MAY 2020 Wearing a face shield for protection from flying debris and wood shavings and a mask underneath the shield to filter out dust, artist Chuck Weygand uses the larger lathe in his shop to create unique bowls from Minnesota wood. Photos by Lorie Skarpness/Enterprise.
Retirement gift brought out
INNER ARTIST Chuck Weygand connects with the spirit of wood By Lorie Skarpness lskarpness@parkrapidsenterprise.com
“I grew up on a lake south of Brainerd,” he said. “For our retirement home, we wanted a place on huck Weygand of rural Akeley a small lake. We looked at 15 to 20 had no idea that a retirement properties before we found Wilgift of a lathe three years ago would liams Lake, and that’s where we lead to a new chapter as an artist. settled. There are only a handful “I had a chemistry and math of year-round residents, and most major and worked as a quality conare retired. People are so friendly trol manager for a filtration compaaround here, and we love the peace ny for almost 30 years,” he said. “It and quiet. And I love all of the trees. was all about following formulas. I It’s kind of an ordinary house, but it never thought of myself as an arthas this pole barn that I made into ist. When I started using the lathe, my shop. At our previous house, it opened up something inside of I used the garage for my shop, so me that I didn’t know was there. I whenever I wanted to work we had found out I had an artist inside and to back the cars out. Some of the it’s a passion I really enjoy.” wood used to make bowls comes Weygand had experience making from our own property. I might furniture by following design plans. Weygand is planning to use the tall come across a tree in the woods that “Bowl turning is very different maple slabs behind him to make a is dead and use part of that.” from that,” he said. bathroom vanity top with a live-edge for Last summer, he sold his bowls at Weygand said he learned to use their home on Williams Lake. The piece Green Scene market and the Leech his lathe to make bowls by exper- of wood he is holding is a box elder burl Lake Art Show in Walker. He also imenting after watching a whole that he made into a live-edge bowl. sells bowls on Etsy (etsy.com/shop/ bunch of Youtube videos. rockyshoresbowls). “When I first started using the lathe, the advice I The largest bowl he has made was 14 inches in got was to buy a big block of wood and play with it,” diameter, while the smallest is three or four inches. he said. “The guy at the store also warned me using “The characteristics of each piece of wood dictate a lathe is addictive, and he was right.” what it’s going to be,” he said. “I might start out with an idea of what a bowl should look like and the
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Moving to the woods
3 Keep your blood pressure under control 4 Do pneumonia vaccines protect seniors from coronavirus? 5
This salad was created for healthy eating
6
Isolation because of COVID-19 adds to recently widowed mom's grief
7 Flowers, greenery in hospital rooms help patients heal faster 8 Planning for the ‘what ifs’ associated with COVID-19
INNER ARTIST: Page 2
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Weygand and his wife moved to the Akeley area in 2017 after an extensive search for lake property.
Inside this issue...
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This live-edge burl bowl was made from a piece of a cherry tree that came from north of St. Paul. The term "live-edge" simply refers to a bowl with a natural bark rim. A burl is a growth on a tree that is usually caused by injury, virus or fungus as the tree grows. They are rare and highly sought-after by woodworkers of all types. This particular bowl is more decorative than functional, and will probably find a home on someone's mantle or shelf.
This sugar maple burl is extremely rare and came to Weygand from a logger near Hackensack. "I intend to hollow out the flat side and leave the bulbous part as is," he said. "It will probably be mounted on a natural-wood base and will be purely decorative."
INNER ARTIST From Page 1
wood may tell me otherwise. If I don’t pay attention to what the wood is saying, I end up with firewood instead.”
From chunks of wood to beautiful bowls
“I make my bowls out of rather unusual wood,” he said. “Some of it is spalted wood, which means it is wood that has started the decay process and has fantastic coloring. Spalting is what happens when wood starts to decay. Fungus creates the dramatic coloring and shading, and really makes each bowl unique, just as no one snowflake is identical to another. The fungus dies when the wood is dried. I also make bowls out of burls, which are growths on trees. Those are very difficult to find and can be expensive. In February and early March, I traveled to different parts of the state to pick up wood. One of the challenges of this type of work is that wood has to be dry and has to age somewhat. Something that I purchased this spring may not be able to be used for six months so I have to work a season ahead.” Weygand works with about half a dozen individuals, mostly loggers, to find the wood for his bowls. “They typically set aside wood for me that has already been knocked down because of storms or from trees that are in the way of a construction project,” he said. “It’s all trees from Minnesota. About half of the wood I use comes from maples, and the rest is a mix of walnut, cherry, birch and box elder ” Wood is placed on shelves while it dries. “My wife is very patient and very supportive,” he said. “Part of our utility room has been taken over with wood that is drying. I have a lot in the shop as well. My sister, who lives down in Bloomington, had a huge walnut tree go down this past summer in a storm, so I raced down there to get some of the wood. That will probably take a year or two to dry because it was a live tree before the storm took it out.” Once the wood has dried, Weygand uses a bandsaw or chainsaw to round it. At other times, he uses bowl blanks, round pieces of wood anywhere from two inches thick to seven or eight inches thick. “I put it on the lathe and start turning,” he said. “I use wood-turning tools that are somewhat like chisels with carbide tips. The wood will spin on the lathe anywhere from 500 or 600 revolutions per minute up to 1,000 revolutions per minute. As it’s turning, I shape it. A lot of what the bowl turns into is dictated by what appears to be showing the best. All of the wood has personality, and I just try to bring that out.” He said learning the art of using the lathe to make bowls takes time. “The first chunk of wood I tried ended up sort of looking like a baseball bat,” he said. “I used that chunk of wood just to get some experience with using the lathe while trying not to injure myself or damage anything.” Weygand kept the first successful bowl he created. “It’s made out of maple and is about six inches in
All of the wood has personality, and I just try to bring out that personality. ARTIST CHUCK WYGAND diameter and two inches deep,” he said. As his work progressed, Weygand started specializing in something called live edge. “That’s where the natural edge of the wood shows through,” he explained. “They’re not perfectly symmetrical but that’s what adds to their beauty because they’re so unique.” Some people who purchase the bowls use them for serving snacks or salad. “Other people just want something decorative, a piece of art to enjoy,” he said. Weygand said one woman bought a small bowl to keep her hearing aid in. “She put it on her nightstand,” he said. “We keep dog treats in one of the bowls I made.” In the past, wooden bowls were utilitarian. “There’s a family bowl we have and I’m not sure how many generations it goes back,” he said. “I think my dad brought it back from Europe in 1920 as a child. So it’s over 100 years old. One of my great-great grandparents had it. It’s just a small bowl, maybe four inches in diameter. Who knows what they used it for.”
Every bowl has a story
“I sold a couple of bowls last year made from liveedge burls,” he said. “They had bark on the rim and were very distinctively shaped. They came from a box elder tree that I had cut down in the yard at our old place before we moved. When I sold them, I was almost in tears because I had put so much of myself into those bowls. It felt like separation anxiety or empty nest syndrome when I knew they were going home with somebody else. I felt like running after them and saying I couldn’t let them go. Each of my bowls is unique because they are made in Minnesota with materials that come from Minnesota.” In March, Weygand made a bowl from a burl he’d had for two years. “It was just gorgeous,” he said. “The first thing my wife said was ‘That is not for sale. That is staying here.’ It’s sitting in the middle of our dining room table now.” Weygand said people like to select unique pieces that add to their home’s identity. “Especially in this part of the country it’s lake, it’s woods and pine trees,” he said. “These bowls fit in with the natural environment.” Weygand recently received a $2,000 grant from the Region 2 Arts Council. “The majority of that money is being used to purchase bowl blanks to create more bowls,” he said. Bowls range from $20 to over $200. But he’s not in it for the money. He said he gets out to his shop when he can but doesn’t have a regular schedule. “I try to get out there for a bit every day, but if this ever starts to be a job for me, then I’m going to quit,” he said. “That’s not why I started it. You can’t make money
Weygand's turning tools are carbide-tipped to maintain a sharp edge, and are what is used to "turn" or carve away the wood. "These tools let me uncover the bowl that is hidden inside of each piece of wood," he said. "The wood and I have some lengthy negotiations as I am working with it to figure out what it wants to be."
at something like this. I may spend several days making one bowl from a challenging piece of wood. The money I make goes into the shop or buying more wood. With the money I made last year, I bought a larger lathe.” For more information about the artist, email rockyshoreshoreswoodworking@gmail.com or call 651-347-0781.
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Keep your blood pressure under control normal, putting both your heart and arteries under a greater strain. Unfortunately, high blood pressure can develop over many years with no noticeable symptoms. That’s why seeing your doctor for regular blood pressure checks is so important. Warning signs of high blood pressure can include BY KARIN HAUGRUD nosebleeds, racing or irregular heartbeat, headaches Columnist and dizziness. According to WebMD, if you are diagnosed with Many people don’t think about their blood pres- high blood pressure, it is extremely important that sure. Well, unless someone makes you mad or you get you follow your doctor’s treatment guidelines. This really upset about something. A confrontation with should include keeping your diet low in fat, reducing someone may cause a temporary rise in blood pres- your salt intake, stopping tobacco use and limiting sure, but having high blood pressure or hypertension your alcohol consumption. Regular exercise, keeping is actually very serious. your weight within normal bounds and learning to I found some interesting information from the manage the stress in your life are also important. American Heart Association about high blood pres“Having a healthy lifestyle really makes a differsure. They define blood pressure as the measurement ence in your life because you can avoid high blood that your doctor or nurse takes to determine your pressure,” said Dr. Mary Ann Bauman, an internist blood pressure is due to the recurrent pumping of at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. blood by the heart which creates a cyclic force of Excessive salt can make high blood pressure worse. blood against the blood vessels. It causes water retention, which makes your heart It is measured in two numbers, for example, work harder than it has to. The National High Blood 140/90. The first number (140) is systolic pressure, Pressure Education Program recommends no more or the pressure when the heart contracts and pumps than 2,400 mg per day. That is about one teaspoon of the blood through the body. The lower number (90) table salt. Most Americans consume 4,000 to 6,000 is diastolic pressure, the pressure between pumps, when your heart is at rest. Elevated blood pressure simply means your heart is working harder than
Boomers on the Move
milligrams of sodium a day. The Mayo Clinic reminds us how important it is to take steps to keep your blood pressure under control. The treatment goal is blood pressure below 140/90 and lower for people with other conditions, such as diabetes and kidney disease. Adopting healthy lifestyle habits is an effective first step in both preventing and controlling high blood pressure. If lifestyle changes alone are not effective in keeping your pressure controlled, it may be necessary to add blood pressure medications. High blood pressure is often silent, or without symptoms, until a major problem develops. That’s why it’s essential to see your primary care physician for checkups on a regular basis. These checkups could save your life! Your doctor can help you prevent high blood or treat it at an earlier stage when it’s easier to manage. This could significantly decrease the risk of stroke, heart attack and kidney failure. This article is made possible with Older Americans Act dollars from the Land of the Dancing Sky Area Agency on Aging. Call the Senior LinkAge® One Stop Shop at 800-333-2433 to speak with an information specialist, or check out our website at MinnesotaHelp. info. MinnesotaHelp.info is an online directory of services designed to help people in Minnesota find human services, information and referral, financial assistance, and other forms of help.
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A cataract forms when the clear crystalline lens of the eye becomes cloudy. The lens sits right behind the iris (the colored part of the eye) and helps us to focus. When the lens gets cloudy, vision gets hazy and blurry. Cataracts are a natural part of the aging process, so everyone will eventually develop cataracts if they live long enough. They usually start to show up around age 50, and surgery is most common between 65 and 75 years old. Factors that increase a person’s risk for early cataract development include sunlight (UV) exposure, smoking, diabetes, steroid use, and trauma.
In the past, the lens implant that is inserted into the eye in cataract surgery has been able to correct the majority of your nearsightedness or farsightedness, so patients are much less dependent on glasses following surgery. However, the traditional lens implants have not dealt with astigmatism or near vision, so many patients are still slightly blurry without glasses, and almost all need glasses for reading. This is no longer the case, with the advent of toric intraocular lenses (IOLs) and multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs). With this new technology, patients have the chance to be even less dependent on glasses for distance and near following cataract surgery. These new implants have been around for a number of years, but the technology has improved to the point where we are now comfortable recommending them for certain patients. We work with several surgeons who are using this technology to give our patients the best possible outcomes following cataract surgery. It all starts with an eye exam to evaluate your cataracts and determine if surgery is an option for you - give us a call today!
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Do pneumonia vaccines protect seniors from coronavirus? Dear Savvy Senior, Do currently offered vaccines against pneumonia provide seniors any protection against the coronavirus disease? I’ve always been bad about getting vaccinated, but this coronavirus pandemic is causing me to change my thinking. ~ Pro-Vax Patty Dear Patty, This is a great question. Because the coronavirus (COVID-19) attacks the lungs and respiratory system, many readers have asked whether the pneumonia vaccines, which are administered to millions of patients each year, might protect someone if they contract the coronavirus. But unfortunately, the answer is no. Vaccines against pneumonia, such as pneumococcal vaccine and Haemophilus influenza type B vaccine, do not provide protection against the new coronavirus. This virus is so new and different that it needs its own vaccine. Researchers are in the process of rapidly developing a vaccine against COVID-19, but it is expected to take at least a year before it’s ready. Having said that, you should also know that there are several other important vaccines the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all seniors should get up to date on after the coronavirus pandemic dies down. Here’s a rundown of what they are, when you should get them, and how they’re covered by Medicare. Flu vaccine: While annual flu shots are recommended each fall to everyone, they are very important for older adults to get because seniors have a much greater risk of developing dangerous flu complications. According to the CDC, last year up to 647,000 people were hospitalized and 61,200 died because of the flu – most of whom were age 65 and older. To improve your chances of escaping the seasonal flu, this September or October consider a vaccine specifically designed for people 65 and older. The Fluzone High Dose or FLUAD are the two options that provide extra protection beyond what a standard flu shot offers. And all flu shots are covered under Medicare Part B. Pneumococcal vaccine: As previously stated, this vaccine protects against pneumonia, which hospi-
talizes around 250,000 Americans and kills about 50,000 each year. It’s recommended that all seniors, 65 or older, get two separate vaccines – PCV13 (Prevnar 13) and PPSV23 (Pneumovax 23). Both vaccines, which are administered one year apart, protect against different strains of the bacteria to provide maximum protection. Medicare Part B covers both shots if they are taken at least a year apart. Shingles vaccine: Caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, shingles is a painful, blistering skin rash that affects more than 1 million Americans every year. All people over age 50 should get the new Shingrix vaccine, which is given in two doses, two to six months apart. Even if you’ve already had shingles, you should still get this vaccination because reoccurring cases are possible. The CDC also recommends that anyone previously vaccinated with Zostavax be revaccinated with Shingrix because it’s significantly more effective. All Medicare Part D prescription drug plans cover shingles vaccinations, but coverage amounts, and reimbursement rules vary depending on where the shot is given. Check your plan. Tdap vaccine: A one-time dose of the Tdap vac-
The Savvy Senior BY JIM MILLER Columnist cine, which covers tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough) is recommended to all adults. If you’ve already had a Tdap shot, you should get a tetanus-diphtheria (Td) booster shot every 10 years. All Medicare Part D prescription drug plans cover these vaccinations.
Other vaccinations
Depending on your health conditions, preferences, age and future travel schedule, the CDC offers a “What Vaccines Do You Need?” quiz at www2.CDC. gov/nip/adultimmsched to help you determine what additional vaccines may be appropriate for you. You should also talk to your doctor during your next visit about which vaccinations you should get. To locate a site that offers any of these vaccines, visit VaccineFinder.org and type in your location. Send your senior questions to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070 or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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Chop it up Everywhere on social media these days, I’m seeing posts from people musing about how much weight they’ll have gained by the time the world starts back up again. I never knew I could bake, and eat, so much bread in such a short period of time. If, like me, you’re looking for a way to hit the reset button on your diet before you’ve reached the point of no return, this Mediterranean Chopped Tuna Salad was created for healthy eating, even in these times. With the exception of an avocado, all of the ingredients for this salad are either canned, jarred or have a refrigeration shelf life of at least a week. This fresh spring salad is packed with nutrition and flavor, featuring low-fat proteins like canned albacore tuna and chickpeas, healthy fats like Kalamata olives and avocado, and a medley of fresh veggies, including bell pepper, cucumber and red onion. A chopped salad is simply a salad in which all of the ingredients are chopped, even the greens, if included. Italian flat-leaf parsley is the only green leaf in this dish, and instead of chopping it into fine pieces, I remove the leaves from the stems and loosely tear them into large pieces so that its fresh flavor really comes through in the salad. While often overlooked in favor of more robust herbs, parsley is actually a staple in Mediterranean cooking. Its wonderful neutral quality not only brings freshness to any dish, but also serves to elevate the other flavors. Italian parsley is a staple in our household and will keep well in the crisper drawer of our refrigerator for at least a week, often even longer. When chopping the salad ingredients, I cut the bell pepper, red onion and Kalamata olives around the same size as the chickpeas, while cutting the cucumber and avocado just a bit bigger. With its large chunks and mild flavor, albacore tuna is perfect for a chopped salad and requires no chopping at all. This salad is best enjoyed cold, so I’ll toss everything together and refrigerate it for at least one hour, reserving one-quarter of the dressing to moisten up the salad just before serving. My quick and easy Simple Vinaigrette is one of
This salad was created for healthy eating
my favorite go-to dressings and the perfect fit for the robust flavors in this salad. The liquid base is extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice, whisked together with a touch of Dijon mustard and minced garlic for a zesty, flavorful dressing that can be used on nearly any salad. The dressing can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to one week. Filled with flavor and nutrition, and needing only about 15 minutes of prep time, this simple Mediterranean Chopped Tuna Salad is a winner on every level. It’s perfect all on its own, but is also great over toast or greens, or as filling in a pita or sandwich (there’s that darn bread, again).
Mediterranean Chopped Tuna Salad Salad One 5-oz. can of solid white albacore tuna, drained 1 cup orange, red or yellow bell pepper, medium-diced 1 cup cucumber, sliced into half-moons 1/4-inch thick 1/2 cup red onion, medium-diced 1/2 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved 1 avocado, pitted and chopped 1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped 1 to 2 tsp. fresh lemon zest, optional Dressing 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1/4 tsp. black pepper
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Home with the Lost Italian BY SARAH & TONY NASELLO
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Prepare the dressing first so it has time to build flavor before being added to the salad. Place all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until fully emulsified, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust flavors and seasoning as desired; set aside. To assemble the salad, place all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl and pour 3/4 of the dressing over the salad and gently toss until combined. Refrigerate the salad and remaining dressing for at least 60 minutes before serving. Toss salad with the extra dressing just before serving. Salad is best enjoyed when served chilled. Perfect on its own, over lettuce greens, atop toast or in a sandwich. Serves two to four. Advance prep: ► The dressing can be made and refrigerated up to 1 week in advance. ► The salad can be fully assembled, with the exception of the avocado, and refrigerated up to 2 days before serving. Before serving, add the avocado and extra dressing. “Home with the Lost Italian” is a weekly column written by Sarah Nasello featuring recipes by her husband, Tony Nasello. The couple owned Sarello’s in Moorhead and lives in Fargo with their son, Giovanni. Readers can reach them at sarahnasello@gmail.com.
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Isolation because of COVID-19 adds to recently widowed mom’s grief Dear Carol: My dad died several months ago at age 74. Mom is 69. We’re grieving Dad’s loss, but everyone except Mom is also relieved that his suffering is over. I understand that Mom lost her long-time mate, but she knows how badly he suffered. Even before the isolation that we now have, she was depressed because she saw no future for herself and, of course, now it’s worse. I’ve asked her doctor about an antidepressant, but he said that medication won’t help her and may harm her. We all miss the physical contact that we had, but we’ve been spending a lot of time with her on FaceTime. I’m afraid, though, that all we talk about is the virus so I’m not sure we’re helping that much. What else can we do? ~ LP. Dear LP: I’m sorry about your dad’s death and your family’s grief. Our current situation obviously makes this exponentially harder for all of you. Your mom’s been responding like many who’ve lost a longtime partner, though we can hope that time will ease her pain enough so that she can again find some enjoyment in daily life. Sadly, our need to socially isolate is making her ability to find that meaning in life much harder. Understand that you are doing what you can under these difficult circumstances, but maybe there are options that can help you expand your horizons. Here are some ideas: ► Talk with your mom regularly about your dad and how much you miss him. Reminisce about good memories of life with him. That’s counterintuitive for many people because they are afraid to “open the wound.” However, most people who’ve lost a loved one want to talk about the person, and this is no different for older people who’ve lost a spouse. Prompt her to tell you stories about their life together, encouraging humor as well as love. ► Ask her questions about when they first started
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seeing each other. Ask her about her own childhood experiences. Keep her talking and feeling valued. ► Jointly create an official life story via any number of apps and programs. An online search using something like “senior life stories” will bring up many choices. Timeslips.org is one such vehicle. ► Remind your mom that you all need her. Knowing this can help motivate her to move forward in her grief so that she can continue to contribute to the family. ► Remain aware of special days and holidays as you move forward so that you can plan approaches that will help your whole family get through them. That could mean doing something special to honor your dad even if it’s online. ► Grief counseling is an option if she is willing.
Minding Our Elders CAROL BRADLEY BURSACK Columnist Again, this can be done remotely, if necessary. Your mom will probably grieve in some way the rest of her life, and unfortunately, there’s nothing that you can do to prevent it. Given this reality, your presence reminds her of your enduring love. This is true whether that presence is in person or online. Carol Bradley Bursack is a veteran caregiver and an established columnist. She is also a blogger, and the author of “Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories.” Bradley Bursack hosts a website supporting caregivers and elders at www. mindingourelders.com. She can be reached through the contact form on her website.
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Plant prescription A big Mylar balloon with a happy face might perk up a hospital room, but if you really want your loved ones to get well quicker, give them plants. Fascinating research shows that plants in hospital rooms not only look nice, but also help patients heal more rapidly. During recent training for the state’s Master Gardeners, North Dakota State University Extension Horticulturist Esther McGinnis shared research published in 2009 by the American Society for Horticultural Science in their journal, HortScience. The carefully controlled research study was conducted by S.H. Park and R.H. Mattson to see if plants had an effect on hospital patients. During the study, surgery patients were evaluated to determine the influence of plants and flowers within their hospital rooms. Eighty female patients recovering from thyroid surgery were randomly assigned to hospital rooms, with half of the rooms containing plants and half without. Data was collected for each patient, including length of hospitalization, use of pain relievers, vital signs and ratings of pain intensity, pain distress, anxiety, fatigue and satisfaction level. Patients in the hospital rooms with plants and flowers had significantly shorter hospital stays; required less pain medication; had lower ratings of pain, anxiety, and fatigue; and had more positive feelings and higher satisfaction about their hospital rooms when compared with patients in the control group, who had no plants in their rooms. The hospital rooms with plants contained a combination of 12 plants, including peace lily, golden pothos, palm, arrowhead vine, fern, variegated vinca, Phalaenopsis orchid and yellow star jasmine. The combination of plants used in each room was identical. Patients were not told of the study objectives or how to interact with the plants. The control rooms contained no plants.
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Flowers, greenery in hospital rooms help patients heal faster
vision as the most favorable aspect of their rooms. Reporting on the research’s findings, HortScience suggested, “Colorful, fresh-cut flowers and blooming or green plants could be a complementary medicine for patients. Indoor plants can provide a great opportunity for patients to experience nature in all seasons when outdoor scenery could not provide BY DON KINZLER this benefit. Furthermore, plants provide meaningful Columnist therapeutic contact, especially for patients spending much of their time indoors while recovering from Carefully recorded data provided evidence that painful surgery.” This research study, which was replicated again patients who viewed plants had significantly shorter hospitalizations than those of patients without with similar results on different patients recovering plants. Use of pain medication was markedly differ- from abdominal surgery, correlates with a famous ent for the plant group compared with the non-plant study published in 1984 in the journal “Science” by control, with patients exposed to plants requiring environmental psychologist Roger Ulrich. Ulrich used strict experimental controls and mealess frequent and weaker pain medication than the surable health outcomes to demonstrate that gazing control group. Intensity of pain was significantly lower for patients exposed to plants compared with at a garden from a patient’s hospital room can speed no plants by the third day after surgery. Fatigue and healing from surgery, infections and other ailments. Ulrich and his team reviewed the medical records anxiety were also lower for the plant group during of people recovering from gallbladder surgery at a the recovery periods. Patients in rooms containing plants also voiced a suburban Pennsylvania hospital. All other things more positive impression of the hospital staff from being equal, patients with bedside windows lookwhom they were receiving care. Patients reported ing out on leafy trees with a nicely landscaped view their rooms had a pleasant smell and were more healed faster, needed less pain medication and had satisfying, relaxing, comfortable, colorful, happy, fewer post-surgical complications than patients who calming and attractive compared with patients in instead viewed a brick wall out their window. the non-plant rooms. When asked, the majority of patients in the plant group indicated that plants Don Kinzler, a lifelong gardener, is the horticulturist with North were the most positive qualities of their rooms, while Dakota State University Extension for Cass County. Readers can patients in the control group reported watching tele- reach him at kinzlerd@casscountynd.gov or call 701-241-5707.
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Planning for the ‘what ifs’ associated with COVID-19 By Nancy Hall Honoring Choices of Park Rapids, Walker, and Surrounding Communities With our recent pandemic virus experience, we have come to see differently what it means to live with uncertainty. It’s a good time to consider advance care planning (ACP). ACP is a process that helps to consider, discuss and write down choices for future healthcare decisions. This process results in the completion of a healthcare directive. A healthcare directive is a written plan for loved ones and medical professionals to follow if you are unable to express your own healthcare decisions. Healthcare directives can also be called living wills, advance directives and/or power of attorney for healthcare (POA). The healthcare directive is only used if you are unable to make medical decisions for yourself. Completing a healthcare directive includes identifying a healthcare agent. This is a person you choose to make your treatment decisions when you are unable to do so. The healthcare directive offers that person guidance about your medical treatment preferences. It is also very important to talk with that person about what is important to you if you are seriously ill and unable to make your own medical treatment decisions. Now is a good time to complete a healthcare directive. If you already have one, it’s a good time to review it and be sure it still reflects your wishes. We know that COVID 19 can progress very quickly. Though it is difficult to think about, it is better to work through an ACP process before a medical crisis occurs. This allows time for you to consider what
is important to you. You can think about your values, beliefs and experiences. You can consider what “quality of life” means for you, what brings joy to your days. You can select a person you trust to advocate for your choices. You can discuss your thinking with that person. It also allows time to share your thoughts with the others who care about you. Your healthcare agent will need their support when acting on your wishes. We are lucky to have many resources in our community to assist you with this process. Your primary care provider or primary doctor is one important resource. There are also specially trained ACP facilitator volunteers who work with Honoring Choices of
Park Rapids, Walker, and Surrounding Communities. These people can assist you at no cost. They can answer your questions and, if you wish, help you with an ACP conversation by phone. Essentia and Sanford clinics have skilled ACP resources. Some local parish nurses are also trained ACP facilitators. To learn more about ACP in general and locate a healthcare directive form, see Honoring Choices MN (honoringchoices.com). To connect with local resources in Park Rapids, call 218-732-3137 (Living at Home) and in Walker call 218-547-1897 (Calvary Evangelical Free Church). These organizations are taking calls for Honoring Choices and will connect you with a local ACP contact.
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