IGH - MV #183, MAY 2021

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MAY 2021 • ISSUE 183

Saying Thank You to Nurses Celebrate National Nurses Week With In Good Health!

About 40,000 U.S. Children Have Lost a Parent to COVID-19

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NONPROFITS Mohawk Valley nonprofits continue hosting events, raising money and helping those in need during COVID-19

READING BENEFITS The next time you reach for the remote, consider picking up a book instead

SPRING CLEANING: MAKE THE MOST OF ‘LETTING GO’ Read the latest 'Live Alone & Thrive' column

I’ve Gotten My COVID-19 Vaccine, Now What?

A Q&A with physician Lorna Fitzpatrick, VP of medical affairs at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Q. Once a person is fully vaccinated, can they stop wearing their mask?

A. Not yet. The vaccines are highly effective, but we’re still learning how long they can protect people. So, until we know more, the recommendations for fully vaccinated people remain clear: continue to wear masks in public, and while visiting with unvaccinated people from different households and those with a high risk of severe COVID-19.

When in doubt, wear your mask.

Q. What is the recommendation on gatherings?

A. When you’re fully vaccinated, you can visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at a low risk of severe COVID-19.

Small groups of fully vaccinated people can be together without wearing a mask and without social distancing.

When you’re visiting with people and you are unsure of their vaccine

status, you’ll want to wear your mask and practice social distancing.

An outdoor visit is best, as it allows for better air flow.

Q. When can family members enter nursing homes to visit their loved ones?

A. In New York state, many restrictions on visits to loved one in nursing homes have recently been lifted. Communication is always key, so touch base with the nursing home first and check local restrictions.

Q. Is there an update on when kids can get vaccinated? Does this affect them returning to school?

A. All residents of New York ages 16 and older are eligible for a vaccine. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is approved for ages 16+ and the other vaccines are currently being tested to make sure they are safe and effective.

As a pediatrician and mother, I know how important it is for children to return to school for both their social and educational development. Once

approved, these vaccines will be one more tool to keep our children and teachers safe in the classroom.

Q. Many larger events have been postponed — weddings, graduation parties, and concerts to name a few. What is the advice for these situations?

A. Guidance varies by state, so be sure to check local rules. Although progress is being made in the fight against COVID-19, personally I feel it is not yet the time to participate in large gatherings. We have seen larger gatherings that have led to outbreaks of the virus, and we still must be careful to prevent spread, especially to vulnerable loved ones. Keeping gatherings small and following the guidelines will help us to stay safe.

Q. If I’m fully vaccinated, can I travel?

A. Fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to get and spread COVID-19, so people who are fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine can travel safely within the United States. Negative tests are not needed unless the destination requires it, nor is self-quarantining.

However, still follow the recommendations of wearing a mask, washing your hands often, and social distancing.

Physician Lorna Fitzpatrick is the vice president of medical affairs at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.

HealthConscious Readers In Good Health — Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper — reaches nearly 100,000 readers who are interested in reading all about healthcare.

Advertise Available at all Wegmans locations plus about more than 1000 high traffic locations in the region. Advertise once, get results all month long.

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WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE COVID-19 VACCINES COVID-19 vaccines are a hot topic and on the minds of many. Is a vaccine that was created so quickly actually safe? Can I stop wearing a mask if I receive the vaccine?

What will our “new normal” look like? Meet Mona Chitre, PharmD. She’s our Chief Pharmacy Officer and a wealth of knowledge on all things COVID-19 vaccine-related.

Q. MONA, YOU’RE A LOCAL HEALTH EXPERT. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE COVID-19 VACCINE? I am excited and impressed by the worldwide efforts and success to thoroughly research, test and bring to market a highly effective vaccine for the public. The scientific research truly is incredible.

The first two vaccines being distributed in the U.S. — Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna — are given in two doses and proven to be 95% effective against COVID-19.

MONA CHITRE, PharmD Chief Pharmacy Officer

Dr. Chitre completed her undergraduate and graduate training at Rutgers University and her post-doctoral primary care residency at the VA Hospital in Buffalo, New York.

Q. HOW DO WE KNOW THAT THESE VACCINES ARE SAFE WHEN THEY ARE SO NEW? Great question. COVID-19 vaccines are being held to the same rigorous FDA safety and efficacy standards as all other vaccines — and have been tested thousands of times to ensure safety. The scientific technology used to develop the first COVID-19 vaccines is called mRNA. mRNA has been studied for decades and looks at the genetic makeup of the virus, and then uses that genetic code to teach our cells how to trigger an immune response to combat the virus. The platform that is being used to produce this vaccine has been studied and used for over a decade, and developers had a jump-start on the COVID-19 vaccine because it’s a coronavirus which they’ve studied in the past.

Q. THAT’S REASSURING. SO, ARE YOU SAYING THAT GETTING THE COVID-19 VACCINE CANNOT MAKE A PERSON GET COVID-19?

Exactly. The COVID-19 vaccines that are being distributed in the U.S. do not use any fragment of the live virus and cannot make you sick with COVID-19.

The information in this document is current as of 4/16/2021. For the latest information on COVID-19, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention online at CDC.gov.

A nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

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IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • May 2021

Read the full Q&A and watch our videos:

ExcellusBCBS.com/COVID19

Social Inclusion Grant Funding Available!

The Kelberman Center, with funding support from the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC), is accepting mini-grant applications now through May 21st, 2021 for businesses in Oneida County who are able to support individuals with intellectual/ developmental disabilities through socially inclusive programming.

A total of $105,000 will be awarded to agencies creating inclusive opportunities, anticipated to begin September 2021.

The experts at the Kelberman Center will work alongside mini-grant recipients to develop and implement programs that will serve some of our most vulnerable population during these socially isolating times.

For more information, visit

bit.ly/kelberman-inclusion

or email laura.mangano-smith@kelbermancenter.org

Past mini-grant recipient, The Fitness Mill in New York Mills, created the “Fitness for All” program.

May 2021 •

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 3

Meet

Your Doctor

By Chris Motola

Decrease Seen in U.S. Suicide Rate Telehealth services among factors for the decline

T

here was a nearly 6% drop in suicides in the United States last year, the largest annual decline in close to four decades, preliminary government data show.

While the extent of that decline could be smaller when final figures are available, officials expect there will still be a significant decrease, despite concerns there would be more suicides due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Associated Press reported.

There was a steady rise in suicides from the early 2000s until 2018, when the U.S. suicide rate reached it highest since 1941, before falling slightly in 2019 due to what experts said was increased mental health screenings and other suicide prevention measures.

In 2020, there were fewer than 45,000 suicides, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That was the lowest number since 2015, the AP reported.

Along with increased availability of telehealth services and other efforts to reduce suicides, another factor may help explain last year’s large drop in the suicide rate, according to Christine Moutier, chief medical officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

“There’s a heroism phase in every disaster period, where we’re banding together and expressing lots of messages of support that we’re in this together,” Moutier told the AP. “You saw that, at least in the early months of the pandemic.”

But while suicides overall decreased last year, it’s possible that suicides by youths and young adults did not, Moutier added.

She noted there may be a delayed effect on the mental health of many people, as they get past the pandemic’s initial threats but sink into grieving the people and things they have lost.

“There’s sort of an evolution of mental health distress,” she told the AP. “It’s possible we will see the whole mental health ramifications of this pandemic” later.

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Aaron J. Bianco, M.D.

SOS orthopedic surgeon specializes in spine surgeries, recently completed 200th sacroiliac joint fusion surgery Q: What kinds of conditions do you treat?

A: I am a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon. I’ve been in practice for about nine years now and I essentially do all types of spinal surgery, from the base of the skull down to the pelvis. Most of things that I do are adult degenerative types of spinal conditions like arthritic conditions, spinal stenosis, pinched nerves, herniated discs, etc. But I also will treat things like infections, trauma to the spine, tumors, deformities, surgery, etc.

Q: Tell us about the joint fusion procedure using a new iFuse Implant System that you’re doing. I understand you’re one of only a few who are doing it.

A: SI [sacroiliac] joint fusions are something I’ve been quite familiar with but have been doing more of in the past few years. The SI joint is where the spine and the pelvis meet up. It becomes arthritic or inflamed for a number of different reasons.

Essentially, if somebody is a surgical candidate, what I’ll do for them is a minimally invasive fusion of the SI joint basically using three metal bars or pegs that go across the joint and stabilize it, which hopefully eliminates motion and whatever kind of inflammatory reaction that’s causing and hopefully reducing their pain.

Q: Is this procedure usually done for older or younger patients?

A: It’s interesting, there’s a wide variety in demographics for people who have the condition. In general, what I would say it’s a younger person’s problem. I see a lot of people in their 20s, 30s and 40s with this condition. I’d say that’s the most common.

Women get it more often than men, about four to one. There are a couple reasons for that.

There

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • May 2021

are hormonal differences between the two genders, where women have a hormone called relaxin that makes some of the ligaments of the SI joint become a little less stable. Pregnancy can also contribute to pelvic dysfunction. I also see it in older people, people who have had spinal fusions.

Some people can just develop dysfunction with the joint for really no significantly obvious reason.

Q: What is quality of life like for patients who undergo SI fusion, especially considering that many of them tend to be younger?

A: Younger and older, you can make a positive impact on their quality of life so long as they’re good candidates. A lot of patients previous to surgery had a hard time doing basic things, who couldn’t hike or walk or exercise but were otherwise healthy. I have a high number of patients who have done very well and gotten back to full activities with minimal or no pain. So you can make an enormous impact. The most important question really is whether we’re selecting the appropriate patients for this procedure.

Q: What tend to be the major causes of injury for the area?

A: For this problem, it’s the gender issues I mentioned above, people with previous fusions and a lot of the times its traumas to the area.

A lot of people fall on black ice right on their tailbone.

I think they can disrupt the SI joint. That’s in addition to people just developing chronic, regular lower back complaints that aren’t related to the SI joint. I think our job as providers is to pinpoint what their problem is by listening to them, examining them, doing diagnostics. My

goal, for most people, is to get them by without surgery if I can. But a lot the time nonsurgical inventions may not work or only work temporarily.

Q: What makes this condition hard to diagnose?

A: It’s interesting. When we evaluate people, we obviously order imaging studies like MRIs and X-rays. Truthfully, almost every other orthopedic condition you’ll have some kind of abnormality show up, but this one doesn’t always show up.

It can look normal in pictures. I think that makes it get missed a lot. Also, physical examination maneuvers are not very sensitive. So sometimes they’re positive and sometimes they’re not. You really have to put the whole picture together. Diagnostic injections are very useful here.

Q: What’s the recovery time usually? Is it an outpatient procedure?

A: It’s an outpatient procedure.

It takes about 45 minutes to do each side surgically. If I can, I like to do this at our surgery center if the insurance companies will allow it. People can usually go home within three or four hours of surgery. Usually get out of bed, do some therapy, make sure their pain is controlled. If everything looks good, we let them go home.

It’s not uncommon for me now to do fusions on both sides. Even those patients I usually let go home the same day even though the procedure takes a little bit longer. Overall it’s a safe, quick, efficient procedure. The recovery process can be a little bit slow though. It can take up to a year or two to completely recover from.

To feel better than you did prior to the surgery might take two to six months. Some people recover faster than others. It just takes time. As the joint fuses, their pain reduces.

Q: What kinds of physical therapy do they have to do?

A: I really don’t mandate physical therapy for this. I give people exercises to do after surgery; some basic hip and hamstring exercises. I encourage people to walk around the same day as surgery. Some people need a walker, which they can transition away from in a week or two.

Typically running is one of the last activities people can get back to. Low impact exercise is usually fine within 10 to 14 days. ity?

Q: Does the fusion affect flexibil-

A: You really don’t lose any motion with this because the SI joint has a very limited range of motion to begin with that doesn’t really provide any functional motion with regard to bending or twisting. If it fuses appropriately, they really shouldn’t lose any motion at all.

Lifelines Name: Aaron J. Bianco, M.D. Position: Spinal surgeon at Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists Hometown: Coon Rapids, Minnesota Education: Chicago Medical School Affiliations: St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center; Crouse Hospital Organizations: American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons; North American Spine Society Family: Married, two boys Hobbies: Fishing, hunting, outdoor activities

CELEBRATING

NURSES WEEK 2021 Thank you to our nurses for the care they give to all the people we support at Upstate Cerebral Palsy. We appreciate and honor you each and every week! upstatecp.org May 2021 •

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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The Balanced Body

By Deb Dittner

sider speaking with your health care processed foods. But even some provider for guidance. Also adding healthy foods can cause inflammabone broth, rich in nutrients, can tion. Consider an elimination diet to discover what foods your body loves calm a healing gut. and what foods your body hates in Some remedies to consider order to develop a real-food plan that works specifically for you encourButterbur is a plant extract used aging gut healing. Nutrigenomics is for medicinal purposes. It is most DNA based dietary advice per your commonly used to treat migraines unique genetic profile. Recommenand hay fever. dations are made based on scientific Stinging nettle may squelch evidence allowing you to eat accordallergy symptoms, according to some ing to your genes. This testing is research, by inhibiting the body’s performed by a nutrigenomics health histamine production and therefore care provider. decreasing inflammation.

Boosting the health of the gut is Quercitin has antioxidant and essential as it can take between 12 anti-inflammatory effects and may and 24 months for the adult gut to reduce allergy symptoms. Quercitin heal whether it is from types of food can be found in fruits, vegetables and or drink, medications or stress. The grains. bacteria in your gut can be thrown Such remedies need to be started off by poor digestion, travel, diets four to six weeks before you antichigh in sugar and artificial ingrediipate allergy symptoms to begin. ents, environmental toxins, certain Please be sure to consult your primedications from antacids to pain mary care provider before beginning medications and the use of antibiotany of these remedies. ics.

Seasonal allergies can be unMake sure you incorporate comfortable, but they are treatable. prebiotic and probiotic-rich foods.

Avoiding the allergens causing your Prebiotics consist of wheat, walnuts, symptoms should be encouraged. asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, Discussing your symptoms with or the love of spring! others as the immune system is being bananas, legumes, onions, and garlic. your health care provider can help When you eat these foods, your determine the cause of your sympA warm breeze. Birds chirp- compromised causing the producgood gut flora feast on the prebiottoms and help in planning the necing. Staying lighter later into the tion of antibodies to defend from the ics and multiply crowding out bad essary steps to decrease or eliminate evening. The greening of the grass. attackers on the body. bacteria making the good bacteria the symptoms.

The popping up of spring flowers Approximately 70-80% of your produce substances to boost immusuch as daffodils. immune system is located in the nity. Probiotics consist of sauerkraut The sneezing…watery eyes… gut. When the gut is weakened, the (example: eat a couple tablespoons at runny nose. Ah…allergies! immune system is weakened. What Deborah Dittner MP Order Propo 15-30 minutes before Seasonal allergies (also known This weakens the gut?

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Aaron Bianco, MD

About 40,000 U.S. Children Have Lost a Parent to COVID-19

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ore than 40,000 U.S. kids have lost a parent to COVID-19 and the longterm impacts could be severe, experts warn.

Americans under age 65 account for about one in five COVID-19 deaths. Of those, as many as 15% involve someone in their 40s and 3% someone in their 40s.

“In these younger age groups, substantial numbers of people have children, for whom the loss of a parent is a potentially devastating challenge,” said Ashton Verdery, an associate professor of sociology, demography and social data analytics at Penn State University.

Using a statistical model to estimate how many kids have lost a parent to COVID-19 since February of last year, researchers say three-quarters are in their teens and the rest are elementary school-aged youngsters.

This reality is more dire for Black families, who have been especially hard hit by the pandemic, researchers said. Of those who lost a parent, an estimated 20% are Black children, even though only 14% of the nation’s kids are Black.

The study estimates that deaths due to COVID-19 will boost the nation’s total cases of parental bereavement by 18% to 20% over a more typical year — straining a system that already fails to connect all kids who are eligible to needed resources.

In comparison, the number of kids who lost a parent to COVID-19 is about 13 times the estimated 3,000 kids who lost a parent in the World Trade Center attacks.

Verdery said kids who have lost parents in the pandemic are at higher risk for traumatic pro-

longed grief and depression, lower educational attainment, economic insecurity and accidental death or suicide.

And the COVID-19 losses come at a time when kids may be facing other pandemic challenges, including social isolation and economic struggles. This may strain their access to support services at a time when they also are less connected to other family and community supports.

“Teachers are such a vital resource in terms of identifying and helping at-risk children,” Verdery said in a university news release, noting that this is one reason it is important for schools to resume in-person instruction as soon as it is safe to do so and provide support for overburdened educators.

Research suggests proven interventions delivered widely could help head off severe psychological problems in bereaved kids, although some may need longer-term support, the authors said.

“I think the first thing we need to do is to proactively connect all children to the available supports they are entitled to, like Social Security child survivor benefits—research shows only about half of eligible children are connected to these programs in normal circumstances, but that those who do fare much better,” Verdery said. “We should also consider expanding eligibility to these resources. Second, a national effort to identify and provide counseling and related resources to all children who lose a parent is vital.”

The findings appear in the April 5 issue of JAMA Pediatrics.

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Justin Iorio, MD

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH OUR NECK AND BACK TEAM! SOS' Neck and Back Team includes highly experienced medical professionals. Our spine surgeons, midlevel providers, and physical therapists provide individual attention to all their patients, with a commitment to care and finding the best solution for your personal health.

Neck and back problems are a common source of pain that cause physical impairment and can affect quality of life. The experts at SOS use a team approach to diagnose and care for spinal conditions and injuries. Their goal is a quick and successful recovery for all patients, opting for surgery only after other treatments haven’t provided relief.

SOSBONES.COM | 315.251.3232 Warren Wulff, MD

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IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 7

are also limited to one third occupancy for the time being. That said, the crowds have been phenomenal this year. We are breaking attendance records even at one third capacity compared to last year.

Q A &

with Andria Heath

Executive director at The Utica Zoo on losing $1 million in funding in 2020 and what the organization has done to stay viable Interview by David Podos

T

he Utica Zoo has served the region for over 100 years. With a total employment of 25 people and a budget of $2.2 million, the zoo draws thousands of visitors every year.

Q: What is your operating budget?

A: When I first started here in 2011 our operational budget was around $785,000. Currently our annual operational budget is at $2.2 million.

Q: What demographic slice of the population does the Utica Zoo serve?

A: Well we serve everyone from babies to seniors.

Q: Do you draw visitors from outside Mohawk Valley?

A: We are seeing so many people coming to the zoo from many different zip code areas. We see people

from every state in the nation every year. However, on a daily basis we see people from all across Central New York and of course the Utica region. Outside that geographic area many people are coming from the 518 area code region, which is Albany. We see many people as well from Binghamton and from the Syracuse area.

Q: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your organization?

A: We had to close for 107 days during our peak season last year. We are still not permitted to hold our annual special events, not having those events we incurred a loss last year of over $300,000. All said, we lost about a million dollars from our operational budget in 2020. We are still not sure about our special events if we can hold them or not for this year. We

Q: That’s great news. How do you explain that?

A: One of things we have been doing to garner additional money is the collection of bottles and cans.

People come to the zoo and drop them off. Believe it or not we actually made over $20,000 on those collections last year. The bottles are not for the public but for the zoo so we can raise those much-needed dollars.

I also need to recognize one of our true and local guardian angels, Dr. Joan Sinnott. Ph.D. She gave us a challenge last year that if we could raise $20,000 each month from April through the end of October she would match it. That brought in over $250,000 that we desperately needed which allowed us to stay open.

Q: Many businesses had to actually close their doors and walk away due to the COVID -19 pandemic. What makes the zoo different from most businesses?

A: That is true, many businesses had to close, some for good. Others could close and then reopen when it was appropriate. We could not do that here. The animals still need to be fed, they need medicines and, of course, ongoing veterinary care to keep them healthy.

Q: Not too long ago the Utica Zoo received accreditation from AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums). How important is that?

A: It is a really big deal to receive accreditation from AZA. There are over 3,500 animal themed destinations here in the United States. Of the 3,500 only 240 are accredited through AZA. It is a stringent application and inspection process. We don’t get direct funding from AZA, but we get information on grants and grant sources. There are also conferences we can attend to share information etc. The accreditation commission evaluates every zoo or aquarium to make sure it meets AZA’s standards for animal welfare, care, and management, including living environments, social groupings, health and nutrition.

The Utica Zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday – Sunday. The zoo is open all year only closing for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It can be reached at 315-738-0472.

U.S. Adults Gained Average of 2 Pounds a Month During Lockdowns

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merican adults under COVID-19 lockdowns gained an average of more than half a pound every 10 days, which works out to 2 pounds a month, a small study shows.

That means that adults who maintained lockdown measures could easily have gained 20 pounds since the start of the pandemic a year ago, study senior author Gregory Marcus, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at University of California, San Francisco, told the The New York Times.

The study included fewer than 300 people nationwide and used weight measurements from Bluetooth-connected smart scales. The findings were outlined in a research letter published Monday in the journal JAMA Network Open.

“We know that weight gain is a public health problem in the U.S. already, so anything making it worse is definitely concerning, and shelter-in-place orders are so ubiquitous that the sheer number of people affected by this makes it extremely relevant,” Marcus, told the Times.

Many of the people in the study were losing weight before shelter-in-place orders were issued in their states, Marcus noted.

“It’s reasonable to assume these individuals are more engaged with their health in general, and more disciplined and on top of things,” he said.

“That suggests we could be underestimating — that this is the tip of the iceberg.”

Excess weight has been linked to a greater risk of developing more severe COVID-19 disease, and the United States already has among the highest rates of overweight and obesity in the world.

Some 42 percent of American adults over age 20 have obesity, while another 32 percent of Americans are overweight, the Times reported.

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IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • May 2021

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Is the Population of Homeless People in the Mohawk Valley Increasing?

Experts say it isn’t just the pandemic that is increasing the homeless population

By Daniel Baldwin

N

ew York state was ranked first in the U.S. for having the largest homeless population, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2019 Annual Homeless Assessment Report.

In 2019 New York State had a total homeless population of 92,091, according to the report. Of that total unhoused population, 49,978 reported to have families, compared to the 42,113 who reported being single.

The number of unhoused people who in the state reported to be unsheltered—that is, sleeping on streets and parks and not in a homeless shelter—reached 4.4%, and 7.8% of the unhoused population have been legally homeless for a year or longer.

Steve Darman, chairman and founder of the Mohawk Valley Housing and Homeless Coalition, said he was neither shocked nor surprised by the staggering numbers. The state is home to a lot of big cities like Buffalo, Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Utica, Rome and New York City.

Darman also said the Big Apple’s homeless population exceeds 60,000 people, which is the highest in the state. Plus it is becoming harder for

people to buy or rent a home and manage their household finances, as the state’s real estate prices increased by double digits in 2020, according to Norada Real Estate Investments.

“The cost and availability of housing in New York City is off the charts,” Darman said. “Even people in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens cannot afford an apartment. You’re looking at $1,500 a month and they’re making $15 an hour. Just do the math on that. That doesn’t surprise me at all; but Upstate here has also seen an increase. That includes Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. It’s just hard to find housing. It’s hard to find one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom (apartments) that just meet the basic affordability standard.

Try to find a decent one-bedroom apartment for $600 a month. Finding it is one issue. Paying for it is another.”

In Mohawk Valley: Not Worse, But Not Better

Mohawk Valley’s homeless issue is, to Darman’s terms, not getting much worse. But, it is not getting much better, either. Darman and the rest of the members at MV Housing

and Homeless Coalition spend a few days of the year walking around the streets and parks in Oneida and Madison County, counting the number homeless people that roam in these areas. The group’s 2019 oneday count, in just Oneida County, was 168. In 2018, it was 178. But, in the year count, the coalition found around 800-1,000 homeless people per year, according to Darman.

Darman said the Mohawk Valley had a much smaller population of unsheltered homeless, but in 2020, members of the coalition found and served 90 unsheltered homeless people in a four-month span. This, according to Darman, was a slight increase from previous years.

The Emmaus House, located on Kemble Street in Utica, provided temporary shelter to more than 12,000 homeless women and children, according to StMargaretsHouseNY. Judith Reilly, an executive director at the Emmaus House and St. Margaret’s Ecumenical and Retreat Center in New Hartford, said the number of homeless women and children that slept at the Emmaus House slightly increased before 2020,

but due to the pandemic, the house had to limit the sleeping capacity in each bedroom in order to keep their guest and staff healthy and free from the virus. The house served 77 women and 10 children in 2020, which according to Reilly was down from 2019.

Just like Darman, Reilly said the large number of homeless people in New York State did not shock her.

Homelessness, to Reilly’s perspective, is not only becoming an issue in the state, but in the Mohawk Valley as well.

“Homelessness is a serious issue throughout the country, and of course, right in our own community,” Reilly said. “New York State having the largest homeless population isn’t a surprise, but it does speak to the continued work that we as a community and society have to do.”

Some people might point to the coronavirus as the obvious reason that pushed many people out of their homes and into the streets during 2020. But, there are other things outside of the virus that led to this increase.

“Homelessness is often the result of other life situations,” Darman said.

“People that struggle with mental health, disabilities, addictions and substance abuse. Those groups have always been there. It’s gotten a little bit worse, especially post-COVID.” The MV Housing and Homeless Coalition’s mission, according to its website, mvhomeless.org, is to prevent and end homelessness in the Mohawk Valley. The coalition provides food and lodging to the homeless and just opened its own youth shelter. Darman said that a homeless shelter is not the best solution to end homelessness, as they only provide temporary housing and not longterm. The group’s main focus is to provide permanent housing to the homeless; to find the poor people their one true home.

Darman said he had a bunch of meetings with Utica’s mayor about the homeless issue. The two worked together to try to help the poor and reduce the spread.

Along with the group’s effort to decrease and help the homeless population, Darman is also urging the state of New York to construct new housing units as another good solution towards reducing the spread.

“We (New York State) need new supportive housing units,” Darman said. “We either have to rehab buildings or build them. The state can help us with funding for additional, affordable, and supportive housing.”

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May 2021 •

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 9

SmartBites

The skinny on healthy eating Why You Should Eat More Asparagus

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sparagus is known for making urine smell funny. But that’s not why you should eat more asparagus. You should eat more asparagus because it’s packed with nutrients that support good health and longevity.

Asparagus is a vitamin K superstar, providing well over half of our daily needs in one cooked cup. While vitamin K is crucial for coagulation, it’s just as important for bone health because it helps our body absorb calcium. Some studies suggest that vitamin K may even keep osteoporosis at bay. Along with vitamin K, asparagus contains a variety of minerals, in lesser amounts, that also support bone health: iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, and magnesium.

This slender-but-mighty vegetable is an excellent source of folate, also known as vitamin B-9. An essential nutrient that plays a central role in cell growth and the formation of DNA, folate is especially important at times of rapid growth, such as during gestation, infancy, and adolescence. Getting enough folate from sources like asparagus can protect against neural tube birth defects, including spina bifida.

Of course, adults benefit from folate, too, and in more ways than one.

Because it helps to lower homocysteine, an amino acid that, when elevated, has been linked to narrowing and hardening of the arteries, it may reduce the risk of heart disease and

stroke. Folate’s impact on homocysteine levels may also lower the risk of depression, since too much of this amino acid may interfere with the production of the feel-good hormones that regulate mood.

Another great reason to reach for asparagus? It may help you lose weight and beat bloat. Low in calories (only 20 per half cup), high in water, and rich in fiber, tasty asparagus has many features that make it a weight-loss friendly food. It beats bloat because it’s a natural diuretic and its fiber promotes regularity and healthy digestion.

Sauteed Asparagus and White Bean Salad Serves 4

Salad

3 cups asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1½ lb.)

15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 2 teaspoons canola oil 5-6 thinly sliced radishes ½ cup crumbled feta or goat cheese 1 medium shallot, peeled and thinly sliced

Dressing

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt ⅛ teaspoon coarse black pepper In a large sauté pan, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add asparagus pieces and sauté for 5-6 minutes, stirring throughout. Remove from heat and transfer to plate for cooling.

Combine cooled asparagus, beans, sliced radishes, crumbled cheese, and sliced shallot in a medium bowl. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over asparagus mixture, tossing gently to coat. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Helpful tips Select spears that are firm with compact tips and a rich green color almost the entire length of the stalk. Steer clear of stalks that are limp, wilted, or have a smell. Thinner stalks tend to be tougher than thicker ones.

Best used on day purchased, but if you need to store, wrap the stem ends in a damp paper towel, place in a plastic bag, and store in the refrigerator for up to four days. Don’t wash the spears until you’re ready to use; and try not to overcook them, as overcooking may diminish some nutrients.

Anne Palumbo is a lifestyle colum-

nist, food guru, and seasoned cook, who has perfected the art of preparing nutritious, calorie-conscious dishes. She is hungry for your questions and comments about SmartBites, so be in touch with Palumbo at avpalumbo@aol.com.

5 Foods That Cut Colon Cancer Risk

W

hen it comes to guarding against colon cancer, what you eat is everything.

You can reduce your risk of colon cancer by eating five food types, an expert says. These include: vegetables; whole grains; legumes; nuts and seeds; and fiber-rich fruit.

“Vegetables contain cancer-preventing nutrients called carotenoids and flavonoids,” said Amy Rosenfeld, program coordinator of community health, education and outreach and a registered dietitian at the Center for Healthy Living at Northern Westchester Hospital, in Mount Kisco.

“Vegetables are high in fiber, bulking your stool and limiting the amount of time waste spends in your colon, reducing your risk for colorectal cancers,” she added.

At every meal, you should try to cover half your plate with colorful vegetables, and that can include frozen vegetables, which are affordable and ready to eat, Rosenfeld said.

Whole grain foods have high levels of fiber. When shopping for bread and cereal products, select those that list whole grain ingredients first.

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“Try replacing white grains — like white rice — with whole grains or mixing the two together. Eating three servings, or about three ounces of whole grains a day, will not only increase fiber, but also B vitamins and important minerals, such as iron, zinc, copper and magnesium,” Rosenfeld said.

Examples of whole grain products include whole wheat bread, barley, oats, quinoa, buckwheat, corn, brown rice and wild rice.

Legumes have lots of fiber and help keep your digestive tract healthy. “By regularly eating beans and lentils, you lower your risk for cancerous colon polyps (small growths)," Rosenfeld said. "Try substituting beans or lentils for meat twice a week or reducing meat in your recipes and add in legumes."

Put navy beans, chickpeas, fava beans, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, black beans and cannellini beans on your grocery list, she suggested.

The next category is nuts and seeds, which “are the perfect foods,” according to Rosenfeld. “Their fiber, healthy fat, phytochemicals, and

antioxidants all have cancer-fighting properties. Try snacking on nuts or seeds instead of chips or pretzels.

Natural nut and seed butters make a great dip for your favorite fruit. Mix in ground flax seeds or chia seeds into oatmeal.”

It’s also important include fresh or frozen fiber-rich fruit in your diet, she said in a hospital news release.

“Eat the rainbow when it comes

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • May 2021

to fruits,” Rosenfeld recommended.

“Try to eat one to two cups of fruit each day and mix up the colors. Each color fruit has a unique combination of nutrients with cancer-fighting properties. Fruit also has fiber, vitamins and minerals, and its natural sweetness helps you resist refined sugary treats without nutritional benefits.”

The Health Benefits of Reading The next time you reach for the remote, consider picking up a book instead

By Barbara Pierce

G

etting lost in a book is a wonderful pastime. “It allows us to escape into different worlds, real or imaginary,” said Amanda Stewart, youth services director, Utica Public Library.

“Reading is crucial,” she continued. “Not only is it a skill that is needed every day, it offers so much more.”

Getting lost in a book comes with a long list of health benefits: • Reading reduces stress: It’s a proven fact that reading reduces stress. By simply opening a book, you transport yourself to a world that distracts you from your daily stressors. It works better and faster than listening to music or drinking a cup of hot tea. Just six minutes of reading reduces stress by 68%, according to researchers.

Reading the news is probably not the best choice to reduce stress. Instead, immerse yourself in the plot of a good story, where you can escape into another world. Or read about an activity that you enjoy, a hobby, travel or cooking.

• Reading creates empathy: “Reading fiction with diverse characters creates empathy,” said Stewart.

When you read, you replace your own life with someone else’s. That’s empathy, and empathy is the cornerstone of human connection. Empathy makes you a better friend, a better lover, a better employee, a better everything.

• Reading keeps your brain healthy and staves off dementia: Reading is at the top of the list of brain boosting activities that slow down cognitive decline. When we read, we use many parts of our brain. We use vivid imagery as well as our memory to follow a plot, or main idea. It’s mental gymnastics for the brain.

Research found that remaining an avid reader into old age reduced memory decline by more than 30%, compared to engaging in other forms of mental activity. Those who read the most had the fewest physical signs of dementia after death.

Consider reading aloud to your partner or your pet. The dual action of speaking and hearing oneself has the most beneficial impact on memory.

• “Reading educates, whether it’s a nonfiction book, an article, or even a picture book,” said Stewart. “Reading is a powerful tool for everyone.” Everything you read deposits information into your brain, thus making you smarter and more capable of problem solving. Who doesn’t want that?

“Everything you need for a better future and success has already been written. And guess what? All you have to do is go to the library.”

This apt quote from Henri-Frederic Amiel is the first thing you see on the Little Falls Library website.

Books can change your life. Or change how you see the world. When you read a book, you can be different tomorrow than you are today.

“Often times, during a dark hour or an idle point, a book has changed my life,” said Jaime Zepeda on huffpost.com. “There are countless books that have pointed me in a different direction, or taught me a lesson. If it weren’t for the books I’ve read, I’d be a very different man today...I’d even argue I’d be less of a man.”

• Books can help you find your way through a difficult time in life: Words from authors who experienced a similar situation can lead you back onto the brighter road, can open your eyes to see things from a different perspective.

“When my dear husband died, I was lost,” said M online. “Reading ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ by Joan Didion helped me begin to find my way out of the dark whirlpool of grief.”

“There are also many books that have helped me articulate my own emotions or thoughts, helped me find a voice,” said Zepada. “Books, especially good ones, have that sort of power. If you let them, they can change your life, serve as another compass or guide, or give you a lift when you need it most.”

The front lobby of the Utica Public Library. This historic building offers a wealth of books waiting to be read.

• Reading brings joy: Reading is a pleasure — it ought to be. Nobody has time to read books they don’t like. Whatever you choose to read should bring you some sort of joy: a joy in having experienced it, a joy in having learned from it, or a joy in having found a new friend in it. Life is too short to read books that don’t bring you joy, or worse, that don’t matter at all.

“Reading is a powerful tool for everyone,” said Stewart.

Next time you reach for the TV remote, consider picking up a book instead.

The Utica Public Library is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. by appointment, said Stewart. “You’re able to check out materials using curbside pickup. To request materials, call the library at 315-735-2279 or go online to midyork.org to put a hold on what you would like. We’ll set up a time for you to pick up the materials.”

Advertise with us! editor@GVhealthnews.com May 2021 •

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 11

Nursing Special

Stressed, Exhausted:

Frontline Workers Faced Big Mental Strain in Pandemic

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octors, nurses and other frontline health workers in U.S. emergency departments have struggled with significant mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new poll reveals.

“As the nation moves into what many believe is a fourth wave of COVID, this study is important to our understanding of the impact of the pandemic on the mental well-being of frontline medical personnel,” said lead author Robert Rodriguez, a professor of emergency medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

His team surveyed about 1,600 physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, social workers and other personnel at 20 U.S. emergency departments between May and July of 2020.

Survey respondents reported high stress levels, emotional exhaustion, insomnia and nightmares. The results also revealed that nearly one-fifth were at increased risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Their greatest concerns included exposing loved ones or others to the

virus, the well-being of co-workers diagnosed with COVID-19, and patients with an unclear diagnosis who might expose others in the community.

The study found that regular COVID-19 testing helped reduce stress levels, particularly among those who had previously tested positive for coronavirus antibodies.

The survey participants were from emergency department staffs in 16 states, including New York.

The findings were published April 9 in the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine.

“We found that feelings of work-related anxiety, emotional exhaustion and burnout were prevalent across the full spectrum of emergency department staff,” Rodriguez said in a university news release.

That’s why recognizing signs of stress, burnout and anxiety early on is critical, he explained.

“Emergency department personnel serve as the initial hospital caregivers for the majority of critically ill patients with known or suspected COVID-19 infection,” Rodriguez said. “Protecting and maintaining the health of the emergency department

What You Can Expect in an Eye Exam

Regular checkups can prevent vision problems in the future

By Barbara Pierce

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e use our eyes for most everything we do, browsing the internet, checking our phone, watching TV, reading, driving. Because our eyesight is so crucial, we need to protect it through regular eye exams.

Eye exams can detect eye problems or health problems at the earliest stage, when they’re most treatable.

In an eye exam, you’ll experience several basic tests.

Optometrist Matthew Wadas of Wadas Eye Group helped us understand what you may experience.

“When a Optometrist Matthew patient comes Wadas of Wadas Eye to Wadas Eye, they’ll receive Group. a thorough and comprehensive eye examination,” he said. “We’re located in Barneveld, Whitesboro and Herkimer.”

We begin with your health history, he continued. Every patient fills out a questionnaire: current health Page 12

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status, medications, social history, your family’s health and eye history.

This information will alert us to any conditions that should be monitored closely and help determine if any preventative measures to keep your eyes healthy are needed.

Next, we test your visual acuity by asking you to read the eye chart, read the lowest line that you can. We evaluate how well you see with and without your glasses or contacts.

The results are the familiar ratio of 20/20, 20/40 etc. which is a comparison of your vision compared to the average person with good vision, typically 20/20. A patient that has 20/40 vision can only see at 20 feet what the normal person can see from a distance of 40 feet. This tests how clearly you are seeing in each eye, but doesn’t give you a prescription for corrective lenses.

A refraction test is what determines your prescription, he said. You look at the eye chart through a tool, called a phoropter. The doctor repeatedly asks you, “Which is better: one or two?” This test also helps your doctor spot abnormalities of your eyes.

All patients will have a slit lamp examination to check eye pressure and evaluate the eye for disorders, such as dry eye, cataracts or

workforce is imperative in the ongoing battle against COVID-19.”

Rodriguez suggested that employers encourage workers to take time off, get adequate rest and use available well-being resources. That’s especially important “considering the relatively high levels of burnout symptoms, and that more than half of participants reported experiencing

at least one symptom of PTSD and as many as 20% were at higher risk,” he noted.

In contrast to previous research by the same team, the new study found that personal protective equipment was no longer among the top five concerns for emergency department staff, suggesting that it has become more widely available.

other conditions, he continued. A slit lamp is a microscope with a bright light that allows us to take a close look at the structures in front of and inside your eye. Early diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases are essential to prevent vision loss.

Before the test, your doctor may put drops in your eyes to dilate your pupils and make abnormalities more visible.

“We don’t dilate most patients,” Wada said. “We have technology that allows us to see your retina without dilating. But if you’re diabetic or have an eye disease, we need the additional information that dilation provides. Patients who are dilated can expect it to last a few hours and can drive home after the exam.”

We tailor the exam to the individual; we have a battery of external tests to evaluate everything with our state-of-the-art equipment. We look at all the structures of the eye, the eye muscles, test your peripheral vision; we look for anything that could indicate a potential problem.

We check your eye pressure, as high eye pressure is associated with glaucoma, which leads to vision loss that can’t be repaired. Some physicians puff air in your eye to see if you are at risk. We don’t use air; we use eye drops.

For the convenience of those who need prescription lenses, all our offices have a wide array of frames and lens options to choose from, as well as contact lenses, he added.

understand and choose the correct medical office to go to for an examination,” said licensed optician Diane Engell of Eye Q of CNY, New Hartford. Eye Q provides comprehensive eye care.

For routine eye care, optometrists are the front-line health care providers for the majority of healthy people, she said. With a doctor of optometry degree, they monitor healthy eyes for vision correction and eye health and treat eye conditions.

An ophthalmologist has a medical degree, can perform surgery, treats eye disorders, can prescribe corrective lenses.

Opticians are technicians trained to design and fit eyeglass and contact lenses.

Eye exams are essential, as they can detect vision problems or general health problems, even before you’re aware there’s a problem. It’s recommended that younger adults up have a comprehensive eye exam every five to 10 years; older adults every one to two years.

If you have diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of eye disease, annual exams are critical for preserving your sight; damage to the eyes can be seen during an eye exam before vision loss occurs.

The following symptoms indicate you should immediately schedule an eye exam: sudden change in vision, red eyes, seeing red spots, seeing black lines or spots that don’t glide away, eye allergies, dry eyes, eye swelling or pain. Always seek an eye doctor as your first doctor to call since they are specifically trained to treat eye diseases.

Ophthalmologist, optometrist or optician?

“The biggest challenge we face in our industry is getting patients to

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • May 2021

Five sisters in Remsen, northern Oneida County, work as nurses in the area. “It is truly a blessing to work alongside your sisters on a daily basis,” one of the sisters, Cassandra Doolen said.

Nursing Runs in the Blood Sister nurses: Five sisters all working locally in the medical field

By Megan Plete Postol

F

ive Central New York sisters have all found their calling caring for others.

The women are originally from Remsen, northern Oneida County, five of the eight daughters (and 14 siblings in total) of the Roberts family.

Alexandra (Roberts) Knopic, Cassandra (Roberts) Doolen, Siena Roberts and Theresa Roberts have all been working in the field as registered nurses for a few years.

Jennalynn Roberts, a soon-to-be graduate nurse, started this past November as a nurse tech and officially graduates in May. Cassandra was the first to start in 2013 as a nurse tech (certified nursing assistant, CNA) and became an registered in 2014, followed by her twin, Alexandra, as a ward clerk/ nurse tech while she attended nursing school, and she became an RN in 2017.

The next to start in the field was Siena. She, too, started work as a CNA while in college. In 2018 she earned her RN designation and has worked as a nurse at St. Elizabeth’s in Utica since. She is currently studying at New York Chiropractic College for a master’s degree in applied clinical nutrition and is set to graduate.

Jennalynn started working at St Elizabeth’s Hospital in 2019 and already has a position secured as a graduated nurse.

The sisters have all been able to work together over the years at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital.

“I absolutely love working with my sisters,” Theresa Roberts said.

“We help each other get through the day, during the good and tough times. When I first started out as a nurse it took me a while to really get into the swing of things. I struggled.

Having my sisters there for me was

huge. They toughened me up and guided me through my first year as a nurse. My sisters have made a huge impact on my nursing career and have helped me become the nurse I am. I don’t know what I would have done without my sisters starting out as a new nurse. It’s very difficult having to work a holiday or weekends and missing out on all the fun family activities; but when you are still spending it with family it makes it much better.”

Jennalynn, the last of the Roberts sisters to enter the medical field, admires her sisters and looks to them for guidance.

“Being the youngest sister to become a nurse, they have all been there to help support me along the way,” Jennalynn Roberts said. “If there was something they were able to show or teach me without hesitation they would be doing so. A lot of what I know has come from them.

They all have been able to teach me so much. Seeing their compassion and how they care for patients makes me want to become a better nurse.”

Working through the COVID-19 pandemic has presented the sisters with many challenges.

“Working through COVID is something I’ll never forget,” Alexandra Knopic said. “When COVID first hit, our unit was shut down temporarily because we mainly took postoperative patients after their hip and knee replacements. We were floated to other units each day we came to work, and because of this we mainly worked on the COVID unit.

“In the beginning every day could be pretty overwhelming. What you did yesterday wasn’t something you were doing today. You were having to work with different people each day. It made it tough.

The nurses had a lot on their plate.

It was tough trying to get our jobs done, passing medications, our assessments, patient care, talking to families, our charting done and everything in between. Because we tried to limit the amount of staff being exposed to COVID we also had to become dietary, housekeeping, maintenance...you name it. The nurses were many times the only face patients would see during the day.

With no visitors in the hospital it became pretty tough because you had to make sure you spent that extra time with your patient because they were alone and scared.

“The past year working as a floor nurse has been pretty draining.

Almost every day you would leave work feeling defeated, feeling you didn’t, or couldn’t, do enough. You did what you could to get through the day. It was an awful feeling. The care you gave a few months before COVID was not the care that you could continue to give. It was heartbreaking. I will never forget the first patient I took care of that had COVID and didn’t make it. You are constantly thinking back on what you could have done differently in hopes of a different outcome. I think about this patient often.

“Many nurses were very lonely during COVID, no one understood what you were really going through each day. Having worked through this with my sisters, is something I will always be thankful for. You had someone there for you that really understood what you were going through mentally and physically each day.”

They strived to provide their patients with personalized care and compassion, which required some creativity because of the COVID-19 restrictions.

“Taking care of COVID patients

May 2021 •

was a challenge,” Theresa Roberts said. “Wanting to give the care I always give patients was just not possible. We had to limit our time in the rooms to decrease the amount of exposure possible. That meant there wasn’t much time for side conversations and getting to know them.

Having such a heavy assignment trying to find extra time for just one patient was hard. It was heart-breaking watching these patients go through this alone. I have had multiple patients of mine crying because they were so scared and lonely. There was a time I ended up just crying with my patient because I didn’t know what to say. I was so stressed and overwhelmed that when they cried I just broke out in tears with them. I couldn’t tell them it was going to be OK and things will get better because I didn’t even know if it was possible for things to get better, even for myself. I just told them I was so sorry. I couldn’t even give them hope.

“We were the only people that they were allowed to see during this scary time,” Theresa Roberts continued. “I became close with one of my patients and found out that they liked to hunt and fish. They were so lonely and sad sitting in their room quietly. I felt so awful seeing them like this. I had pictures on my phone of my boyfriend hunting and fishing with the big fish and deer he has gotten over the years. I put my phone in a Ziploc bag and showed the patient these pictures. The biggest reward being a nurse is making someone’s day better. Getting this patient to smile was one of the most rewarding times of my career as a nurse. The smile on their face when looking at the photos was what got me through the rest of my day.”

The sisters want to thank the community for all of the care packages of thanks they have received during the pandemic.

“We have received snacks, meals, thank you cards, candy, drinks and many other gifts from members of our community,” Cassandra Doolen said. “The appreciation does not go unnoticed. During these dark times the community has come together to take care of each other. Knowing how much we were appreciated by our community was very wonderful.”

All of the women agreed that nursing is both a difficult, and extremely rewarding, profession.

“Being a nurse has a lot of ups and downs,” Theresa Roberts said.

“The majority of the time you feel defeated and exhausted. But, then you get that one patient that reminds you why you became a nurse in the first place. I take care of multiple patients that have fractures and total joint replacements, and getting them up after surgery and walking is one of my favorite things to do.”

Cassandra Doolen said that it takes a certain kind of person to be a great nurse.

“Skills can be learned and knowledge can be taught, but being a hardworking compassionate person can not,” Doolen said. “A patient needs a hand to hold, an ear that will listen and a heart that cares. Being compassionate and caring is so important in the nursing field.”

She is grateful to have her sisters to weather the ups and downs of her career with.

“It is truly a blessing to work alongside your sisters on a daily basis,” Doolen said. “We are very blessed to have each other.”

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 13

Shortage of Professionals Was Bad. Then Came the Pandemic Local health providers say finding licensed professionals has been more challenging since the pandemic started

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

S

taffing healthcare openings has been hard for providers for numerous years. However, the past year of pandemic has created further difficulty in finding people to care for the sick, elderly and injured. The challenge goes across every facet of healthcare.

“We’re struggling just like every other healthcare organization is struggling to find enough licensed professionals,” said Donna J. Britton, director of human resources at Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists.

She used to receive 30 to 50 resumes in response to an ad for an LPN or RN, offering her plenty of candidates to look through. That was five years ago.

“Now we’re lucky to get three,” Britton said.

Though she acknowledges the number of people interested in working at SOS can fluctuate, usually the nursing roles have plenty of applicants. That has flip-flopped, and the non-clinical roles are now easier to fill.

“These last few years, it’s been a very noticeable decline in the number of licensed professionals applying to

open positions,” Britton said.

Some of her clinical directors say that an increase in demand at long-term care facilities has increased demand for these positions. In addition, burned-out nurses leaving the industry since the pandemic started now plays a role in fewer applicants.

Competition from larger healthcare organizations have made it tougher for smaller ones to attract nurses. In the past two months, Britton has noticed help wanted ads offering sign-on bonuses of $7,500 to $10,000 — figures with which smaller organizations cannot compete, even those with a robust benefits package as SOS offers.

Britton has also noticed that the quality of candidates has also declined, as many have spotty work histories or end up having attendance issues after hire. That makes retention harder.

To address these issues, SOS has been advertising in more periodicals to attract a larger pool of candidates and refreshing the HR department’s skills in interviewing and training.

Other organizations have felt the struggle.

“No doubt there have been challenges,” said Suzanne Talarico,

manager of talent acquisition at St. Joseph’s Health. “The pandemic has had significant impacts on everyone, including members of our St. Joseph’s Health family.”

The number of open positions has remained stable throughout the pandemic at St. Joseph’s. Talarico said that the human resources staff collaborates with clinical leaders and educators to think of strategies to help with recruitment and retention, such as flexible staffing — a big draw to many seeking employment in healthcare.

Expediting hiring also keeps the process moving along, which can ensure any vacancies are filled quickly.

Instead of taking weeks, it can take only days to go from screening to hire. Technology has helped accelerate the entire process, including virtual job fairs and interviews, which the pandemic necessitated.

Many people in healthcare want to not only get a job but to enter or continue a career.

“We promote career pathing and tuition benefit opportunities for nonlicensed staff who want to join the healthcare field,” Talarico said. “An interested candidate may be undecided perhaps about which specialty profession they wish to pursue and roles such as the patient care technician provide comprehensive experiences that can be flexible to meet the needs of our patients in real time while inspiring internal mobility and professional career path decisions.”

For 2021, Talarico hopes the momentum of hiring during the pandemic continues as well as the stronger sense of community and company culture gained during the pandemic.

“What we have achieved and experienced collectively throughout this past year and continue to navigate — while it is has not been easy — has strengthened us as an organization,” she said. “Having the privilege of repeating that message many times a day is the best.”

Colleen Engler, chief human resource officer at Loretto, acknowledged that her organization has felt its share of hiring difficulties, especially for direct caregivers.

“People are fearful of COVID,” she said. “The frontline leaders— caregivers—have a very challenging job. They’re always challenging, and now it’s more challenging.”

She thinks that what Loretto does internally helps support and promote external interest in the company and therefore support recruiting. For example, staying flexible in scheduling to accommodate school and childcare needs encourages employees to

share with others how much they enjoy their jobs. Loretto also provides diapers to employees with infants through their diaper bank.

Loretto is nationally registered with the Department of Labor to offer an LPN apprenticeship program and offers other on-the-job and online training and certifications to help employees advance their careers.

Loretto also employs a career coach who can help find out why an employee may be struggling. For example, if an employee does not want to come in, perhaps a lack of childcare or transportation is the reason.

The career coach “can step in and suggest resources and give support,” Engler said.

Loretto’s expedited hiring process has helped fill vacancies more quickly. Loretto has also implemented a fast-track CNA program with permission from the New York State Department of Health to train employees in only two days in the classroom, followed by a period of shadowing more experienced employees before working independently.

“That has really helped us, along with the benefits package,” Engler said. “We have a good company culture and we want people to be successful.”

Just more than 250 are employed among ConnextCare’s 13 locations.

Stephanie Earle, director of human resources, said that staffing is going fairly well, except for clinical staff.

“There was hesitancy of changing employers at the beginning of the pandemic, but we’re starting to see an uptick,” Earle said.

Close relationships with area nursing schools and trades schools have helped keep vacancies filled.

Swerving to digital recruitment has been a big change for ConnextCare, such as participating in a virtual career fair with Workforce Development and performing virtual job interviews.

“They don’t get to physically see the site and how they interact with the staff organically,” Earle said. “But the candidate is a little more relaxed and isn’t as on the defense. You can have a more genuine conversation.”

The pandemic canceled employee get-togethers, which is a blow to employee morale. Earle said that holding theme weeks in each center and sharing photos with other employees has helped, as has hosting some casual Zoom meetings.

“We’ve had more support from community members which the staff appreciates,” she added.

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Page 14

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IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • May 2021

FREE POPCO R HOTD N OGS

Community Health & Wellness Fair June 4, 11am–3pm LOCATION

Ilion - Frankfort VFW 4274 Acme Rd., Frankfort, NY All COVID-19 safety protocols will be in place.

Sean Farrell, House of the Good Shepherd senior manager marketing and communications (front); row two (from left) are Lee Bjornland, director of development and communications; Bonnie Lynch, development assistant; and Jerry Plows, events coordinator; row three is Billy Alsheimer, communications assistant.

Nonprofits Continue Hosting Events, Raising Money and Helping Those in Need During COVID-19 They will continue to hold virtual events while slowly returning to activities

By Daniel Baldwin

T

he House of the Good Shepherd and MVHS Foundation are two Utica-based nonprofit organizations that rely on their funds to help the local families, children, and medical staff who are struggling mentally and financially.

Both the House and MVHS Foundation host as many fundraisers and other money-raising events as they can during the year to not only keep their company afloat, but also continue helping those in need.

“A successful fundraising organization has a blend of personal outreach, face-to-face meetings, and events to support their fundraising efforts,” said John Forbes, MVHS Foundation’s vice president of philanthropy. “We do not want to put everything in just an event, but events can support your fundraising efforts tremendously. We do have events every year that both raise money and engage prospects so that

they might be interested in giving us money down the road.”

But in 2020, the house and MVHS Foundation had to cancel a majority of their live outdoor events due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The annual golf tournament and the Wine All You Want Exclusive Wine Event and Live Auction were two of the house’s fundraisers that they had to cancel last year. The organization took a financial hit due to the cancellation of these events.

Although even in the midst of a pandemic and economic downturn, members of the House continued on fulfilling the organization’s mission of providing residential treatment and community-based services to the children and families who struggled mentally and financially during the months of quarantine.

“We were affected by revenue funding streams at times,” Sean Farrell, the House of the Good Shepherd’s senior manager of marketing and communications, said. “The

Pandemic Has Put Many Clinical Trials on Hold

F

ewer clinical trials are being completed during the pandemic, which experts say could affect medical research for decades to come.

Previously, it was reported that more than 80% of clinical trials were suspended between March 1 and April 26, 2020, with the pandemic cited as the main reason.

In this study, researchers at Penn State College of Medicine examined more than 117,000 trials in the United States, Europe, Asia and other regions to find out how the pandemic

has affected clinical research.

“This analysis revealed that the impact was substantial — particularly for trials funded by government, academic or medical entities,” said study author Nour Hawila, a doctoral candidate in biostatistics.

Researchers found that between April and October of last year, study completion rates dropped worldwide between 13% and 23%, depending on trials’ sponsors and locations. Patient enrollment in trials was lower in April 2020 than in April 2019.

Trials sponsored by pharmaceu-

house incurred significant costs for cleaning and safety supplies. The families we serve certainly struggled financially. Therefore, we spent more to help them. We provided additional support to families struggling with food insecurity, maintaining housing, and ensuring treatment continuity.”

The MVHS Foundation had two fundraising goals set pre-pandemic.

The organization first stuck with its original mission, which, according to Forbes, was to raise as much money and give the funds to frontline medical workers at St. Elizabeth and St. Luke’s Campus (two MVHS-owned hospitals), so that they can use that money to purchase high-tech medical equipment and other necessities required to help their patients.

They also wanted to raise a separate amount of money for their capital campaign. The main purpose for the foundation’s campaign was to help MVHS with the construction of its new downtown hospital.

The MVHS Foundation was on the same financial boat as the House of the Good Shepherd last year. It too lost money after canceling its 2020 golf tournament, the Children’s Miracle Network drawing and Lights of Love ceremony. Although COVID-19 did not impact the group’s capital campaign, as the money amount for that kept growing.

“The flip side to it though was that we also are raising money for our campaign (to build a new hospital) and that has continued to grow,” Forbes said. “But from an event base, that loss of money that you counted on to go to the frontline workers, that was missed.”

Without the help of fundraisers, the House of Good Shepherd instead relied on social media and put together TV and radio commercials to get its name out there.

“Our social media presence, community emails and TV-radio ads played a significant role in sharing our mission and asking to support the House,” Farrell said.

Forbes said that the foundation did not resort to advertising and instead relied on videoconference meetings to stay in touch with its donors.

It was still possible for nonprofit organizations to host fundraisers during the pandemic, thanks to virtual communication. Instead of having annual events at a local park or building, in front of a group of people, members of the House of the Good Shepherd and the MVHS Foundation host virtual events on the Internet.

The House of the Good Shepherd

hosted its first-ever virtual auction last September. For two weeks, local residents turned on their computers, went to the House’s virtual auction website (Changingchildrenslives. com/Auction) and out-bid other participants for vacations, dinners, home goods and other prizes.

Farrell said that the House raised more than $60,000 from this virtual auction. The auction was a part of the House’s annual Together We Are Essential campaign, aimed toward giving the children and families served by the House of the Good Shepherd a fighting chance towards a promising future, according to the organization’s website Hgs-utica.com. Farrell also said that despite the lack of live outdoor events in 2020, the organization’s campaign still raised more than $176,000 last fall.

The MVHS Foundation changed its Stomp Out Cancer telethon from a live to virtual event last year. Despite the change, Forbes said the foundation still received many donations from people and a large sum of money.

The MVHS Foundation also received help from the Mohawk Valley community itself, as many of the valley’s residents made kind and generous donations towards the foundation’s COVID-19 relief fund.

“Where we lost money, we also gained a little bit in another area and that is this incredibly generous community,” Forbes said. “They stepped up and made donations toward COVID relief. So, we had a separate fund that we never had for COVID relief that was going to go directly to our frontline workers and this community redirected their giving.”

Even with the ease of COVID-19 restrictions this year, the House of the Good Shepherd will not host any live outdoor events and will stick to the virtual route.

“While it is unfortunate that we will not have any in-person events,” Farrell said, “the community’s health and safety is a responsibility we take very seriously.”

The MVHS Foundation’s Stomp Out Cancer telethon might stay virtual this year, but the organization does plan on bringing back its live outdoor events in the second half of 2021.

“We are doing a blend of both,” Forbes said. “We are trying to go back to our live events. We’re just saving them for the second half of this year. We are also conducting some virtual events as well. Our Stomp Out Cancer event worked so well last year virtually, that we might do that again this year.”

tical, biotechnology and therapeutic companies were more likely to complete enrollment, according to findings published recently in the journal Clinical and Translational Science.

“The pandemic has made it more difficult for researchers to recruit and follow up on patients in clinical trials,” Hawila said in a Penn State news release.

The study also found that new interventional trial submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov — a website that contains information on the status of thousands of clinical trials in the United States — dropped roughly 10% between April and October of last year.

The study also found a shift in research priorities — 472 (11%) of trials submitted between April and

October 2020 were pandemic-related.

The pandemic had less of an impact on clinical trials in some parts of the world, however. For example, Egypt had an increase in both submitted (69%) and completed (73%) clinical trials, likely due to a recent law governing medical research, researchers said.

“Clinical research response to the pandemic has been robust,” said co-author Arthur Berg, associate professor of public health sciences. “But the impact of the pandemic on other types of clinical trials will be felt for decades to come.”

He added that as shown in Egypt, timely governmental action may be able to reverse the pandemic’s impact on research.

May 2021 •

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

•

Page 15

Between You & Me

By Barbara Pierce

Fire Up the Emotional Part of Your Brain It can help you live longer and be healthier

By Barbara Pierce

I

magine that you and I are meeting for lunch. We haven’t seen each other for months and are happy to get together.

As we sit across from each other, talking and laughing, massive sections of our brains have become active, lit up, like someone throwing the switch for a night game at Donovan Stadium.

Our brains are fired up, reading hundreds of subtle signals from each other, body language, tone of voice, flickers of facial expression, glances that speak volumes.

Our brains subconsciously absorb and interpret every nuance of body language and facial expressions.

The part of our brain that’s active is the limbic system, one of the main parts of the brain that controls basic emotions. We’ve got three brain layers. The reptilian brain, or physical brain, controls our instincts for self-preservation. The neocortical, or thinking brain, is responsible for higher-order brain functions like thought, language and reasoning.

The limbic brain, or emotional brain, runs our emotions, and in many ways it’s the most important brain component we have.

The limbic system underpins our mood. A positive mood, positive

emotions are what lie behind a good life, what helps us flourish. Research has shown that the difference between people who are flourishing and those who aren’t can be found in the positive emotions they carve out from everyday activities.

The many benefits of positive emotions are well documented.

In addition to improving physical health, they foster trust and compassion. They buffer us against depression and help us recover from stress.

They can even undo the undesirable effects of negative emotions. They foster better social connectedness.

The good news is that you can cultivate positive emotions.

Some suggestions:

Connect

“When we think of positive health behaviors, being physically active and eating vegetables leap to mind. Positive social connections are every bit as important to your longterm physical health,” said Psychology Professor Dr. Barbara Fredrickson online. “I mean old-fashioned, real-time connections, face-to-face and voice-to-voice. We can increase these not only by prioritizing enjoyable activities with our families and friends, but also by simply smiling and making eye contact with the clerk who helps you at the store or the person sitting near you on your commute.

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These simple moments of connection are surprisingly powerful.”

Strong relationships are crucial to our well-being and good health. Dozens of studies have shown that people who have satisfying relationships with family, friends, and their community are happier, have fewer health problems, and live longer.

“Divorce is astonishingly common in for older adults. Aging is hard to do alone. It’s a lot easier if you have a partner. And if your partner has you,” suggest Chris Rowley and Dr. Henry Lodge in their book “Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living like 50 until you’re 80.”

“If you’ve got a tolerable relationship, pour your love into it. There are going to be some hard thumps ahead. Maybe a touch of death at the end. And that may be easier if you’re with someone who knows you pretty well. Do what you must, but hang on to your family.”

“If you don’t have a partner, friends will do,” they continued. “In fact, just one close friend does miracles. We’re hardwired to function in groups and we can’t get away from it.”

Find joy

Do the things that you love doing. Whether it’s preparing a meal, painting a picture, writing a poem, cleaning your home, going for a walk or even staring at the clouds. Make a list of things you really enjoy doing.

Pull it out and try to do one of the activities every day.

Double down and share with someone who also would enjoy it.

You’ll get the benefit of that a social connection brings as well as the benefit of doing something enjoyable.

Have a purpose

“It can be argued that we’re all sled dogs and are happier when we pull a little. Even a crappy job is a limbic stew. Jump in,” said Rowley and Lodge. “Whether part-time, fulltime or occasional, work gives great satisfaction, even to the very old.”

“Or, do regular volunteer work.

It’s one of the most satisfying things a lot of people do and it does them a world of good,” they said.

Find a purpose. People who have a purpose in their life, a reason to get up in the morning, live longer, better lives.

Think gratitude

Just thinking of one or two things every day for which you are grateful can boost your mood. When you recognize all that you have, whether it’s good health, a loving partner or food to eat, you increase your satisfaction in life.

Waking up to birds chirping, a dog’s nose in our face, the smell of coffee, are wonderful experiences.

The more often we choose to appreciate these small pleasures, the happier we will be.

Barbara Pierce is a retired licensed clinical social worker with many years of experience helping people. If you would like to purchase a copy of her book, “When You Come to the Edge: Aging” or if you have questions for her, contact her at barbarapierce06@yahoo.com.

Re-focusing on Getting Fit? Heart Experts Offer These Tips

W

ant to get rid of all that weight you put on during the pandemic?

To help out, the American Heart Association (AHA) is launching an initiative called Move More.

One in four U.S. adults is sitting for longer than eight hours each day, which can harm one’s mental and physical health, according to the AHA. “For too many of us, our daily routines have become more sedentary over the past year due to the pandemic, making it even more important to find ways to increase physical activity in our day,” said physician Eduardo Sanchez, the AHA’s chief medical officer for prevention.

“Any movement is better than no movement, and more is better. Even small breaks of activity throughout the day will benefit health and reduce stress,” Sanchez said in an AHA news release.

The association outlines ways to get more active: • To avoid long stretches of inactivity, set reminders to move around for five minutes multiple times a day.

• Find more ways to get off the couch. For example, take a walk around the house or do a few push-

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • May 2021

ups between episodes of a TV show.

If you have a pet, take breaks to play or go for a walk outside. Active chores such as vacuuming and tidying up clutter also help.

• Reduce screen time. Schedule a time each day for the whole family to unplug and take an activity break. Take a walk, play a game of hide-and-seek inside, or put on your favorite music for a dance party.

• Move more while working at home. Try to reduce meetings by five minutes when possible and use that time to do basic strength exercises like squats or crunches, move to different part of your home to do stretches, or stand every time you create or answer an e-mail.

• Find types of exercise you enjoy and that fit your schedule.

The AHA recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity aerobic activity such as brisk walking or gardening, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic activity such as running or aerobic dancing, or a combination of both intensity-level activities.

It also recommends two days of moderate-to high-intensity muscle strengthening activity weekly, such as resistance training.

Mohawk Valley Author to Discuss Communications Strategies for Dementia Caregivers

C Mohawk Homestead Expands Transportation Services

T

he Mohawk Homestead has expanded its services in the community by offering non-emergency medical transportation to and from medical appointments for Medicaid recipients.

This service will be provided to residents of Mohawk, Herkimer, Ilion, Frankfort and Little Falls. It will eventually expand throughout Herkimer County. Operating hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.

All CDC guidelines for the COVID-19 virus are strictly followed. All drivers have been

vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus and are tested each week. Each vehicle has a plastic barrier between the driver and riders for infection control purposes. Drivers are fully licensed and insured.

Recipients can schedule appointments by calling The Mohawk Homestead’s transportation department at 315-360-3296 or through the MAS website: www.medanswering. com.

The Mohawk Homestead’s mission is to facilitate the most comfortable and safest transportation to all those in need of service.

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The online presentation takes place from 2 –3:30 p.m., May 17.

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Memories: A Dementia Love Story: A Dementia Love Story,” focuses on her journey as caregiver for her mother.

It was during this time that she discovered a collection of love notes and poems from her deceased father to her mother, providing her new perspective on her parents that she had never seen previously and emotionally recentering her as her mother’s dementia continued to advance.

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IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

•

Page 17

Richard Panetta of Inertia Occupational and Physical Therapy in Utica works with a patient. Panetta advises that consistent effort is needed to assure optimal functioning as we age.

Keep Moving; Inertia is the Enemy of Aging

‘That which is used develops; that which is not wastes away.’

By Barbara Pierce

Y

ou turn 60 and you’re on the slippery slope—the long slide into old age and death. Every year a little fatter, slower, weaker, more pain-wracked. You can’t hear and you can’t see. Your hips go. Your knees go. Your muscles look like drapery. You give up. You sit there and wait. You go to a nursing home, get tied to a wheelchair.”

This grim description of aging is from the book “Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living like 50 until you’re 80,” by Chris Rowley and Henry

Lodge, M.D. To demonstrate what it feels like when your body has declined, when you’re in your late 70s, researchers in MIT’s AgeLab have created an aging suit. Called AGNES (Age Gain Now Empathy System), the suit replicates what it might be like to be in an old body and was designed to be worn to help people develop empathy for the physical challenges of aging.

AGNES makes everything harder; bands make it hard to reach above shoulder height and reduce strength, a neck brace makes it difficult to turn the head, goggles make it difficult to

Ask The Social

Security Office

From the Social Security District Office Q: Is it true I can save about $5,000 per year if I qualify for Social Security’s extra help with the Medicare prescription drug program?

A: Yes. If your income and resources meet the requirements, you can save nearly $4,900 in prescription costs each year. Resource limits for 2021 are $14,610 (or $29,160 if you are married and living with your spouse). Income limits are $19,140 (or $25,860 if you are married and living with your spouse). If your income or resources are just a bit higher, you might be eligible for some help with prescription drug costs. To learn more, visit www.ssa.gov/prescriptionhelp.

Page 18

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Q: Why should I sign up for a My Social Security online account?

A: My Social Security gives you a personal online account you can securely use to check your Social Security information and do business with us. With a My Social Security account you can: • Keep track of your earnings and verify them every year.

• Get an estimate of your future benefits if you are still working.

• Get a replacement Social Security card.

• Get a letter with proof of your benefits if you currently receive them.

• Manage your benefits:

see, earplugs simulate diminished hearing, shoes cause poor balance.

“It’s frightening!” said one young reporter who wore it. “Easy tasks were really difficult. I couldn’t wait to get it off!”

AGNES’ version of aging often happens. As does being tied to a wheelchair in a nursing home. Those dismal outcomes play out in real life.

Muscle tissue and muscle strength begin to decrease at around age 30. The heart muscle becomes less functional, we tire quickly.

Bones become more fragile. Cartilage degenerates. Ligaments become less elastic, reducing flexibility. Joint motion becomes more restricted and flexibility decreases.

Unlike putting on an aging suit, this physical decline happens gradually. It’s a downward spiral. We gradually adapt as muscles become weaker, flexibility diminishes, and balance becomes increasingly unsteady. It happens so gradually that we don’t notice. Or we cope: “Guess I’m just getting old.”

But it doesn’t have to be like that.

Aging is not the enemy. Inertia is the enemy, according to Rowley and Lodge. The decline in functioning results more from disuse than from aging. A sedentary lifestyle accelerates the downward spiral.

More than 50% of the physical decline associated with old age may be due to lack of physical activity, said Lodge. That’s hugely significant.

The stakes are enormous. Maintaining our functioning as an independent adult is a high priority.

Compelling evidence strongly supports the fact that increased physical activity fights against decline.

It’s a choice. You can get off that slippery slope.

To keep your body as young as possible for as long as possible, keep it moving, said Lodge. Hippocrates got it right: “That which is used develops; that which is not wastes away.”

“Use it or lose it.” We must continually engage in and practice an ability or risk losing it. If we don’t exercise our bodies, we’ll lose strength, stamina and endurance.

Richard Panetta, physical therapist and co-owner of Inertia Occupational and Physical Therapy in Utica,

especially likes Winston Churchill’s quote, on the wall of Inertia: “Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking our potential.”

“Although it can be a monstrous undertaking, consistent effort is what is required to assure optimal health as we age,” said Panetta. “Everyone should make this effort for themselves.”

“If you don’t currently perform healthy habits, but would like to start, don’t be overwhelmed,” he added. “Pick one thing that moves you in the right direction. When that’s no longer arduous, pick a second!”

“What I want us to do is acknowledge we’re getting older; pledge to get over it and get moving,” advised 79-year-old dancer Twyla Tharp in her book “Keep it Moving.”

“Approach the care and feeding of your body as a job—a second career,” she suggested. “Pick your poison. Run, lift weights, dance, swim, skate, broad jump. Make a commitment and practice it regularly.”

To keep maximum functioning as you age, Lodge recommends exercise six days a week for the rest of your life. Do serious strength training with weights two days a week for the rest of your life. Do serious aerobic exercise four days a week for the rest of your life.

Even moderate amounts of physical activity can keep you functioning well; it doesn’t have to be strenuous to be effective. Walking, square dancing, swimming and bicycling are all great. Choose activities you find interesting; you’ll be more likely to keep it up if it’s fun.

Stretching is an excellent way to help maintain joint flexibility. Weight training can increase muscle mass and strength.

Exercises for balance will help retard some common effects of aging, will help you move gracefully, avoid injuries and prevent falls.

It’s never too late to get fit. The body responds to exercise, no matter what its age. Start slowly and aim for small improvements. If you’ve never attempted an exercise program before, see your doctor before you start a new exercise routine.

– Change your address or telephone number.

– Start or change your direct deposit.

– Get a replacement Medicare card.

– Get a replacement SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S for tax season.

To find all of the services available and set up an account, go to www.ssa.gov/myaccount.

www.ssa.gov/ssnumber.

Q: I got married and I need to change my name in Social Security’s records.

What do I do?

A: If you change your name due to marriage or for any other reason, you’ll need to report the change and get a corrected Social Security card with your new name. You will need to fill out Form SS-5. You can get a copy of this form by visiting www. ssa.gov/ss5doc or by calling our toll-free number 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). You’ll also need to provide the original marriage certificate showing your new and old names. You can mail the documentation to your local Social Security office. In some cases, we may need other forms of documentation as well. For more information, visit

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • May 2021

Q: How can I check the status of a pending application for retirement benefits?

A: If you applied for retirement or disability benefits online, you can check the status of your application at www.ssa.gov by selecting “Benefits” and “Check Application Status” under “Apply.” You will need to enter your Social Security number and the confirmation code you received when you filed online.

Your application status will show: • The date we received your application.

• Any requests for additional documents.

• The address of the office processing your application.

• If a decision has been made.

Q: How do I know if I meet the eligibility requirements to get Social Security disability benefits?

A: To qualify for Social Security disability benefits, you must have worked long enough in jobs covered

by Social Security (usually 10 years).

We did it.

Twice.

Oneida Health is ranked among America’s Top 2% of Hospitals for Patient Safety & Experience

Visit oneidahealth.org/awards to learn more

May 2021 •

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper

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Page 19

WE CARE LIKE FAMILY

We are growing and have exciting career opportunities in the health care industry.

To join our talented, professional team, please visit one of our care facilities career pages for available positions.

Become a part of Our Family!

Life in balance.

A company philosophy that speaks to a continual process of individual and collective development to improve our well-being, quality of life and personal relationships.

17 Sunrise Drive Oswego, NY 13126 315-342-4790 | www.MorningstarCares.com

Our Mission.

To provide people in our community with healthcare, customer services, support & employment to achieve their individual best quality of life.

Our Vision.

RESIDENTIAL CARE CENTER

To redefine skilled nursing care through successful team development, use of technology, progressive service and being a strong community partner.

Our Team.

Registered Nurses Licensed Nurses Certified Nursing Assistants Physical Therapists Occupational Therapists Speech Therapists Social Workers Recreational Therapists Dietitians Page 20

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Waterville

Nurse Aides Housekeeping Laundry Finance Maintenance Medical Records

IN GOOD HEALTH – Mohawk Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper • May 2021

220 Tower Street, Waterville, NY 13480 315-841-4156 | www.WatervilleCares.com

Assisted Living Community

132 Ellen Street, Oswego, NY 13126 315-343-0880 | www.TheGardensByMorningstar.com

Aaron

Manor

Rehabilitation and Nursing Center

100 St. Camillus Way, Fairport, NY 14450 585-377-4000 | www.AaronManor.com