Inspire Summer 2017

SUMMER 2017 | Volume 3, Issue 3

A Healthier You

St. Thomas More Hospital

THE PATH BACK Stroke patients find an easier path to recovery with outpatient therapy close to home.

Page 4.

Cindy Lou Keller and her husband, Mark (along with Lindy Lou), are looking forward to a bright summer, as she regains function following a stroke.

10-MINUTE HEALTH TIPS Page 2

HELP WITH HEART MEDS Page 3

KID-FRIENDLY SUMMERS Page 7

PHOTO BY STEVE BIGLEY

Nurturing

Healthy Aging ASK VALERIE SCHAUER, RN, NFP, what she loves most about her new role as nurse family practitioner at the St. Thomas More Family Medicine clinic, and she doesn’t hesitate to answer: caring for older patients.

“I really appreciate the elderly population.

I worked in a nursing home, and I have an appreciation for what elderly people have to offer,” Schauer says.

The native of Long Island, N.Y., joined the Valerie Schauer, RN, NFP St. Thomas More Family Medicine clinic in Family Practitioner April. She moved to Colorado more than a decade ago to work in Vail as a surgical nurse for the Steadman Clinic. She earned her master’s degree online from Chamberlain College in Illinois while working full time in Colorado.

In Cañon City, Schauer and her husband are rehabilitating a 19th-century home. But when she has a rare free moment, she’s likely to be found in the kitchen cooking, or outside hiking or rafting. “Anything that’s outside,” she says.

Get a Move On We asked Valerie Schauer, RN, NFP, of the St. Thomas More Family Medicine clinic: Q: If you could give older patients one bit of advice for staying vital and healthy, what would it be?

A: Get moving. “I want people moving their bodies at least half an hour, five to seven days a week. You don’t have to go to a gym or run a marathon. There’s nothing wrong with walking around the block after dinner with your spouse or a neighbor. Or get in a pool — both are low-impact exercises,” Schauer says.

Age-old excuses, like “I’ve never exercised and I’m too old to start” won’t fly with Schauer. “There’s no such thing as being too old. Exercise is the fountain of youth. It’s all about balance — mental and physical.”

The St. Thomas More Family Medicine clinic offers comprehensive primary care for children, adults, and seniors. To learn more, visit stmhospital.org/ physician-group. To schedule an appointment with Schauer or another provider, call 719-285-2700.

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INSPIRE ST. THOMAS MORE HOSPITAL | STMHOSPITAL.ORG

TAKE

1

The benefits of brief bursts of exercise

THE RECOMMENDATION seems daunting: For your best health, get 150 minutes of exercise weekly. Breaking that into 30-minute segments helps. But finding an open half hour can be tough. So, give yourself a break, and break it up.

“You can exercise for 10 minutes and get a good workout,” says Becki Vettese, certified fitness instructor at St. Thomas More Hospital. Do that three times a day, and you’re in great shape.

One of her favorite high-intensity workouts: N Do pushups, crunches, or any combination of exercises for 20 seconds N Rest for 10 seconds N Repeat for 10 minutes

“The way to make 10 minutes work is to make it intense, and don’t let your heart rate drop,” Vettese says.

3 WAYS to weave workouts into your daily routine:

1 2

During your child’s music lesson, take a walk.

During her soccer game, circumnavigate the field.

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“If it’s 2:30 in the afternoon and you need to get energized, instead of going for a cookie, go for a 10-minute walk,” Vettese says. “Just remember, 10 minutes is better than no minutes.”

While watching TV, do armchair dips: Sit on the chair’s edge, hands on either side of you. Scoot your rear end off the chair, and bend knees at a 90-degree angle. Bend elbows, lower yourself, and hold. Do 10 reps.

The St. Thomas More Health & Wellness Center offers a variety of exercise classes, including Senior Stretch, Tai Chi, circuit training, yoga, and small group personal training. For more information, visit stmhospital.org/wellness or call 719-285-2630.

PHOTOS: BOOTS ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/MMPILE; EXERCISE ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/MMPILE

inspiring health

inspiring health

DODGING YOUR HEART MEDICATION

PUTS YOU IN HARM’S WAY

SIX OUT OF EVERY 10 PEOPLE prescribed medication to help their hearts are not taking them as directed, putting them at high risk of big trouble, including a hospital visit. In fact, studies show that anywhere from one-third to two-thirds of hospital readmissions are due to poor medication adherence. David Albrecht, MD, a cardiologist at St. Thomas More Hospital, addresses four of the most common complaints:

I don’t like the side effects.

Lower doses or different classes of medications may limit side effects.

“Tell your doctor how the medication makes you act and feel so we can make adjustments,” Albrecht urges.

“There are usually alternatives available.”

I can’t afford it.

Discuss your financial burdens with your doctor. “We have access to samples, and pharmaceutical companies offer assistance. We can help you find programs or lower-cost prescriptions,” he says.

I don’t think it works.

Providers need to better explain why medications are helping, especially if patients don’t “feel” anything.

And patients should ask questions. “If a patient doesn’t understand a drug’s function, they are at higher risk of just stopping it.”

Dr. David Albrecht

I don’t need it.

If you’ve been prescribed a strong medicine, it usually means you’re fighting a strong enemy. “Many diseases like high blood pressure or diabetes are silent, but it doesn’t mean they are not destroying your body,” Albrecht says.

If your heart medicines are concerning you or causing you pain, make an appointment at the St. Thomas More Cardiology Clinic, held every Wednesday in Cañon City. Call 719-776-8500 for information.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE

BIT BY A RATTLESNAKE

PHOTO: SNAKE ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/AMWU

GETTING BITTEN BY A RATTLESNAKE can be deadly if you don’t get antivenom fast enough and/or the bite is on your face or arm, where the venom spreads faster. But for most people, a rattlesnake bite isn't fatal, says Nancy Bartkowiak, RN, BSN, a trauma nurse at St. Thomas More Hospital. “Go directly to an ER,” she says. Antivenom, stocked by most if not all ERs in Colorado, works best within four hours, but doctors can use it up to 24 hours after a bite.

Nancy Bartkowiak, RN, BSN

After calling 911, if you’re in the wilderness: Stay calm to lessen the spread of venom Arm or leg bite: Splint the area Leg bite: Take off your shoe and sock Hike to where EMTs can find you

For nonemergency summer injuries, St. Thomas More Hospital offers urgent care services at Centura Health Urgent Care Cañon City, located at 3245 East Highway 50, Suite E. Call 719-285-2888 for information or visit stmhospital.org/ urgent-care.

DON’T use a tourniquet and don’t

suck out the venom, Bartkowiak says.

STMHOSPITAL.ORG SUMMER 2017

3

STROKE of

good fortune Quick, lifesaving care and rehab close to home can help stroke patients regain function

But any divine intervention on her behalf got plenty of earthly assistance. It started with her husband, Mark Keller, calling 911 immediately when he found his 62-year-old wife on the floor, unconscious, one January afternoon. It continued at St. Thomas More Hospital, where Keller got tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), the gold standard brain-saving stroke treatment that opens clotted arteries and restores blood flow to the brain.

Within 40 minutes, she was airborne, on her way to Colorado Springs for surgery to remove a blood clot.

issues of having to travel to get help.

It can be an emotional time, Harrmann says, as patients struggle with simple tasks that used to come easily, like speaking, or sipping from a glass.

“We sometimes work through tears together, both of frustration and happiness,” to reach milestones, and as patients potentially adjust to a different level of function, Harrmann says.

For Keller, speaking remains a struggle. “Sometimes I know what I want to say, but the words won’t come out,” she says. “That’s frustrating.”

“The last thing I remember was, on Flight For Life®, hearing them say ‘We’re losing her,’” Keller says.

But it was her writing that exasperated her most. “At first I was ashamed to even sign my name. It looked like firstgrade work.”

But she wasn’t lost. After only 10 days, she was back at home, working hard with St. Thomas More’s comprehensive stroke rehabilitation team of physical, occupational, and speech therapists.

To work on writing, Harrmann says, “You start with the basics, tracing letters, practicing identifying letters, writing simple words.”

INTENSE REHABILITATION After a stroke patient returns home, the first weeks of outpatient therapy can be intense, with many patients needing to have therapy appointments two or three times a week, maybe for several months, says St. Thomas More speech-language pathologist Marla Harrmann, MS, CCC-SLP. By having the St. Thomas More Outpatient Rehabilitation Center close by, the patients can focus on the hard work of recovering rather than deal with the

{ 4

Each patient’s therapy is tailored to meet their specific needs, Harrmann says. For some, that means beginning by writing sentences. For others, she starts by having the patient look at words and match those that are the same.

And, there is homework, lots of homework.

For Keller, that homework once was a whole page of writing her name. “Marla would tell me, there is no time limit. But if I start something, by George, it will be finished. I did my homework.”

St. Thomas More Hospital is part of the Centura Health Stroke Network, the region’s leading provider of stroke care.

INSPIRE ST. THOMAS MORE HOSPITAL | STMHOSPITAL.ORG

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PHOTOS: COUPLE BY STEVE BIGLEY; CUP ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/KARANDAEV; PHONE ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/SALSEN

Cindy Lou Keller’s doctors call her their “miracle patient.”

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Mark Keller has been by the side of his wife, Cindy Lou, during every step of her recovery after a stroke.

REGAINING THE ABILITY TO SWALLOW Stroke can make it hard to do many ordinary things that most of us take for granted. But when stroke erodes the swallowing reflex, that’s more than a frustrating inconvenience — it can be life-threatening.

Initially, stroke can decimate the swallowing response, or cause partial impairment, depending on how the brain stem was affected, says St. Thomas More speech-language pathologist Marla Harrmann, MS, CCC-SLP. For those patients, and those whose swallowing is compromised because of age or a medical condition, Harrmann is certified in treatment with the VitalStim® Therapy System. VitalStim supplements physical exercises with mild electrical stimulation.

“Patients feel a tingling or prickling, but it should never be painful,” she says.

Electrodes are placed on the swallowing muscles to provide stimulation that, along with swallowing exercises, strengthens and retrains the swallowing muscles and improves motor control of the swallowing mechanism. Harrmann says VitalStim works on two levels to help patients regain swallowing ability: “It strengthens muscles as well as helping to improve the neural pathways between the swallowing mechanism and the brain.”

MULTIPLE THERAPIES FOR WHATEVER OCCUPIES YOU St. Thomas More occupational therapist Beverly Schluter, defines “occupational therapy” as help with things patients want and need to do for daily life, like getting dressed, taking a shower or, in one patient’s case, bowling.

Keller, who wants to return to cashiering at Goodwill, focused on strength training and standing — first for 15 minutes and working up to longer periods. “With Cindy Lou, it was building up tolerance. She wants to go back to work part time, so we worked on standing and tolerating four hours of lifting,” Schluter says.

For many stroke patients, occupational therapy means working both on regaining strength and retraining the brain, Schluter says. “Sometimes you have to come up with a new way of doing things. The brain has to figure out a new pathway. So, we are doing things over and over.”

Keller is not yet ready to go back to work, but says she will be soon.

“I’m getting better every day,” she says.

Fewer than one-third of stroke survivors have access to rehabilitation services, despite evidence that rehabilitation improves outcomes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

St. Thomas More Hospital’s comprehensive rehabilitation services provide occupational, physical, cardiac, and speech therapy for patients recovering from stroke, surgery, cardiac or respiratory problems, and many other conditions. For more information and to schedule a tour, call 719-285-2600.

B E FA ST

If someone is experiencing stroke symptoms, there’s no time to waste.

Watch for these signs: BALANCE. Is there a B sudden loss of balance?

Is there vision loss E inEYES. one or both eyes?

FACE. Is one side F drooping?

ARM. Does one arm A drop?

Is there weakness on one side?

SPEECH. Is speech S slurred?

TIME. If someone is T experiencing these symptoms, call 911 immediately.

SUMMER 2017

5

System of care

Listen

to your

Heart attack symptoms vary, but quick treatment is key to full recovery Mike Johnson never had the usual symptoms of a heart attack.

After he showered, walked his dog, and still the pain didn’t go away, Johnson got concerned. “Something inside me said, ‘Go get it checked.’”

“If something doesn’t feel right, listen to your body,” says St. Thomas More emergency room physician Scott Geiger, DO. “Not every heart attack announces itself with classic symptoms like chest pain; I’ve had people say it was like really bad heartburn.

But they invariably will say, ‘It felt like heartburn, but not heartburn I’ve ever had before.’”

Diagnosis and decisions Johnson trusted his instincts. He went to St. Thomas More Hospital’s emergency room, where he was quickly given an electrocardiogram (EKG). The test revealed he was having a major heart attack.

At that point, the St. Thomas More emergency department shifted into high gear to get Johnson to the cardiac catheterization lab at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, a sister Centura facility.

Johnson was given blood thinners to prevent the clot in his artery from growing, Geiger says. And staff alerted Flight For Life®, which took him by helicopter to Penrose Hospital, where a stent was inserted to open the blocked artery.

Know the signs of a

HEART ATTACK

Quick action after a heart attack is giving Mike Johnson more time to spend with his wife, Paula.

Johnson returned home within three days, and got to work in St. Thomas More’s newly expanded cardiac rehabilitation center.

Time is muscle While the national standard for transferring a patient to a hospital with a cardiac cath lab is 120 minutes, St. Thomas More routinely beats that. “We are consistently at 90 to 100 minutes,” Geiger says. “The nurses are trained to respond quickly. Everybody has their role.”

“The heart is a muscle and with an interruption in blood flow, it doesn’t take long for that muscle to truly die,” Geiger says. “The sooner you get blood flow re-established, the more muscle you save.”

Watch a video of Mike Johnson’s story and meet the caregivers who saw him through his heart attack and recovery. Visit stmhospital.org.

 Tightness, pressure, stabbing, or dull pain, often in the center of the chest, that doesn’t go away, or returns  Pain in the shoulders, back, neck, or arms (sometimes also in the stomach or jaw, particularly for women)  Light-headedness, weakness, or dizziness  Cold sweat or clammy skin  Symptoms with physical exertion or extreme stress  Shortness of breath  Any overwhelming sense that things just aren’t right  Discomfort similar to heartburn  Nausea, indigestion, vomiting  Irregular or rapid heartbeat

St. Thomas More Hospital and Penrose-St. Francis Health Services are part of the Centura Heart Network, the region’s leading provider of cardiovascular care. As sister hospitals, they share one electronic medical record and clinical teams who coordinate care across the system. This collaboration provides seamless care to patients who are seen at any Centura hospitals.

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INSPIRE ST. THOMAS MORE HOSPITAL

PHOTOS: COUPLE BY STEVE BIGLEY; HEART ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/JENIFOTO

He was mowing his lawn last summer when he felt pressure in his right shoulder. “I thought I’d hurt my arm pulling the lawn mower to start it.”

INSPIREKids SUMMER

OBEY YOUR THIRST

SCHOOLING Help your kids get back to school without falling into the traps of vacation weight gain and brain drain

(AND BABY’S) Whenever baby drinks breast milk, mom should drink water. A good rule of thumb: 8 ounces of water every time you breastfeed — even more during hot summer months.

FOR KIDS, SUMMER MEANS SWIMMING, RIDING BIKES, EXPLORING. That’s the popular vision, but it may be one that’s out of focus. A 2016 study found that, over three years, kids who gained weight packed on pounds during the summer.

While summer is half over, it’s not too late to keep an eye on this issue. Melissa Byram, MD, a St. Thomas More Physician Group pediatrician, has suggestions to help make sure your kids don’t head back to school carrying extra pounds:

Set routines. Kids need structure and routine around bedtime and mealtime, Byram says. If

you’ve let things slip for the summer, now’s a good time to start bringing back some routines. Eating your meals at a table and not munching in front of the TV is a good routine, and you can keep it “summer fun” by having those meals outside. Start easing back into bedtime routines by reading some light summer books outside by the glow of a fire or flashlight. These habits not only help fight summer weight gain, but they will help the start of school go easier.

Limit electronics. Ban electronics from the bedroom, Byram advises. Many kids wake, reach

PHOTOS: CLOCKWISE FROM TOP ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/CARMEN MART?NEZ BAN?S, /GUN2BECONTINUED, /SI-GAL, /FOTOGRAV

for electronics, play — and gobble junk food — while parents snooze. Putting electronics down and picking up books will keep young brains better prepared for when school resumes.

SERVING KIDS & COUNTRY As a child in Mississippi, Melissa Byram, MD, who started seeing patients at St. Thomas More Physician Group Pediatric Health Services in April, was Dr. Melissa Byram fascinated by her extended family’s menagerie of cattle, bird dogs, and barn cats. “When they’d get hurt, I’d want to fix them.”

Later, as a babysitter, “I discovered that little human animals were even more interesting.”

At that point, her future in pediatrics was set. The only question was how to pay for medical school. The answer: the U.S. Navy.

During Byram’s nine years of service, her pediatric training at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth was interrupted by 14 months on a tender, or supply ship, for nuclear submarines.

From there, Byram practiced in New York, Nevada, and New Mexico. She hopes that in Cañon City she, her partner, and their three cats have found a place to settle down and enjoy hiking, camping, and rock hunting.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Byram, call 719-285-2091.

Learn more about all of our providers at stmhospital.org/physician-group.

“We tell mothers to drink before you get thirsty,” says Shellee Fortune, MSN, RNC-OB, director of The Birth Center at St. Thomas More Hospital.

“Keep a glass of water nearby when you nurse.”

The average 6-month-old consumes about 32 ounces of breast milk a day, of which 90 percent is water. If you’re dehydrated, milk-making hormones help your body conserve water for baby’s milk.

But it will cause you to feel tired, constipated, and fuzzy-headed.

Learn about breastfeeding, preparing for labor and delivery, baby care, car seats, our pediatric team, and more at our Childbirth Education class.

Visit stmhospital.org/ birth-center for a class schedule.

STMHOSPITAL.ORG SUMMER 2017

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$81,000

The St. Thomas More Health Foundation awarded more than $81,000 to local organizations through the Yankton Benedictine Sisters Fund for 2017. The endowment funds are specifically designated to improve the health, safety, and wellness of the people throughout Fremont County.

The grants were awarded to 19 community organizations. To see a list of award recipients, go online to stmhospital.org/news.

St. Thomas More Hospital

PAID

1338 Phay Avenue Cañon City, CO 81212

Denver, CO Permit No. 4773

INSPIRATION STEPPING ON

TUESDAYS, AUG 22-OCT 3  9-11 A.M.

Prevent falls with this seven-week program that strengthens your balance and has proven to help seniors reduce falls by more than 30 percent.

Location: St. Thomas More Hospital, Board Room, 2nd Floor Cost: FREE Registration: 719-285-2345

CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION

TUESDAYS, SEP 5 AND 12  5:30-8:30 P.M.

Prepare yourself, your partner, and your baby for labor and delivery during this two day program— what to expect in your third trimester, labor techniques, pain management, breastfeeding, postdelivery care, meet pediatricians, and more.

Location: St. Thomas More Hospital, Community Room Cost: $25 for you and a support person; scholarships available upon request Registration: stmhospital.org/ childbirth-education or 719-285-2058

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

Join our health experts to learn how you can make small changes that make a big impact on improving your health! For a complete list of classes and details, visit stmhospital.org/calendar.

TAI CHI: MOVING FOR BETTER BALANCE MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS*, SEP 6-NOV 15  10:30-11 A.M.

The class helps adults 60 and older improve balance and reduce the likelihood of falling; Tai Chi is beneficial for medical conditions such as arthritis, breast cancer, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, heart problems, and more.

Location: Parks and Recreation Building, 575 Ash Street Cost: FREE Registration: 719-285-2345

St. Thomas More Hospital offers the following ongoing education, support, and resources: Diabetes education classes and monthly support group; to learn more, visit stmhospital.org/diabetes or call 719-285-2712.

Monthly bariatric weight loss support group; to learn more, call 719-285-2548.

Women’s Wellness Connection provides FREE breast and cervical cancer screenings to qualifying women; to learn more, visit stmhospital.org/wwc or call 719-285-2473.

*Class starts on a Wednesday.

6TH ANNUAL MARGARITAS & MAMMOS MONDAY, OCT 23  4:30-7 P.M.

Our signature women’s event offers education on breast health, a delicious dinner, giveaways, (nonalcoholic) margaritas, and prizes.

Don’t miss it!

Location: Evangelical Free Church, 3000 East Main Street Cost: FREE Registration: stmhospital.org/margaritas-and-mammos or 719-285-2179

PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/MISSBOBBIT, /MBBIRDY, /KARANDAEV, /SHIRONOSOV

INSPIRE

INSPIRE is published quarterly by St. Thomas More Hospital as part of our Mission to nurture the health of the people in our community. The information herein is meant to complement, not replace, advice provided by a licensed health care provider. To comment or unsubscribe, email us at inspire@centura.org.

INSPIRE is produced by Clementine Healthcare Marketing. Executive Editor: Jillian Maes.

St. Thomas More Hospital is part of Centura Health, the region’s leading health care network. Centura Health does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, religion, creed, ancestry, sexual orientation, and marital status in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activities, or in employment. For further information about this policy, contact Centura Health’s Office of the General Counsel at 1-303-673-8166 (TTY: 711). Copyright © Centura Health, 2017.

ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-719-285-2209 (TTY: 711). CHÚ Ý: Nếu bạn nói Tiếng Việt, có các dịch vụ hỗ trợ ngôn ngữ miễn phí dành cho bạn. Gọi số 1-719-285-2209 (TTY: 711).

S T M H O S P I TA L.O R G