News Center newsletter

by Lisa Moose, RN, VMH Community and Home Care Director
 
As our elderly population continues to grow and individuals desire to remain independent in their own homes for as long as possible, home health care will continue to be a driving force in health care delivery in the next century.

Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care is a locally-based, home health care agency serving Allamakee and the surrounding counties. Nine registered nurses and five home care aides travel the county and beyond the county borders to offer assistance to individuals who wish to remain in their homes for as long as possible, or who need some assistance while they are recovering from an illness or recent surgery, often times after being hospitalized.

Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care continues to offer flu shots every Wednesday afternoon during its regular immunization clinics. The next flu shot clinics will be held Wednesday, November 14 from 1-4 p.m. and again Wednesday, November 21 from 1-6 p.m., and each Wednesday afternoon thereafter. 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 vaccine, and a combination of flu and pneumonia vaccine will all be available. Tetanus shots are always offered as well.

Don’t miss the Medicare annual open enrollment period for Part D drug plans which runs through December 7. Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon has SHIIP counselor Russ Hagen available by appointment to discuss Medicare Part D plans available for 2019 and Medicare Advantage.

Call Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411 to schedule an appointment and those enrolling need to bring their Medicare card, current Part D plan card and a list of medications from their pharmacy which includes drug name, quantity and dosage.

This SHIIP volunteer is available throughout the year at Veterans Memorial Hospital. To make an appointment with a SHIIP volunteer, call the hospital at 563-568-3411.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Donald Sherman by Marv and Marge Strike, Jim and Linda Ryan, Rick and Cathy Larson, Dave and Laurie Martin, Randy and Karen Loeb, Jane Dietrich, Carol Krumme, Don and DiAnne Haler, Virgil and Debbie Thorstenson, Jerry and Linda Siegrist, Marian Smedsrud, Marilyn Bulman, Kay Carter, Mae Jean Bakke, Charlotte Reeder, Dan and Sue Schlitter, Marlys Leiran, Mary Ann Hager, Ruby Schoh, John and Sheryl Prestemon, Ernie and Donnalee Osland, Dennis and Sandy Deal, John and Lorna Kerndt, Dean and Juanita Thorstenson and family and friends of Donald “Don” Sherman.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital will be holding its monthly Euchre Marathon for all individuals of the community interested Thursday, November 15.  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. 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 Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, November 15 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held at Veterans Memorial Hospital in the Large Conference Room, which is located on the lower level of the hospital.

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

The local Caregiver Support Group meets monthly at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. The meetings take place the third Monday of each month at 1:30 p.m. The next meeting will be held Monday, November 19 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the ICN Conference Room, located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon.

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 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.) Tuesday, November 20, beginning at 5 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. All registrants should bring along their own pocket mask. The online certificate received with the course certifies attendants for two years.

Pre-registration plus 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.
 

It’s still dark outside; the weather is bitter and cold.  It’s the perfect day to get together with good friends, reflect on life, walk the countryside, and bring home that trophy buck or prize pheasant. You’re fully prepared this year; your scope is right on, you’ve scouted out the perfect spot for your stand and you’ve been punching paper targets for months. But is your body ready?

Like any sport, hunting requires the participants to train, focus, and be mentally and physically fit for the activity required. When hunters aren’t in shape, their trips can sometimes end in tragedy. Hunting may be the most demanding physical exertion some hunters experience all year.

“Dragging a heavy deer through the snow or brush can be exceptionally stressful on the heart,” said Steven Perkins, D.O., family physician at Mayo Clinic Health System - Franciscan Healthcare in Waukon. Studies show that excitement of sighting a deer can send a hunter’s heart rate soaring,

An open house birthday celebration in honor of Lyle Mohwinkle’s 80th birthday is scheduled for Saturday, November 17 from 2-6 p.m. at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon.

Friends and family are welcome to attend. No gifts are necessary.