Health

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Kenneth Fahey by Dave and Rita Newton, in memory of Mona Shelton by Jerry and Marilyn Troendle, and in memory of Olive Grinna by Rich and Carol Kendall and Gary and Carol Bahr.

Memorials were also received in memory of Jim Moose by Lesa Moose, in memory of Larry Johnson by Rick and Cathy Larson, in memory of John Harkins by Dan and Traci Byrnes and in memory of Helen Storbeck by Brad and Erin Berns.

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

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, Monday, June 12 from 5:30 to 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. 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 20th annual “Family Wellness Fair” was held Wednesday, May 10 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Over 250 individuals attended the wellness fair despite the rainy weather and enjoyed all the information and activities provided by over 45 agencies and businesses that serve Allamakee and northern Clayton counties. 

With this being the 20th annual event, special attractions such as photo booth and dunk tank were added to the already popular line up of entertainment. “Klyde Thinger” the Clown was again on site as was Paul Kammarmeyer, “Greenie,” of Manchester, who provided balloon art at the main entrance. Face painting was also performed by Lori Ross and Claire Butchkoski. The Waukon Fire Department had a fire truck on site for viewing plus Veterans Memorial Hospital had an ambulance on display. In addition, Chuck Allen from KMRV 99.1 and KNEI 103.5 was broadcasting live from the fair.

Veterans Memorial Hospital will be hosting its bi-annual Safety Day Camp for children ages six to 14  Thursday, June 8 at the Allamakee Fairgrounds from 8:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. The camp is open to all children in the area.  It is a true safety camp that instructs many areas of safety that address every child’s life.

Each year, many children are killed or injured on America’s farms and at home. This summer, safety day camps, such as the one being hosted by Veterans Memorial Hospital, are being held to teach children how to prevent injuries and reduce the risk of accidents.

During the camps, children participate in interactive activities that reinforce the importance of taking responsibility for their own safety, respecting parents’ safety rules and sharing safety tips with their family and friends.

by Jessica Wilkins,
Physical Therapist Assistant
Team Lead for RehabVisions in the Waukon and Lansing communities

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” - Benjamin Franklin

No statement can hold truer as a person ages. As a person grows older, joints get stiffer and muscles tighter. These changes with aging can initiate a vicious cycle that can create a decline in functional ability because it can cause one to be less active.
With the decrease of functional movement, the daily activity that was previously completed without hesitation can become increasingly difficult and be completed less and less. A perfect example would be a person who notices that their balance isn’t quite as good as in previous years. Due to fear of falling, this person walks less and limits their activity or may change their gait pattern (the way one walks) to short shuffled steps with an increased base of support.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, May 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 in Waukon.

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 Teresa Myers, RN, C.D.E., Diabetes Educator, or Angie Mettille, RN at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital will be holding its monthly Euchre Marathon for all individuals of the community interested Thursday, May 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 located at the Waukon Wellness Center.

The Auxiliary’s Euchre Marathons begin at 11:30 a.m. with dinner, if desired. 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 from card playing 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.

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation annual Three Person Best-Shot Golf Tournament is set for June 19 at the Waukon Golf and Country Club.

Teams of three will begin the day with a shot gun start at 9:30 a.m. and play 18 holes of golf. Breakfast rolls, lunch and dinner and prizes for everyone will all be provided for the donation of $75.

All those interested are asked to pre-register their team by calling the Waukon Golf and Country Club at 563-568-9939. For more information about the golf tournament, call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

The annual “Family Wellness Fair” will be held this Wednesday, May 10 from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. The “Family Wellness Fair” is a community wide event offering families of all ages a night of entertainment and education about the local resources available to them, plus many free health testing opportunities. This fun-filled family event is free and open to all members of the community of any age.

This is the 20th annual event sponsored by Veterans Memorial Hospital and will include some special added attractions to celebrate this milestone. New this year, a photo booth will be available, plus a “Dunk Your Doctor” dunk tank will be on the grounds for a fun opportunity to raise funds for the Allamakee Relief Office and the local Veterans Quilts of Valor project.

We all want to put our best face forward, right? A healthy complexion thanks to good skin care is one way to look your best. “Basic skin care and healthy lifestyle choices can help delay the natural aging process and prevent various skin problems,” says Benjamin Nesseim, M.D., family physician at Mayo Clinic Health System – Franciscan Healthcare in Waukon.