Health

For the last twelve years, Russ Hagen of rural Waterville has provided assistance to hundreds of individuals in the tri-state area as a Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) volunteer at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH). He has helped many with their Medicare questions when joining the program and each year during the annual open enrollment period. Russ also delivered many “Welcome to Medicare” seminars at the hospital for those preparing to join a Medicare plan for the first time.

Russ initially completed an extensive six-day training program to become a SHIIP volunteer, and other trainings as needed, to continue his service at Veterans Memorial Hospital for over 12 years. He recently retired from this service at the end of 2022, making him the longest running SHIIP volunteer in the hospital’s history of being a SHIIP sponsor.

by Jill Fleming, MS, RD/LD

The New Year is here and most of us are interested in adding “lose a few pounds” to our list of goals for 2023. It sounds simple enough, but where to begin? The key to releasing excess weight, almost effortlessly, is to eat real food and stop snacking. A great goal is to eat real food 75-80% of the time. The term “real food” may be defined differently according to other health professionals, but my definition is:

• Any whole food that has only one ingredient such as “whole grained rolled oats” or no ingredient label at all, such as fruits and vegetables
• Packaged foods made with no more than three unrefined ingredients
• Dairy products like milk, unsweetened yogurt, eggs and cheese
• Wild-caught seafood and fish
• Lean meat, chicken, pork, beef; ideally locally raised
• Dried fruits, nuts and seeds.

The LifeServe Blood Center reported a great number of donors at the January blood drive with 44 total units collected which saved or sustained up to 132 lives.      

Here are some facts from the LifeServe Blood Center explaining just how much blood many patients need for their illness.

• Cancer patients can use up to eight units of blood a month.
• Bone Marrow Transplant patients can use up to two units a day.
• Cardiovascular Surgery patient can use between two and 25 units.
• Liver Transplant patients can use up to 100 units.
• Auto/Trauma Accident patients can use  from five to 100 units.
• Premature infants can use from one to four units.
• Burn victims case use up to 20 units of platelets.
• Heart surgery patients can use from three to eight units of red cells and from one to 10 units of platelets.
• Organ transplant patients can use 10-30 units of blood.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Leotia Flage by Mary Ann Burke, Wayne Fish, Mary Ann Hager, Randy and Lori Hover, Patsy Kerndt, Les and Ada Marie Kerndt, Dave and Laurie Martin, JoAnn Peake, Pat Pettingill, Al and Fern Rissman, Carolyn Thompson and Chuck and Lois Votsmier.

January is Blood Donor Month. Blood donations are needed everywhere, even right here in Iowa. The following are interesting blood facts on blood from LifeServe Blood Center which supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) with its blood products:

• Every three seconds someone needs blood.
• Blood makes up about eight percent of a person’s body weight.
• Blood is needed every minute of every day; summer, winter, spring and fall.
• Scheduled surgeries are often canceled around the county due to a lack of blood.
• Donating blood includes a health check for the donor (checking blood pressure, pulse, temperature and hemoglobin) prior to donating.
• There is absolutely no way to contract any disease from giving blood.
• Blood can be split into different components (red cells, platelets, plasma, and cryoprecipitate) and used to help different types of patients.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, January 19 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held at Veterans Memorial Hospital in the Large Conference Room on the lower level of the hospital.

Jill Fleming, one of the Veterans Memorial Hospital dietitians, will kick off 2023 with some helpful weight loss tips at this January 19 meeting.

This diabetes class is open to everyone who has diabetes or who has a friend or loved one with diabetes. For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call  Angie Mettille, RN, at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon at 563-568-3411.

Exercising is important to do all year-round. One should not feel that they need to stay indoors to exercise during cold weather. A good workout outdoors in the winter can be very exhilarating. Just follow the steps below for keeping it a safe outdoor winter workout:

• Warm up longer than usual before heading outdoors in cold weather.
• Keep skin dry. This in turn will keep the exerciser warmer.
• Dress accordingly using many layers. Be sure that the outer layer will break the wind. Add a fluffy layer, like fleece or wool, to trap heat in. And long underwear is good to keep the skin dry.
• Always wear a hat to prevent heat loss through the top of the head.
• Wear mittens instead of gloves to allow air to circulate better between the fingers, keeping the hands warmer.

Always be sure to exercise in a safe, well-lit area. Stay clear of any icy spots and proceed with care in snow. One never knows what may lie under those snow-covered spots.

The Alzheimer’s Association Iowa Chapter is offering a free, seven-week virtual education series to kick-off the new year. The programs are available to help families facing Alzheimer’s or dementia understand what to expect so they can be prepared to meet the changes ahead. The topics covered will range from the warning signs to behavior changes to expect, to financial and legal considerations and planning, to advances in Alzheimer’s research.

The series will begin Wednesday, January 18 at 12 p.m. via Zoom and continue each Wednesday through March 1.

Helping Services for Youth & Families’ Domestic Abuse Resource Center has implemented a Domestic Abuse survivor chat line, which can be reached at HelpingServices.org/chat. There is also the option to call a resource phone line 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 800-383-2988. Whether chatting or calling, a trained Advocate will respond 24 hours a day.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Gerald “Jerry” Schroedel by the Allamakee Community Players, Lori Bahr Stevenson, Bill and Sue Blagsvedt, Randy and Julie Bloxham, Jon and Cathy Buhl, Lenny and Kelly Bulman, Carl and Betty Christianson, Earl and Bev Haas, Russ and Barb Hagen, Mary Ann Hager, Dale Hart, Betty Howard, Michele and Cory Huinker, Jens and Jane Kallevang, Mary and Tim Kelly, John and Lorna Kerndt, Jim and Jill Kiesau, Ron and Sue Kiesau, Dale Kurth, Susan Larkin, Marilyn Larson, Nancy Leiran, Mary Kay Martin, Mr. and Mrs. David Monserud, Mr. and Mrs. Barry Mueller, Pat Pettingill, George Pickett, Sharon Pratt, Dave and Gail Prestemon, Gary Rumph, Dr. Dave and Joan Schwartz, Erick Sorum and LaVonne Martie, Coreen Troendle, Erin Troendle, George and Susan Troendle, John Troendle, Chuck and Lois Votsmier, Arlen and Karlene Wonderlich, Kate Wooden and Rose Zoll.