Health

Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care is offering flu shots every Wednesday afternoon during their regular immunization clinics. The next flu shot clinic will be held Wednesday, October 10 from 1-4 p.m. and again Wednesday, October 17 from 1-6 p.m. The Community and Home Care Immunization Clinic is located on the upper level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

Immunization clinics are held from 1-6 p.m. the first and third Wednesdays of the month, and from 1-4 p.m. all other Wednesdays. Flu vaccine, pneumonia vaccines and tetanus vaccines will be available. Medicare does cover the costs of a flu shot. Billing for vaccinations will be completed by the Community and Home Care staff, but participants will need to bring their physician’s name and new Medicare number or private insurance card with them. Those who do not have insurance that covers vaccines can also pay for them.

by Annette Marsden, M.S. Nutrition Educator
 
Emotional eating has gotten a bad rap. The topic of emotional eating has captivated many, and there are countless books and articles on how to eat to be a healthy eater, and how not to be an emotional eater.

Can we really expect to leave our emotions behind while we eat? Should our goal really be “emotionless eating”? I don’t think so.

Babies are born knowing when they are hungry and when they are satisfied.

They also like to feed sometimes just for comfort. It is normal and human to soothe and comfort ourselves in the ways we know how. We have been using food for comfort and soothing since the day we were born!

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

Veterans Memorial Hospital is looking for more volunteers to serve as Greeters at the new main entrance reception desk once per month. Greeters help direct patients and visitors to the hospital through the facility to their desired area.

Anyone interested in volunteering to serve as a Greeter or wanting more information should contact Erin Berns, Public Relations Director at Veterans Memorial Hospital, at 563-568-3411.
 

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Dale Rademaker by Bill and Sue Blagsvedt, Marv and Marge Strike,  Ben and Charlie Peiffer, JoAnn Peake, United Fire Group,  Duane and Sue Vorseth, Sue Kratz, Betty White, Jim and Jill Kiesau, Orrin and Nan Grangaard,  Bill and Beth Shafer, Lesa Moose, Joel and Teresa Sommer, Key Sewick, Norb and Nola Palmer, Wayne and Nona Sawyer, Audrey Angel, Marlys Leiran, Jerry and Linda Siegrist, George Pickett and Tom Moran.

Memorials were also received in memory of Janet Reinhardt by Mae Jean Bakke and Bill Reinhardt.

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.
 

The local Caregiver Support Group meets monthly at Veterans Memorial Hospital. The meetings will take place the third Monday of each month at 1:30 p.m. The next meeting will be held Monday, October 15 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the ICN Conference Room, located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital.

This informal meeting is open to anyone who provides care and support for a family member or friend. Feel free to attend and bring a friend. This new Caregiver Support Group meets the third Monday of each month at VMH.
 

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, October 18 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 has 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.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital will not be offering a CPR course in October. The next class available will be offered November 21.

The cost of all CPR classes, for certification or recertification, at Veterans Memorial Hospital is the same and all registrants should bring along their own pocket mask. The card received with the course does certify attendants in CPR for two years.

Pre-registration plus a minimum of three participants is required. For more information and to register for next the CPR Course, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital and Elliott Jewelers of Waukon hosted a huge crowd (pictured below) for their 14th Annual Women’s Health Day Luncheon Tuesday, September 25 at the Waukon Banquet Center. Over 200 ladies attended the salad luncheon hosted by the Auxiliary members, plus many free health and wellness tests were available. The theme for this year’s event was “Second Chance Gifts.” Very moving testimonials about organ transplant and how it has affected their lives were given by featured speakers Bev Larson-Needham, organ recipient; Deb Eberling Hanson, organ donor’s wife; Marcy Troendle Wittrock, organ donor; and Kristin Kopperud-Stinn, organ recipient; as well as information provided by Natalie Oakes, Professional Outreach Coordinator for the Iowa Donor Network.

The next LifeServe Blood Center Blood Drive will be held Monday, October 8 from 12-5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon.

Blood drives are held once per month. The LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with its blood and blood products.

The LifeServe Blood Center is seeking donors to ensure a safe and plentiful blood supply in Iowa. Because there is no substitute for human blood, the need for donors is continuous.

Over half of the United States population is eligible to donate blood, yet less than four percent donate on a regular basis. A single donation of blood can be used to save up to three lives and help in treatment of cancer patients, accident victims, hemophiliacs and surgery patients. The LifeServe Blood Center is committed to serving the needs of Iowans by saving lives through volunteer blood donation.