Health

Submitted by the Iowa Department of Public Health and Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care

Since the heat of summer is now in full swing, take measures to prevent heat stress. Serious health complications from heat include exhaustion, stroke and dehydration.

Heat exhaustion occurs when sweating, the body’s cooling system, fails to eliminate heat fast enough. The first signs of heat exhaustion are faintness, rapid pulse, flushing or reddening of the skin, and often accompanied by stomachache or headache. When heat exhaustion symptoms occur, stop all activity and drink liquids such as water or re-hydrating fluids (Gatorade, Powerade, or for children, Pedialyte). Do not drink alcohol, coffee or caffeinated soft drinks. If possible, take a cool shower.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon, together with the Alzheimer’s Association®, offered two education sessions earlier this summer concerning Alzheimer’s and Dementia for both the general public and for caregivers of anyone with these conditions. The third session of this three-part series, which was scheduled for August 7, has been canceled due to a shortage of staff at the Alzheimer’s Association.

The Alzheimer’s Association is always looking for more volunteers. If interested in volunteering, contact them through their website at www.alz.org. For more information, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

Memorials were received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Todd Pladsen by Jerry and Linda Siegrist, John and Lorna Kerndt, Orrin and Nan Grangaard, Jim and Jill Kiesau, and Craig and Barb Lensing.

Memorials were also received in memory of Robert Stock by Chuck and Lois Votsmier, JoAnn Peake, Jane Dietrich, Patsy Kerndt, Ernie and Donnalee Osland, Donelle Sherman, Norma Sander, Laura Duvel, Jerry and Linda Siegrist, Pat Pettingill, Don and DiAnne Haler and family and friends of Robert O. Stock.

Memorials and donations are appreciated by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation, a 501C3 organization. All donations to the Foundation are tax deductible. Memorials and donations can be sent to the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation, 40 First Street SE, Waukon, IA  52172.
 

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital will be holding its monthly Euchre Marathon for all individuals of the community interested Thursday, July 18. Men and women are welcome to attend, even if not an Auxiliary member. The Euchre marathons are held the third Thursday of each month at the Senior Citizens Room at the Waukon Wellness Center.

The Auxiliary’s Euchre Marathons begin at 11:30 a.m. with dinner, if chosen.  Call Northland Agency on Aging at 877-838-8077 if choosing to eat dinner. Card playing will follow at 12:30 p.m. until approximately 2:30 p.m. Anyone wishing to stay and play cards following the Senior Citizens meal is more than welcome to do so. All proceeds go towards the Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital. Prizes will be awarded.

Anyone interested in attending but preferring to play Bridge is also welcome to join in. It is asked that they come with their own table of four players, however.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will not hold a regular meeting in July. The group will begin holding its regular monthly meetings again in August. For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call Angie Mettille, RN, Diabetes Educator, at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital will not be offering a CPR course in July. The next class available will be offered Wednesday, August 21 and will be offered for health care professionals. For more information, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital introduced its new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to the local communities April 1, upgrading from an older system, and is now offering 16-channel technology for superior image quality, shorter exam times and increased diagnostic confidence.

The experienced Radiology staff at Veterans Memorial Hospital has been using this new machine for three months and is very happy with its performance.

“We are very excited to be using this updated machine here at Veterans Memorial Hospital,” states Amanda Leiran, Radiology Supervisor at Veterans Memorial Hospital. “With this new machine, we can definitely offer a greater number of exams to our patients in a more spacious scanner, keeping them much more comfortable and close to home.”

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon will be offering a variety of free health tests and education at the 2019 Allamakee County Fair. Testing and educational materials will change daily and will include the following schedule:

The next Caregiver Support Group meeting will be held Monday, July 15 at 1:30 p.m. in the Meditation Room in the front entrance of Veterans Memorial Hospital.  When a person is diagnosed with a chronic illness, a lot of focus and attention is put on how to keep that person as independent and as healthy as possible.

When a person loses some of their abilities to care for themselves the burden of care is often assumed by the spouse, a child (or children), or sometimes friends and neighbors. While everyone who becomes a caregiver handles the added responsibility with different skill sets, attitudes and understanding levels, there is no question that there is a very real strain associated with care giving.

Recent studies have estimated that the stress caused just by becoming the caregiver of an adult with a chronic illness or disability will take seven years off of a person’s life. With more and more Iowans aging, this is a real concern within the local community.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital will be holding its monthly Euchre Marathon for all individuals of the community interested Thursday, July 18. Men and women are welcome to attend, even if not an Auxiliary member. The Euchre marathons are held the third Thursday of each month at the Senior Citizens Room at the Waukon Wellness Center.

The Auxiliary’s Euchre Marathons begin at 11:30 a.m. with dinner, if chosen.  Call Northland Agency on Aging at 877-838-8077 if choosing to eat dinner. Card playing will follow at 12:30 p.m. until approximately 2:30 p.m. Anyone wishing to stay and play cards following the Senior Citizens meal is more than welcome to do so. All proceeds go towards the Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital. Prizes will be awarded.

Anyone interested in attending, but preferring to play Bridge is also welcome to join in. It is asked that they come with their own table of four players, however.