Health Care News from Perham Memorial Hospital and Home Fall 2003

Staying at home just got easier

Perham Memorial Home Care's assisted living caregiver, Kerry Seawart, jokes with Bea Setterholm in her apartment .

This independence that Bea so enjoys was challenged in April 2002 when she sustained a broken hip following a fall in her apartment. The break was quite serious and required surgery. For the next three months, Bea recuperated at the Elders' Home in New York Mills while looking forward to returning to her own home.

In order for Bea to return back home, she would need help. Home care services through Perham Memorial Home Care offered just what she needed to transition from the Elders' Home to her home.

"Before I broke my hip I did all my own cleaning, washing, and laundry," said Bea. "The folks in Home Care came in and helped me do those things so I could come back home." A registered nurse supervised Bea's plan of care to assure doctor's orders were being followed.

While Home Care came in two times a week to assist her with personal cares and household chores, Bea realized she was in need of additional services in order to remain on her own. Her family was also concerned about her well being when she was alone. Her hip was healing nicely but the accident permanently reduced her ability to freely move about her apartment.

About this time, Perham Memorial Home Care was finalizing expansion plans to offer assisted living services at Heritage Manor where Bea lives. People needing assisted living services are not able to live by themselves but do not require constant care either.

"Assisted living services are for people needing assistance with activities of daily living but wishing to live as independent as possible for as long as possible," stated Dan Peterson, Perham Memorial Home Care Director. "We continue to see a growing need for these services. Assisted living offers security and peace of mind that someone is near by to help when help is needed."

Here was the answer to Bea's dilemma.

In October 2002, she became the first person to use Perham Memorial Home Care's assisted living services. Assisted living provided just what Bea and her family were looking for - the security and comfort of knowing that a caregiver is on-site 12 hours a day checking on Bea a couple times each day to make sure she is okay. Since the caregiver carries a cell phone, she's always within a minute's notice should Bea require immediate assistance. She also provides Bea the continued assistance she needs with her housekeeping and laundry and sits in her apartment while Bea is bathing just to make sure she's fine.

"I have two sons who live out of town that don't worry as much about me now that I have someone checking to make sure I'm okay. It kind of makes me mad because now they don't call enough," she laughs.

The caregiver is available to assist with a variety of other needs such as meal preparation, shopping, and personal cares that can include assistance with getting up and dressed in the morning, bathing and grooming, and help in retiring at night. A registered nurse manages the care plan to assure health care needs are being met, communicates with the physician, and monitors medication usage.

With the growing need for services to help keep older adults at home where they want to be, Perham Memorial Home Care expanded its assisted living service to Kaleva Apartments in New York Mills and will be making the service available to senior housing complexes in Perham before year's end.

Bea's appreciation for being able to stay in her own home is crystal clear. "I'm just so happy to be here and am so thankful for these nice people who make that possible."

To learn how you or a loved one can benefit from assisted living services, please contact Perham Memorial Home Care at 346-1192.

A Message From The CEO Many of you are aware of our exciting nursing home project that is expected to break ground in October. We will be building an additional 44,000 square feet onto our existing nursing home and developing six "neighborhoods" that will be home to 16 residents each. A town center with a chapel, coffee shop, gift shop, and more, will top of the exciting changes. Most rooms will be private and every neighborhood will have its own kitchen, dining room, living room, and family room. The words "long-term care" include a whole lot more than just nursing homes and we're busy in several directions. September marks the fifth anniversary of Briarwood, our senior congregate living facility. This was our first step in providing a bigger continuum of older adult services. Briarwood's basic fee includes the apartment, one meal a day, light housekeeping, emergency call, activities, and daily checks to assure the tenants are okay. It opened full in the fall of 1998 and has remained full since. The need in our community was great for market rate congregate housing. Several investor groups tried over a 10-year period to make it happen but the property taxes made it cost prohibitive. That's when PMHH stepped in and developed a beautiful new housing option for our community. I hope you can come celebrate with us in September. The next step in expanding our service continuum was opening our own home care agency. We started in July 1998 with 60 clients. We've experienced tremendous growth in those five years and today Perham Memorial Home Care serves an average of 130 to 150 clients daily within a 25-mile radius of Perham. Our latest venture in providing services for our older adults was in late 2002 when we piloted an assisted living program in New York Mills. There is a great need for assisted living in our area. Assisted living exists to bridge the gap between independent living and nursing homes. Rather than build a new building and develop assisted living, we wondered if we could go into existing senior housing facilities and develop a package to help people remain in their own apartment until the need for nursing home care would arise. We expected to lose money on this venture in the first two years, but believed it could eventually break even. We thought after two years we might even be able to expand to other buildings. With remarkable success, we reached that break-even point after only five months and have expanded to a second building in New York Mills. October 1 we plan to expand the program to two or three housing buildings in Perham. I find this program particularly exciting because it avoids an additional move for many seniors. You might be asking a very good question. Why would we be developing and expanding services that keep people out of the nursing home yet build a beautiful new nursing facility? First, it's the right thing to do. People want to remain in their own home as long as possible. We are committed to helping them meet that goal in anyway we can. Briarwood, home care, and assisted living services are three good steps in that direction. I expect there will be more to come in the future. Additionally, the number of seniors in our area is growing rapidly. The nursing home may struggle for the next five to 10 years because of the growth in alternatives, but the population trends indicate that the need will be there in the not too distant future. We are trying to get ahead of that need. We hope you will support us as we strive to meet the special needs of older adults in the communities we serve. Please feel free to share your ideas and suggestions with us.

HIPAA protects the privacy of all patients including minors As of April 14, new federal privacy regulations went into effect at Perham Memorial Hospital and Home and most health care organizations across the country. These regulations, brought about by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), govern the use and release of patients' personal health information. At PMHH, we believe these new rules are the right action to take, and we have taken the necessary steps to ensure compliance. What do the new privacy regulations mean for adult patients? Patients have the right to examine and obtain a copy of their own health records and request corrections. Patients are empowered to control certain uses and disclosures of their health information such as use in facility directories. Patients can find out how their information may be used, including certain disclosures of that information. How does HIPAA apply to minor children (under the age of 18)? Generally speaking, HIPAA guidelines are meant to preserve current state laws regarding minors. Minors may have information released with the consent of a parent or legal guardian. Minors who are authorized to consent to specific medical procedures under state law retain control over the use and disclosures of their health information. If you are a PMHH patient, you will receive a copy of PMHH's "Notice of Privacy Practices" at your next visit. In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about the new privacy regulations, go to pmhh.com or meritcare.com (keyword: privacy) or call our Privacy Office at (800) 600-8422. You may also send your e-mail questions to privacyoffice@meritcare.com. Some information taken from the Spring 2003 MeritCare Valley Health Journal.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month In 2003, the American Cancer Society estimates 211,300 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in the United States. An estimated 39,800 women will die from the disease. Numerous studies show that early detection can save lives and increase treatment options. Schedule your lifesaving annual checkup today. A clean bill of health will give you great peace of mind. And, if something needs medical attention, the sooner it's detected, the better.

A new disease called SARS Health officials concerned re-emergence possible By Nancy Fehrenbach, RN, CIC Perham Memorial Hospital and Home According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is concern that severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) may re-emerge this winter and could potentially continue to be an on-going concern. SARS is a respiratory illness that was first reported in Asia in February 2003. In early March, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a global alert about SARS. Over the next few months, the illness spread to more than two dozen countries in North American, South America, Europe and Asia. By late July, however, no new cases were being reported and the illness was considered contained. According to WHO, 8,437 people worldwide became sick with SARS during the course of this outbreak. Of those people who became sick, 813 died. Symptoms of SARS In general, SARS begins with a fever greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Other symptoms may include headache, an overall feeling of discomfort, and body aches. Some people also experience mild respiratory symptoms. After two to seven days, SARS patients may develop a dry cough and have trouble breathing. How SARS spreads The primary way that SARS appears to spread is by close person-to-person contact. Most cases of SARS have involved people who had direct contact with infectious material (for example, respiratory secretions) from a person with SARS. Potential ways in which SARS can spread include touching the skin of other people or objects that are contaminated with infectious droplets and then touching your eye(s), nose, or mouth. This can happen when someone who is sick with SARS coughs or sneezes droplets onto themselves, other people, or nearby surfaces. It also is possible that SARS may spread more broadly through the air or by other ways that are not now known. Who got sick with SARS Most of the U.S. cases of SARS occurred among travelers returning from other parts of the world with SARS. There were very few cases as a result of spread to close contacts, such as family members and health care workers. CDC recommendations CDC issues recommendations and guidelines for people who might have been affected by the outbreak. For individuals considering travel to areas with SARS and for individuals who have to travel to an area with SARS, visit the CDC's web site at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/travel. On the local level Regional and local hospitals will look to the CDC, federal, state, and local health departments to plan for a rapid recognition and response should SARS re-emerge. Attention men age 50 and older! Perham Memorial Hospital and MeritCare Perham are holding a Prostate Screening Clinic Thursday, Sept. 18, 1:30-5 p.m. The PSA lab test needs to be completed before the screening date. Please call 347-1200 to arrange for the lab and screening appointments. A $10 charge will apply.* Prostate cancer facts: The most common cancer in men. Affects about 185,000 men every year. Most prostate cancers occur in men over 50, and more than 80 percent occur in men over 65. When detected early, prostate cancer can be treated effectively. Only those who have not had a screen in the past year and are not being treated for cancer are eligible. A volunteer from the American Cancer Society will be present to answer questions. *To offset lab costs. Reguests for payment by insurance or Medicare will not be submitted. The public is invited to a picnic on Wednesday, September 10, from 4-7 p.m. 630 5th St. SW, Perham BBQs and all the trimmings Music by the Needham Twins Tours We've Made A Very Healthy Decision We've Added a Link to Laurus Health on Our Web Site Here you'll find a wide range of health information - including illness and conditions, health care advances, prescriptions and over-the -counter drugs, medical test and health lifestyles. Now there's an easy way to be better informed. Log on to LaurusHealth.com for credible health information.

Perham Memorial Hospital and Home, 665 3rd Street SW,
Perham, MN, 56573, (218) 346-4500

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