Health

“Welcome to Medicare” is a free, two-hour seminar offered by the Veterans Memorial Hospital Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) counselors. Due to popular demand, this program will again be held Monday, September 23 from 5-7 p.m. in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

“We’re excited to be offering another free seminar to the community and happy they are so well attended,” says Russ Hagen, SHIIP volunteer. “Medicare is such an important program and understanding what it offers helps assure that anyone eligible gets the health benefits they deserve.”

“Welcome to Medicare” will cover Medicare Part A and Part B benefits, the prescription drug benefit (Part D), Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare supplement insurance.

Morgan Smerud, OD, has returned to her hometown and has joined the Gundersen Eye Clinic in Waukon.

Dr. Smerud provides routine eye exams for glasses and contacts as well as medical management of a variety of eye conditions such as diabetes, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and dry eye care. She also works with the ophthalmologists to provide pre- and post-operative care to patients.

After growing up in Waukon, Dr. Smerud received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biological Sciences from Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI before traveling south to earn her Doctor of Optometry from Rosenburg School of Optometry, University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX.

Veterans Memorial Hospital, in cooperation with the American Heart Association, is offering a course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for lay people (those not working in healthcare), which includes child care providers, Wednesday, September 18 from 5-8 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. Upon successful completion of the class, the participant will receive an electronic card certifying them in Heartsaver CPR AED for a two-year time period. This class does not include a first aid certification.

CPR is administered when someone’s breathing, pulse, or both, stop. When both of them stop, the victim has suffered sudden death, which can be caused by poisoning, drowning, choking, suffocation, electrocution, smoke inhalation, or the most common cause, heart attack.

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

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

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital, together with Elliott Jewelers of Waukon, will be hosting their 15th annual Women’s Health Day wellness event and luncheon Tuesday, September 24 at the Waukon Banquet Center.  All ages are invited to attend any part of this educational event, beginning at 11 a.m. with a wellness fair offering a variety of free health tests and information, and a salad luncheon and program held from Noon to 1 p.m.

“Welcome to Medicare” is a free, two-hour seminar offered by the Veterans Memorial Hospital Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) counselors.  Due to popular demand, this program will again be held Monday, September 23 from 5-7 p.m. in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

“Due to the great turnout for these meetings last spring, we have decided to offer another free seminar to the community right away this fall,” says Russ Hagen, SHIIP volunteer. “I am happy they are so well attended.  Medicare is such an important program and understanding what it offers helps assure that anyone eligible gets the health benefits they deserve.”

“Welcome to Medicare” will cover Medicare Part A and Part B benefits, the prescription drug benefit (Part D), Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare supplement insurance.

The next Caregiver Support Group meeting will be held Monday, September 16 at 1:30 p.m. in the Meditation Room in the front entrance of Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. 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 persons’ life. With more and more Iowans aging, this is a real concern in the local community.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital will be holding its monthly Euchre Marathon for all individuals of the community interested Thursday, September 19.  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.

By Jill Fleming, RN/RD, Dietitian at Veterans Memorial Hospital

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in the fats in your blood. Too much cholesterol can cause a build-up in your blood vessels, causing them to narrow and close. This process increases your risk for heart disease or stroke.

If you’ve been told your cholesterol is too high, it usually means your total cholesterol is greater than 200mg/dl and your LDL (low density lipoprotein) or “bad cholesterol” is higher than the recommended level of 130mg/dl. If you have additional risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, you want your LDL cholesterol to be less than 100mg/dl.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon, in cooperation with the American Heart Association, is offering a course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for lay people (those not working in healthcare), which includes child care providers, Wednesday, September 18 from 5-8 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. Upon successful completion of the class, the participant will receive an electronic card certifying them in Heartsaver CPR AED for a two-year time period. This class does not include a first aid certification.

CPR is administered when someone’s breathing, pulse, or both, stop. When both of them stop, the victim has suffered sudden death, which can be caused by poisoning, drowning, choking, suffocation, electrocution, smoke inhalation, or the most common cause, heart attack.