LIVING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS

Living with mental illness
YOUNGSTOWN -- Family-to-Family Education classes, which detail many aspects of living with a person with mental illness, are being sponsored by NAMI MV (National Alliance for Mental Illness) and the Mahoning County Mental Health Board. These free classes are structured to help family members understand and support their ill relative while maintaining their own well-being. The course includes a variety of topics such as definitions of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc.; brain biology and causes of brain disorders; medications and treatment; communications; rehabilitation and recovery and more. This nationally recognized curriculum is taught by trained family members.
The series of 12 weekly classes will begin Aug. 15 and run through Oct. 31; class time is from 7 to 9:30 p.m. each Monday. The location will be the Jewish Community Center, 505 Gypsy Lane (across from Forum Health).
Classes will be limited to the first 22 people who register and additional names will be added to the waiting list for the next session. Registration is required; call (330) 545-9148.
'Maintain Your Brain'
BOARDMAN -- The Alzheimer's Association-Greater East Ohio Area Chapter will conduct a free educational program on how to live a brain-healthy life and help reduce risk of Alzheimer's disease at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 10 at the Easter Seals Day Center, 721 Boardman-Poland Road. "Maintain Your Brain" is free and open to the community. For more information, call the Alzheimer's Association at (330) 533-3300 or (800) 441-3322.
Healthy Mom presentation
YOUNGSTOWN -- MYCAP-WIC Program and Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies will present "Summer Sizzle Teas for Breast-feeding Moms & amp; Mothers-To-Be" from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Aug. 10, at 100 Broadway Ave. inside the Broadway WIC clinic and from 1:30- 3:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at 122 Westchester Drive inside the Austintown WIC Clinic. The workshops are free and open to the public and offer information, refreshments, games and prizes.
MYCAP-WIC Program helps income-eligible pregnant, breast-feeding, and postpartum women, infants and children to age 5 who are at a health risk. Eligibility is determined at a local WIC Clinic. Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies is a Mahoning County neighborhood outreach program for minority women that provides in-home visits during and after pregnancy.
For more information contact MYCAP-Mahoning County WIC Program at (330) 747-7921 ext. 1144.
Design idea
TubTrugs may sound like menacing creatures from a Harry Potter novel, but they're flexible, ribbed plastic buckets with strong handles available through Gardenscape Tools in Toronto. They're touted as ideal for composting, berry picking or shlepping divided perennials, but indoor uses occur to us. And, oh, the colors: purple, green, red, orange, yellow, pink or blue. They're $40 (American, not Canadian) for two: a large one that holds 11 gallons and a small one that holds nearly 7 gallons. To order, call 888-472-3266 or click on www.gardenscapetools.com