Living Well Conference – A Blast!

120+ people attended the Northern Lakes Living Well conference last month.

The agenda kicked off with celebrations of many accomplishments, led by Recovery Coordinator Mary Beth Evans and Community and Provider Relations Coordinator Cindy Petersen. Recognized during this segment were all the certified peer support specialists at Northern Lakes, our certified WRAP facilitators, our “5 Stages in the Recovery Process” video stars, our Recovery Council members, and many, many others.

Larry Fricks and Ike Powell from the Appalachian Consulting Group presented on a new program being rolled out in Michigan, called “Peer Supported Whole Health.” Ike and Larry shared the bad news from a recent report that indicates that people with a severe mental illness are living on average 25 years LESS than the general population. They also shared a lot of good news on things people can do to reverse that trend — all of which pertain to ways of “Living Well.” Their presentation included a demonstration of some easy relaxation techniques which everyone can add to their daily routines.

Northern Lakes staff Barb Lane and Cathy Larson led a mental health bingo game which was a lot of fun with many prizes.

A highlight of the day was music from The Recovery Band, who played before and after the conference and during the lunch break. Lots of people kicked up their heels and danced to their fabulous music.

Everyone attending received a “Living Well” fanny pack which was loaded with a lot of goodies to help support health and wellness, including a pedometer to help track the amount of exercise people are getting and a relaxation CD to use at home.

All in all it was a fabulous day!