OSF offers various events throughout October

From press releases

Alpha plans monthly potluck

Sponsored by the OSF St. Anthony Auxiliary, Alpha is a free social group for widowed persons who have advanced beyond their grieving.

The monthly Alpha potluck will be held beginning with a social hour at 6 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31, in the Foundation Room across from Anthony’s Café at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center.

Gentlemen are requested to bring drinks or snacks for the potluck. Ladies are asked to bring a dish to pass that will serve six to eight people. Alpha membership is not required to attend the potluck. There are no dues to join Alpha, and registration is not required. All widowed persons are welcome to attend the activities. For more information, call (815) 633-9530.

OSF St. Anthony Medical Center offers free child car seat safety checks

While most parents believe that their children’s car seats are safe, statistics show that more than 85 percent of the children’s car seats are not properly installed. When the car seat is properly installed or if the child is not positioned correctly, the risk for injury and death during an accident is increased.

OSF St. Anthony Medical Center offers free child passenger safety checks at various locations during the year.

While no specific dates, times and locations will be scheduled for the fall and winter, parents who are concerned about the proper installation of their child’s car seat are invited to call (815) 227-2323 and leave a message with their name and phone number.

They will be contacted within a few days to set up an appointment for a free child car seat check. A certified car seat technician will check the car seats in the parents’ vehicles and provide education about correct installation and the proper way the child should be placed in the seat.

OSF St. Anthony Medical Center offers ‘Self-Hypnosis for Wellness’

OSF St. Anthony Medical Center is offering
Self-Hypnosis for Wellness

as a free service to all persons living with any health challenges.

The next meeting will be 10 to 11:30 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 17, in the first-floor library at the OSF St. Anthony Center for Cancer Care, 5666 E. State St. Topic for the meeting will be
Autumn Leaves.

Participants will discover how color can help relieve discomfort.

Meetings are held on the third Saturday of each month. Enrollment is open, and you may attend as many meetings as you would like. Anyone dealing with a health challenge or with the effects of disease treatment is invited to attend. A significant support person may attend if a reservation is made for that person as well. The meeting is free, but reservations are required by calling (815) 227-2618. Attendance is limited to 25 participants.

The
Self-Hypnosis for Wellness

program is built on the finding that the people with serious diseases who have positive, long-term outcomes tend to have certain personality characteristics in common. Teaching people how to develop these characteristics seems to help them both medically and personally.

The meetings are conducted by Rev. Linda Lawrence, a hypnotist certified by the board of the National Guild of Hypnotists specializing in issues of health and wellness, and Paul Dale Anderson, also an NGH-board certified hypnotist and educator/counselor. Both facilitators are trained in complementary medical hypnotism and pain management.

Each meeting explores a topic related to healthy-minded living, followed by special pulsed music to help participants relax.

Using a variety of guided imagery techniques, the facilitators will offer simple and effective suggestions for participants to learn how to acquire the characteristics associated with positive, long-term outcomes.

Since all hypnosis is technically self-hypnosis, participants will be aware and in control at all times. Self-hypnosis involves relaxed concentration, guided daydreaming and the positive use of the imagination.

The self-hypnosis portion of the meetings each month, depending upon the needs of the group.

For more information and reservations, call (815) 227-2618.

Rockford Ostomy Support Group meets at OSF St. Anthony

The Rockford Ostomy Association generally meets on the third Monday of every month at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center.

The next meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 19, in the Foundation Room at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center. All ostomy patients, their families and healthcare professionals are welcome to attend.

The Rockford Ostomy Association is a nonprofit health service and rehabilitation organization dedicated to the mutual aid and moral support of persons with ostomies. The Association provides well-trained volunteers to visit ostomy patients, publishes a monthly newsletter and provides information and support to those who have undergone ostomies.

Regular meetings are open to anyone who has undergone an ostomy, relatives or friends and healthcare professionals. Membership in the Rockford Ostomy Association is not required to attend the meetings.

For information, call (815) 397-2514.

From the October 14-20, 2009 issue