News Fall 2015

Christ Church NEWS FALL 2015

The Quarterly Newsletter of Christ Church, Warwick, Bermuda

Ann Norgaard Spencer-Arscott (nee Maitland)

Ann was born in Bermuda on the 22nd January, 1960 to Else and James Maitland. Ann had a twin called Karen, who sadly died at the age of 18 months.

Her mother, Else Maitland (Offerson), came to the Island in 1956 as a nanny to Dr. Ashdown, having received her nursing degree in Denmark, and then worked at St. Bren- dan’s. Her father, James Maitland, came to the Island from Glasgow, Scotland in 1954 to visit with his parents, who had moved here with his sister, Alice. James took an inter- est in the import/export wholesale business and remained in that area for his working career. James & Else met in 1958, as many of the expat community did, through activities at the Bermuda Police Club. They were married on 6th August, 1959 at Christ Church.

Allison Hillen and Jens Maitland, also twins, were born in November, 1961. After staying at home to raise the children, Else started work at Trimingham Brothers in the early 70s and retired after almost 25 years as the buyer in the Children’s Department. James was and still is the consummate salesman.

Ann attended Bermuda High School for Girls, which then included Saltus Grammar School for the final school year. She was Deputy Head Girl and received the Outstanding Student Award with Dr. Derrick Binns. She attended Bryant College (now University) in Rhode Island and received an Associates degree in Secretarial Accounting in 1979 then a BSc in Office Administration in 1981.

She came back to the Island and worked in the reinsurance business for a while, then decided to further her studies, receiving an MA degree in Human Resources Development and Management from Webster University in 1990, through the US Naval Base.

Ann met Robin at Frank B. Hall (Bermuda) Ltd. in 1983. They were married on January 5th, 1991 and will be celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2016. Ann has a stepson, Steven, who is forty-three and is married to Lisa and they have two beautiful daughters. Madison is nine and Emily is six and they are both at BHS. Their son Andrew will be twenty-four in September and is a bartender at the Hog Penny and The Beach. Ryan will be twenty in December and is studying Actuarial Science at St. John’s University in New York City. Cont’d on p. 4

Fall 2014 Page 2

Letter from your Interim Moderator

Friends,

As I write this, I’m into my 25th week (out of my intended 28) here on Ber- muda and will therefore be leaving you, as it now transpires temporarily, on 5 October. Moira and I shall, however, be returning just in time for me to celebrate Harvest with you on Sunday 25 October. How long I’ll then be with you I really don’t know, though probably into next year. I’m hoping I might have some idea before I return to Europe in early October!

The reason for my uncertainty arises, of course, from not knowing how quickly we can progress the filling of your vacancy – not least as it’s more important to get it right than it is to get some- one here tomorrow! Your Nominating Committee is going about its business diligently, but it will take as long as it takes – after all, this isn’t entirely a human endeavour: we need to allow for the working of God’s Holy Spirit.

I think I’ve just about survived the heat and humidity of summer on Bermuda, though I’m certainly looking forward to it cooling down just a little in the coming months. I hope you’ve found time to relax and unwind over the summer (or, if not, that you’ll do so in the coming months), as we all need a little down time when we don’t feel we’re on a treadmill, whether of work, or family, or even (dare I say) of Church! Certainly we don’t need to carry every burden on our own shoulders. As Jesus said: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

There is no need for us, then, to carry the weight of the world (or our family, or our employer’s business, or the Church) on our shoulders – we can always lay it at Jesus’ feet. That’s not, though, an excuse to do nothing! Jesus doesn’t say that we can rest for ever – rather he goes on to say that we’re to take on his yoke – we’re to do his work – and through his gentleness and humility we will find rest for our souls. We can’t change the past, but we can lay it at Je- sus’ feet and move into the future unencumbered by things we can’t change. After all, “Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to the span of your life?” (Matthew 6:27)

So, as Christ Church moves in to a new year of congregational activities, I don’t want anyone to feel weighed down by past burdens – even if these involve your having been, in some way, hurt by the Church (whether on Bermuda or elsewhere) in the past, or having just drifted away. Let’s lay down those things we can’t change and let’s set out on a new journey together, for we are all vital parts of the body of Christ in this place – a body that is incomplete without any one of us. Let’s therefore walk into the future together, taking Christ’s yoke upon us, learning from him, and finding rest for our souls in a troubled world, for Jesus loves us, warts and all, and longs for us to share that love with those around us, both within the Church and well beyond its doors.

May you all know God’s blessing in the coming months. Derek

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Christ Church Calendar

NOVEMBER 8 Nov Worship at 10.45am Remembrance Service 6.00pm Wholeness & Healing Service 10 Nov “Diwali” – BOM evening in Thorburn Hall 15 Nov Worship 8am & 11am. 16 Nov Kirk Session meeting, Thorburn Hall 7.30pm 21 Nov MAD production – “Music & Song from the Movies” 6.30pm 22 Nov Worship 8am & 11am Christ the King 28 Nov CHRISTMAS FAIR 9am – 3pm 29 Nov Worship 8am & 11am.1st Sunday in Advent and St Andrew’s Day

DECEMBER 6 Dec Worship 8am & 11am. 2nd Sunday in Advent. Salvation Army Gift Giving Services. Spaghetti Sunday. Informal Communion

5.00pm Bereavement Service 13 Dec Worship 8am & 11am. 3rd Sunday in Advent. CCY Nativity Play. Christmas Luncheon in Thorburn Hall 20 Dec Worship 8am & 11am. 4th Sunday in Advent. Christingle at11am All Age Service 5.00pm Service of Lessons and Carols

24 Dec Christmas Eve: 6.00pm Family Nativity Service 11.30pm Watchnight Service preceded by Carol Singing from 11.15pm

25 Dec Christmas Day 10.00am Christmas Day Service 27 Dec Joint Service at 10.00am. No CCY

JANUARY 2016 3 Jan Joint Service for Epiphany at 10.00AM followed by Informal Communion. Spaghetti Sunday. No CCY 6 Jan 6.30pm Soup & Christmas Pudding Supper 10 Jan Worship 8am & 11am. CCY resumes

90th Birthday Luncheon for Pam Darrell, Marischal Astwood and Nancy Valentine.

Fall 2015Fall 2008 PagePage 44

Ann Spencer-Arscott cont’d from front page

Between 1981 and 1987 Ann worked for two reinsurance companies. Then in 1987 she joined Del Monte Fresh Fruit International to set up the office and took on the role of Office & Personnel Manager. The company left the Island in 1990. At that time Ann joined BELCO as Personnel Administrator. She was only there for eighteen months because after the birth of her son, Andrew, she realized she didn’t want to work fulltime. She then took up a part time position with Bermuda Red Cross as the Administrator, under the direction of Frank Gamble. She remained the Administrator until 1999 and the part time aspect of her hours slowly increased over that time. In October, 1999 she was appointed Director, after Frank stepped down due to ill health. Ann continues to hold the Executive Director position. Her responsibilities include, but are not limited to providing motivation, leadership, professional guidance and management to the eight staff within the Bermuda Red Cross. Much of her time is taken up with working with the Board on strategic planning activities, human resource management, as well as fund development for the organiza- tion.

Ann was baptized and confirmed in our Church. She regularly attended church with the family during her early years. In 1976 she taught Sunday school. In the last ten years Ann has reconnected with the Church, becoming very involved as a Congregational Board member from 2012 and as Co-Chair of the Outreach Ministry with David Thompson. Ann is also a Co-Convenor for the annual fair.

Over the years she has volunteered for SPCA, Masterworks and Bermuda Festival. While her boys were at Saltus she was an active class parent and assisted with many forms of fundraising activities. Currently she is a Board member and Governance Chair for Centre on Philanthropy.

She and her husband and other family members and friends love to travel. She is fortunate in that she does travel on behalf of the Red Cross, but she will often be found planning trips for family and friends. She is an avid reader and enjoys watching good mystery and comedy TV shows and movies. Ann was honoured as one of the 100 Women 100 Vision based on Economic, Political & Social achieve- ments in 2011. Also the recipient of the Doris Trott Butterfield Award from the Alumni Association of BHS in recognition of her outstanding service to the community in 2012 and appointed a Justice of the Peace in 2002.

Ann absolutely LOVES the Christmas season. She grew up in a home that was filled with so much preparation during the month of December. There were cards to write, presents to wrap, food to be made, tree to be decorated and table to be set. Else Maitland was the epitome of being organized during this festive season. Ann has inherited this trait.

In September Ann sends notices around to friends advising them of when to get their cassava pie order in. She even makes cassava pies for U.S. Thanksgiving. The largest number of pies Ann has made in one year was 80. Thankfully, the numbers have dropped and in the last couple of years, she has been filling up to 50 orders. Ann takes vacation days in November to prepare these pies. They are not cooked, but put in the freezer uncooked and ready to be collected by her customers. Even if she says so herself, they are pretty good pies!!! Along with making pies, she organizes the family by creating a gift/stocking list. This is all done on an excel spreadsheet, so no one buys for the same person every year. This list normally goes out in the summer months to accommodate those who want to find some fun items while traveling overseas.

After her mother, Else, passed away in 2000, Ann took up the mantle of hosting Christmas Eve dinner, a Danish tradition. Now that Ann & Robin live in a condo, it isn’t as easy to host over 20 people, so Ann’s sister, Allison now has that honour. The great thing is that everyone contributes towards making of the all of the dishes.

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Ann Spencer-Arscott cont’d from p. 4

Ann is always so excited to get her tree up and decorate that and the rest of the house. Robin often says, “That if you stand still too long, Ann will put a bow on you.” Something else Ann has done a lot of over the years is decorate other people’s trees, along with two other friends. They call themselves The Three Wise Women. Unfortunately, these women have had to reduce the number of trees/houses they do because of their own jobs and family commitments. Ann always had to make sure she got her tree done early, or else she just wouldn’t have the energy to get it done.

Ann has aptly named herself Mrs. Claus!

SAVE THE DATE

CHRIST CHURCH CHRISTMAS FAIR

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 28TH Art Accessories Baked Goods Books Crafts Golden Elephants Kids Games Childrens Toys Silent Auction

This important annual fund-raiser relies on the support of everyone in the congregation!

To get involved contact the Convenor Team: Ann Spencer Arscott, Anna Summers, Martha Kirkland Midge Oliver

Family News

BAPTISMS June 14th Philippa Ryf Hawkey Frith June 21st Hannah Mae Rourke Jane Gamle Marvin July 26th Hazel Victoria Elizabeth Richards

MARRIAGES

July 4th Hayes Reid Finney & Heather Lucinda Adrian July 18th Cockburn Ference Eugene Rayner & Miranda Mary Campbell Fountain August 8th John Victor Gaugain & Elaine Anne Flannigan August 22nd Ronald Kenneth Maughan & Diane Kathryn Whittaker

DEATHS July 12th Thomas Fraser Gray July 15th Elfrida Louise Chappell August 23rd Edwin James Reid Kempe August 26th Glenys Alma Stevenson

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Elders’ Envisioning Day On Saturday 12 September 19 Elders joined with myself to participate in an Envisioning Day to explore the future of Christ Church. There was general consensus that this would inevitably involve change – though some of that change could not be settled until you have a new minister in place.

However, the basic reasons for the Church’s existence were agreed as being to: worship God; bring people to God; raise children in the faith; create and sustain disciples; tell God’s story through members’ life and example; and serve God’s world.

Amongst the visions discussed were the following: Attract more young adults; Follow-up new people coming to the congregation; Improve pastoral care; Revitalise the Kirk S ession; Improve congregational finances; Greater community involvement; and Grow our children’s ministry.

How these might be realised was also discussed and will now be further considered by the Kirk Session, including the following suggestions – That everyone in the congregation invite a friend to worship; That steps be taken to retrieve “lost” and inactive members; Set up a Telephone Team to recruit volunteers; A review of current Ministries model; Improve communications; Creation of House Groups; Provide different forms of worship; Investigation of possible shared Youth Ministry with other congregations; and Half-yearly Calendar of Events.

As vision is not something that is restricted to Elders, if you have any dreams or visions for the future of Christ Church, don’t hesitate to communicate them to: myself ([email protected]) or Doug Frith ([email protected]). Derek

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CALENDAR DATES for CCY parents

Nov 28 Church Fair Dec 6 Salvation Army Gift Service Dec13 CCY Christmas Nativity Play Dec 20 Christingle Service (all-age) Dec 27/Jan3 Family Services (no CCY) Jan 10 CCY Resumes.

WELCOME BACK TO CCY We were happy to see so many back for the start up of the new term! We are providing the age group breakdowns for each class, as your child may have graduated to a new class. If you have any questions, please contact me, or any of the leaders below.

Creche <3 yrs Ashlea Boyd [email protected] Bubbles: 3-5 yrs Senga Tait [email protected] Splash 6-8 yrs Fiona and Guy Kelly [email protected] Extreme 9-12 yrs Martha Kirkland [email protected] Teens 13+ Jill Davidson [email protected]

We look forward to a fun and growthful year with the children and teens, and for that we need your active support! Be sure to let us know how your can assist, especially on an occasional (fill-in) basis.

If you are not on the snack rota, please contact Dale Young [email protected]

Thanks,

Martha Kirkland Nurture Ministry

Fall 2015 Page 8 Service for Wholeness and Healing

On the evening of Sunday 8 November at 6pm we’re to be holding a Service for Wholeness and Healing and perhaps I should explain something of what this will be about. Let me start by say- ing it will not be a service of “laying on of hands” in the popular sense – though there will be prayers for healing and the opportunity for those present to gather together and place a hand on the shoulder or arm of the person next to them while we pray together.

But the service will be about more than individual healing, whether for those present and for oth- ers – as it will incorporate prayers for those for whom Prayer Cards have been submitted (rather than in the Communion service the previous Sunday). The other important element of the service is, though, that we pray for wholeness in the world – and, as we look around our world to- day, there are so many places and situations where there is a desperate need for wholeness, whether in the sense of bringing peace, reconciliation or greater understanding.

I would therefore encourage you to come to this service, as there are so many ways in which, in- dividually, we need wholeness and healing, but also so many aspects of our world where wholeness - perhaps best conveyed in the Hebrew word shalom which includes elements of peace, harmony, completeness and welfare) is a pressing necessity.

See you on the 8th. Derek

BERMUDA OVERSEAS MISSIONS

This year’s trip to build houses in partnership with Habitat for Human- ity was to the village of Muhiyo near Mulanje in Southern Malawi. Nestled at the foot of Mount Mulanje (the third highest mountain in Af- rica standing 10,000 ft above sea level) this has to be one of the poor- est villages we have ever visited. Over 2,000 people live here with no electricity and one water tap fed from a stream in the mountain and pushed down to the village by gravity. At 6 a.m. the people queue to get their water in buckets to take to their homes. Most of the homes are made from mud with thatched roofs. The people of the village welcomed this group of foreigners who came to build homes for four very carefully selected families in the village, all of whom were approved by the chief of the village. This was the first time Habitat for Humanity worked in this village so it was a very novel experience for the volunteers and villagers alike. The drums beat, the singing began and our welcome from all the people in the village was an occasion that shook the ground. Each day thereafter the dirt roads to the village were lined with villagers waiting for our arrival and watching our departure. The villages were for the most part populated by subsistence farmers, barely growing enough food to feed their families.

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Bermuda Overseas Missions report cont’d from p. 8 There are 580 homes in the village supporting more than 2,000 people including 100 AIDS orphans, mal- nutrition and Malaria taking its toll on many of the villagers. Education in this part of Malawi is poor with the nearest school 5 km away and no transport to take the children. The literacy rate here stands barely at 8% of the population. The junior schools are free if you can make the journey each day on foot but the Government charges for High schools so the dropout rate for those who made it through junior school is enormous. People are dying from AIDS and Malaria, for which treatment in the west is readily available but sadly not in this village.

The house I worked on was for Zione Amos and her three children. Her previous house was badly dam- aged in the flooding last year and is in danger of collapsing. The house we worked on for her was next to her old house so we were reminded of their need each day. Zione lost her husband to AIDS three years ago. After the birth of her youngest she discovered she was HIV positive. Fortunately she had not yet started breastfeeding her baby so the children are not afflicted. Zione is not healthy and her wish is the house be completed and passed on to her children before she dies. Habitat were making her sign a will to ensure the house passes to her children to give them shelter. When Habitat told her she would receive a home for her family she refused to believe them until our team arrived. Each day she would look at the house growing in front of her eyes and cry with gratitude.

Another family is Edna Mandala. In her 80’s she is now looking after the four children from her deceased daughter. Her house was made with unburnt bricks and thatching which collapsed in the rains. The family stayed with friends and then shelter box delivered a tent during the flood relief for the family to live in. Edna was so grateful when she learned she would be a recipient of one of the homes we built. Finally a dry home after living in a leaky thatched building that had been crumbling. Her grandchildren can now continue their studying in dry conditions.

The village was very resourceful in providing the materials to make the houses. The bricks normally used for building in this area are made of the local earth mixed with water to make a mud. They are then pressed into a mould and left in the sun to dry. After a few weeks they are taken from the mould and stacked, a hole is made in the centre and the dry straw and sticks put in and fired. They leave this to burn for three days and the bricks are then ready to use. The cement is made from the same mud to adhere to the bricks. A ridge is scrapped on the outside and real cement is used to point the bricks and provide some rigidity to the structure. The inside is plastered with the mud but a little cement is added to provide some strength and adhesion to the mix. Finally a roof of aluminum sheets is installed on a simple structure of eucalyptus branches. The floor is lined with bricks and a cement wash to make it smooth. A door is fitted and the house is ready for occupancy.

We had the opportunity to visit a day care centre that we passed on our journey each day to Muhiyo. This centre (Chamber Rock Childrens’ Oasis) cared for children aged new born to 18 years. It had more than 500 children attending with another 100 waiting outside the gates hopeful for a vacancy. We were warmly welcomed to the centre where the children showed us the skills they were learning. There were a dozen old fashioned singer sewing machines (the mechanical kind that operate with a foot pedal and a belt) and they showed us how they made clothes. They raise chickens to help support the centre and have a small wood-working shop to teach carpentry. The classrooms were totally bare of any furniture. The children sit on the floors and there are 50 - 75 in each class. The school was extremely well run and on each wall there were counting tables, alphabet letters, welcome in many languages, descriptions of the anatomy, maps of the world and the political history of Malawi. We deposited half the donation bags with them to distribute to the children after we left.

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Bermuda Overseas Missions cont’d from p. 9

We wanted to give the remaining clothes to our village and in particular, to our families. The problem was that “our families” had already benefited hugely, and there were many other people who were also in need. The whole village watched us carefully. We were told stories where volunteers had favoured some families with gifts and when the volunteers left the other villagers came to those families and stole the gifts. Clearly we did not want to cause undue angst. We finally compromised and met with the chief of the village. We decided to let the chief arrange to distribute items to each family in the village so no one would feel left out. We stayed at a nearby hotel: The Hapuwana Village Lodge. It was clean but we experienced on average 10 power cuts each night as well as loss of internet. An inconvenience, but when you consider the daily lives of the villagers we really did not have much to complain about. During the first weekend we went on a hike and climbed part of Mount Mulanje to a beautiful waterfall. Af- ter the build was finished we visited Lilangwe National Park and spent the first night between Baobob trees (the Tree of Life) sleeping in tents. The second night was at the Mvuu Lodge; a resort with cabins nested by the river. There we could watch the elephants and a variety of deer, bush buck, kudus and wild hogs. We travelled on the river and watched the Hippos congregate with their herds. Early one morning (6a.m) our guide took those who were awake on a tour of the park by foot. After we got familiar with knowing which droppings belonged to each animal we got an incredible lesson in how the park could support people both with food and medicine from the plants. There was a wild rosemary plant that cured coughs and colds by rubbing it in your hands and inhaling the aromas. Another plant could act as a bandaid on a wound. Ant hills which were large and abundant always face northwest in the southern hemisphere so you could find your direction without a compass. The ant hills stood 10 - 12 feet high and were perhaps 20 feet below ground. The colonies have one queen which they choose as a replacement when the older one died. If the hill gets too hot in the summer they strategically make holes in the mound to allow air to vent the structures. We have changed many lives in our trip not only the four families we built for but a whole village that has been given hope that their turn will come. Also we hope we made a difference to the lives of our volunteers who helped to make this a reality. Yes our journey home had a few challenges: We arrived at the airport to find our flight schedule had changed and our plane took off two hours before we got there. We had to change the route to fly from Ma- lawi to Ethiopia and then Dubai to connect to our flight to New York. Then the flight from Dubai to New York got delayed more than 3 hours due to a medical emergency resulting in our missing our connection to Bermuda. Despite all of this nothing could take away the amazing experience of sharing the lives of the villagers of Muhiyo for two weeks and that will always remain in our memories.

Fall 2015 Page 11

Outreach Committee Report There were two activities by Outreach Committee over the summer:

 The BOM trip to Malawi from 24th July to the 11 August, 2015– details in the article beginning on p. 8.

 The annual school programme continued just before the start of the school year. Once again we were able to support the Family Centre in providing vouchers. We spent a total of $2,000 on the programme this year. Part of this was from funding the committee raised and the balance from a generous sponsor. Pauline purchased 26 vouchers at $50 each from Boyles and 10 vouchers at $50 each at English sports shop. These were then given to the Family Centre for distribution. The balance left of $200 was given to Hands of Love Ministry – Fern Wade toward their school uniform project. My thanks again to Pauline Richards for her work on this. We also informed Family Center to get the children and parents to check out the Barn; Salva- tion Army and Red Cross for uniforms. Many of these were for different school and shoes were the biggest demand this year. Used children school shoes are not usually in good condition.

Planned activities for the remainder of 2015

 November 10th a Diwali night (festival of Lights) an Indian celebration. This time we will celebrate Malawi and have some of our volunteers tell their story with pictures and shared experi- ences plus a great light Indian cuisine.

Fall 2015 Page 12

Medical Emergency Information, Medication and Contacts

By John Skinner

This article was first published in September 2015 on the website and Facebook pages of Olderhood International, which is dedi- cated to giving advice to those soon to be and retirees.

About the author: John Skinner is a retired Police Inspector with forty years service in England and Bermuda. For the last eight years of his Bermuda service he was responsible for the planning, and assisted in the implementation of, national internal security and natural disaster response. In 2003 he was elected a Fellow of the Emergency Plan- ning Society of England.

This article is intended to offer some ideas in the area of medical emergency information and how it can be stored and used. It does not recommend one system or brand over another, but merely intends to raise the readers awareness of what can be done, so that the reader may make their own decisions.

Some years ago my late wife and I were discussing her medication and I suggested that because of a recent diagnosis of dementia that she wear a bracelet or necklace which would contain data about her condition and medication. She refused. This caused me a bit of a dilemma because if she was alone and needed medical assistance, she would not be able to give the needed information to the attending EMTs.

After some thought I made up some business cards on my computer. Each card showed my wife’s full name and date of birth, and her doctor and Next of Kin names and contact details. I also included her medication (both Commercial and generic names) and dosage. On the reverse I put the same information about myself. My wife was happy to carry the card in her purse. I car- ried mine in my wallet. For simplicity I will call this the Medication Card.

A letter sized version of the Medication Card was also placed on the refrigerator door for the information of the Emergency Services should they need it. Some countries have a scheme where a special label is affixed to the main entrance to a home and also on the freezer door and the information is kept in a specially marked container in the freezer. This scheme is fine when you are at home but once you leave home you may no longer have access to the information.

I also considered having some form of necklace panic button, but for various reasons did not im- plement it. This also is only active around the home.

Over the years the information on the Medication Card needed updating and so they were re- printed. The cards came in useful in unexpected ways. During doctors visits they would aid in the consultation process and were an added insurance against medication being prescribed which might cause an adverse reaction if taken with existing medication. When taking tests away from the doctors surgery or visiting other specialists the Medication Cards were an accurate and valuable time saving tool when medication records needed to be taken.

The most important unforeseen benefit was in the home. Once a week we used to fill ‘Weekly Tablet containers’ with our respective medications. The Medication Cards were used to ensure the correct dosages were used. In addition to our main supply, we also kept a Ziploc bag containing at least 30 days supply of our medications.

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Medical Emergency Information, Medication and Contacts cont’d from p. 12

Living in Bermuda and with many friends and relatives of our generation overseas, we have needed to travel at short notice. The 30 day bag would be our pre-packed medication for the trip. In addition to the medication it contained the information leaflet the pharmacist would give us with each prescription. This could be useful in the event of a medical emergency whilst away or in ob- taining fresh supplies if our travels were unexpectedly extended. The bag also contained spare Medication Cards plus a few regular business cards in case the bag was mislaid.

Having the weekly supply and the 30 day supply bag meant that we could replenish them from our main stock when convenient and not be rushed and this minimised the risk of error. After we had travelled or when receiving fresh medications, the expiry dates were checked and the medications with the latest expiry date were kept in the 30 day bag. New medications would be ob- tained when we had run out of our main supply.

One time our pharmacist and the local wholesaler were out of stock of one of our medicines for three weeks, so we had to medicate from our 30 day bag. This was very unusual but shows the benefit of holding a reserve supply of medication.

I am now living on my own. This has made me very conscious of my personal safety as it relates to medical or accidental misadventures. I recently updated my iPhone and found that iOS8 has a Health app built in. One feature of this app is that you can set up your phone to show certain details even when the phone is locked. I have mine set to show my name and date of birth, my medication, the contact details of my doctor and three people to call in an emergency (Two people in Bermuda and one in UK where I travel to most often). This is the same information I carry on my Medication Card in my wallet.

To access this information on my locked iPhone, I just open the first screen and press the word ‘Emergency’. (Screenshot 01) This will change to ‘Medical ID’ (Screenshot 02) and on pressing that, the medical and contact information is available. (Screenshots 03,04,05) Also the emergency contact people can be called without unlocking the phone. If I have a problem I have the option of calling the Emergency Services or my contacts.

I have found a PC Magazine article (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2470591,00.asp) which explains this and the other features of the iOS8 Health app much better than I can.

I have researched the internet for Health related apps for iPhones and Android cellphones with the Emergency Contacts feature without result. Either I have missed them or there is a niche market out there for some enterprising programmer.

One other thing – If you have an old iPhone which will take iOS8 and you have a young Grand- child or vulnerable person you want to stay in contact with, place your number and the parents number(s) in the emergency contacts of the Health app. If you don’t tell the child the phones passcode, you then have a phone where your child can only call you or their parents.

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Medical Emergency Information, Medication and Contacts cont’d from p. 13

Restricting incoming calls is fairly easy. In the Address Book mark as favorites those people named in Emergency Contacts. Next go to Settings - Do Not Disturb. Set manual ‘On’. Then allow only favorites and disable the Repeated Calls function. (Screenshot 06) Once you have locked the phone the child should then only be able to receive calls from the people in the Emergency Contacts. I would suggest testing the phone first to make sure it is set up the way you want. Not quite what the programmers of iOS8 Health intended it to be used for, but I know a number of parents and grandparents that this adaption of this program will give peace of mind to.

I hope that you will find this article helpful.

Stay safe

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Medical Emergency Information, Medication and Contacts cont’d from p. 14 Unfortunately, I had an opportunity to test the iOS Medical app last week when I had to attend the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital Emergency Department in the early hours of one morning. (By the way, I am now 99% recovered). The iPhone app worked well as did the Medication Card. The staff preferred the card when they had to record medications etc. The app was more convenient most of the time because my iPhone was always with me, whilst my wallet containing the Medication Card was secured elsewhere on occasion. I was surprised that no one I spoke to was aware of the app as this was the same week that iOS9 was released. (By the way – no changes were made to those parts of the Health app that I have mentioned). EMTs and doctors both thought that the app and the Medication Card were good ideas. I found that the app should be backed up by the Medication Card for two reasons. The first was that as already mentioned, retrieving the card can be problematic. In addition, I ran out of battery on my phone just as I was discharged from Emergency. Now I have purchased a relatively inexpensive ($30 – outside Bermuda probably $20!!)) small battery device to supplement my iPhone’s battery. The device is small enough to carry in my pocket and will hold a full charge for my phone for several months. I have now forwarded the main article to the Director of the Bermuda Emergency Measures Or- ganisation for circulation to all the Emergency Services especially their First Responders. Lastly, I have found an app for Androids, which seems to provide similar Medical Emergency In- formation called My Medical for Android. Details can be found at www.cnet.com. To date I have not been able to test this app.

CHRIST CHURCH WARWICK PO Box WK130 Warwick, WKBX Bermuda Phone: 236-0400 Fax: 232-0552 E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.christchurch.bm Facebook: Christ Church, Warwick,Bermuda

Newsletter Team: Greg Smith (Editor); Jeane Nikolai (Production); Roger Oldfield (Printing); Tina Stovell (Distribution);