2 ATIKOKAN FAMILY HEATH TEAM NEWSLETTER WINTER 2018-19 3 ATIKOKAN FAMILY HEATH TEAM NEWSLETTER WINTER 2018-19 Take five with your FHT Dietitian Water: Under-appreciated hero Another year of growth and change for the Atiokokan FHT Karen Lusignan, Executive Director Since April 1, 2018 the Nurse Practi- tioners (NPs) have seen a total of 756 patients and had a total of 2,508 appointments. For the entire fiscal year of 2017/18, the FHT saw a total of 1,920 patients, and currently to date, we have grown to see 1,995 in less than a year. As our newest NP continues to assign patients, that number is expected to in- crease. In turn, our survey results have also shown great improvements in patient satisfaction, with 96% stating they were satisfied with the amount of time it took to get an appointment with an Inter-disciplinary Health Professional. Samantha Holmgren, Dietitian We forget to drink water all day and wonder why we're parched. Or even worse, we don't even notice. We try to satisfy our need for fluids with coffee, pop, or alcohol, and we don't even think about whether those are helping. Dehydration, the result of not drinking enough water, causes: Fatigue Headaches Dizziness Muscle cramps Constipation Confusion Increased heart rate Eating well while taking Warfarin/Coumadin Ashley McEvoy, RPN While eating vegetables is a healthy diet, for someone on Coumadin/Warfarin, too much of certain types can be bad. Many vegetables, especially leafy greens, contain too much vitamin K, which decreases the effectiveness of Coumadin / Warfarin. Patients who take this medication need to be mindful of the things they eat and drink, and to always main- Here at the Atikokan Family Health Team, we continue to lead and provide administrative support to our local Palliative Care Team. The team is com- prised of multiple health professionals from different agencies around town, who come together bi-monthly with a general goal to improve the palliative experience for patients (and their caregivers) facing life-threatening Do you smoke cigarettes? Would you like to quit smoking or cut down on your smoking habits? Register Annually Call the Family Health Team to check the status of your current enrollment. FREE NICOTINE REPLACEMENT THERAPY FOR UP TO 26 WEEKS!! (nicotine patch, gum, inhaler, lozenge & spray) Call 597-8781 ext. 12 to book your appointment April 2019 will mark the fourth Pap-A-Palooza cervical cancer screening event! This initiative aims to increase cervical cancer screening rates across Northwestern Ontario, especially among under or never screened women. Please call 597-8781 ext 0 to book your appointment. illnesses. The team is cur- rently looking for volunteers, if interested please contact Tracy at the Home Support office 597-6001. On behalf of the Palliative Care Team, Nikita Matichuk, Nurse Practitioner with the North West Local Health Integration Network in Atikokan will be hosting a , ‘Caregivers Café’ on April 10 at 2 pm at the Pioneer Centre. Feel free to come out for some coffee and dainties, while learning about the importance of advanced care planning! With the support of our Board of Directors and myself the staff at the AFHT have been champions of change. We continually look at ways to improve our programs and services to fulfill our vision that we will be the healthiest community that we can. I look forward to another year of growth and change! tain a consistent diet. For more infor- mation, talk to your Doctor, Nurse Practitioner, or Nurse. Dehydration increases your risk for urinary tract infections and kidney stones. Drinking enough water is crucial to good health, having energy, and thriving in life. The question is, “How much is enough?” There are several ways to calculate your fluid needs, but the easiest way to tell if you're getting enough is to look at the color of your urine. Aim for a pale yellow; if it's darker, you know you need to drink more. There are many tricks to drinking more water. A nice water bottle can help. You can add flavor with slices of lemon, lime, cucumber, orange, mint, or frozen fruit. Or you could develop a habit of drinking a big glass when you first wake up and before meals. Note: Some medications and vitamins change the color of your urine. For example, if you're taking B vitamins, your urine could turn bright yellow. Talk to your doctor, nurse practitioner, or pharmacist if you have any questions about your medication. Note: There are sometimes medical reasons to reduce your fluid intake. If your doctor or nurse practitioner has given you a restriction, make sure you stick to their advice. And remember you can always book an appointment with the Dietitian at the Family Health Team to discuss your questions about foods and fluids! Now open during the lunch hour! The Atikokan Family Health Team office on Zuke Road is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, and, by appointment, 5 - 8 pm Wednesday evenings. Kristin St.Pierre, RN I would like to start by saying ‘hello’ again as I have returned from my year of maternity leave. I am eager to be back in my position as an RN overseeing the diabetes program and reconnecting with the community. Prior to my leave, I had completed the University of Toronto’s Diabetes Educator Certificate program. Over the next year, I am planning to take the Chronic Disease Management course for Diabetes, and work towards writing my Certified Diabetes Educator exam for the certification board in early 2020. I hope to provide a wide range of education sessions in partnerships with FHT staff, as well as the ANFC and NWHU. Alongside diabetes, I have also become a provider for our Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients (STOP) program. You can enroll in the diabetes pro- gram through self-referral. I work in collaboration with the Doctors, Nurse Practitioners, Nurses, Dietitian and Mental Health Worker to provide a holistic healthcare approach. Anyone over the age of 40 should be tested for diabetes every three years. However, if you have any of the following risk factors, this testing should be completed more frequently: • Having a parent, brother or sister with diabetes • Being a member of a high-risk group (African, Arab, Asian, Hispanic, Indigenous, South Asian) • Health complications • Having given birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 lbs at birth, or having gestational diabetes during pregnancy • Having been diagnosed with pre-diabetes • High blood pressure • High cholesterol • Being overweight • Having been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome • Having been diagnosed with Acanthosis Nigricans (dark- ened patches of skin) • Having been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder • Obstructive sleep apnea • Having been prescribed a glucocorticoid medication Should you be tested for diabetes?