north Zone NEWS Zone Your HealtH Care in Your CommunitY 2014 SEPTEMBER THEy “BRoUgHT US All THESE lovEly QUilTS To HElP US stay wARM BECAUSE wE AlwAyS gET ColD wHEn wE HAvE DiAlySiS — Maggie Andersen wARM wiSHES Maggie Anderson gets some comforter comfort while being treated at the St. Paul Dialysis Unit. The Sunshine Quilters Club donated 30 quilts to patients at the unit after hearing about the difficult yet life-saving Casey Enriquez photo | treatment. PAGE 2 whErE hEroEs turn ChroniC illnEss for A hElPinG hAnd And mEntAl hEAlth They’re always on the scene in a crisis, but The links between long-term illness and mental often the situations they see are so dire that first health issues have long been known. But responders can have trouble with the emotional now, studies are finding chronic inflammatory backlash. That’s where the Heroes conditions can actually make Are Human tour can help. PAGE 3 changes in the brain. PAGE 6 It’s scary when your child is sick, but in most cases I am worried you don’t need to go to the emergency department. about my child If you’re unsure, we’re here to help Health Link Alberta: 1.866.408.5465 albertahealthservices.ca/options Emergency is here for you if you need it. Use it wisely. PAGE 2 l o C a l l e a d e r s DR. KEVIN WORRY North Zone executive leadership team member somE of thE AbCs of bEttEr ChoiCEs t’s back to school and back to daily routines for many families this month. That can also imean a return to hectic schedules. But there are a number of simple ways busy families can incorporate healthy practises into their everyday lives. Regular activity and eating smart doesn’t have to take up a lot of extra time, and can be used as fun family bonding time as well. Making small changes to tasks your family already takes part in can help make daily activities a family affair everyone enjoys. Members of the Sunshine Quilters Club, front, from left, Lorna Giggs, Ida Leroux, Carol Zarowny, organizing a walking “school bus,” where Vitaline Dubrule, Helena Ouellete, and Juliette Langevin display their handywork along with neighbourhood parents take turns walking kids registered nurse Casey Enriquez in St. Paul, back left, and Robert Duffy from the local Lion’s Club to school, can be a fun way to build a sense of community in the area where you live. Dialysis patients Riding your bikes rather than driving for QUilTERS SPREAD stay warm and cosy quick trips to the store or to your children’s during lifesaving various activities is also a good way to get some fresh air and have fun as a family. CoMfort AnD joy treatments And parents don’t have to sit on the Story by Lisa Peters | Photo by Tracy Delorme sidelines while the kids have all the fun. Mom atients in the St. Paul Dialysis Unit function is reduced. A patient’s blood is filtered and dad can add extra physical activity to their recently received cosy homemade quilts through a dialyzer and then returned to the days by walking around the rink or sports field Pfrom a group of local volunteers to help body. Typically, a treatment lasts for about four during the kids’ practice. keep them warm and comfortable throughout hours and is needed three times a week. Healthy meal and snack choices are also their treatment. “it’s sort of like a part-time job except there’s a must when fuelling active bodies and “Unbelievable – people are so great! it’s good no pay, and no holidays,” says Andersen of the minds. give kids a role in the planning and to see,” says patient Maggie Andersen of the treatments. “But it lets you live, so it’s worth preparation of meals, using Canada’s Food community members who put together the something.” Guide as a reference. go shopping together patchwork donations. The quilting project for local dialysis patients to pick out ingredients for future meals, paying “They brought us all these lovely quilts to first began at a retreat in november 2013, special attention to nutrition labels. help us stay warm because we always get cold where 21 people started working on the quilts. Doing some of the prep work, like washing when we have dialysis.” At the retreat, Casey Enriquez, a registered and cutting vegetables, the night before will The 68-year-old from nearby Man lake, who nurse with Alberta Health Services (AHS) gave speed things up during that busy after-school/ has been undergoing dialysis for the past four a presentation about dialysis and the life-saving work time, helping ensure your family doesn’t years, says she’s grateful for the gift. services it offers to patients. turn to less healthy choices for convenience. “They’re absolutely beautiful – i can’t believe Supplies were donated by the St. Paul and The same goes for snacks and lunches. someone would do so much work and then District lions Club, Boscombe Community Putting together several easy-to-grab snack- give them away.” Center and the Andokow group. sized fruit and veggie packs can keep your But it was a gift straight from the heart, says over the past 14 years, the Sunshine Quilters family going through the week. lorna Diggs, member of the St. Paul Sunshine have made and donated more than 500 quilts. Making healthier choices like these can Quilters Club that made the 30 quilts. “This is a really precious donation,” says reduce your risk of developing chronic “when we heard about the treatments that Enriquez. disease or illness, and make you feel better dialysis patients have to go through, we knew “The personalized quilts give our patients as a whole. Encouraging a balanced diet and donating quilts to them would be for a good comfort and we are thankful to everyone who active lifestyle at a young age, and leading by cause,” says Diggs. helped make this donation possible.” example, can go a long way toward creating “Making 30 quilts was quite the undertaking, for more information about dialysis services healthier kids, who then carry those good but it was worth it.” in St. Paul, visit www.albertahealthservices. eating habits with them into adulthood. n Dialysis is the process of cleansing the blood ca. for more information about the Sunshine of toxins and excess fluid when normal kidney Quilters Club, call Diggs at 780.645.8153. n What’s on your MedList? Your entire health care team needs a complete medication list: prescribed medications, inhalers, patches, ointments, eye drops, vitamins, supplements - even those gummy vitamins. Your MedList (and your child’s) helps your team provide the safest treatment: albertahealthservices.ca/medlist www.albertahealthservices.ca There are plenty of health care options available. Learn yours by visiting the AHS website. i n Y o u r z o n e PAGE 3 HElPing HERoES HElP THEMSELVES Working in the most dire situations can have severe, long-term effects on first responders who, perhaps because they are supposed to be ‘strong,’ may be reluctant to seek help. The people behind the Heroes are Human tour say that attitude must change, and they speak from first-hand experience Story by Kirsten Goruk | Photos by Kirsten Goruk and courtesy Vince Savoia irst responders keep the public safe, they come when they’re called, risk their lives fand often face scenes that would give anyone nightmares. So what happens when they’re the ones who need help? The fact is many emergency services and military personnel, RCMP and police, firefighters, correctional officers and others often feel uncomfortable or unwilling to ask for help with foR THREE yEARS i wAS conditions such living wiTH SyMPToMS as post-traumatic that i CoUlDn’T ExPlAin; stress disorder THingS SUCH AS noT (PTSD). “ That’s something SlEEPing, iRRitabiliTy, the Heroes Are yElling, hatred, AnxiETy Human tour, a new program offered AnD nigHT Sweats. through the Tema – Rodney Kocielny, pictured at right, a recently Conter Memorial retired RCMP officer who had post-traumatic Trust, aims to stress disorder following his investigation change. The tour, into the murders of four fellow officers sponsored in part in Mayerthorpe in 2005 by Alberta Health Services (AHS), visited grande Prairie in june to reach out to staff in AHS and other organizations. As vince Savoia, founder of the trust, explains, the idea for the tour began in 2013, when news came out about a number of suicides among emergency services organizations across the country. “i figured we needed to do something about this because what we were doing wasn’t enough,” Savoia says. “As it played out, six months later – Christmas 2013 – we heard of “i didn’t see it, but when i came back from can help yourself. Until you help yourself, you the numerous suicides in the military and that that, my wife saw a 180-degree change,” can’t help others.’ ” confirmed it for us,” he says. Koscielny says. “Eventually, in 2008, i recognized Carl Hall-gallus, a paramedic who works “That was the impetus, to get the message out the problem and sought help. casual out of grande Prairie’s EMS station as there that you’re not alone and that help is here.” “So for three years i was living with symptoms well as with western Air Rescue, says it was Savoia spoke at every tour stop, telling those that i couldn’t explain; things such as not good to hear about other people’s experiences in attendance that it’s oK to ask for help.