Education
• Coronado Center Library, Coronado Center, 150 Ponderosa Lane Hot Springs Village, AR
71909. Call 501-922-3555. Open
9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Staffed by volunteers.
• Garland County Law Library, Courtyard Plaza 534 Ouachita, Suite 1 Hot Springs, AR
71901. Call 501-624-3327. Contact: Marsha King, director.
The library offers some largeprint books, internet and computer access for research, meetings rooms for legal purposes.
• Garland County Library,
1427 Malvern Ave., Hot Springs, AR 71901. Call 501-623-4161 or
501-922-4483 (Saline County). Library services are free to Garland and Saline County residents. Open 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday, Friday, and Saturday; 9
a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; and Sunday, 12:305:30 p.m.
The library provides free access to thousands of resources both digitally and physically including online database use and print material circulation. Patrons may check out books, movies, music CDs, audiobooks, Halloween costumes, seeds, fishing poles, magazines, and jigsaw puzzles with a Garland County Library card. Patrons may also use the library’s wi-fi, internet computers, laptop computers, ereader tablets, ipads, and other electronic devices in-house. The library offers programs and services for all ages: children, teens, adults, and seniors. For seniors, the library offers large print books and closed-captioned films for the visual and hearing-impaired.
A Books-By-Mail service is available to patrons who are homebound or otherwise unable to visit the library. The library has an array of wheelchairs and wheeled walker/book carts to assist in carrying library materials. Staff are also available to carry checked out materials to your vehicle. The library offers a variety of programming including book clubs, craft classes, tech help seminars, health classes, and more. The Friends of the Garland County Library, a group of devoted volunteers, process book donations in the library’s Book Sale Room. Proceeds from materials sold in the Book Sale Room are used to fund some of the library’s special programming and events.
More information about the library and library offerings can be found online at http://www. gclibrary.com.
• Hot Springs Tech Learning Center, 1662 Higdon Ferry Rd., Room 120, South Campus of CHI St. Vincent, Hot Springs, AR 71913.
• Literacy Council of Garland County, 119 Hobson, Hot Springs, AR 71901. Call 501-624-7323.
A volunteer works one-onone with an individual to improve basic reading skills or learn the English language. Contact: Talia Cooney, administrative assistant, or Dennis Brown, executive director.
• Oaklawn Center on Aging,
210 Woodbine St., Hot Springs, AR 71901. Call the office at 501623-0020. Contact: Kathy Packard, director of Education.
Oaklawn Center on Aging
(OCOA) has ongoing free workshops for the Garland County community. Our evidence-based workshops are Diabetes Empowerment Education Program (DEEP), Chronic Disease Self Management Program (CDSMP), Diabetes Self Management Program (DSMP), and A Matter of Balance (AMOB).
Diabetes Empowerment Education Program (DEEP) is a workshop for people with diabetes, people diagnosed as pre-diabetes and people who live with someone with diabetes. Facilitators teach about diabetes, how diabetes affects the body, blood sugar levels and what they mean, how to use a glucometer, meal planning, setting goals for proper nutrition, physical activity, regular checkups with their physicians, and consistent medication use. The workshop includes participant activities and sharing information with the group. There are many visual and tactile aids to help participants understand what is really going on with their body and how elevated blood sugars cause problems. The goal of this workshop is to empower individuals to manage and control their diabetes or to stop it before it becomes a diagnosis of diabetes. In teaching people this, we can reduce complications such as blindness, amputations of lower extremities, kidney failure, heart disease and stroke. The class meets for two hours, once a week, for six consecutive weeks.
Chronic Disease Self Management Program is a workshop for people with asthma, heart disease, arthritis, Parkinson’s and other chronic health concerns. This program meets for six sessions, once a week for two and a half hours and is facilitated by certified leaders. CDSMP teaches practical skills for living a healthy life with chronic health conditions and builds confidence for managing your health, staying active and enjoying life.
Diabetes Self Management Program is a workshop for people with diabetes, people diagnosed as pre-diabetes and people who live with someone with diabetes. DSMP teaches practical skills for living a healthy life with diabetes in six sessions, once a week for two and a half hours.
A Matter of Balance is specifically designed to reduce the fear of falling, stop the fear of falling cycle and improve activity levels of older adults. The program is eight two-hour sessions, meeting twice a week for four weeks. The program includes an exercise component designed to increase coordination, strength and balance. You will get the benefits of a home safety evaluation, problem solving and group discussions.
To schedule any of these classes for your group or to find one to attend, please call Oaklawn Center on Aging at 501623-0020.
• Melting Pot Genealogy Society, 649B Ouachita Ave. Hot Springs, AR 71901. Call 501-6240229. Contact: Barbara Erdmann. Genealogy research.
• Radiance School of Massage, 3810 Central Ave., Suite E Hot Springs, AR 71913. Call 501520-0809.
Contact: Roxanne Portman. Massage, facials, reflexology and spa treatments.
• Schmieding Home Caregiver Training, 101 McGowan Court Hot Springs, AR 71913. Call 501276-0945, office, or visit http:// www.uamscaregiving.org.
Schmieding Home Caregiver Training provides initial and continuing education for individuals seeking a career in home caregiving as well as training for family members and/or significant others caring for an older adult in the home. Training is divided into three courses, each designed to assist individuals in advancing their caregiving skills and competency. All courses meet state and federal guidelines and are taught by licensed nurses and other health care professionals. Students who successfully complete all three certified classes may be eligible to take the Arkansas Certified Nurse Aide Exam. Scholarships are available, provided by the Oaklawn Foundation.