September is World Alzheimer’s Month and today, September 21st, is Alzheimer’s Action Day. The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the nations largest event to raise money for research and support for this disease and Divine Home Care is participating in the Willmar Walk on Saturday, October 6th. In addition to raising funds, the Walk provides a wealth of information about the disease as well as resources for support and other ways to get involved and become an advocate.

What makes the Walk such a special experience is that everyone participating has been affected by the disease in some way. Just on our team alone, someone has lost their grandmother to Alzheimer’s, someone is currently the caregiver for her mom who has the disease, some of our nurses care for clients with memory loss and some of us who haven’t been directly impacted are participating to support those who have. Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. We must join together to help find a cure.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in 2011, more than 39,000 teams participated in nearly 650 Walks across the country. They raised more than $47.2 million! You can click here to find a Walk in your area. You can help these numbers grow! The details for the Willmar, MN Walk are below:

Location: Robbins Island Park, N Hwy 71, Willmar, MN

Date and Time: October 6, 2012

• 10:00 AM Registration
• 11:00 AM Opening Ceremony
• 11:30 AM 1.5 mile walk

Coordinator: Carol Thelen, 320.257.0699

It’s not too late to get involved! Contact Carol Thelen at the Alzheimer’s Association if you would like to join the Walk, if you need support or you have Alzheimer’s. You are not alone in this battle.

Walk to End Alzheimer’s Video

This month we are reminded to plan and prepare for disasters.  The Department of Homeland Security and the Red Cross want us to be aware of simple steps we can take in our pledge to prepare. 

We have already seen a number of disasters this year, including tornadoes, floods, wildfires, and most recently, Hurricane Isaac.  It is important to plan in advance as your family may not be together when disaster strikes.  Things to discuss with your family would be how you plan to get to a safe place, how you will contact each other, how you will meet back up and what you will do in different “what if” situations.

Making a plan involves a few simple steps that you and your family can do together.  Here is a helpful list:

• Have enough supplest to last at least 3 days.
• Designate locations where you can meet your family and also, designate an out-of-area contact.
• Create an emergency supply kit. Include at least 3 days worth of water, non-perishable food, a first aid kit, prescription and non-prescription medicine, batteries, weather radio, soap, toilet paper, clothing and bedding.
• Learn first aid, CPR and how to use an Automated External Defibrillator.
• Learn how to turn off utilities in you home.  

Other important things to discuss and consider:

1. “What if” questions. “If this happens… what are we going to do?”
2. Your plan will have to be tailored to everyone in your family depending on their age and abilities.
3. Do you have a plan for your pets?
4. You can sign up to get monthly preparedness tips from FEMA by texting PREPARE to 43362

Disaster can strike at any time and being prepared is a family’s best defense. Click here to access your own Family Emergency Plan that FEMA has created for you to fill out and keep a copy of in your emergency kit.

This blog was written by Litchfield RN Case Manager, Becky Macik.

August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). It is the perfect time to remind people to get up to date with their immunizations (or vaccinations) with school starting and flu season just around the corner. An immunization is a way to trigger your immune system to build protection against a certain disease or pathogen.  People of all ages need to be up to date with their vaccinations to help maintain their health.  I will focus on adult immunizations and flu shots in this post. The CDC website offers great material to educate people more thoroughly on immunizations and when to get them. It also includes an immunization schedule for adults and children.

Many people think that immunizations are only for children. That is not the case. Adults need immunizations as well. Some vaccines that are common for adults are the flu shot, tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap), Shingles (60 and older), pneumococcal disease (65 and older) and hepatitis B for diabetic individuals or people who may be at risk for hepatitis B. This is not an inclusive list. You should talk with your doctor to see which immunizations would be right for you. You should also review your current immunization status before you travel. Make an appointment with your doctor 4 to 6 weeks before your trip so he/she can go over all of the vaccines that are required and recommended. You can contact your local clinic to see your current immunization record.

You should get a flu shot every year to stay current. The flu shot protects against 3 types of influenza: H3N2 virus, influenza B and H1N1. The flu shot is approved for kids and adults 6 months of age and older. If you are 65 and older you have a higher risk of serious complications related to the flu. People with other health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and asthma have a greater risk of complications from the flu. Flu season is considered October through May. You also should not procrastinate getting your flu shot. Immunity will set in about 2 weeks after you receive your immunization. But remember, just because you get an immunization does not guarantee that you will not get the flu. It just greatly reduces your chances.

The author of this blog post is Amanda Braness, RN Case Manager in our Willmar office.

Macular Degeneration is a disease that causes vision loss. It destroys your central vision, which is needed to see things sharp and clearly. There are two kinds of macular degeneration:

1. Dry macular degeneration: causes vision loss in your central vision. It is a deterioration of the macula (part of the eye that lets you see fine details).
2. Wet macular degeneration: swelling caused by leaky blood vessels in back of the eye.

Of the two, dry macular degeneration is more common and vision loss is usually gradual. According to the Mayo Clinic, the wet form always begins as the dry form and it isn ‘t known what causes the change.

Having clear central vision is essential to read small print, thread a needle, drive and recognize faces clearly. Take a look at the picture to the right – this is what it looks like to lose that part of your vision. You are still able to see the numbers on the clock but not the hands in the middle pointing to the time. Generally, people with macular degeneration can still use their peripheral (or side) vision.

This disease progresses at different rates for everyone – some people hardly notice a chance in their vision while others experience vision loss very quickly.

Some symptoms of both forms include:

• Decrease in the brightness of colors
• Need brighter lights to see things up close
• Increased blurring of printed words
• Trouble recognizing faces
• Loss of central vision

There are several factors that can increase your risk of getting macular degeneration:

• Natural aging process (most common in people over 60)
• Family history 
• Smoking
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol

Routine eye exams can detect the disease before it causes vision loss and treatment can slow the progression of the disease if it’s caught early. However, there is no known way to restore vision once it is gone. If you have experienced any or all of these symptoms , call your eye doctor to set up an appointment. Tell the doctor that you have had these symptoms and would like to be tested for macular degeneration. The test the doctor will do what is called the Amsler grid test. Click here to learn more about this test and how to perform it at home.

If you are diagnosed with macular degeneration, it is important to remember there are things you can do to slow down the progression of the disease.

• Start taking or increase vitamin intake
• Eat a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables
• Choose healthy unsaturated fats
• Eat whole grains 
• Add fish to your diet 
• Telescopic lens implant

For more advanced wet macular degeneration, there are other treatments such as medication, laser therapy or photodynamic therapy to destroy leaky blood vessels and slow down vision loss.

There may come a time when you must adapt your lifestyle to your changing vision. The Mayo Clinic has some great recommendations for this.