes the benefits of wellness music and how to select the playlists that best suit your wellness needs. Music Wellness Guide Explanation Document We would like to hear from you regarding your experience with these music wellness playlists!  Email the BHH Magic of Music Team and let us know!  Email: music@boquetehospice.org Incredible Volunteers Two of our wonderful volunteers are going to be stepping down from their positions.     1.    Merl Will-Wallace will be leaving his position as Team Leader for the Respiratory Team.  But (thankfully) he will be continuing as our Treasurer.  Merl joined Boquete Health and Hospice in 2015 and has been on the Respiratory Team since he joined.  In addition to keeping track of BHH’s funds, he has kept track of the respiratory equipment (concentrators, cpap and bipap machines and the various other parts that are needed by patients), makes sure that the equipment is working and is sanitized before and after each use, follows up with patients making sure that all is working satisfactorily, and works with the team members making sure they are comfortable with the equipment so they can explain its use to the patients.   The Council is currently exploring ways to make the job easier.  The new database will be expanded to be able to handle the respiratory equipment, keeping track of who has what piece, inventory and ordering of more of the consumables.  The team will be retrained on a regular basis so that when home visits re-commence, everyone will be up-to-speed.   Merl – the entire organization thanks you for everything you have done for the respiratory team and are so happy you will continue as Treasurer.  2.    Joanie Feuerstein (and her husband Will) have returned to the United States. Joanie has been one of the driving forces behind the Being Prepared Team (along with Char Lintz, Genie Vidal and Christine Kunert, Carmen Restrepo and Luis Botero).  Joanie joined BHH in 2019 and jumped in by agreeing to work on the revising of the Being Prepared guide and presentations.  A great deal of time and effort went into the preparation of the new guide, and then the presentations (most of which were cancelled in 2020 but have since recommenced.  Joanie coordinated a team who spent quite a bit of time verifying the information contained in the guide.   A new, updated version of the guide is now available.   Joanie’s love for the organization and the community is readily apparent and we are so thankful that she has given her time and talent to help everyone.  Joanie, the entire organization is honored you have been one of our volunteers.  3.     Noemi Montenegro was honored at our last General Meeting for her outstanding volunteer work during the blood drive.  Thank you for assisting so many of our donors. CPR 2021 Announcement Couples CPR Training in May When: May 12th, 2021, 2:30-3:30 pm (after the BHHF General Meeting) Where: Animales Event Center – The Ruby McKenzie Clinic Following Minsa’s guidelines: masks, social distancing, hand and foot sanitizing, and temperature check. Details: Since there are only 4 mannequins and 4 training AEDs, we can only have 3 couple participants (students). Each couple will have their own mannequin and AED. The 4th set is for the instructor. This is an abbreviated training session, even more abbreviated by Covid precautions. It will include one-man CPR, hands-on only CPR (chest compressions), use of the AED and Demonstration only of Heimlich Maneuver. At this time, the CPR Review Course is open only to BHHF members. Register quickly as again there are only 3 couples spots available. A waiting/cancellation list will be started. If all goes well, we plan on having this class after each BHHF General Meeting each month. Looking forward to seeing you, Linda Archer/CPR Coordinator rlaarcher@sbcglobal.net Couples Sign Up for the CPR Class CPR TESTIMONIAL “I am so grateful to BHH for offering this CPR class. It is was a great learning experience for me. I highly recommend taking this class.  Some life could be saved by what it is learned taking this class. Linda Archer thank you; you made the class interesting and fun.”       Yolanda Vega. Being Prepared Workshop Dying Ain’t Easy in Panama…...However, the April Being Prepared workshop just made it easier to navigate for 40 attendees.  Char Lintz (retired ICU and geriatric nurse) guided us through the step-by-step process that she recently experienced with the death of her father.   Our job now is to complete the detailed forms, to make known our final wishes and to Be Prepared for the unexpected. The next workshop will be held in July.  But no need to wait to get your affairs in order. Being Prepared booklets are available for a $10 donation at Mailboxes, Etc. and at our BHH table at the Tuesday Tap Out Market (by the theater door).  A PDF version is also available online for a $5 donation at www.boquetehealth.org  Get a booklet now and follow the simple guidelines.  You and your family deserve the peace of mind. Giving Blood in Boquete A testimonial from our President, Lesley Hughes “On Saturday, March 6, I was fortunate enough to be able to donate blood at the Boquete Health and Hospice Blood Drive because I hadn’t traveled out of the country for three months.   Pre-registration was easy by email, and I was given an appointment time of 7:30 to donate. I arrived about five minutes early and was checked in.  My information was on the pre-registration sheet.  I was given a number and asked to sit in a chair outside.  About 3 minutes later I was called inside.  I had my temperature taken, answered a few questions and was given a paper to take to the first blood draw station (to check for anemia).  After that I sat for about four minutes before I was asked to speak with a doctor. Since my Spanish language skills are still developing, one of the volunteers acted as a translator.  Shortly after answering the questions, I was directed to a chair for the actual blood donation.  A wonderful technician inserted the needle, and the process began.  (I have to say he did a wonderful job – in the US when I have donated, I have ended up with a large bruise.  Here no bruise at all!).  Ten minutes later I was all done, and I was escorted to a table and chair outside where I was given a bottle of water, a new water bottle gift, crackers and a small container of yogurt.   All done and back in the car by 8:15. It was a fast, efficient, painless and pleasant experience.”   Sign Up to Donate Blood The Tale of the Behemoth Once upon a time, BEFORE our equipment loan team started buying more portable hospital beds, Boquete Health & Hospice had this beautiful hospital bed taking up a lot of space in our storage locker.  Sela Burkholder fondly named it the “behemoth” due to its size, weight and the difficulty transporting it to a patient’s home.  Then one day, Sela decided it was best to donate the bed to a more fixed location. The perfect solution arose when our medical director, Dra. Diaz and Boquete Medical Associates, moved to a new location in Alto Boquete and had a special resting place for the bed.  Shedding tears, Sela and her husband Al moved the bed to its final destination and bid the “behemoth” a fond farewell.  (The tears may have been due to back strain, we aren’t sure.)  And so, the story has a happy ending.  The End! The Next General Meeting Wednesday, May 12th – 1pm IN PERSON AND ZOOM Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83887079356 Meeting ID: 838 8707 9356 About the Tree of Life The tree was created to honor our donors and volunteers.  The roots are volunteers, the trunk is the council, the leaves are people who have donated $100 or more.  The two color leaves are people who have donated for two years.  The flowers are business sponsors who donate $100 or more every year.  The Lilies are new.  They are memorials to people who have passed.  Family or friends have donated $200 or more to honor them.  Add your leaf or flower or Lily.  Click the button to make our tree grow. Thank you. Donate Click Here to Enlarge Tree Many Thanks to Our New Donors Ginny Woolley Over the past year there have been questions about WHY Boquete Health and Hospice was doing things in a certain way.  The policies of the organization have now been posted on our website.  There is a link at the bottom of the home page or you can go to the “More” page to read them or download a PDF version.  The policies will be updated as needed.   View BHH Policies Our Mission Our mission is to provide palliative care for the terminally ill in order that they may experience death with dignity and limited pain; 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 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 time and place to pick up your donation. You can also click here  to make an online Paypal donation. For more information visit our website: http://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 family and friends.   Confidentiality All patient information shared with any Boquete Health and Hospice volunteer is kept in the strictest confidence. To Contact Us   Hospice/Health:  (507) 6781-9250 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday,  9am to 1pm Saturday and Sunday    Please! Blood Donor Program:  WhatApp (507)-6590-2000 or call (507)-6781-9250 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday,  9am to 1pm Saturday and Sunday, Please. Email:  info@boquetehealth.org   Freely send this to anyone, use any part.