Health

Adequate hydration is important all the time, but with increasing temperatures and higher humidity, it is crucial to stay well hydrated.

According to ­­­­­­­­­­­Erica Krause-Wagner, NP, Family Medicine nurse practitioner at the Gundersen Lansing Clinic, “Water plays a role in regulating body temperature, removing waste, cushioning joints and protecting your tissues and organs. Water makes up about sixty percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water. Without water, the body will start to shut down after about a week, and it will become extremely difficult to sustain life.”

Krause-Wagner says a good way to determine if you are well hydrated is to check the color of your urine to determine your hydration level. If the color of your urine looks like the color of apple juice (dark), that is an indication that you are dehydrated. If the color of your urine looks more like the color of lemonade (light), that indicates proper hydration.

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon will be offering a variety of free health tests and education at the 2017 Allamakee County Fair, July 19-23. Testing and educational materials will change daily.

Children and adults are welcome to participate in the trivia questions concerning sun safety and “Screen Time: How Much is Too Much.”  Displays and handouts will also be available on these two popular topics.

Free blood sugar and diabetes tests will be offered Thursday, July 20, 4-8 p.m. by Teresa Myers, R.N., Certified Diabetes Educator, and Angie Mettille, RN, both of the Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Department.

Since the national guidelines continue to change, lowering the blood sugar’s normal range, Veterans Memorial Hospital feels it is very important to reach out to the community to continue to offer these screenings to try to catch anyone with a borderline or high blood sugar as early as possible.

The next local LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Thursday, July 6 from 12-5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. Blood drives are held every month in Waukon, allowing for more donors to give. LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with its blood and blood products.

Anyone who lives to the age of 72 will have a 95% probability of needing blood or blood products at sometime in their life, so blood donors are greatly needed.

Regular blood donors may donate blood as often as every 56 days. First-time donors will find that donating blood is a safe and easy way to save lives and make a difference in the community. One single blood donation can save the lives of up to three sick or injured hospital patients. An average of 90% of first-time donors give at blood drives in their community. This is a great opportunity for first-time donors to see how easy the blood donation process is.

The donation process is simple:

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Ralph Welch by Dave and Rita Newton, Scott and Cheryl Livingston, Dr. Arlen and Karlene Wonderlich, Jim and Eli Klenske, Marv and Marge Strike, Jerry and Linda Siegrist, Dave and Laurie Martin, Bernard Welsh, Jim and Patty Clarke, Jackie Westby, Patsy Kerndt, Dave and Brenda Dougherty, Lillian Larson, Sally and Jack Hagensick, Joel and Teresa Sommer, Lois Evans, Harold and Shirley Marti, Ken and Rose Beardmore, Betty Hogan, Elsa Hager, Paul and Wendy Ebner, Rick and Cathy Larson, and Family and Friends of Ralph Welch.

Memorials were also received in memory of Charles Deering by Laura Duvel, in memory of Barb Homewood by Jim Magner, and in memory of Arlene Kerndt by Carol Krumme, Dave and Gail Prestemon, Bob and Marilyn Bulman, Gayle Larkin and Dave and Laurie Martin.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital will be holding its monthly Euchre Marathon for all individuals of the community interested Thursday, July 20. 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. Contact 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. The cost is $3 per person with all proceeds going 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.

The local Grief Support Group will hold its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon Wednesday, July 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 in Waukon.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital will be offering a course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for health care providers (those working in health related fields such as physicians, nurses, EMTs, etc.) Monday, July 10, beginning at 5:30 p.m. This “Health Care Professional” CPR class 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 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 the “Health Care Provider” CPR Course, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

The 24th annual Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation Golf Tournament was held Monday, June 19 at the Waukon Golf and Country Club. Twenty-nine teams of three participated in this tournament. Each team enjoyed 18 holes of golf plus lunch and dinner prepared by Rich Schulte, Marge and Bud Strike, and the Foundation Directors.

The Foundation gives credit for the success of this tournament to the many local businesses that provide great prizes so everyone participating wins. Plus, many businesses serving this area contribute as hole sponsors to the tournament making it an enjoyable, community-wide event.

The next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Thursday, July 6 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church located in south Waukon. Blood drives are held once a month in Waukon, to allow for more donors to give. The LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with its blood products.

Blood centers across the United States see a decrease in blood donations during the busy summer months. During the summer, people become more active, have busier schedules, spend more time outdoors and take vacations. While donations decline, hospitals see an increase in the need for blood. More driving can mean more automobile accidents. A person who has suffered severe injuries from an automobile accident can need up to 50 units of blood.

Veterans Memorial Hospital will begin the next Prepared Childbirth Education classes (formerly called Lamaze) Monday, July 10, and will continue those classes 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.