CARE Marshall

Brooke Collier

CARE CHAMPION

Cover Photo By Sandy Dunham

“Live your life as if you would die tomorrow and learn as if you were to live forever.”

Care CHAMPION

OUR

H

ey, Marshall! Help all of us here at HealthCARE Express celebrate your first CARE Champion, Brooke Collier. Brooke Collier is the executive director at Oakwood House Assisted living here in Marshall, Texas. But she’s not only the director, she’s an amazing caregiver! She possesses everything we look for in a CARE Champion. She leads with her heart, makes a difference in the community, and has an incredible attitude! Brooke is one of a kind and helps fund-raise, support, and volunteer for anything that grows or supports our community! Local Community Educator, Lovee Box, sat down with her and asked her about everything she does for our community.

Q: What is it that you do in your community?

A: I am the Executive Director at Oakwood House Assisted Living here in Marshall, TX. Oakwood House is owned by Veritas In Care. The meaning behind the company name is “Trust In Care” and at Oakwood House, that is exactly what you can do is trust in the care that is provided. As the director, I am more than just a manager, I am also a caregiver. The residents’ care is the number one goal around the clock. I am here to learn everything about the residents and their needs, as well as developing an open communication with their family, having the goal of making the resident’s placement as close to their home life as possible. I am also the eyes and ears in the community to make sure all residents’ needs are heard and honored.

Q: How did you get involved in this? What inspired you to do this?

A: I started with Oakwood House in May of 2015 as the Program Director providing activities of daily living and keeping the residents’ active in their daily lives. I have always enjoyed working in the health related field, but when I started working at Oakwood House, I knew I was home. I wanted to learn everything about the company and any job position possible. It all is so interesting and rewarding to me that I am able to give back to these selfless and amazing seniors. In October of 2016, the opportunity came up for me to interview for the Executive Director position and I could not pass it up. This is what I wanted to do and where I knew God had intended for me to be. I have been in this position now for over a year and look forward to many more serving the many amazing seniors that come through those doors. Learning the unique stories and backgrounds of all of my residents is what keeps me striving to do more for our community.

Q: What is your personal philosophy on life?

A: My personal philosophy of life is to be kind, generous, helpful, and honest. I love to work with

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people and help others grow and develop into the people they choose to be in their lives. I always keep the saying in the back of my mind, “Live your life as if you would die tomorrow and learn as if you were to live forever.”

Q: What can people do to help or get involved?

A: There are several ways you can enjoy being a part of our assisted living community. We have many activities we do daily for our residents that offer time as a volunteer. Our residents love meeting new people to tell their stories to and vice versa.

Spending an hour a week with our residents will leave you wanting to spend more and more time here as you develop a relationship with them. It’s like visiting grandma and grandpa’s house! Also, if you have thought about finding a profession in healthcare and this sounds like something you would like to pursue, you can put in an application for one of our Resident Assistant positions. We are always taking applications to expand our floor staff to stay current with our residents’ every day needs. To learn more about our community, you can visit our website at www. oakwoodhousetx.com or stop in for a visit. We are located at 2907 Victory Drive, Marshall, TX 75672 and can be reached via phone at 903-935-6263.

Q: Tell me a little about yourself.

A: I am a homegrown Marshall alumna. I graduated from Marshall High School in 2004 and attended Tyler Junior College after that. During my high school and college years, I volunteered doing community service around Marshall by visiting local nursing homes; picking up trash around town; and performing for parties by clogging, cheerleading, and playing the piano. I have been married to my husband, Ryan, for three years and we have a son, Bryson, who is two years old. I am involved with our local Chamber of Commerce as an Ambassador now for two years, and I am upcoming chair elect for 2019 Ambassador Chairman. I enjoy spending time with

my family and friends, crafting, photography, dancing, and volunteering my time.

Care Brooke exemplifies the three core qualities of a CARE CHAMPION.

SHE... leads from the heart has a WOWZA attitude and makes a HUGE difference

BROOKE, THANK YOU FOR BEING OUR CARE CHAMPION!

Email Your Nominations To MARKETING@HEALTHCAREEXPRESS.US

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and baby Sy atory r i p Res

2.1 MILLION

58K Hospitalizations of children younger than five years.

outpatient visits for children younger than five years.

NOV.-APRIL RSV season in our region occurs between November and April.

TAK E ME TO ...

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FREE Children’s Leadership Training Program with incentives for participation!

Parents can sign their children up online, groups please contact admin@klabyhce.com

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SLIPS, TRIPS, & FALLS Injuries include broken bones, strains, sprains, and more

D

id you know that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) falls are the leading cause of accidental deaths and injuries among the elderly population of America? And according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), slips, trips, and falls make up the majority of workplace accidents. Those are some pretty harrowing facts.

Elderly people aren’t the only ones at risk of falls, though. Anyone can suffer injury from a fall in their workplace, outside, or even in their own home. Injuries from a fall can be anywhere from as minor as scrapes on your hands and knees from catching yourself, to as severe and costly as a broken hip. You can potentially suffer from a broken bone,a sprain, and/or a loss of quality of life from a slip or fall.

Avoiding these injuries in cases at work and for younger people often just come down to ensuring the environment is clear and safe, wearing proper safety gear (such as non-slip or gripped shoes), and being more observant. For the elderly, though, things get a bit more complicated. As you age, different motor functions get to be more difficult, and maintaining balance is sadly one of those. Luckily, balance is one of the easiest things to retrain in therapy, according to HealthCARE Express’ Director of Therapy, Ben Smith. Maintaining balance is one of the easiest ways to avoid different causes of slips and falls.

Physical therapy can not only help those that have suffered from a fall, but can also try and help prevent falls from happening in the future.

“Preventing a fall drastically increases the quality of life of patients,” Ben stated. To be able to avoid these falls, though, people need to be very aware of the systems in their body that controls their balance.

There are four systems that need to be in: the neuromuscular system, the visual system, the vestibular system, and the somatosensory system. Each of these play key roles in how your body maintains its balance. Strength revolves mostly around your neuromuscular system which controls your reflexes and how your body processes outside stimuli. How your brain reacts to visual stimuli is also important to your balance. As you age, it becomes more and more difficult to differentiate color or surface changes in things around you. Your vestibular system works as if it were your body’s own personal level. If it feels like you are getting off balance, the vestibular system is what causes you to right yourself. Finally, your somatosensory system controls your awareness of yourself in the space around you. Luckily, all four of these things can be retrained in physical therapy through different exercises such as, proprioception and balance exercises, and exercises that train reflexes.

Sprains are also extremely common injuries in someone who trips and falls. A sprain is a tear in a ligament. Ligaments, of course, are the fibers that connect your bones to other bones. These are different from tendons as tendons are the fibers that connect muscles to bone (an injury to your tendons would actually be a strain). Your ligaments give structural stability that keep your joints from going outside of their normal range of motion, so a sprain occurs when that joint your ligaments are trying to control breaks out of that range.

The way a sprain is treated depends on the severity of the injury. A severe sprain, such as an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear, requires lots of rest and surgical repair, followed by physical therapy to help the injury heal. No matter the severity of the injury, the sprain needs to be challenged in a safe way. “The worst thing you can do for a sprain is to just lay around and not use it,” Ben said. Ligaments are made up of soft

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tissue collagen, and every 180 days that collagen regrows and reforms.

With this in mind, it becomes clear why someone who has a sprain should put a healthy amount of stress on it for it to heal properly. If you just lie around and don’t put any good stress on the injury then the ligaments will not heal properly. If the ligaments heals wrong the fibers won’t line up right. They’ll look “more like spaghetti than a braided rope”. It’ll be a lot easier to injure in the future because the structure is weaker.

Don’t put too much stress on a sprain, though, as that can also damage the ligaments. For the first couple of days after injury, try to rest. Keep your injured joint elevated and compressed. Treat it with ice to reduce swelling around the injury. Head slowly back into moving around and stressing the joint. Don’t push yourself to the point where it hurts too much to move. Just keep the joint active so the ligaments will align and heal properly. Some sprains may require medical attention and physical therapy to recover from, depending on their severity. If the sprain is a recurring injury you should seek out physical therapy as the injury probably never healed properly and needs to be retrained.

One of the most important things to know, though, is the proper way to catch yourself when you fall. Try not to catch yourself in a way that all force goes through your wrists. Try to brace yourself for a fall with your entire forearm, not just your hands. If falling sideways, try to cushion your fall with your arm so that you don’t injure your hips.

Wrists and hips are quite fragile, and they are often the bones that are injured or broken in a fall. It’s also important to remember to keep your head tucked close to your body when you fall on your side or back, anything to avoid risking injury to your skull or brain. If falling forward, turn your head to the side to minimize chance of hitting your nose or mouth on the ground.

If you or a loved one injure yourself in a slip or fall, come by HealthCARE Express so we can help get you back up on your feet without any struggle.

The worst thing you can do for a sprain is to just lay around and not use it.”

—Ben Smith,

Director of Therapy

KLONDIKE TAKES A FALL

ART & STORY BY CARLI HEMPERLEY

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A PARENT’S GUIDE TO

FEVER WHEN TO VISIT HEALTHCARE EXPRESS Child is under three months.

A fever could be a baby’s only warning sign that he or she is facing a serious illness.

Fever lasts more than five days.

Your provider may need to investigate any underlying cause.

Fever higher than 104 F If your child has a fever of 104 F that doesn’t come down within two hours of taking acetaminophen or ibuprofen, come to the clinic right away.

Your child is not acting like themselves.

You’re worried.

If you have questions about your child’s temperature or illness, don’t hesitate to bring them to the clinic.

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Don’t call the school office just yet! Normal body temperature is 98.6 F, but everyone’s body temperature (adults and children) fluctuates throughout the day depending on age, activity level, and other factors.

The magic number for a fever is 100.4 F.

WHEN NOT TO WORRY Fever that lasts less than five days.

As long as your child is playing, eating, and drinking as normal, you should not stress.

Temperatures of up to 102.5 F These temperatures can be a normal sign of fighting an illness.

Child recently received an injection Low-grade fevers can be normal (if they last less than 24 hours) if your child was just immunized.

HealthCARE® Express

What To Do When You Have The Flu

By Carli Hemperley Staff Writer

I

t happened again. You got the flu. Your body aches, your nose keeps running, you can barely hold food down, and you don’t want to get out of bed. All you want to do is cuddle up with a nice warm cup of chicken soup like your grandma used to make … but you’re out of paid sick time. Should you go to work and risk spreading the virus to your coworkers? Probably not. And should you even eat chicken soup? You’re not too sure. What are you supposed to do when you have the flu? What are you not supposed to do?

DO...

STAY HYDRATED

Dehydration can make you feel even worse than you already do. Unfortunately, it’s easy to become dehydrated when you have the flu, especially if your case of it comes with vomiting and diarrhea. To combat this side effect turn to water or a drink like Pedialyte to replace minerals and rehydrate. Avoid juices, soft drinks, and sports drinks. If you’ve been throwing up, rehydrate by taking small sips of water to avoid making yourself sick.

EAT CHICKEN SOUP

The warm broth of chicken soup is not only a good source of nutrients for someone feeling a bit under the weather, but it can help clear blocked airways and soothe the throat.

GET PLENTY OF REST

Don’t overexert yourself when sick. If you don’t want to stay bedridden you can do easy, low-intensity workouts. Stick to your bed or a comfy spot if at all possible to allow your body to recover from the fatigue caused by the flu.

DON’T...

TAKE ANTIVIRALS

Go to your neighborhood HealthCARE Express for an antiviral prescription. Antivirals can lessen flu symptoms and help you start feeling better faster. They can also help prevent your case of the flu from progressing to pneumonia.

DRINK HOT LEMON AND HONEY TEA

Similarly to the warm broth of chicken soup, a cup of hot tea with honey and lemon can do wonders to soothe a sore throat. Both honey and lemon have antibacterial properties that can help prevent infection. Don’t like hot tea? Simply substitute it for hot water instead.

USE A HUMIDIFIER

Warm mist humidifiers are great for soothing nasal passages and can help clear out a stuffy nose. The moisture from the humidifier makes it easier for you to breathe as it loosens and clears up airways.

TAKE ANTIBIOTICS

TAKE HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS

GO TO WORK

TAKE ZINC MEDICATIONS

DRINK A HOT TODDY

TAKE AN EXCESS OF VITAMIN C

Since the flu is caused by a virus and not a bacteria, antibiotics will do nothing to help you feel better.

There are a couple reasons why you shouldn’t go to work when you’re sick with the flu. You can overexert yourself which can make you feel worse and lengthen recovery time, and you could potentially spread the sickness to your coworkers. Just because you don’t have a fever, doesn’t mean you aren’t contagious. Stay home and get some rest.

While a hot toddy is pretty good at soothing the throat and clearing out nasal passages, the alcohol can cause dehydration, which is already a problem many people with the flu are suffering with.

Though they aren’t harmful, there’s little evidence supporting their helpfulness in relieving symptoms of the flu.

There is some evidence that taking zinc orally can help shorten the amount of time you suffer from the flu, but the side effects greatly outweigh the benefits. It can interact negatively with other medications and cause or increase your nausea.

Completely avoid taking zinc nasally as it has shown to cause a permanent loss of sense of smell in several cases.

Vitamin C does help boost your immune system, but taking too much of it while already suffering from the flu can do more harm than good. An excess of vitamin C can cause or increase nausea and other gastrointestinal issues.

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BRAIN INJURY CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. AND IT’S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO DETECT.

You were in a fender bender and you’re feeling queasy. Is it stress or a concussion?

Your husband fell on the ice and hit his head.

He looks okay, but are you sure?

You got hit by a pop fly at softball practice.

Just a bump, or something more?

INTRODUCING BRAINSCOPE® ONE HEAD INJURY ASSESSMENT The revolutionary new BrainScope® One head injury assessment device uses awardwinning technology that lets us objectively assess the full spectrum of brain injury, including concussions, right here at HealthCARE Express. So you get the answers you need, and get started with appropriate care right away.

BrainScope One is registered as Ahead® 300. BrainScope is a registered trademark of BrainScope Company, Inc. ©2017 BrainScope Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. TPL-00028 R002 Rv0 07/2017

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Hanna Coyle RN, FNP-C Provder at HealthCARE Express Marshall, TX.

I used to help my grandpaw and dad farm turtles and alligators.

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