From the Administrator’s DeskSummer iS officially here and we love the nice weather. The residents have been busy planting flowers in their new courtyard planters and even enjoyed a nice day fishing at the Dakota Nature Park in Brookings. We have many fun things planned for the residents in the upcoming months and we are so blessed to have such a wonderful group of volunteers to assist us.

Our facility just mailed out the Resident/Family Satisfaction Surveys and we will be eagerly anticipating the results in late July. I appreciate your comments on those surveys and we hope that you take the time to fill them out. I will be reporting the results in our next newsletter. I hope that everyone has a wonderful summer and we look forward to seeing you in the facility.

Jason Hanssen, LNHA

NeighborhoodN E W SSummer 2014

The Neighborhoods at Brookview

The Summer monThS are sure off to a busy start here at The Neighborhoods. We hosted a Mother/Friend Brunch and were thrilled to have served close to 100 ladies with each female resident receiving a Gerber daisy to plant in The Neighborhood gardens. Thursdays have become our “outing day;” we have gone to KFC, Perkins, and Prairie Lanes. Each time eating out has been well attended; we have two bus loads of residents taking part. On June 10 we took 17 residents fishing to the Dakota Nature Park here in town; great fun was had by all. We didn’t catch many fish, but the laughs, smiles and good pizza was well worth it. On June 16 we had a Father/Friend BBQ cookout with Jason, our administrator, grilling hotdogs

Activities UpdateAmanda Uecker, CTRSActivity Director

and hamburgers for all the men that attended. We had a good turnout for this as well with having served about 50 men. Outings coming yet include a trip to the Valley Café in Volga, the Watertown Zoo on July 10, the SDSU Ag Museum and Dairy Bar, and other local establishments to dine at. The residents sure love going out on the town.

We continue to look for volunteers to assist us in a wide variety of activities, from BINGO assistance to one on one time with residents to coming along on outings to eat, the zoo, etc. If interested in volunteering, please contact our human resources department to get signed up.

brookingshealth.org2

Happy First Birthday to The Neighborhoods at Brookview!

3summer 2014

Team Isaac to Raise Money for SIDS Awareness

The firST annual Team iSaac golf tournament will be held Saturday, July 26 at the Meadow Creek Golf Course in Volga. Registration starts at 1 p.m., golf at 2 p.m.. Proceeds will benefit the Team Isaac “Safe to Sleep Gift Pack” project.

In 2008, Amber and Jason Hemmestad of Volga lost their 7½ month-old son Isaac Scot to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).They later co-founded Team Isaac, a local organization working to raise awareness of infant loss and to promote safe-sleep education.

With funds raised at this event, Team Isaac gift packs will be provided to the family of every baby born at Brookings Health System. Each pack will contain a HALO SleepSack swaddle, a Charlie’s Kids Sleep Baby Safe and Snug board book and other information about the risk of SIDS.

HALO SleepSacks replace loose blankets in the crib that can cover a baby’s face and interfere with breathing. It’s a warm, cuddly blanket the baby can’t kick off, helping to ensure they sleep soundly throughout the night.

The event is limited to the first 20 teams registered. Those interested in participating in the 4 person scramble should call Meadow Creak Golf course 605-627-5444. The registration fee, which includes a meal, is $50 per person or $200 per team. Prizes will be awarded and all skill levels are welcome.

Individuals who wish to support the event, but are not able to golf may donate on-line at www.brookingshealth.org/foundation. More information about Team Isaac can be found on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/TeamIsaacScot.

Brookings Health System Foundation to Hold 5th Annual Aiming to Inspire Health FundraiserBrookingS healTh SySTem foundaTion will hold the fifth annual Aiming to Inspire Health sporting clays fundraiser on Thursday, Aug. 14 from 2 to 8 p.m. at Medary Creek Hunt Club, rural Aurora, S.D., presented by First Bank & Trust.

Proceeds from the 2014 event will help fund a new Type III ambulance at Brookings Health System. The ambulance will replace an older Type III vehicle as part of a fleet of five offering the only Advanced Life Support (ALS) service in Brookings County. It will be built and stocked as an ALS unit and will be the primary 911 response unit.

According to Foundation Development Officer Barb Anderson, Aiming to Inspire Health proceeds will help purchase the new ambulance.

“Brookings Health System and its ambulance department is 100% self-supported,” said Anderson. “In other towns, the ambulance system is often operated and maintained by the city and new ambulances are often paid for through tax revenue. We don’t do that in Brookings, so the Foundation is reaching out to the community for support of a new ambulance.”

Volga, Bruce and Aurora each have a city-funded volunteer fire department with first responders and no ambulance. Brookings Health System’s ambulance responds to 911 calls in these communities. In addition, the ambulance often receives requests to assist from the city-funded, volunteer Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance services based in White, Arlington and Elkton.

Families, businesses, youths and adults are encouraged to participate at the event. Registration is limited to the first 112 shooters and includes a meal and ammunition. Shooters will be grouped in teams of four at the event. All paid registrations received by July 28 are eligible to win an early bird prize.

Over $1500 in prizes, including a facility wide family membership at the Outdoor Adventure Center valued at over $500 will be awarded. Prize categories are top scoring team, top youth individual, top adult individual plus drawings for ghost clay shooters and early bird registrants.

To sponsor the event or to register to participate in the event, contact Anderson at (605) 696-8855 or foundation@brookingshealth.org. A registration form is available online at www.brookingshealth.org/foundation.

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Aegis TherapiesNew Therapy Provider: Aegis Therapies

aegiS TherapieS Began providing services for The Neighborhoods at Brookview in March 2014. Aegis Therapies draws on decades of experience providing physical, occupational and speech language therapies to deliver clinical excellence and exceptional value to our customers and patients. Please welcome Shawn Even, OTR/L, Director of Rehab; Jordan Bartling, COTA; Karen Skogstad, RPT; Amanda Sinkular, PTA; and Amy Stoel, ST.

geriaTric enhanced modaliTieS (gem) Based on years of experience in hundreds of facilities, GEM provides electrotherapy modalities via therapy protocols designed specifically for health conditions common to seniors. We have clinicians specially trained to administer and manage the therapy.

core clinical programS Aegis Therapies provides fundamental core clinical programs that move outside traditional models and systems, and address the needs of patients in skilled nursing. Among the programs we offer are the following:

Balance management—helps reduce the risk of a serious or debilitating fall and helps patients gain confidence and a greater sense of independence. complex disease management—identifies subtle declines in patients with multiple, complex diseases so effective treatment interventions can be developed. dementia management—focuses on patients’ strengths to allow the patient to function at his or her best ability. pain management—provides techniques to help manage pain, such as manual therapy, electrical stimulation, diathermy and ultrasound.

Benefits include:• Reduced pain • Decreased edema • Increased circulation

• Stronger muscles and greater joint flexibility • Faster recovery and improved wound healing

Jerry Ellingson

Transitions

Navigating the transition from hospital

discharge to other care settings can be

challenging, especially for Medicare

patients. As part of a national effort to

reduce readmissions, the Centers for

Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

provided funding to support the

formation of care transitions

coalitions in every state.

coalition co-chair. The coalition concentrates on gaps that are unique to our community. “By identifying opportunities for improvement and implementing changes the coalition is able to positively impact the patient’s transition from one health care setting to another,” Fraser said.

Several sub-committees have been established to increase focus on priority areas. The clinic sub-

appointments are also scheduled for patients prior to discharge. Several days after the patient returns home, a care transitions nurse telephones them to check in and answer any questions.

“The discharge call allows continued guidance and support after discharge,” said Care Transitions Nurse Linda Gilbertson. “It provides a point-of-contact which helps to build a patient’s confidence in managing their health at home.”

Often a patient’s medications may change after a hospital stay. The medication reconciliation sub-committee is working to improve medication teaching at discharge and communication of medications to clinic providers after hospitalization. At discharge, a pharmacist meets with each patient to review the discharge medication list and ensure

in SouTh dakoTa, funding was provided to Yankton, Aberdeen, Sioux Falls, and Rapid City. Seeing the potential benefit for their communities, Brookings and Pierre volunteered to participate in the effort to improve care transitions as well. The work of these coalitions is facilitated by the South Dakota Foundation for Medical Care.

Brookings Health System is one of a dozen facilities in Brookings and the surrounding area that participates in the Brookings Community Care Transition Coalition. The Brookings coalition, formed in November 2012, has approximately 24 members that participate in on-going coalition efforts. Members work together to improve transitions of care between different health care settings including hospital, home health, nursing home, assisted living, and clinic. The overall goal of the care transitions coalition is to reduce unnecessary readmissions to the hospital.

WorksCommunity Works Together to ImproveTransitions of Care

““Working closely with area health care facilities allows us to extend patient care past the point of discharge.

“Working closely with area health care facilities allows us to extend patient care past the point of discharge,” said Tammy Fraser,

committee is working on transitions between hospital discharge and the clinic follow-up appointment. Interventions to enhance the discharge process at the hospital have been implemented to ensure patients have a solid understanding of their discharge instructions and medications before they return home. Clinic follow-up

understanding of the medications prescribed. The discharge medication list is also provided to the patient’s clinic doctor so the most current information is available to the provider at the follow-up appointment.

If you are interested in working to improve transitions of care in Brookings, contact Tammy Fraser at (605) 696-7734 for more information on becoming a coalition member.

-Tammy Fraser

summer 20145

brookingshealth.org6

The Neighborhoods at Brookview Goes Fishing!

BIGTreating Parkinson’s in a BIG WayBrookings Health System’s rehabilitative services department now offers LSVT BIG™ therapy, a revolutionary program that empowers

people with Parkinson’s disease to move better.

phySical TherapiST karla hanSon, Occupational Therapist Terri Sellers and Occupational Therapy Assistant Laura Crooks have been certified to administer LSVT BIG therapy techniques. It is a research-based exercise approach in which therapists work with Parkinson’s patients in an intensive, whole body amplitude-based training.

“The emphasis is to have a Parkinson’s patient make bigger movements during his or her exercise routine and every day activities,” said Sellers.

“While it may feel odd at first, the bigger movements teach the patient’s brain the amount of effort required to produce normal movements.”

Research has documented improved ratings on tests of motor functioning for Parkinson’s disease patients following treatment, including faster walking with bigger steps, improved balance and increased trunk rotation. These changes can help improve self-care abilities, such as dressing, showering and grooming as well as improve leisure activities.

“Research indicates patients with Parkinson’s should not wait until they begin to experience disability, impaired functioning or loss of balance to start the program,” said Hanson.

Treatment consists of 16 one-hour sessions, four consecutive days a week for four weeks. Patients will also have daily homework practice and daily carryover exercises.

For more information on how you or a loved one may benefit from Parkinson’s therapy or any other rehab service, please visit www.brookingshealth.org/therapy or call (605) 696-8821.

Watch The Neighborhoods at Brookview on YouTubeare you or Someone you know interested in becoming a member of the community at The Neighborhoods at Brookview? Perhaps as a volunteer or resident? If so, then take a moment to view our videos. Scan the QR code with your smart phone or tablet or visit us at www.brookingshealth.org/Neighborhoods and get a glimpse of our facility and the care we provide.

summer 20147

In MemoriamWe extend our condolences to the families and friends of the following individuals who have passed away at The Neighborhoods at Brookview over the past three months:

It was an honor to know and serve each of them and their families.

• Norma Basmajian

• Arpinee Berberian

• Boyd Bruse

• George Chell

• Edna Gums

• Robert Langer

• Raymond “Bud” LaRoche

• Christopher Moller

• Dale Nelson

• Milo Potas

• Carol Roach

• Mary Ann Schultz

This is arecyclable product.

Neighborhood News is published by Brookings Health System. This publication in no way seeks to serve as substitute for professional medical care. Consult your physician before undertaking any form of medical treatment or adopting any exercise program or dietary guidelines.

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• Shirley Schnell

• Dolores Stedman

• Verna Sturdevant

• Norbert Syrstad

• John Unruh