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Foundations & Health Trusts YOUR GIFT MATTERS Your Foundation|Your Community |Your Health FOR A LOOK AT THE IMPORTANT WORK DONE BY FOUNDATIONS, TURN TO PAGES 6-7 north Zone NEWS Zone Your HealtH Care in Your CommunitY 2015 MAY no“THInG sEEMED To HELP IT. THEn THEY cAME uP wITH THIs cAsT. I HAD IT for cLosE To THrEE MonTHs AnD MY uLcEr Is GonE – Ian Irons, who had a wound on his foot that refused to heal for a decade until he received a total contact cast Kirsten Goruk photo | Dr. Herbert Janzen, left, and Allied Health area manager for wound refused to get better. Irons’ ulcer had not healed in PuTTInG Grande Prairie and occupational therapist Leana de Jager 10 years but, after trying many other treatment options, a bEsT fooT look over Ian Irons’ foot during a checkup at the outpatient total contact cast helped close the wound in about clinic at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Grande Prairie. A three months. The treatment is now available forwArD decade ago, Irons had a callus on his foot removed, but the to help patients with foot ulcers. PAGE 2 Introducing F.I.T. (Fecal Immunochemical Test) Delve deeper at albertapreventscancer.ca PAGE 2 l o C a l l e a d e r s TAkInG A big step forwArD Total contact casts a game-changer in healing foot ulcers Story and photo by Kirsten Goruk | DR. kevin worry shelly pusch North Zone executive leadership team t’s taken a decade for Ian Irons to finally be new cast is reapplied and the boot is put back cured of an ulcer on his foot but, thanks to a on. Depending on the severity of the ulcer, Inew cast treatment, he and his feet are a lot weekly casting may continue for up to several tANNiNG bEds happier these days. months. “nothing seemed to help it,” says Irons, 72. “The key thing to healing a diabetic foot offEr dANGEr “Then they came up with this cast. I had it for ulcer is trying to control the underlying medical close to three months and my ulcer is gone. concerns and to get pressure off the foot,” with ‘thE Glow’ Three months compared to 10 years is a huge says Leana de Jager, Alberta Health services’ rad season is upon us and summer difference.” Allied Health Area Manager for Grande Prairie will soon be here. In the midst of Irons is undergoing a new therapy known as and surrounding communities, and also an Gpreparing for summer attire and total contact cast treatment at the outpatient occupational therapist. “That’s where the total graduation gowns, many young people clinic at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in contact cast comes in. It’s the only method to choose to head to the tanning salon. Grande Prairie. Ten years ago, he had a callus completely offload pressure on a foot and allow but indoor tanning can leave much more on his foot removed, but the wound never clients to continue their daily routines.” than just a temporary summer glow. using healed, so he was recommended for the Healing foot ulcers for patients with tanning beds before the age of 35 can innovative therapy. diabetes is particularly critical as the low increase your risk of developing melanoma by “I could feel the difference right away when blood flow related to the condition can lead to 59 per cent. they put the cast on,” he says. complications, possibly resulting in amputation. And the younger you are, the greater the Total contact cast therapy began as a clinical Allan kaufmann, 66, is a diabetic patient who danger. trial for diabetic foot ulcers a year ago, but was lives in Valleyview, but made the weekly trek new legislation passed this spring is aiming so successful it is now a treatment option. for total contact cast treatment. His foot ulcer to reduce the impact of artificial tanning, It helps heal foot ulcers by distributing weight had persisted for several months before he particularly on young people. equally along the entire foot area. The entire sought treatment, but following a few rounds of once Alberta’s skin cancer Prevention cast, which provides padding and support, is treatment with the cast, he was improving. Act is enacted, businesses in Alberta will no in full contact with the foot and part of the leg, “The cast is a lot more cost-effective way to longer be allowed to provide artificial tanning thus its name. It is covered with a walking boot. heal these wounds as long as you’re prepared services to minors. Advertising of artificial It relieves pressure on prominent areas of the to commit to the instructions and the weekly tanning services directly targeted at youth will foot, including ulcers, allowing them to heal. checkups,” kaufmann says. also be off limits. Patients wear the cast, then once a week it “It’s helped me to learn about foot care; I There are several common myths about is removed and the didn’t know anything before. The staff have indoor tanning. wound inspected. A been awesome.” n Myth no. 1 is that getting a base tan will prevent a burn later on. The reality is a base Past patient tan only provides the equivalent of about Ian Irons and sPf 2 (sun Protection factor) and is not registered nurse enough to prevent a burn. Michelle Greene Myth no. 2 is that tanning beds are a good display the cast way to get vitamin D. wrong! supplements or materials and drops are a safer and less expensive way to walking boot that get vitamin D. helped heal Irons’ Myth no. 3 is that artificial tanning is actually long-time foot better than the sun’s rays because it’s in ulcer. Total contact a controlled environment. The truth is that cast treatment is tanning beds can emit up to 15 times more targeted toward uVA radiation than the mid-day sun. patients with Just as it’s important to talk to youth about diabetes and other responsible alcohol use and safe sex, it’s also foot ailments and important for parents and loved ones to talk works to alleviate about the dangers of indoor tanning. pressure on the for more information, as well as tips and patient’s wound, tricks on how to talk to your teen about the helping it to heal. risks of artificial tanning, visitthebigburn.ca . n What’s on y our MedList? Your entire health care team needs a complete medication list: prescribed medications, inhalers, patches, ointments, eye drops, vitamins – even herbal supplements and nicotine gum. Your MedList 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 New remote hi-tech hearing test for infants Now linking families in northern Alberta ear with the Glenrose is celebrated as Leading Practice this! by Accredition Canada Leila Mazaheri and her daughter Eliya are linked from Northern Lights Regional Health Centre in Fort McMurray, via Telehealth, with Kathy Packford, audiology team leader for the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton, as she readies a remote link to test Eliya for hearing loss. Story by Gregory Kennedy | Photos by Gregory Kennedy and Pat Marston ioneering a remote, high-tech means kathy Packford, audiology team leader for the of testing babies for hearing loss has Glenrose. “It’s meaningful, because we’re able to Pwon the audiology team at Glenrose put the minds of very anxious parents at ease.” rehabilitation Hospital national recognition of Packford came up with the idea after studying its work by Accreditation canada as a Leading a similar setup in Thunder bay, ont. with the Practice that improves quality of care. support of clinical Telehealth, she pulled together Its ongoing collaboration with Telehealth and a team to make it happen in Alberta, initially as the northern Lights regional Health centre in a pilot project. over the past three years, more fort McMurray means area families no longer than 70 families have benefited from the service. have to travel to Edmonton to find out if their The five-hour, 437-km trip from fort McMurray infant has hearing loss. to Edmonton “is an uncomfortable distance for Having a new health care strategy accepted families to travel with infants,” says Packford. as a Leading Practice ranks as a major “we know it’s very critical for an infant who achievement. It means this Alberta Health may have a hearing loss to be diagnosed services (AHs) team has proven its value, at a very early age so that they can benefit effectiveness and set a new standard of care from amplification, and speech and language – a feat that was celebrated at Accreditation intervention.” canada’s fourth annual Quality conference in In the past, some families have had to make Audiologist Kathy Packford, whose Toronto in March. multiple trips to the Glenrose because the test – Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital Telehealth “Putting families first with new ideas to which requires the infant to sleep for an hour or implementation team pioneered remote improve patient care is a tradition at the so – couldn’t be completed because the child desktop access delivery of diagnostic hearing Glenrose rehabilitation Hospital,” says had slept all the way to Edmonton during the tests for infants in Alberta, has seen their Dr. Verna Yiu, VP Quality and chief Medical long drive. so families would have to go away, service delivery accepted as a Leading officer of AHs.

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