Patients most often use medical equipment such as wheel-
chairs, walkers and shower chairs after a stay in the hospi-
tal. This equipment is vital and necessary in their journey
to a proper recovery. However, it is not always easy to
obtain, especially for low-income and uninsured patients.
For this reason, Shannon began accepting durable
medical equipment donations to assist patients and those
in need throughout the community. To date, more than
200 pieces donated have helped more than 100 patients.
Each and every donation is a blessing to patients and their
loved ones, but supplies are again running low.
Equipment donations are accepted year-round. Any
and all durable medical equipment is accepted including,
but not limited to, wheelchairs, walkers, shower chairs,
tub transfer benches and three-in-one chairs. Tub transfer
benches are the item with the most demand. Monetary
donations are also accepted and will assist in the purchase
of equipment on an as-needed basis.
The donated equipment will be available to anyone
in need in the community. Patients will need a therapist
recommendation to get the donated equipment.
To make an equipment donation, please call Paula
Coulter at
325-481-8555
. To make a monetary do-
nation, please call Suzi Reynolds at
325-657-8343
.
hannon Home Health earned a spot on the
HomeCare Elite 2013 list, which recognizes
the top 25 percent of home health agencies
nationwide based on performance measures
in quality of care, quality improvement and
consistency, patient experience (HHCAHPS),
process measure implementation, and financial
performance. This is the eighth consecutive year
for Shannon Home Health to receive the honor.
Additionally, the program earned a spot in the
top 500 agencies for the third time in eight years.
“The quality of care provided by ShannonHome
Health is evident by this award,” says GracieMunoz,
director of Shannon Home Health. “This award
acknowledges the compassion, caring and the high
level of clinical expertise that is required to bring
about the positive patient experience and outcomes
for our community. Patients, families and health
care professionals can be reassured that when they
select Shannon Home Health, they are getting the
best care possible in the comfort of their home.”
Agencies are ranked by an analysis of their
performance measures and outcomes. There are
more than 11,600 home health agencies nation-
wide. The list is compiled by DecisionHealth and
OCS, Inc., a provider of home care information,
from publicly available data from the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Home
Health Compare and the CMS Cost Reports.
Shannon Home Health has provided care to
area patients for more than 26 years. Services
provided include skilled nursing care, home
health aide services, physical therapy, occupa-
tional therapy, speech therapy and social worker
services. Registered nurses are available 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week for nonemergency care.
For more information about Shannon
Home Health services, call
325-659-7480
.
{
I was just diagnosed
with diabetes. Do I have to
give up sugar?
}
The quick answer:
Give up, no; cut back, yes.
People with diabetes can
eat the same foods as the
general population; how-
ever, portion control is key.
Of course, if you’d asked
{
I leak urine when I
laugh. Is that normal for a
woman to do?
}
It’s not normal, but it
is very common. At some
point in her life, about
1 out of every 3 women will
leak urine when she laughs,
sneezes, coughs, exercises
or moves in some way.
Doctors call this stress
incontinence. It happens
when pelvic floor muscles
(which support your blad-
der and urethra) become
weak or damaged, often be-
cause of pregnancy, child-
birth or changes caused by
menopause.
These weak pelv ic
{
Why is prenatal care
so important?
}
Expert prenatal care
is one of the best ways for
a mom-to-be and her baby
to have a healthy preg-
nancy. It should start as
soon as a woman thinks
she is pregnant.
Research shows that
women who have early and
regular prenatal care are
less likely to have babies
born too early.
That’s important be-
cause premature babies
can face a lifetime of
this question years ago,
you probably would have
gotten a different answer.
Scientists once thought
eating white sugar was the
only thing that drove up
blood glucose. It was often
recommended that people
with diabetes avoid sugar
all together.
Today, we know that
glucose levels are affected
by the total amount of car-
bohydrates you eat.
Carbohydrates, regard-
less of source (i.e., milk,
fruit, grains, concentrated
sweets) will turn into sugar
in your body. Therefore, it
is important to maintain
consistent carbohydrate
intake by watching the
portion sizes of these foods
at each meal. Rather than
reaching for that pint of ice
cream, limit your portion
to half a cup.
Remember that even a
small portion of a sugary
treat is likely to have a lot
of calories and little nutri-
tional value. That’s another
reason it should be enjoyed
only occasionally.
Most of the time, stick
to a healthy meal plan that
features vegetables, whole
grains, fruit, nonfat dairy
muscles may let urine es-
cape when something—
even a laugh you can’t hold
back—puts pressure on
your bladder.
Stress incontinence is
treatable. That’s why it’s
so important to tell your
doctor that you leak urine,
especially if it limits how
you live your life.
Chances are your doc-
tor will do a pelvic exam
and other tests to see ex-
actly what’s causing your
incontinence. Depending
on those triggers, he or
she may recommend treat-
ments such as:
L i f es t y l e changes .
Dropping extra pounds
(if you’re overweight) and
stopping smoking (if you
smoke) can help with blad-
der control.
Bladder training.
Timed
urination—emptying your
bladder every one to two
hours while you’re awake—
can help you have fewer
accidents.
Kegel exercises.
These
exercises tone pelvic floor
muscles. Your doctor can
tell you how to do them.
A pessary.
Your doctor
might insert this ring-
shaped device into your
vagina to help prevent
urine from leaking.
Surgery.
If conserva-
tive treatments don’t help,
surgery is an option that
can be discussed with your
doctor. Most women who
choose this option have a
very successful outcome.
complications from their
birth, including problems
with eyes, ears, breathing,
neurological development,
learning and behavior.
Prenatal visits can help
a doctor find—and treat—
harmful health conditions
that can affect a woman
and her baby, such as high
blood pressure or diabetes.
A doctor can also advise
the mom-to-be on ways
to stay healthy, such as
by exercising; eating well;
taking vitamins; and not
using tobacco, alcohol or
illegal drugs.
During the first prenatal
visit, a woman can expect
her doctor to:
●
●
Take a complete medi-
cal history.
●
●
Do a physical exam, in-
cluding a pelvic exam and
a Pap test.
●
●
Calculate her due date.
●
●
Check her blood pres-
sure, height and weight.
●
●
Take her blood and
urine for lab work.
●
●
Answer any of her
questions.
Expectant mothers typi-
cally see their doctors once
a month during the first six
months and more often as
their due date grows near.
Durable medical
equipment needed
8 straight!
Shannon Home Health earns
national award 8 years in a row
T A K E
£
Q U E S T I O N S
F O R T H E
E X P E R T S
Dawn Empey, RN, CDE,
diabetes educator
Elisa Brantly, MD,
urologist
products, fish and lean
meat. Your doctor or dia-
betes educator can help you
devise a plan that’s right
for you.
Jacob Ornelas, MD, OB-GYN
S
W I N T E R 2 0 1 4
H E A L T H B E A T
7
N E W S , V I E W S & T I P S
H E A L T H T A L K
