Health

Memorials were received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Helen Evanson by Dave and Laurie Martin, Steve and Maureen Thode, Orrin and Nan Grangaard, Brian and Denise Wullner, Bob and Joyce Schorg, Mary Ann Hager, Lillian Larson, Gladwin and Darlene Anderson and Pam Herman.

Memorials were also received in memory of Barb Homewood by Patsy Kerndt, Jim and Shirley Winke and Larry and Carolyn Homewood.

In addition, memorials were received in memory of Alice Huffman by John and Sheryl Prestemon, Yvonne Brandt, Carol Moe, Mae Jean Bakke, Marian Smedsrud, Lois Evans, Florence Schlake, Scott and Cheryl Livingston and Bob and Kristi Campbell.

Veterans Memorial Hospital’s Diabetes Self-Management Education Program will again be offering another free, educational program on “Diabetes Prevention” at Veterans Memorial Hospital. This event will be held Monday, April 24 in the ICN Conference Room, located on the lower level of  Veterans Memorial Hospital. Teresa Myers, RN, Certified Diabetes Educator, and Angie Mettille, RN will be teaching all those attending how to reduce the risk of getting Type 2 diabetes.

Pre-Diabetes is a condition that comes before Type 2 diabetes when the blood glucose (sugar) levels are higher than normal, but aren’t high enough to be called diabetes. It is a silent disease, meaning someone can have it without even knowing it. Cutting back on calories and fat, being physically active and losing weight can reverse pre-diabetes and therefore delay or prevent Type 2 diabetes.

The local Grief Support Group will hold its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital Wednesday, April 12 at 2 p.m.

This informal meeting is open to anyone suffering from any type of loss whether it be death, divorce, illness or some other grief.

Feel free to attend and bring a friend. This grief support group meets the second Wednesday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital.
 

Nearly 200 graduating seniors from Postville, Kee, MFL/MarMac and Waukon schools attended “Reality 101” at the Waukon High School Wednesday, March 22. Over 80 individuals and businesses volunteered their time to create a real life financial scenario for these students preparing for graduation.

Each student chose a career and researched monthly income based on average northeast Iowa wages in the classroom setting prior to the activity. The day of Reality 101, the students were provided with a life scenario which may include a spouse, children and possibly even child support situations, including the information they provided on their chosen career and college plans. The students were then required to visit each of the 30 stations to open a bank account, pay their taxes, purchase an automobile and insurance, pay for daycare, groceries, household supplies, vet expenses, health and life insurance, etc.

By Jill Fleming, Registered Dietician at VMH

Homemade granola can be a healthy and delicious treat, but most store-bought granola is high in sugar, contains unhealthy fats and is packed full of fillers and unnecessary ingredients. Making your own granola at home is easy and allows you to control the amount of sweetness and quality of ingredients.

Whole oats are full of good-for-you soluble fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals (folate, iron and magnesium). You can find your 100% rolled oats in the cereal aisle of your local grocery store. Be sure you are buying 100% whole rolled oats, not “instant” or “quick cooking.”

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon, in cooperation with the American Heart Association, is offering a course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation for lay people (those not working in healthcare), which includes child care providers, Monday, April 10 from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

The CPR class, which will cover adult, child and infant CPR, will be held in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of the hospital. The cost of the class, for certification or recertification, is the same. The card received with the course does certify attendants in CPR for two years.

CPR is administered when someone’s breathing, pulse, or both, stop. Some five million individuals each year receive CPR training by instructors certified by the American Heart Association. The timely application of CPR has been credited with saving thousands of lives each year in the United States.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Robert Axmear by Dave and Rita Newton, Dave and Laurie Martin, JC and Natalie Kelly, Carolyn Heying, Jeff and Amy Sommer, Darrel and Rosanne Wicks, Marilyn and Lyle Larson, Mavis Berns, Craig and Barb Lensing, Chuck and Lois Votsmier, Kenny and Shirley O’Hara, Fred and Geralyn Smith, Rick and Cathy Larson, Jeff Mitchell, Brad and Becky Benzing, Bob and Joyce Schorg, Orrin and Nan Grangaard, Bernard and Eileen Berns, Dan and Mary Anne Otting, Scott and Cheryl Livingston, Jerry and Linda Siegrist and Brad and Erin Berns.

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

By Jill Fleming, Registered Dietician at VMH

Have you stopped eating trail mix because it has gotten a bad rap in the health community as a high calorie, high sodium snack? Well, it is back and in a much healthier way. Most store-bought trail mix is loaded with sugar, artificial ingredients and too much sodium. Putting a “healthy” label on a package that contains color-coated chocolates (food coloring is banned in most countries), sweetened dried fruit (basically candy) and nuts coated with sugar and excess salt is very deceiving.

However, you can make your own trial mix at home.  It is really simple and is much less expensive. Plus, this trail mix is actually healthy for you. Here are some tips to building your own healthy trail mix:

The local Grief Support Group will hold its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital Wednesday, April 12 at 2 p.m. This informal meeting is open to anyone suffering from any type of loss whether it be death, divorce, illness or some other grief.

Feel free to attend and bring a friend. This grief support group meets the second Wednesday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon will begin its next Prepared Childbirth Education class (formerly called Lamaze) Monday, April 10, and that class will continue for two more consecutive Monday evenings beginning at 6 p.m. in the Large Conference Room.

The Prepared Childbirth Education classes at Veterans Memorial Hospital are offered in three sessions that allow the expectant parents to choose which topics they wish to learn more on. They may choose to attend one, two or all three sessions. Session 1 covers labor, delivery and the postpartum period following delivery; Session 2 includes relaxation, breathing and pain management; and Session 3 covers infant care. Tours of the OB Department are available with each session as well.