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CALGARY Zone NEWS Zone Your HealtH Care in Your CommunitY 2016 january “IT’s comforTIng To Have sage sIT on my lap anD be surrounDeD by all HIs Toys wHIle He’s geTTIng TreaTmenT – Calgary mom Hilary Daum easy care calgary oncology nurse shelaine semmens gives sage amor, age three, a chemotherapy treatment in the comfort of his own home as mom Hilary Daum holds him close. The service is part of a pilot project called Janet Mezzarobba photo | Hospital at Home. PAGE 3 insPirEd tEchnoloGy wE lovE thE niGhtlifE hElPs PrEEmiEs – All Across AlbErtA researchers at foothills medical centre have what to do on a long winter’s night? get outside, that’s developed a state-of-the-art device that allows what! There’s no better way to kick off those new newly-born premature babies to get critical medical year’s resolutions than by getting active when the stars attention while remaining connected to are out. Here are our suggestions for their umbilical cords. PAGE 4 some great winter workouts. PAGE 6 START HEALTHY. STAY HEALTHY. Influenza has arrived in Alberta. If you haven’t been immunized yet this season, you and your loved ones are at risk. The good news? It’s not too late. Influenza immunization is still available, free of charge. Start your year healthy, and stay that way. GET IMMUNIZED. WHY CHANCE IT? #whychanceit? www.ahs.ca/influenza | Call Health Link 811 File Name: AHS_ZoneNews_StartHealthy4C_10x3_Dec1 Publication: Zone News 202, 12225 – 105 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5N 0Y3 Campaign: AHS Influenza Immunization campaign fall 2015 P: 780-702-9888 WWW.KICKMEDIA.CA Date completed: Nov 30, 2015 Format: PDF Size: 10" x 3" Pages: 1 Publication deadline: Dec 1, 2015 Colour: Color Application: InDesign CC Print ready: Yes Run date: December 2015 Bleed: None Draft: 1 PAGE 2 l o C a l l e a d e r s Donna Sharman, who after her stroke spent time recovering in Room 1033 of the Foothills Hospital stroke unit, now regularly visits patients on the unit as a volunteer peer supporter. DR. fRancois belangeR bRenDa HUbanD calgary Zone executive leadership team sTroke paTIenT rEsolvinG graTeful to bE hEAlthy for ‘mIracle’ or many, the holiday season is a time of celebration with families and ffriends – it’s also a time when many of researcH make new year’s resolutions related to AHS provincial strategy integrates personal health and wellness. There’s no doubt eating healthy food and research, innovation in health system exercising lowers your risk for heart attack, Story and photo by Greg Harris | diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer, among other conditions. o one has to tell Donna sharman how “The five priorities and 13 actions we’ve However, starting a resolution and important it is to have a health care developed will help us create, acquire and use sticking to it are two very different things. nsystem that supports research and knowledge to improve the delivery of health staying active is a habit, so starting and innovation. and care across the province,” Todd says. “and maintaining a new, healthy habit takes The 59-year-old was at home with her as part of the strategy, we’ll ensure patients, practise and patience. but a new habit husband andy two years ago when she suffered clients and families have access to high-quality is possible if you start small and build on a life-threatening stroke and was rushed to research studies and innovations that are successes. foothills medical centre. important to them.” set realistic goals and put things in place shortly after arrival, doctors met with andy championing the patient experience is to help support your goals – teaming up and explained how grave the situation was. They something dear to marlyn gill, who has been with an exercise or ‘resolution’ partner is also told him about a research study Donna extensively involved with the patient and a great place to start. also, add variety to was eligible to participate in, which used a community engagement research program your routine, changing the place, activity revolutionary surgical procedure to try to remove (PACER) at aHs. PACER enlists patients and time. the blood clot in her brain. minutes later, she as researchers to better understand their and remember: you don’t have to be an was in surgery. perspective on specific health care issues. athlete to stay fit. It can be as simple as “There were many miracles associated with “patients need to be heard,” gill says. “They walking at a moderate pace for as little as the whole day, but having an opportunity to have an important role to play as researchers 30 minutes a day. take part in the research trial was probably the and as people who are experts on their own when it comes to eating a healthy diet, a biggest,” says sharman, who was in hospital for illnesses.” few helpful first steps include planning your five days and made a full recovery. at the same time, patients who take part in meals, eating more fruits and vegetables, “If not for that study, I would not be here, or I research studies also want to hear the results of packing healthy snacks and cooking at would have a significant disability. I shudder to those studies – something that doesn’t always home. like starting an exercise program, think what might have happened.” happen, gill says. its best to start small and build on your sharman took part in the escape trial, a sharman, since her stroke, has also become successes. calgary-led international study that tested a clot an intern with PACER doing patient-engagement we’re all in charge of our own health retrieval procedure for acute ischemic stroke. research, as well as a volunteer peer supporter and well-being. make sure all your The procedure reduced mortality rates by 50 on the acute stroke unit at foothills medical immunizations – and those of your children per cent and increased positive outcomes from centre. – are up to date. (If you don’t know, call 30 to 55 per cent, compared to conventional “I had a phenomenal patient experience – and Health link at 811). treatment. research was part of that,” sharman says. maintaining a healthy diet and active now, alberta Health services (aHs) has aHs will next engage staff and external lifestyle brings many benefits. you’ll feel developed a provincial strategy to ensure that partners to develop an action plan to guide great and start to sleep better even after a the type of research and innovation exemplified decisions associated with the research and few days. by escape flourishes in the health care system. innovation strategy. The action plan will identify we invite you to find out for yourself in “with this strategy, we want to make it easier milestones, deliverables, accountabilities and 2016. for more information, visit www. for our health professionals, physicians, support measures. work associated with goals and myhealth.alberta.ca. staff and partners to initiate research studies,” action items in the strategy is underway. Happy new year. n says Dr. kathryn Todd, aHs vice-president, To download the strategy and learn more research, Innovation and analytics. about it, visit ahs.ca/ResearchInnovation. n Sprains, cuts and scrapes can hurt a lot, but don’t usually require I am injured the emergency department. You have other health care options If you’re unsure, we’re here to help Call Health Link at 811 Visit albertahealthservices.ca/options Emergency is here for you if you need it. Use it wisely. 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 brIngIng THe HospITal To your Door When young Sage Amor was diagnosed with a brain tumour, the news was shattering to his family. Moreso was the news he would need 70 weeks of chemotherapy. That’s where Hospital at Home, a new program out of the Alberta Children’s Hospital, was able to help by administering Sage’s chemo treatments right in the family home. ‘Not having to go to the hospital is huge,’ says his mom Hilary. Story and photo by Janet Mezzarobba | ilary Daum will never forget march 15, approximately three patients a day which has 2015. That was the day her son, sage kIDs anD THeIr added up to over 1,700 home visits to 138 Hamor, then just two-and-a-half, was parenTs are mucH children within the calgary Zone. diagnosed with a brain tumour. more comforTable shelaine semmens, a nurse who’s been with within two days, sage was in surgery at the program since its inception, has seen the aT Home InsTeaD of a alberta children’s Hospital with a team of neuro- “ impact the program has on families. surgeons who worked to remove the growth HospITal seTTIng. THe “kids and their parents are much more from his delicate brain stem. Decrease In sTress ... comfortable at home instead of a hospital This was just the beginning of the amor setting,” semmens says. “The decrease in stress family’s journey. Daum found out after the Is Invaluable they experience, the time they save not having to surgery that sage would have to undergo 70 – Shelaine Semmens, travel, and the normalcy it helps establish in the weeks of chemotherapy to shrink part of the Hospital at Home nurse lives of these people who have had their world tumour that was not able to be removed. turned upside down is invaluable.” “It was devastating,” says Daum. “seventy with the nurse and the parent before being given Daum agrees.