BERLIN, N.H. — Starting Wednesday, February 22, members of the Berlin community who are dealing with the long-term health effects of COVID-19 are invited to participate in a Long COVID Support Group hosted by Androscoggin Valley Hospital’s (AVH) Rehabilitation Services department.
Heather Alnwick, PT, DPT, and Katie Werbeck, MS, CCC-SLP, will host the in-person (and masked) monthly support group for community members in need of support and education to help them progress along the road to recovery.
“From their cognitive therapy and physical therapy work with multiple patients whose primary diagnoses were Long COVID, it became apparent to Heather and Katie that these patients were dealing with a new disease and were receiving conflicting information,” said Lynn Chauvette, Director of Rehabilitation Services at AVH. “Heather and Katie observed that, despite receiving treatment from interdisciplinary providers, it just wasn’t enough. Many patients reported feeling lost and unsure about what was happening to them,” she added. “We created the Long COVID support group to respond to a felt need in the community – to support, to educate, and to give solace to Long COVID patients so they know they are not
alone,” said Katie Werbeck. In this support group, Long COVID sufferers will learn about existing and ongoing research from reliable sources. “People need support knowing there is a possibility that they may have to live with some chronic issues, and we are here to provide the education, support, and guidance that Long COVID patients in our community need most,” added Heather Alnwick.
Katie Werbeck, a Speech-Language Pathologist based at AVH and Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital (UCVH), specializes in Dysphagia, Cognitive Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury, and the Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) procedure. Speech-Language Pathology care is ideal for patients who experience voice or swallowing difficulties, stroke, gender-affirming voice change, dementia/Alzheimer’s, pediatric speech and language disorders, and more.
Heather Alnwick, Physical Therapist and Doctor of Physical Therapy, based at AVH, specializes in geriatrics, vestibular retraining, and interventions such as the Otago Exercise Program to Prevent Falls. Patients who require extra support throughout their healing process benefit from Physical Therapy. Through her participation in the Long COVID Summit, Heather gained an in-depth understanding of COVID research and treatment strategies that are being implemented across a variety of specialties.
The AVH Long COVID Support Group will meet 4:30 – 5:30 p.m., on the last Wednesday of every month starting February 22, 2023. Each session will be held in the Mount Success Conference Room, on the first floor of Androscoggin Valley Hospital, located at 59 Page Hill Rd, Berlin. For more information and to RSVP, please call (603) 326-5738, or email Heather Alnwick at heather.alnwick@northcountryhealth.org, or Katie Werbeck at Katherine.werbeck@northcountryhealth.org.
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