30th Annual Wells Christmas Parade

30th Annual Wells Christmas Parade

This is the 30th year of the parade in Wells, Maine. Our theme for this year’s parade is “Home For The Holidays.” The parade will take place on Sunday, December 13, 2015 at 2 pm.
Don't miss the holiday cheer!

Did You Suffer a Traumatic Brain Injury?

Have you ever hit your head as a result of a fall, car crash, or other type of activity and just "did not feel right" afterwards? After a few days, you returned to your normal activities, but continued to experience headaches, sensitivity to noise, or difficulty concentrating and remembering things. Does this sound familiar?  You may have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

A TBI can disrupt the normal functions of your brain. TBIs—ranging from mild concussions to severe, life-threatening injuries—can be prevented by incorporated safety methods for activities.

According to CDC research in the United States:

·         the youngest children and older adults are at highest risk for sustaining fall-related TBIs,

·         adolescents and young adults (persons aged 15–24 years) have the highest rates of motor vehicle-related TBIs, and

·         adults aged 65 years or older have the highest rates of TBI-related hospitalization and are more likely to die from TBI (either TBI alone or along with other injuries or illnesses) than any other age group.

Learning the Signs and Symptoms

Many people with a TBI can recover quickly. But for some people, TBI symptoms can last for days, weeks, or longer. In general, recovery may be slower for older adults, young children, and teens. In severe cases, a TBI can lead to coma and even death. People who have had a TBI in the past are at greater risk of having another one and may find that it takes longer to recover if they have another TBI.

Symptoms of TBI usually fall into four categories

Thinking/Remembering	Physical	Emotional/Mood	Sleep
Difficulty thinking clearly	Headache Fuzzy or blurry vision	Irritability	Sleeping more than usual
Feeling slowed down	Nausea or vomiting (early on) Dizziness	Sadness	Sleeping less than usual
Difficulty concentrating	Sensitivity to noise or light Balance problems	More emotional	Trouble falling asleep
Difficulty remembering new information	Feeling tired, having no energy	Nervousness or anxiety

Some of these symptoms occur at the time of the injury. Other symptoms may not be noticed for days or months after the injury, when a person returns to their everyday life.^[1]

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[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

If you or a loved one has experienced a head injury seek medical attention immediately.  If the injury was caused due to safety violations consult an attorney.

Distracted Driving is Dangerous Driving.

Before you pick-up your cell phone while you are behind the wheel STOP and THINK.  If there is no emergency, whatever is happening on the cell/smart phone can wait or you can pull over. 

According to 2013 government statistics, 424,000 people were injured from distracted driving.  At any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving, a number that has held steady since 2010. And because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction. 10% of drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted.  

All parents and adults should lead by example, showing the younger drivers that cell phone distraction is dangerous, deadly and totally unnecessary.  Learn to ignore your phone or pull over for your safety and the safety of others.

10th Annual Parade of Lights

Parade of Lights and Sukeforth Festival of Trees
The 10th Annual Parade of Lights will be held on Friday, November 27 at 6pm.
New this year is Sukeforth Festival of Trees at the Hathaway Creative Center, 10 Water Street in Downtown Waterville. More than fifty trees will be decorated in various themes.

Medical Errors - Be Vigiliant About Your Care

Preventable medical errors are the #3 cause of death in the United States according to the Journal of Patient Safety.

The #1 cause of diagnosing errors is the physician’s failure to consider alternative causes for the patient’s problems according to an Internal Medicine study.

Obtaining safe healthcare should be everyone’s business.  But when preventable medical errors are the #3 cause of death in this country, not to mention the countless injuries caused by preventable medical errors, what are patients to do?  And with a medical culture of cover-up and lack of disclosure, patients and their families are often left in the dark. 

You can be vigilant about your care and point out the errors you are aware of to the physicians, nurses and healthcare providers - and also do it in writing.  Healthcare facilities have processes in place often called “peer review” which they have convinced legislatures to keep confidential by passing laws.  While this process is designed for internal discussion of medical errors and how to keep them from happening in the future, the patient and their families have no access to this information.  By writing down the error you witness, and insisting your written report be included in the medical record, you can at the very least document the error and have a record of it in case this information is needed for further proceedings with the state licensing board or future court proceedings.

Fall Maine Festivals

Fall Maine Festivals

"The Maine fall festivals are pretty standard for a smaller populated state on the ocean.  There are a few harvest festivals, a seafood festival and a regatta offer a diverse selection of choices after Oktoberfest in Maine is over. Here is the list of September and October festivals in 2015"

Boothbay Region Harbor Fest, Sept 4-13th

Boothbay Region Harbor Fest

Sep 04 thru Sep 13, 2015. 
"Annual Boothbay Harbor Fest is a 10-day community collaboration featuring a collection of unique and vibrant events that celebrate our local lifestyle and heritage."