July Those Who Served our Country Honored at Memorial Day Service at Village Manor. Inside this Issue:

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1 July 2015 Those Who Served our Country Honored at Memorial Day Service at Village Manor Inside this Issue: A service provided by the Abilene VFW and American Legion was held on Memorial Day at Village Manor. The service recognized those who served our country and included an honor guard ceremony. A wreath was also placed at the flag pole in front of Village Manor. 2 Avoiding Heat-Related Illness At left: Members of Abilene VFW Post 3279 and American Legion address some residents of Village Manor prior to the honor guard ceremony at the Memorial Day recognition. 3 Calendar 4 Friend Passes, Birthdays/Welcomes, More 5 Digoxin Risk 5 Activity Photos 6 New Air Handler At right: Preparing for the honor guard ceremony in front of Village Manor. At left: Members of the Abilene VFW and American Legion perform the honor guard ceremony to honor our flag and those we have lost who have served our country. An affiliate of Memorial Health System At right: the patriotic wreath that was placed at the flag pole.

2 Page Village Vine - July 2015 Avoiding Heat-Related Illness by Andy Sutter, Village Manor Director of Nursing Heat-related illness and dehydration syndromes have always been concerns for coaches, athletes and their parents but anyone is susceptible to the effects. Heat-related illness and dehydration syndromes include heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The earlier the intervention, the better the odds of averting potential problems. The skin is the key to the body s ability to regulate its temperature (thermoregulation). Once the brain senses that there is an increase in temperature, it initiates thermoregulatory mechanisms. The skin is the main cooling organ. It maximizes heat loss by using radiation, convection, conduction and evaporation. Radiation heat is directly lost to the atmosphere. Convection heat loss is facilitated by moving air or water vapor. Conduction heat loss by direct contact with a cooler body. Evaporation heat is lost by turning liquid (sweat) into vapor (the skin s major heat loss mechanism). What can you do? Stay cool: work out in early morning or late evening, avoid the hottest times of the day, reduce the intensity and duration of your workout, take frequent rests and remove your headgear. The head has an ideal body-mass to surface-area-ratio to maximize heat loss. Stay hydrated: drink often and drink regularly. Do not rely on thirst, by the time you are feeling thirsty, there is already a significant fluid deficit. Drink more than just water. When you exert yourself, you lose electrolytes as well as fluid. Replacing the fluid alone (with just water) can lead to electrolyte imbalances. These imbalances can be life-threatening. Monitor your urine, it should be the consistency of lemonade, not apple juice. Stay healthy: eat and sleep well, maintain a well-balanced diet, replenish salt and rehydrate, avoid alcohol, soda, caffeine and other stimulants, gain or lose weight slowly-allowing your body time to acclimate to the change-sharp drops in weight after exertion can be an indicator of excessive fluid loss. Know the warning signs of heat related illness and dehydration syndromes. What to look for? Confusion cannot remember simple things, complete simple/routine tasks. Irritability a change in temperament. Belligerence easily frustrated, compounded by the confusion and irritability. Lightheadedness, incoordination, fatigue in excess of what would be anticipated, paradoxical chills goose bumps and shivering in the face of high environmental temperature (an ominous sign). If you or someone else is exhibiting these symptoms: stop the activity immediately, move to a cool (shaded) area, get some fluid (water, sports drink), contact a health professional. Village Manor residents are encouraged and assisted outside each day that the weather is good. We encourage them to stay in the shady areas and to take drinks with them if the temperature is over 90 degrees. They are checked on frequently and provided with sun screen as they desire. Village Manor is making plans for a float for this year s C.K.F.F. parade on Thursday, July 30. Shown at left is last year s first place winning float.

3 Village Vine - July 2015 Page 3 JULY Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat :30 Crafts 10:00 Library 3:00 Piano 9:30 Resident Council Meeting 12:00 NOON BBQ 3:00 Piano INDEPENDENCE DAY :30 Trivia & Such 9:30 Memorial Service 9:30 Trivia & Such 9:30 Memorial Service 3:00 w/ Karen 3:00 w/ Karen 3:00 w/karen 3:00 w/karen 9:30 Crafts & Such 2 9:30 Crafts & Such 3:00 Piano 3:00 What s for Dinner :00 w/karen Available Daily: games, books, cards, puzzles, movies, pool table, manicures, and more. 9:30 Crafts & Such 4:00 C.K.F.F. PARADE 3:00 Cinema 9:30 Coffee for All 3:00 Gift Cart 9:30 Coffee For All 3:00 Gift Cart 9:30 Coffee For All 3:00 Gift Cart 31 9:30 Coffee For All 3:00 Birthday Party 3 4 One-to-Ones Daily *Activities Subject to Change

4 Page 4 Village Vine - July 2015 Resident Birthdays Alice Barclay July 3 Chris Morton July 6 Eldon Noel July 10 Paul Brown July 20 Myrna Steinbrock July 22 Arbutus Brown July 24 Irene Meyer July 25 Faith Meyer July 27 Thank you to Auburn Pharmacy for providing the birthday cake Welcomes Eldon Noel Margaret Furbeck Norma Baker Discharges In Memory Irene Beames William Bill James Delores Bump Staff Birthdays Carolyn Lawrence Shelby Anariba Rhonda Keating Haley Nelson Tina Adee Charlotte Gentet Joseph Meier Micki Picking Deidra Needham Welcome to our Team! Leslye Mendez Tiffany Holley Sekoya Melton Carolyn Lawrence Michelle Puchella Susan Weberg Christine Enger July 8 July 8 July 9 July 15 July 18 July 23 July 23 July 27 July 30 Homemaker Homemaker Rick O Neal plays guitar and sings at the monthly birthday party. Friend at Village Manor Passes We are sad to say that long-time Village Manor resident dog AJ recently passed away. With a laid-back, easy-going personality, she was very easy to like. AJ would leisurely stroll around and greet residents and visitors alike. Amy Hoch Altwegg, Village Manor Executive Director says, AJ came to live at Village Manor around May We were doing some business recognition and had stopped into Abilene Animal Hospital. They said that they had heard that we were looking for a dog. AJ was a dumped dog...there were about six dogs dumped and one black lab was injured. When animal rescue went to pick them up, all the dogs ran except the injured lab and AJ-who laid right beside him. She was in the kennel and didn t bark at other dogs...she was very calm. I talked to the residents and they said yes. AJ was scheduled to be put down that day. The vet estimated her to be three or four years old when we got her. The residents and employees at Village Manor will miss you. Thank you for all of the smiles that you brought us. Rest in peace, AJ. FOURTH OF JULY CRAFTS WITH RESIDENTS

5 Village Vine - July 2015 Page 5 Large Study Shows: Digoxin Increases Risk of Early Death in Patients with Heart Problems Contributed by Jim Cram, Pharmacy Consultant for Village Manor There is conflicting evidence about whether digoxin, a drug that has been used worldwide for centuries to treat heart disease, might contribute to an increase in deaths in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) or congestive heart failure (CHF). Now, the largest review of all the evidence to date shows that it is associated with an increased risk of death in these patients, particularly in those being treated for AF. In a study published May 4, 2015 in the European Heart Journal, researchers from the J.W. Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of all studies published in peer-reviewed journals between that looked at the effects of digoxin on death from any cause in AF and CHF patients. They identified 19 relevant studies that included a total of 326,426 patients. They found that among patients who were treated with digoxin, there was an overall 21% increased risk of death from any cause compared to patients who were not receiving this treatment. When they looked at the group of AF patients and the group of CHF patients separately, digoxin was associated with a 29% and 14% increased risk of death from any cause respectively, when compared to patients not receiving the drug. Digoxin is extracted from the foxglove plant (digitalis) and it helps the heart beat more strongly and with a more regular rhythm. It is commonly used in patients with atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat) and also in patients with heart failure (congestive heart failure is when the heart s function as a pump is impaired). However, it can be difficult to use successfully as there is a narrow dose range at which it is effective and beyond which it can be dangerous. Regular blood tests are required to test the levels of digoxin in the blood and high levels have been correlated with an increased death rate in patients. Village Manor staff works very closely with physicians concerning medications that each resident takes. Monthly reviews of medications are completed by the nurses at Village Manor and reviewed by the physicians. Many medications require routine blood work which is done at Village Manor to monitor levels of the medication or possible adverse reactions that the medication may cause. Attempts to reduce or eliminate medication use is a priority at Village Manor in order that each resident will be taking the lowest level/amount or number of medications as possible. Source: Science Daily Photos from recent activities at Village Manor, including: fingernail painting by members of the Daughters of Isabella of St. Andrew s Catholic church and Knights of Columbus, hat making craft project, and the family barbeque.

6 Village Manor 705 N. Brady Abilene, KS an affiliate of Memorial Health System Page 6 Village Vine -July 2015 Out With the Old and In With the New Village Manor recently received a new air handler that was installed by Four Seasons Heating and Air of Abilene. The air handler system provides the building with fresh air and handles the exhaust air. It also provides heat and air conditioning and humidity control. As you can see in the pictures below, the two-ton air handler required a crane to get the unit off and onto the roof. The photo on the left shows the old air handler being removed from the roof and the photo on the right shows the new air handler going up.