Are you ready for the unexpected? You come across a hiker bleeding seriously from a fall - could you stop the bleed? Could you help a person who was drowning, having a stroke, choking or having a life-threatening allergic reaction? Would you be calm and confident in your ability to respond to an emergency? Nicole Roma Thurrell of the Institute for Wild Med teaches us how to be prepared.

Find the Institute for Wilderness Medicine at www.wildmed.com

Do you have questions, comments or thoughts about this episode? I'd like to hear from you. Email me at [email protected]

Hosted by Denise Schwartz

Guest: Nicole Roma Thurrell

Edited by Bobby Falco

Produced by Alex Audette

Recorded in the Teaching and Learning Innovation Center's Multimedia Studio at Greenfield Community College (MA)

On this special crossover episode with Backyard Oasis, our host Denise Schwartz and death doula Dina Stander talk about how a doula may help a dying person. as well as the person’s family, friends and care circle members, plan and prepare for what's to come.

Hosted by Denise Schwartz

Produced by Alex Audette in the Teaching and Learning Innovation Center at Greenfield Community College (MA)

Goodbye, "elderly" and "over the hill"; hello, "wise, active older adult!"

Backyard Oasis is thrilled to present this special crossover episode with Prep School: A Readiness Podcast!

Take a moment to imagine an "elderly" person. Now take that mental picture, rip it out of its cracked, broken, gray frame, and REFRAME it in something big, bold, shiny, and new. With a little consideration, you'll start to see wise, active older adults instead of the "elderly," "over the hill" folks you used to picture. Now that is how you change negative stereotypes about aging into positive ones...A.K.A. reframing aging! Join your host Denise Schwartz and guest Meg Ryan while they discuss ways we can all begin to reframe aging in our own lives NOW!

Hosted by Denise Schwartz; Contributors: Meg Ryan

Backyard Oasis was created by Dennis Lee, Denise Schwartz, Christine Copeland, Chad Fuller, and Judy Raper

Produced by Alex Audette in the Teaching and Learning Innovation Center Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College in Franklin County, MA

Today we talk about emergencies and who is responsible for planning for and responding to them in your town or city. The federal or state government? Your mayor? Selectboard? Chief of Police? Yes, they are all responsible. And so are YOU. Emergency Management Director for the Town of Shelburne, Massachusetts, Tom Williams, explains.

Prep School: A Readiness Podcast was created by Carmela Lanza-Weil and Denise Schwartz

Produced by Alex Audette in the Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College in Franklin County, MA

They're not real doctors but Denise Schwartz and Emily Fox are real dancers, and they know from experience, and from reading studies conducted by real doctors and researchers, how adding the "Self Care Cha-Cha" or any other easy-to-do dance step to your Self Care routine  can pump up endorphins, reduce cortisol levels, and increase feelings of happiness and relaxation. Learn how you can care for yourself by creating your "Self Care Cha-Cha" – or any dance! – ritual.

Produced by Alex Audette in the Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College in Franklin County, MA

Edited by Nina Bocko

Learn how theater director and playwright Carmela Lanza-Weil was inspired by the stories of local residents during the COVID-19 pandemic and by her own experience organizing and operating vaccination clinics to create compelling theater that just might show us how to do it better the next time.

Created by Denise Schwartz and Carmela Lanza-Weil

Produced by Alex Audette in the Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College

Edited by Nina Bocko

Are you ready for a sudden emergency? You will be better prepared for it if you have packed a GO Bag. Join us in a conversation with Carmela Lanza-Weil of the Franklin Medical Reserve Corps as we explore the contents of her GO Bag. Learn why you and every member of your family- including Fido and Fluffy- should have a GO Bag, and what each bag should contain.

Created by Denise Schwartz and Carmela Lanza-Weil

Produced by Alex Audette in the Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College

Edited by Nina Bocko

They say every one of us will feel the impact of a dementia diagnosis - our own or that of someone we know and love- at some point in our lives. Public health nurse and dementia specialist Meg Ryan shares her thoughts about how we can prepare ourselves and others for that time and the changes it will bring into our lives.

Hosted by Denise Schwartz

Produced by Alex Audette in the Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College

Edited by Nina Bocko

Tricia Yacovone-Biagi, a resilience scholar and researcher, shares her insights into how the people of Buffalo, New York, pulled together to weather the tragedy of a mass shooting in a primarily black neighborhood, and how their actions can help us strengthen our own communities. Watch Tricia’s film about resilient Buffalo here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJZgOPCY-f8

Created by Denise Schwartz and Carmela Lanza-Weil

Produced by Alex Audette in the Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College

Edited by Nina Bocko

Sugar, opioids, social media, reaching for a glass of wine every time you feel anxious or tired - these and other addictive substances and behaviors affect nearly all of us. Substance use disorder expert Dr. Ruth Potee talks about dopamine and our brains and why we keep doing things that are not good for us. We also delve into how we, as a community, can help our family members and neighbors by reducing judgment and practicing kindness.

Created and Hosted by Denise Schwartz and Carmela Lanza-Weil

Produced by Alex Audette in Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College

Edited by Nina Bocko in Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College