For the past few months since its opening, residents have marveled at the vast offerings and educational programs at the new state-of-the-art library in the heart of Plainsboro’s Village Center.
But the library’s offerings continue to get better. As a brand new, cutting edge hospital is being constructed around the corner, the library is on pace to open even more opportunities for its visitors with a first-of-its-kind Health Education Center — now up and running at the library.
Endorsed by a major grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb, and guided by an advisory board of local medical professionals, the Health Education Center features a steady stream of educational videos, a reference collection specifically catered to heath topics, demonstrations of the Wii Fit machine to help visitors track their weight and work on balance, a station where patrons can check their blood pressure, and an environment separated from other programs at the library.
“From the very start, it was a plan that we would have a room so that we have a computer specifically for medical-related” topics only, said Library Director Jinny Baeckler. In fact, it was such an important idea that it was on the top 20 list of desires when library officials began fundraising.
The idea for the room comes from situations that library’s reference librarians have encountered over the years. “Reference librarians have a very difficult time with people who come from the doctor’s office” and learn frightening news, explained Baeckler. For example, if someone is diagnosed with a condition like breast cancer, a doctor will oftentimes tell the patient to go to the library and check out some books on the topic.
“Of course we have the books, and of course we have the databases,” said Baeckler. “But you have a person whose life is falling apart, and there are children in the background and programs going on.” This room provides a quiet, comfortable area for a visitor to find that information without having to intermingle with the other sections of the library.
But the idea was also to provide a room that allows visitors to monitor their health and stay up-to-date. When the library first opened in April, the Health Education Center did not receive a lot of attention, but it also was not until recently that the multimedia components were entirely configured.
Now residents have already discovered they can drop in for a quick blood pressure check and monitor their weight with a scale that is also provided in the health room. On the big screen, videos include Mayo Clinic’s wellness solutions that provide information on arthritis, heart disease, and back pain. Other titles include, “If You Have Hip Surgery,” and “Chinese Medicine.”
Visitors will also find a set of educational materials, DVDs, pamphlets, digital resources, books, and displays. And with the donation of a Nintendo Wii and the Wii Fit program — a game that allows users to test and strengthen their balance and monitor and lose weight by conducting exercises using a balance board — from doctors P. Rahakrishnan and Shankar Santhanam, of Children’s Preferred Care, Baeckler hopes to have regular demonstrations.
“The Wii, I’m convinced, will be very nice,” said Baeckler. “We are hoping to train a team of high school students to work with seniors” about learning how to use the Wii Fit. “I think it’s a wonderful thing that kids can do to bridge the generation gap,” Baeckler added.
Patrons can test the Wii before buying their own for personal use, or they can continue to come to the library and schedule times to use it. In the future, “we’ll think abut setting up a regular routine when we have enough volunteers to set them up,” added Baeckler.
Balance has been a growing topic of concern for seniors, who deal with falls and broken bones. Balance and yoga, both offered on the Wii Fit, can help prevent falls, said Baeckler. The Wii will be set up by appointment. Baeckler said that because some patrons may be uncomfortable in performing the balance tests and other exercises in the health room in front of other people, patrons have the option of using it in the health center, in the program room upstairs, or in the community room.
For now, the library staff is conducting small tutorials with specialists, and Baeckler said the library plans to work closely with the hospital when it moves to town. Meanwhile, the library will continue to host its bi-monthly blood drives for the community and has already launched a series of health-related talks.
But as the final touches of the Health Education Center came together this month, Baeckler said she was able to see the ideas come to fruition, even taking some time to test it out.
“I sat down in the room, and it’s very warm and welcoming,” she said. “It’s a small room that is very private, yet it has these huge windows, so sun is just gleaming in. When the DVDs started streaming, I said, `We are here.’”
For more information on the library’s programs, visit www.lmxac.org/plainsboro or call 609-275-2898.
