Stroke Survivors, COPD Lecture Slated By St V’s

BRIDGEPORT — St Vincent’s Stroke Survivors and Caregivers Support Group meets on the third Wednesday of each month with the next meeting on April 18, from 5:30 to 7 pm, in the Seton Room on Level C at St Vincent’s Medical Center.

The Stroke Survivors and Caregivers Support Group addresses the concerns and needs of stroke survivors and their caregivers. It also provides an opportunity for participants to interact with others for emotional support as well as to share strategies and techniques to improve their quality of life.

Speech, occupational, and physical therapists as well as neurologists and social workers are also available to provide information and links to services in the community. The group is sponsored by St Vincent’s Department of Social Work and the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

There is no charge for attendance at the group and parking is free with validated ticket. For more information, call occupational therapist Melissa Kopp at 203-576-5361 or social worker Helen Polewoj at 576-5608.

In related news, St Vincent’s Medical Center is sponsoring a free talk open to the general public entitled “Taking a Deep Breath: Treatments for COPD,” as a part of its 2012 Spring Listen & Learn Lecture Series. The talk will take place on Thursday, April 19, from 5:30 to 7 pm, at Testos’s Restaurant, 1775 Madison Avenue.

A buffet dinner will be available from 5:30 to 6 pm.

Featured speaker David Bushell, MD, FCCP, ABSM, will discuss COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), what it is, the symptoms, and how it will affect those who are diagnosed with the condition. Dr Bushell will address coping with COPD and explain the latest treatment options.

Dr Bushell is a member of the Executive Committee of St Vincent’s Medical Center. He works at a private practice of pulmonary and internal medicine in Fairfield.

A question and answer session will follow the presentation.

For more information or to register for this lecture, call St Vincent’s toll-free Care Line at 877-255-SVHS (7847) or register online at www.stvincents.org/listenandlearn.

More information about this talk can be found at www.stvincents.org/COPDlecture.