The Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group will meet on Monday, April 23, at 6:30 p.m. in Jefferson Community Health & Life’s Small Conference Room.

The program will be a video on Making Visits Valuable by Teepa Snow.

Easiest access will be by parking in the H Street parking and entering through the JCH&L Main Entrance. Follow the lobby signage to “Hospital.” The meeting rooms will be to the left. The Small Conference Room is the second door.

The Alzheimer’s Caregiver’s Support Group typically meets on the fourth Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Jefferson Community Health & Life. It is designed for those who are caregivers and family members of those who have Alzheimer’s Disease or other dementias.

The group is designed to provide an opportunity anyone interested to share their experiences with Alzheimer’s Disease. There is no cost, and no pre-registration.

For more information, contact Lana Likens at Jefferson Community Health & Life at 402-729-6855.

Public Health Solutions, Jefferson Community Health & Life and Ray’s Applemarket Partner

Learn to make the healthiest choices at a grocery store tour set for Friday, April 27, at 3 p.m. at Ray’s Applemarket, Fairbury. The tour is offered thanks to a partnership between Jefferson Community Health & Life, Public Health Solutions, and Ray’s Applemarket. Following the grocery store tour, a free taste testing will be open to the public from 4 p.m. until 5 p.m.

The grocery store tour is free, and registration is limited to 15. One participant will win a $25 gift certificate to Ray’s Applemarket. Please call Lana Likens at 402-729-6855 to register or for more information.

Nutrition is a major factor in living healthy lives. Jefferson Community Health & Life has a commitment to our community’s lifelong health.

Know Your Numbers by Getting a Complete Blood Profile for a Discounted Rate

Complete blood profiles will be offered by Jefferson Community Health & Life at a discounted rate weekday mornings April 16-20.

Blood profiles appointments will be offered each morning beginning at 6 a.m. at the outpatient clinic area at Jefferson Community Health Center, 2200 H St. The screening will be available by appointment only. A limited number of appointments will be available. Please make your appointment early! Fasting is required prior to the blood screening. Confidential reports will be mailed to participants.

The complete blood profile will cost $45 and includes:

• Comprehensive Metabolic Profile and Lipid Profile – This group of tests tells about heart, liver, kidney and sugar levels in the blood. The cholesterol is fractionated into low- and high-density levels, and gives the person’s coronary heart disease risk.
• T4 — Basic screen for thyroid function.
• Hemagram – This is a blood count telling the number of white blood cells and red blood cells. It also tells the hemoglobin level.

The PSA screening is not available with this screening.

The profile report includes explanations of each factor which may be considered higher or lower than normal. Anyone with concerns about their screening results is encouraged to schedule an appointment with their personal family physician to discuss the results.

Since this is not a physician-ordered exam, it is not covered by Medicare or other insurance, and results are not sent to a physician. Payment will be collected at time of service. Cash and checks will be accepted for payment.

This screening is private pay only. If you want a complete blood profile which would be covered under an insurance preventative care option, you must have a physician-ordered screening, separate from this event.

The $45 rate is a considerable savings to patients compared to the regular costs of this type of complete blood profile, said Lab Manager Dan Reikofski.

To make an appointment for the blood profile, call Jefferson Community Health & Life Outpatient Services at (402) 729-6851.

Gardenside, Cedarwood Remain Closed to Visitors

Influenza season has been a particularly hard one this year, and with spikes in the number of positive cases of influenza in our area for the last two weeks, Gardenside and Cedarwood remain closed to visitors.

“We know it is very difficult for family to be away from their loved ones for an extended period of time, but our closure has been to protect the often fragile health of our residents,” said Deb Sutton RN, administrator of JCH&L Gardenside. “Many long-term care facilities nationwide have experienced widespread influenza and deaths. We are fortunate that only two of our residents have had respiratory infections, and none have been diagnosed with influenza.”

Amber Brunow, infection preventionist at Jefferson Community Health & Life, said the number of positive cases in our community, as well as the nationwide status of influenza diagnoses are reviewed weekly. Influenza is considered widespread if we have three or more positive cases in our community. Near the end of February, we were down to three positive diagnoses of influenza in our community each week. But there was a spike in the first two weeks of March, with 7 positive tests the week of March 5 and 9 the week of March 19.

“We can see that influenza season isn’t over, and it is so important that we not cut corners when it comes to the safety our residents,” Brunow said.

She said Centers for Disease Control data show that our surrounding states are finally declining in influenza activity, which means our time of the incidence of influenza declining should be coming soon.

“We will remain closed to visitors until our physicians and infection prevention team feel the incidence of influenza in our communities has been reduced to a point that we are not putting our residents at risk,” Brunow said.

How can the community help? If you know you have been exposed to influenza, try to avoid

close contact with people, especially people who may have compromised immune systems (the very young, those over 65, those with chronic illnesses, those who are on immune-compromising treatments or medications, etc.) If you are feeling ill or have a fever, stay home. If you or a family member are diagnosed with influenza, it would be a courtesy to others you have been in close contact with to let them know you were diagnosed, so they know they were exposed. The CDC recommends every day preventative actions including covering coughs and sneezes, frequent handwashing, staying away from crowds, and staying home if you are ill. If you have not had an influenza vaccination, talk to your doctor.

It’s not too late to be vaccinated. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body to protect against influenza.

Sutton thanked everyone for their patience and understanding.

“All of our efforts are to keep your loved ones from getting influenza, which could have serious consequences including hospitalization and death for our nursing home residents. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we take precautionary measures to keep our residents healthy,” Sutton said.

Anyone interested in more information on influenza or the nationwide statistics can go to www.cdc.gov/flu