Health

April is Stress Awareness Month and for many older adults, stress comes from feeling less connected than ever before. As a person ages, staying connected can take more intention. Changes in routine, social circles, and independence can leave many older adults feeling isolated, even when family is nearby.

Group-based mental health support, such as Senior Life Solutions (SLS), can offer connection, understanding, and a sense of belonging. Sharing experiences with others can help reduce loneliness and support emotional well-being.

Veterans Memorial Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions supports older adults experiencing depression, anxiety, or loneliness. These outpatient services are designed to meet the unique needs of individuals, typically 65 and older, experiencing depression and/or anxiety related to life changes often associated with aging. Services include group and individual therapy, medication management and after-care planning.

Any young patients who present to the Waukon or Postville Medical Clinic for their well-child visit can now receive a fluoride varnish to protect their teeth.  This new fluoride treatment is available for those ages six months through age five. 

Human mouths contain bacteria that combine with sugars in foods and beverages which produces an acid that harms teeth. Fluoride strengthens children’s teeth by fighting off this acid and even reversing early signs of tooth decay.
Fluoride varnish applications by medical clinic primary care providers is a standard, safe, and effective preventative service. The varnish is made with fluoride, a minimal that can strengthen tooth enamel, which is quickly ‘painted’ on teeth with a brush during well-child visits by nurses or medical assistants. It is a quick, painless process that sets on contact and reduces cavities by 25-45 percent.

Congratulations to the numerous students who completed the recent Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Babysitting classes Friday, April 3. The classes were instructed by Corinne Cook, RN, assisted by Penny Wheeler, and consisted of teaching the qualities of being a good babysitter including basic child care, accident prevention, fire prevention, and first aid. These new babysitters also learned CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and the Heimlach Maneuver in the case of a choking child. The Waukon Police Department even helped with teaching many safety concerns.

by Tami Gebel, Occupational Therapist, VMH
 
At Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH), the Occupational Therapy Department is celebrating national awareness of its profession throughout the month of April. As occupational therapists, our role is to help people regain function following illnesses. We treat people who are recovering from hip or knee replacement surgery, heart attacks, pneumonia, strokes, COVID, generalized weakness, cancer, lymphedema, breathing difficulties, and many other diagnoses.

Occupational therapy is provided in the hospital, under skilled care, treating those people who are recovering from an illness. Many times, people who are ill are unable to manage living at home. As occupational therapists, we ensure that those patients are strong enough and capable to safely perform routine activities, such as dressing, showering, and cooking, before they return home. 

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH), along with other national, state and community organizations, are highlighting the importance of advance healthcare decision-making - an effort that has culminated in the formal designation of April 16 as National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD). As a participating organization, Veterans Memorial Hospital always has information available to help individuals talk about their wishes with family, friends and healthcare providers, and execute written advance directives (healthcare power of attorney and living will).

In a powerful show of what a community can accomplish together, generous donors from across the region have helped the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation reach its $200,000 fundraising goal for the Postville Clinic upgrade and expansion project - helping secure local healthcare services for years to come.

The campaign, launched in August of 2025 with a presentation to the Postville City Council, emphasized Veterans Memorial Hospital’s long-term commitment to the Postville community and its mission to strengthen access to care. 

Kent McCormick of rural Waukon had been dealing with numbness of his left hand for multiple years. He underwent surgery in 2024 without success, so he continued to pursue medical consultation. Kent was referred to orthopedics at Emplify Health in La Crosse, WI and underwent surgery at his elbow and wrist to release compression on his ulnar nerve. Following surgery, he was initially seen by an occupational therapist who worked in the surgeon’s office in La Crosse, however with his request, he was able to be referred for follow-up therapy at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH).

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Waukon and Postville Clinics welcomed Hannah Kely last fall as a family medical provider. Hannah has been caring for patients of all ages, spending a couple of days each week in each clinic location, and looks forward to watching her practice grow.  

“I love how accessible the clinics are to the community and how we are able to tailor care to the needs of each individual patient,” explains Hannah. “The staff at both clinics has been so welcoming and I am constantly impressed with how eager to help they all are.”

Hannah grew up on a family livestock and crop farm south of Waukon. She had nearly a decade of nursing experience in a variety of areas before finishing her family nurse practitioner master’s program and beginning this position.

Stress does not disappear with age. April is Stress Awareness Month and for many older adults, stress comes from life changes, health concerns, caregiving responsibilities, and feeling less connected than before. Over time, stress can affect mood, energy, and overall well-being. 

Support and connection play an important role in managing stress and maintaining emotional health at every stage of life. 

Veterans Memorial Hospital’s Senior Life Solutions provides outpatient mental health services for older adults coping with depression, anxiety, grief, and life changes. These outpatient services are designed to meet the unique needs of individuals, typically 65 and older, experiencing depression and/or anxiety related to life changes often associated with aging. Services include group and individual therapy, medication management, and after-care planning.

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) will be offering Grandparenting Classes again this spring. Corinne Cook, RN, Babysitting Class instructor, will teach the next Grandparenting Class Saturday, April 11 from 9:30 a.m. until Noon.

The class will be held in the hospital’s Large Conference Room. 

In these classes, new or soon-to-be grandparents will learn all of the new protocols to use when caring for their new grandchild. Some topics covered will include basic baby care, car seat safety, Tylenol/Ibuprofen dosing charts, home safety, poison control information, infant/child CPR, choking and other emergency medical information as well as tips to support parents such as handling the baby blues and postpartum depression.  Free-will donations will be accepted to cover the costs of the class.