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Health Ministries News
Beatitudes Center D.O.A.R.
(Developing Older Adult Resources)
Nurse and Health Ministries Network
Volume 9, Issue 3 Summer 2004
Newsletter of the:
Nurse & Health Ministries Network
Phone:
(602) 274-5022
Fax:
(602) 274-6793
Email: nmn@centerdoar.org
|
Note from the Director
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…Ecclesiastes 3:1 Rose Coulter has graced Nurse & Health Ministries Network with four wonderful years of service. Starting June 1, 2004 Rose ended her time with us as the Assistant Director and began a new position as a full-time parish nurse at Bellevue Heights Baptist Church in Sun City, AZ. We are sorry to see Rose go but we all wish her many blessings in her continued journey. With any ending there is a new beginning. We are pleased to welcome Julie Blake to a part-time position as administrative assistant for our program. Julie is a delightful young woman and we are grateful for the gifts she brings to us. The Advisory Council recently met to begin the process of creating a vision statement for the Nurse & Health Ministries Network. Pat Midkiff, RN, MSN our education coordinator does a great presentation about this process during the Basic Preparation program. A book by Aubrey Malphurs, “Developing a Vision for Ministry in the 21st Century” is one resource we are using. We are trying to pray and discern what God is calling us to over the next 5-10 years. When you open up to the Spirit it is always an exciting adventure! Blessings, Sandy Somers, RN, MS |
God’s Timing Rose Coulter, RN, Parish NurseBy the time you read this, most of you will know of my resignation at Center DOAR and Church of the Beatitudes. It is with mixed emotions that I have accepted a full time parish nurse position in Sun City and will begin the ministry there on June 1st. This happened very quickly and I am reminded of God’s plan and timing. In this time of transition, I am very mindful of how I am guided and directed by God and how at times I fail to be mindful of that simple, but powerful truth. I make my own plans for the day, month, and (what a joke) for the year. I get a real visual of God laughing at that whole process and time wasted. Can you imagine what would have happened if Noah had said, “Just give me a year Lord, I have to finish other projects and check my day timer.” I am so grateful for the last four years. Each of you has been an important part of my spiritual growth and learning. You have supported me professionally and personally and I cherish each of you and your ministries. Without the preparation I have been provided as assistant director of Nurse and Health Ministries Network at Center DOAR, and as parish nurse of Church of the Beatitudes, I would not have been ready for this next step. I am reminded we are all connected and one. I encourage each of you as you have encouraged me. I bless you in your journey as you have blessed me. I honor each of you as you have honored me. Wholistic blessings, Rose Coulter |
Information Overview
This section highlights some of the information we glean from parish nurses, health cabinets, healthcare institutions, community organizations, newsletters, conferences and periodicals. If you would like more information about any of these resources, please call us at (602) 274-5022.
Similarities in People Who Experienced Spontaneous Remission /Miraculous Recoveries
In the August 2004 issue of Spirituality & Health (p.13) Schlitz listed similarities among people who have experienced spontaneous remissions. She cited: a sense of self-sufficiency & an internal locus of control; giving more credence to appreciation of relationships, nature, meaning in life than treatments; a strong supportive relationship; religious conviction or belief including prayer; willingness to try sensible options and change treatment that doesn’t work; not denying their feelings.
Women Stay Healthy At Any Age
This is the title of a two-page pamphlet, one of the consumer materials you can download from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality at: http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthywom.htm. The pamphlet lists the screening tests women need and when.
Alzheimer’s Information
Iris R. Bell, MD, PhD, from the Program in Integrative Medicine, at the University of Arizona spoke on “Integrative Approaches to Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias” at a program sponsored by the U of A this spring. A few of the many points she made were that B vitamins, specifically folate, B6 & B12, may be useful to lower homocysteine and a good addition to conventional drugs for memory loss and stroke risk. She also warned that a dose of 10-25mg of B6 is reasonable, 50-100mg can actually cause a peripheral neuropathy. She also reminded us that symptoms of mild malnutrition can be similar to depression and dementia.
Oncology Resources
At the same U of A presentation as the above, one of the presenters mentioned a good oncology site from Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York: http://www.mskcc.org Another site they mentioned that lists many current clinical trials along with information for cancer patients and professionals is: http://www.oncolink.upenn.edu from the University of Pennsylvania. The National Cancer Institute has a phone number: 1-800-4-CANCER along with a Web site: www.cancer.gov for answers to questions, prevention tips, help with quitting smoking and other information.
Good Information on Children’s Health
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/ This is one of our Pediatrician’s favorite Web sites. It has a wealth of good information about health for infants and children.
CDC Growth Charts
The CDC provides access to interactive training modules and resources to help interpret growth charts, including BMI-for-age. Their Web site is: www.cdc.gov/growthcharts
Hot Flash Statistics
http://www.womenshealth.org/a/hot_flash.htm
reports the following information on their Web site
”Average age of onset -- 48
How many women and when:
Up to 85% will have them
30% have them within 3 years of menopause
50% within in one year of their menopause
20% will have them 4 years after menopause
Duration: Of a single flash -- 3.5 minutes average, with a range of 20
seconds to one hour
Of all a woman's flashes -- 2 to 3 years average
Average number of flashes per day - 3-4 on average Where -- more
than half start in the head and neck How bad:
50% -- describe them as barely noticeable
35% -- moderate flashes with sweating
15% -- interfere with activities/seek medical help”
New Guidelines for Water, Sodium & Potassium
The May 2004 issues of both the Harvard Health Letter and The University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter reported on the new guidelines from the Institute of Medicine for these nutrients. The general recommendation on water is to let your thirst be your guide. It is interesting that this is the approach of Chinese medicine which has been around for approximately 2500 years…nothing is new under the sun. The Harvard Health Letter does caution that the regulatory mechanism of thirst does not function as well with age and that older people do need to be more attentive. The new guidelines also include beverages and foods as sources of water intake.
The new sodium guidelines are 1500mg/day for 31-50 year olds, 1300mg/day for 51-70 year olds and 1200mg/day for those over 70. Daily maximum is 2300mg/day. The majority of Americans exceed this limit.
The new guidelines for potassium are 4700mg/day. Americans average 1000-2000mg/day. One cup of cooked spinach has 840mg of potassium. Potatoes, white beans, yogurt and halibut are other good food sources. The general advice for potassium is to increase intake.
Health Fair Resource
Cathedral Health Services supports community and faith-based organizations by providing tools and management/coordination services to host a health and wellness fair with access to over 70 health and wellness organizations. These organizations will provide their services and, in many cases, free screenings. If anyone would like more information about their community health screenings and health fair programs, please contact John or Robert at 602-254-7130.
Congregational/Community Events
(If you would like to announce events or support groups, please let us know and we will assist in spreading the word, as space allows.)
17th Annual Seeds of Success Symposium, “Improving Mental Health in a Diverse State” October 26-27, 2004, Tucson, AZ. For more information contact the Mental Health Association of Arizona at: 480) 994-4407 or (800) MHA-9277 or visit their Web site: www.mhaarizona.org
Eighteenth Annual Westberg Parish Nurse Symposium "Parish Nursing a Growing Garden of Ministries". September 29 - October 01, 2004, St. Louis, Missouri http://ipnrc.parishnurses.org/west2003.phtml
Upcoming Support Groups
Parish nurses, health cabinet members, social workers, clergy and people interested in health ministry have an opportunity to meet together to learn about community resources, receive continuing education, celebrate their ministry successes and share problems unique to promoting health and wellness in a congregational setting. N&HMN-sponsored peer support groups meet each month and you are welcome to attend any and all support groups.
East Valley – 2nd WednesdayJuly 14, 2004, 12:00-2:00pmLunch will be provided. 12:00-12:45pm Prayer, Lunch, & Informal Networking 12:45-1:15pm "Health Care Decisions and Outreach Program", Barbara Volk-Craft, Hospice of the Valley 1:15-1:30pm Round Table Sharing 1:30-2:00pm Tour of the facility Place: Oasis at Mesa Palms 1418 N. Country Club Dr. Mesa, AZ 85201 Directions: 60 to Country Club (turn north) or 202 to Country Club (turn south), north of Brown Rd., west side of the road, next to Mesa Country Club Contact: Sharon Harris, 480-464-2300 |
Central & West Valley –3rd WednesdayJuly 21, 2004, 12:00-1:30pmBring Your Brown Bag Lunch 12:00-12:30pm Prayer, Lunch, & Informal Networking 12:30-1:00pm "Personal Relocation Services", Mary Valentine A resource to assist people transitioning from their homes. 1:00-1:15pm Hospice Family Care, Joy Butler 1:15-1:30pm Closing Circle Place: American Lutheran Church of Sun City 17200 Del Webb Blvd. Sun City, AZ 85273 (North of Bell Rd., West of 99th Ave.) Contact: Pam Lenhart, Parish Nurse, (623) 974-2512 |
Reminder-
No support group meetings in August.
We will see you again in September.
October 20, 2004
"Enriching the Called"
Annual Parish Nurse & Health Ministries Conference. Beatitudes Center D.O.A.R.*
*Please call (602) 274-5022 to register, for more information or a brochure.
Help support us by registering with www.escrip.com. A percentage of purchases to Safeway and other stores will come back to Center D.O.A.R. – at no cost to you. Visit the website & enter our group number (396019) or our group name (must be exactly Beatitudes Center D O A R – (note the spaces between the initials). Follow the prompts. You will be asked to enter your Safeway courtesy card number. That’s it!