A Rural Health Development Publication

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FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK As 2013 comes to a close we reflect back on the many bless-ings that RHD and our managed facilities have been granted. It is truly a privilege to help our com-munities meet the needs of their patients and residents. We are very fortunate to have employees at the facilities and the RHD staff that are passionate and committed; two in-

gredients that make for a recipe of success.

Just as in life, we now need

to focus on 2014 and the work that is ahead. It will take every-one standing together as a team to meet the up-coming chal-lenges of the ever chang-ing health care system.

Best Regards,Ron Ross, President

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1JANUARY 2014

IN THIS ISSUE:Page 1• FromthePresident’sDesk

Page 2• SpotlightArticle• 9WaystoKeepyourBrain

Sharp

Page 3• NoiseandDementia• AdministratorinGenoa

Page 4• WinterWordSearch

Find Us Online

From Your Community:According to several different surveys and sources in North America and Western Europe, the fol-lowing ten foods are generally considered to be the most healthy.

GMF remembers Pearl Harbor and honors their Veterans

This holiday season Genoa Medi-cal Facilities took time to reflect and thank the Veterans from the community and that reside in the facility. December 7th was the 72nd anniversary of the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Genoa Medical Facilities honored two World War II veterans for their service and sacrifices. Donna Weller is a resident of the Genoa Medical Facilities Long Term Care. At the age of 18 she joined the Kansas

Civil Air Patrol. Donna became an accomplished pilot and was trained to defend our home front

during World War II. She served from 1943 till 1946. Some of the favorite stories that Donna likes to recall when she had to fly upside down during missions. Valerian Pacozosa was drafted into the Army in 1942 and served in the 921st Field Artillery Battalion. Valerian was trained for over two years before being stationed over-seas. Valerian’s duty was to “Soften up” the battle ground areas for the infantry. He was responsible to compute the distances between their primary weapon, the 105mm How-itzer and their targets. Val recalls

that he would often calculate the trajectories several times to ensure that the information was correct. Val recalls that the proudest memories of the war are that he was commended for outstanding perfor-mance of duties against the enemy. He proudly states that he never made a mistake as a computer. In fact, his commendations state that he would often check the other com-puters, sometimes catching errors that might have resulted in artillery fired endangering friendly troops. These and other veterans from the community and the facility were honored in a celebration at the facil-ity.

From Your Community

Sutton Community Home, Inc. and Hillcrest View Assisted Living are non-profit corporations governed by a Board of Directors.

Sutton Community Home opened its doors in 1964 for the purpose of operating a home for the residents of the area. The facility is licensed to accept Medicare, Medicaid and Private Pay for residential and intermediate nursing care.

We are licensed for 31 individuals in our facility; the perfect size for quality, indi-vidualized care. Hillcrest View Assisted Living was opened for occupancy in 2002. It was built to meet the individual needs of each resident living within the facility, provid-ing a pleasing and comfortable, home-like environment and a wide range of services and activities while maintaining each resi-dent’s independence and ability for self-

care. We are licensed for 20 individuals within our facility and accept Medicaid Waiver clients.

Sutton Community Home hosted an Open House on November 14th to showcase new floors, a new activity area, freshly painted resident rooms, and an introduction the Rehab to Home Room. Community members were taken on guided tours through the facility by Tonya Perrien, DON, Nax Ruiz, SSD, and Hannah Elliott, ADM. The tours began with a bounty of hot food in the dining room and progressed through the facility ending with cake and dessert by the therapy room. Community members joined residents in the dining room after the tours concluded for fellowship and the chance to enjoy the kitchen’s scrumptious treats.

Sutton Community Home1106 N. Sauders Sutton, NE 68979

RHD Spotlight: Sutton Community Home& Hillcrest View Assisted Living

Read:Reading benefits your mind and memory in ways that watching TV doesn’t. The Mayo Clinic Study of Aging found that reading books (in addition to other cog-nitive activities) can lead to a 50 percent decrease in your chances of developing dementia. Try to open a book for at least half an hour every day. If you find it dif-ficult to read for long periods of time, spread it out over the day or read short stories.

Go Back-to-school:If you live near a college, university, com-munity college or adult education center, see what your options are for taking classes. Sitting in a classroom and listen-ing and observing can be a fantastic way to learn and test your mind -- and make you feel young again! Many colleges even offer scholarships, tuition waivers or dis-counts for seniors.

Play Games and Puzzles:The mind-benders you play with your kids or grandkids aren’t just entertaining -- they are good for your brain. Accord-ing to a study in the Archives of Neu-rology, playing games can help prevent Alzheimer’s. Even a few minutes a day can improve your creativity, memory and decision-making abilities. So pull out an old jigsaw puzzle or open up a magazine or newspaper and try the crossword puz-zle or a Sudoku. If you’re with friends or family, do some card or board games together as a group. Even strategy-based video games can have a beneficial effect on your brain.

Pick up an Instrument:Whether you have fond memories of those piano lessons you took as a child, or you’ve never even seen a sheet of music, now is a great time to sign up for music lessons. Recent studies show that after only four months of playing an in-

strument an hour a week, seniors experi-enced improvements in the areas of the brain that control hearing, memory and hand movement. So tune your brain and look into private or group adult music classes through community programs, conservatories with extension programs or even music stores.

Write:Put down the keyboard and pick up a pencil. A study from the Journal of Cog-nitive Neuroscience shows that hand-writing helps stimulate the areas of the brain that deal with thinking, language and memory. Write about memories you have, what’s going on around you, something you saw recently or just let your creative juices flow and make up a story.

Continued on page 4...

9 Ways to Keep an Aging Brain Smart

By Roz PhillipsA person with dementia may be more sensitive to noise. Noise affects people differently from a mild response or catastrophic re-action. Some may have a thresh-old of a few minutes and others may become overwhelmed after an hour.

Each person’s coping style to noise is different. Their individ-ual coping style and personal tol-erance to noise will impact how noise will affect the resident. The person may not be able to tell you how the noise is affecting them. Noise can be frustrating, confus-ing, scary, and can physically hurt. Examples of noise: fire alarms, overhead paging, pagers, etc. Common behaviors with noise include yelling, crying, moan-ing, mumbling, pacing, repetitive behaviors and words, increased pacing, attempts to leave, etc.Noise studies should be conduct-ed yearly as part of the Quality Assurance Program. This study will clearly indicate what chang-es need to be made. Staff often times, become desensitized to noise because they hear it on a day to day basis.

Providing a soothing, calm and quiet environment may help to decrease medications and use of restraints. Some tips to provid-ing this soothing environment include:

• Eliminateoverheadpub-lic address systems.

• Avoid playing musicthroughout the facility.

• Minimize noise fromnecessary institutional support systems such as icemakers, carts, pill-crushers.

• Enforce policies regard-ing care giving staff talking loudly to each other.

• Regulate the amount of noise generated by group ac-tivities; close the doors if neces-sary.

• Utilize sound absorbingmaterialsinpublicareas.

• Use pleasant sounds ascues(birdsongasresidentsarearising or singing show tunes or hymnsbeforemeals).

• Playpleasant,softmusicduring meal time.

RozannePhillips,R.N.

NursingConsultant

Noise and Dementia

Genoa Medical Facilities is pleased to announce Austin Gillard as our new Administrator. Austin was most recently an Administrative Fellow at Pratt Regional Medical Center (PRMC), located in Pratt, Kansas. PRMC consists of a 69-bed hospital, two specialty and four rural health clinics, and a 51 bed nursing home. Austin has also proven his excellence in business development, physician recruiting, and healthcare consulting in past positions. Austin received an Executive Master of Healthcare Administration degree from the University of Missouri and a Business Management and Leader-ship degree from the University of Kansas. In his spare time, Austin enjoys spending time with family, vol-unteering, community activities, flying airplanes, and playing acoustic guitar. Austin will assume his new role on January 2, 2014. Please join us in welcoming Austin and his wife, Michelle to Genoa Medical Facilities and the Genoa Commu-nity.

Genoa MedicalFacilities WelcomesNew AdministratorAustinGillard

1919 S. 40th St., Suite 206Lincoln, NE 68506

RHD STAFF:President:RonRossVice President & Regional Manager:MattRossDirector of Reimbursement:JanetLyttonOffice Management Consultant:JoFullerNursing Consultants:SueBooe&RozPhillipsOffice Manager:MargaretMessersmithMarketing Director:EmilyPlagemanSpecial Projects:MikeHarrisRegional Manager:WaltDyeGraphic Designer / Marketing Assistant:ToryMoghadamAccountant:AnnaMcClain

Administrators:MaryGrossJoFullerLaurieLiermanJaniceEdwardsAmyGrubeVirginiaClarkeVickyHendricksStephanieHuffmanSandraPalmerAustinGillardAnnieAllenMaryKentMelissaLarsonHeatherEagleStephanieHahnDonnaSchellenbergerLyddiaGetaweruVailOlesonLucasKaupHannahElliottLisaKisingerShaneFilipiBarbDreyer

Winter Word Search

Sleep:It’s a myth that you need less sleep as you age. When you sleep, your brain has a chance to relax and process everything you did and learned that day. But a study in the Journal of Neuroscience says that as you get older, your brain has difficulty forming these short term memories dur-ing sleep. To help prevent this memory loss, you need to sleep -- and sleep well -- for at least seven or eight hours a night. See a doctor if you’re having trouble drifting off, as it may be due to health problems, anxiety or even your medica-tion. Or you may just need to change up your sleep routine with some easy tips.

Exercise:You know you’re supposed to exercise. There’s no getting around it. But did you know that it’s not only good for your body -- it’s also good for your brain? Re-

searchers from the University of Arizona have found that aerobic exercise can help combat the effects of an aging on your brain. Physical exercise helps blood flow to your brain, and can reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes, along with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Whether it’s walking, yard work or yoga, do 30 minutes of moderate physical activity ev-ery day.

EatHealthfully:Scientists have determined that the brain needs the right balance of nutrients to operate well. Numerous studies have proven that a high intake of fats and cho-lesterol is associated with higher risk for Alzheimer’s. Stay away from fried foods and eat more dark fruits and vegetables, fish, lean proteins and nuts. Start with these 18 Quick and Easy Meals for Se-niors.

Socialize:Gathering with a group of friends on a regular basis is not only fun, but also it can help your brain stay sharp. Research published in the May 2012 journal of Experimental Gerontology shows that social relationships can heal aging brains and keep them young. So host a weekly lunch for friends, volunteer at a near-by charity or join local activity groups through your community center or on-line sites like Meetup. And if you need even more encouragement, people who sustain close friendships and continue to socialize live longer than people who become isolated, says the Yale Medical Center.

http://www.care.com/senior-care-9-ways-to-keep-an-aging-brain-smart-p1017-q18792393.html

9 Ways to Keep an Aging Brain Smart Continued:

APPETIZERSBABIESBALLOONSBANNERSBUFFETCELEBRATECHAMPAGNECONFETTIDANCE

DAY ONE DECORATIONSEND OF DECEMBEREVENTSFAMILYFATHER TIMEFEASTFESTIVITIESFIREWORKS

FIRST OF JANUARY

FRIENDS

HATS

HOLIDAY

HORNS

KISS

MIDNIGHT

MUSIC

NEW YEARS DAY

NEW YEARS EVE

NOISEMAKERS

OCCASION

PARADES

PARTY

PUNCH

RESOLUTIONS

SINGING

STREAMERS

THIRTY FIRST

TIARAS

WINE

YEAR IN REVIEW http://www.puzzles.ca/wordsearch/happy_new_year.html