Category: Health

CAPECON 2025

Posted on by Clint Johnson

Falmouth Public Library’s very own CapeCon on 6/21/2025 (June 21st, 2025) from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

The event will take place throughout Falmouth Public Library! AND in the parking lot…

The Library is located on Falmouth Main Street!

300 Main St, Falmouth, MA 02540

Some folks may have heard of a ComicCon (short for Comic Convention). They are often held in big cities with hefty entrance fees. We’re doing the same thing at Falmouth Public Library Main Branch on 6/21/2025 from 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM. CAPECON is all about bringing the community together with their shared interests. Let the comics and manga/anime breakdown differences such as age, language, race, economic situation, and/or neurodiversity. 

Except it’s… 

FREE!!!!!!!! AND ALL AGES!!!!!!!!

–Voice Acting Panels

-Video Game TRUCK

–Cosplay Contest

–Comic strip creation

–Polaroid Photoshoots

-Comics and Mental Health Presentation

–Origami

-Crafts and Geeky Cookie Making

-Dungeons and Dragons Drop-Ins

–Table Top Gaming

-All day Nintendo Switch in YA Room

-A Super Smash Bros. Tournament

–Fan Fiction

No registration is required!

 

 

 

“What Happened Here: The Untold Story of Addiction on Cape Cod”

Posted on by Peter Cook

Screening and Panel

Directed by Sam Tarplin and Nate Robertson

At the Falmouth Public Library Main Branch on March 15th at 5:00 PM in the Hermann room, the library is hosting a screening of the independent documentary “What Happened Here: The Untold Story of Addiction on Cape Cod” followed by a guest panel including both directors of the documentary and others who help those with substance abuse problems on the front lines. Please register using our online calendar!

Cape Cod in the summer is filled with tourists, parties, and recreational drug use. Then it begins to get cold and everyone disappears. The party is over for the tourists and they return to their lives off Cape. What about those who do not leave? For year round residents of Cape Cod, the winter is a different story. Once the summer parties end, the locals and “washashores” face a cold reality.

Though it is often overlooked and pushed aside, many of the community members turn to drugs to sooth the sense of cold and loneliness. Opioids including prescription pills, heroin and fentanyl run rampant. Death after death of family, friends, and other community members are mourned daily. Treatment centers face challenges in delivering effective care due to the stigma surrounding addiction and the growing demand that exceeds available resources. That does not mean there is no way out…

The documentary addresses, informs and shows a light in the darkness of addiction. It is not a dramatization, but a symbol for hope and understanding that addiction is a disease and there is a way out. Asking for help. A community of recovering addicts can move mountains. “What Happened Here” brings the disease to light and there can be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Registration for the screening and panel is required. You can access the sign-up page on our Falmouth Public Library events page or give us a call at 508-457-2555 x 7. Please reach out if you have any questions or problems with registering!

Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Join us at the Falmouth Public Library for an Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors education program presented by Jennifer Hoadley from the Alzheimer’s Association on Friday, October 25th at 3pm in the Hermann meeting room.

Behavior is a powerful form of communication and is one of the primary ways for people with dementia to communicate their needs and feelings as the the disease progresses and the ability to use language is lost. However, some behaviors can present real challenges for caregivers to manage.  Come learn how dementia can change a person’s behavior, possible triggers and person-centered care approaches to address behaviors. 

Specific topics is this Alzheimer’s Association Empowered Caregivers Series education program will include learning how dementia affects behavior, identifying and understanding possible triggers, non-medical and medial approaches to addressing behaviors and four steps for managing behaviors.

Jennifer Hoadley is the regional manager of Southeastern MA for the Alzheimer’s Association with 10+ years of experience in memory care and a personal connection to the disease.

This event is free to the public and registration is required as seating is limited. CLICK HERE to register online or visit/call the adult services desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

The American Healthcare System

Posted on by Sue

We are happy to welcome Dr. Edward Hoffer on Tuesday evening, September 10th at 7 pm, to talk about the American healthcare system. This talk will focus on why Americans pay more than citizens of any other country for health care and yet have, at best, mediocre health statistics, and will suggest both global solutions and practical things you can do to pay less and get better care. Click here to register. Please note that this will not be recorded or on Zoom by the library-Falmouth Community Television may come film for later viewing. 

Dr. Edward Hoffer is a graduate of MIT and Harvard Medical School and did his residency and fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital. For 45 years he combined clinical practice of Internal Medicine and Cardiology with research on the applications of computers and AI to medical care, and continues to work half-time at the MGH Lab of Computer Science. He has written and lectured extensively on the problems of the American healthcare “non-system.”

Effective Communication Strategies

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Join us at the Falmouth Public Library for an Effective Communication Strategies education program presented by Jennifer Hoadley from the Alzheimer’s Association on Monday, September 23rd from 3pm to 4pm in the Hermann meeting room.

Dementia affects a person’s ability to communicate, making it hard to convey their wants and needs to the people around them.  Caregivers can learn how to use a person-centered approach to communicate more effectively at any stage of the disease.

Topics in this program will include exploring ways that Alzheimer’s and other dementias affect an individual’s ability to communicate across different stages, using a person-centered communication approach, and tips for communicating with family, friends and health care professionals.

Jennifer Hoadley is the regional manager of Southeastern MA for the Alzheimer’s Association with 10+ years of experience in memory care and a personal connection to the disease.

This event is free to the public and registration is required as seating is limited. CLICK HERE to register online or visit/call the adult services desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

Walk This Way!

Posted on by Kristin Nelson

Join the library’s new monthly LGBTQIA+ walking group and discuss new/classic queer literature, film and culture.  The first walk is scheduled for Friday, August 16th at 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM and we’ll  meet at the Katherine Lee Bates Rd Library entrance. 

Walks will be short (under .5 miles), leisurely and end on the library lawn where all are welcome to enjoy more fresh air and make new friends with fellow walkers.  This event is free, inclusive and open to the general adult public.  

Registration is required along with a waiver and release form.  The waiver and release form will be handed out at the first walk. 

*Walks are planned alongside Shiverick’s Pond Pathway and are accessible with the use of wheelchairs, walkers and other walking aids. 

Register online using the library’s online event calendar or visit/call the adult services desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Join us at the Falmouth Public Library for an Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia education program presented by Jennifer Hoadley from the Alzheimer’s Association on Wednesday, July 17th from 4pm to 5pm in the Hermann meeting room.

Come learn the impact of Alzheimer’s, basic information on the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia, stages, riskfactors, research and FDA-approved treatments and Alzheimer’s Association resources.

Jennifer Hoadley is the regional manager of Southeastern MA for the Alzheimer’s Association with 10+ years of experience in memory care and a personal connection to the disease.

This event is free to the public and registration is required as seating is limited. CLICK HERE to register online or visit/call the adult services desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness month.  Stop by our display for library books and Alzheimer’s Association informational pamphlets on these topics.  While you are looking, feel free to take Alzheimer’s Association magnets, bracelets, pencils, stickers, erasers, stress balls and more from the display (while supplies last).

The library also has upcoming programs with the Alzheimer’s Association this year.  Jennifer Hoadley, the regional manager of Southeastern MA for the Alzheimer’s Association, will be leading the programs.  She has 10+ years of experience in memory care and a personal connection to the disease.  Please register for those programs that you would like to attend using the registration links below as space will be limited.

Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Wednesday, July 17th from 4pm-5pm . . . . . REGISTER HERE

Come learn the impact of Alzheimer’s, basic information on the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia, stages, risk factors, research and FDA-approved treatments and Alzheimer’s Association resources.

Effective Communication Strategies
Monday, September 23rd from 3pm-4pm . . . . . . REGISTER HERE

Explore ways that Alzheimer’s and other dementias affect an individual’s ability to communicate across different stages, and get tips to better communicate with people living with the disease.

Understanding and Responding to Dementia Related Behaviors
Friday, October 25th from 3pm-4pm . . . . . . REGISTER HERE

Review caregiver tips and strategies to respond to some common behaviors exhibited by individuals living with Alzheimer’s and dementia, such as agitation, confusion and more.

 

                                       

Dancemeditation with Dunya returns!

Posted on by Sue

 We are pleased to welcome back Woods Hole native and resident Dunya Dianne McPherson, for an introductory Dancemeditation session on Tuesday morning, June 11th at 10:30 AM! Click here to register.

The session will begin with Dunya leading a period of relaxing, wordless instruction to focus participants attention followed by a few simple, rich moving meditations to sink down a couple of notches inside the self, touching Self. There will be time for participants to do their own exploratory intuitive movement, to digest and integrate meditative efforts. At the end, we will have time for questions and reflections. Please register by going to falmouthpubliclibrary.org/events, or call 508-457-2555 x 7.

Dancemeditation helps us be present in our body in the moment and brings solace, stability, and magic. Without words, with beautiful music, with eyes open or closed, in a continual flow of breath awareness, we move through the crust of harried worries and into our huge spiritual intelligence. We turn away from the external and turn toward the internal. We turn toward awareness of breathing and motion and our body. Rather than working out, we work in.

A pioneer in embodied mysticism and Founder of Dancemeditation™, Dunya McPherson specializes in opening the wonderment of deep, subtle, peaceful self-perception. She is a Juilliard alumna, a Sufi master, a NY Times a critically acclaimed choreographer, and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship recipient, Dunya is a practicing artist, academic educator, and presenter at healing arts centers worldwide including Kripalu. She is also the author of two books on dance as spiritual path. Skin of Glass: Finding Spirit in the Flesh and Sojourn the Inner Heaven: Movement Meditations for Awakening. Learn more about Dunya on her website at dancemeditation.org.

Welcome Hiveclass to FPL’s Online Resources

Posted on by Clint Johnson

Hiveclass is an e-learning platform that features bite-sized, engaging videos that teach skills in various sports, physical activities and wellness exercises. The content is led and created by professionals and gives patrons access to practice in their own comfort zone.

Hiveclass is available via FPL’s online resources. Hiveclass provides fun, easy, and high-quality educational videos that walk patrons through improving their skills at field hockey, soccer, and other athletic activities. Along with physical education Hiveclass provides access to video walkthroughs on mindfulness and yoga.

The classes are available in both English and Spanish. It can be accessed on tablets, phones and computers! All you need is your library card number to start your adventure with Hiveclass!