We recently have had one new resident Covid case at our nursing home one and new resident Covid case in our assisted living.
We currently have the following active COVID-19 cases:
St. William’s Living Center: 1 active staff case, 2 active resident cases
McCornell Court Assisted Living: No active staff cases, 1 active resident case
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at: Tim Kelly, Administrator at 218-338-1001; Lori Roers, Director of Nursing at 218-338-1009.
A broken bone, no matter where it is in your body, can take away your mobility in the blink of an eye.
Fast healing is essential to get you back on your feet. This is especially important if you suffer from a bone disease like osteoporosis, where broken bones can become a common occurrence.
Keep reading for some of our top tips to help heal broken bones faster.
Balance Your Diet
Healing is a restorative process that your body is pretty good at. But your body can’t heal without the right building blocks. That’s why a properly balanced diet is essential to heal broken bones faster.
Bones are made mostly from a protein called collagen. Your body needs plenty of protein to build new collagen for bone healing. Eat lots of protein-rich foods like lean meats, low-fat dairy products, beans, nuts, and fortified cereals.
Leafy green vegetables like collard greens, spinach, broccoli, and kale are high in calcium, another important part of bone repair. Eggs and whole grains, like brown rice and oatmeal, provide iron, another ingredient for making collagen. Citrus fruits, potatoes, and peppers have high levels of vitamin C, another necessary vitamin used to make collagen.
Talk to your doctor before beginning any dietary supplement program. You should be able to get the vitamins and minerals you need from your diet. But if your doctor suggests supplements, follow their advice.
Avoid Bad Habits
We’ve talked about the things you should put into your body when you’re healing from a broken bone, now let’s discuss the things you shouldn’t put in your body.
You may enjoy a cocktail or two from time to time, but it’s best to avoid alcohol completely when you’re healing. Alcohol interacts with the body’s ability to build new bone and bone grown with alcohol in the body is weaker than bone grown without alcohol present. Alcohol also impairs your judgment and makes you unsteady on your feet, increasing the risk you’ll break the bone again.
Smoking is also a no-no. It affects how blood flows through the body and has been shown to severely hinder your body’s ability to heal.
Avoid processed food while you’re nursing a broken bone. Processed foods often lack many vitamins and minerals. This leads to lots of empty calories that don’t contribute to those building blocks we discussed in the last section.
Processed foods are also more likely to contain salt. While some salt is essential for good health, too much salt can cause your body to expel calcium in urine rather than absorbing it. Read food labels and limit salt intake to six grams per day max.
Physical Therapy to Heal Broken Bones Faster
Your doctor will likely prescribe a treatment plan to help get you back on your feet. Often, that plan involves physical therapy.
A trained physical therapist knows how to get you moving without risking further injury. They specialize in working on the soft tissue surrounding the fracture site. This brings fresh blood and oxygen to the bone, healing it quicker.
Physical therapy builds strength after the limited mobility which often follows immediately after a fracture. Your therapist works with you on exercises to strengthen the muscles around the fracture site. They’ll also work on improving your range of motion and strengthening the surrounding joints.
This type of physical therapy treatment helps heal broken bones faster and helps prevent future broken bones by improving your strength, flexibility, and balance. If you’ve recently had some bad luck in the broken bone department, talk to your doctor about a physical therapy treatment plan. At St. William’s, our licensed therapists are here to support you throughout the healing process. Call us today for more information!
It’s intense, it happens to 80% of us at some point in our lives, and it’ll knock you right off your feet.
Back pain is one of the most common medical problems and it can also be one of the most difficult pains to get rid of. Many people end up on the operating table in search of relief from acute back pain.
Fortunately, back surgery isn’t the only option. Physical therapy for back pain is an effective and less invasive alternative.
Here’s what you can expect when you opt for physical therapy to help with back pain.
Why Physical Therapy for Back Pain is a Good Idea
The muscles of the back, along with the muscles of the side body and abdomen, make up your body’s core. This large group of muscles is responsible for almost all movement in some way or another. Back pain can cause even the most mundane tasks to become excruciating.
Suffering through back pain without seeking treatment means you won’t be able to exercise effectively. Bending and reaching may be out of the question. And you may even find it painful to stand, sit, or lay down. Your quality of life will suffer as a result.
Physical therapy for back pain is a non-invasive alternative. Surgery is expensive and it involves days or even weeks of downtime. While you’re recovering, you’ll lose range-of-motion and muscle mass which makes it even harder to get back on your feet. A physical therapy treatment plan can save you time and money while reducing or eliminating the need for powerful pain medication.
What to Expect at Your Appointment
During your first appointment, your therapist will evaluate your situation by asking you questions. Be prepared to answer questions about how long you’ve suffered, the level of pain you feel, and how the back pain started.
Next, the therapist will do some limited movement exercises to gauge how well you can move. This often involves range-of-motion and strength measurement exercises. They may take a hands-on approach and feel your back for tight muscles and sore spots. Wear comfortable clothes that allow you to move easily and give the therapist easy access to your back.
After the therapist evaluates you, they’ll come up with a personalized therapy plan. This plan will address your current pain and work on building strength and flexibility to prevent future pain.
Your treatment plan may include massage or ultrasound therapy to ease tension in tight muscles and reduce inflammation. They may work on stretching exercises to push, pull, or twist the joints in the back. And they’ll likely prescribe strengthening exercises that target the most painful areas of the back.
Prevent Future Back Pain with Physical Therapy
The final phase of your physical therapy treatment plan will involve preventing future injuries. Once your pain is under control, your therapist will work with you on exercises targeted to strengthen the muscles of the core.
They’ll give you stretches to do at home to keep the muscles of the back from tightening. Plus, they’ll offer you tips on how to improve posture and exercise on a regular basis. Talk to your doctor about physical therapy for back pain. And give us a call at St. William’s Living Center! Our physical therapy room is spacious and state-of-the-art and we’d love the opportunity to work with you on relieving your back pain for good.
You’ve had the surgery. You’ve made it through the first few days post-op. Now what?
Recovery after surgery is different for everyone. But one thing is certain across the board – physical therapy is a great tool to use when recovering from surgery.
Keep reading to learn how physical therapy exercises can speed up your recovery.
Movement is Critical to Recovery
After surgery, your doctor will likely prescribe some time for you to rest and heal. But when that time has passed, it’s best to get back on your feet and get moving as soon as possible. Lack of movement during the post-surgical phase can lead to a loss of muscle mass, decreases in heart and lung capacity, and an increased risk of complications.
Blood contains nutrients and brings fresh oxygen to the tissues. Increasing blood flow through a supervised physical therapy program helps keep your heart, lungs, and muscles in better shape. Exercise helps the actual surgical site heal quicker by delivering vital nutrients to the tissues.
Another important aspect of recovery is mental health. The inability to move following surgery can have a big impact on your emotions and can lead to further issues like depression and insomnia. Safe exercises, done under the care of a physical therapist, release endorphins that make you feel better and help you deal with the stress of surgery.
Strengthen, Stretch, and Balance
Strength training is a great way to bring more blood and oxygen to the tissues around the surgical site. The physical therapist will often utilize exercise machines and other tools, like crutches and braces, to ensure you’re properly supported while you build strength. And strengthening the core muscles – the muscles of the abdomen and back – provides better stability and reduces the risk of future injuries.
Targeted stretching exercises help relieve pain from tense muscles and also help with blood flow. Stretching increases range of motion in your joints which improves overall mobility. It’s important to follow the therapist’s guidelines when stretching to ensure you don’t overextend or tear the surgical site.
A physical therapist can also help improve balance. We might not realize it, but balance is so important for keeping us safe and injury-free after surgery. Falls are one of the top causes of injury in seniors. By doing balance exercises in both the seated and standing position, you can improve strength and flexibility, which can help prevent falls.
Pain Management
If you’re experiencing pain around the surgery site, physical therapy may be able to help. Therapists provide other treatment options including ultrasound and massage therapy. These treatments, combined with strength training and stretching, can provide physical pain relief to those areas.
Your body produces endorphins when you exercise and those endorphins may also help reduce pain. They work similarly to the way many powerful pain medications work to block pain signals from the body. The best way to get your endorphins up after surgery is to increase activity levels and physical therapy is the best way to do that safely.
Who Can Benefit Physical Therapy Exercises After Surgery?
Are you wondering if you’d be a good candidate for physical therapy exercises after surgery? Talk to your doctor about physical therapy any time you have surgery.
It’s a great option if you’ve had any kind of knee, hip, or shoulder surgery, including replacements. Physical therapy can also be helpful for back surgery or surgery on your hands or feet – some of the most difficult surgeries to recover from. At St. William’s, we have a brand-new, state-of-the-art physical therapy treatment room. We can provide you the care you need while you’re recovering from surgery. Visit our website today to learn more about our therapy options!
Hello St. William’s Living Center and McCornell Court Resident, Friends, and Family,
We are pleased to announce that we are creating a new program called Essential Caregiver – in accordance with guidelines released from Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Our goal through this program is to help our residents who are missing care previously provided by a loved one or outside caregiver prior to the visitor restrictions required by state and federal guidelines due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The policy follows MDH guidelines and is a narrowly defined exception to visitor restrictions which may allow certain cares to be provided by a personal caregiver from outside our community. This new guidance is not intended to be a reopening of visitors, but instead is intended to provide essential care for high risk residents.
Below are some of the criteria we will use as we evaluate and designate Essential Caregivers in our settings:
Essential Caregivers will be determined based on consultation/assessment with our interdisciplinary team. Residents will be consulted about their wishes to help determine whom to designate as an Essential Caregiver.
Essential Caregivers will be actively screened for symptoms of COVID-19 prior to entering the building and must wear all necessary personal protective equipment while in the building. They must also perform frequent hand hygiene and maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet with staff and other residents while in our building.
Essential Caregivers will limit their movement in our building, providing care and support in their loved ones’ room or a designated space in our building.
Essential Caregivers must inform us if they develop a fever or symptoms consistent with COVID-19 within 14 days of a visit to a resident.
With this new guidance, it is important to know that Essential Caregivers cannot take a resident out into the community except for essential medical appointments and must not visit a resident during a resident’s 14-day quarantine and must not visit when a resident is positive for COVID-19 or symptomatic, unless the visit is for compassionate care. Please know we do retain the right to restrict or revoke Essential Care status if the designated person fails to follow our established policies and protocols.
If, at any time, it is deemed unsafe for Essential Caregivers to enter the building—due to a rise in the number of cases in our community, either within our walls or in the broader community—it is our obligation per MDH guidelines to revisit and reassess the program.
We recognize the concern you may have that not everyone will be able to serve as an Essential Family Caregiver. We also deeply feel the desire of our residents and their loved ones to be connected in a more meaningful way.
Please know we continue to provide outdoor visits, window visits, and visits through technology and encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities.
Michelle Hartmann, our Social Services Director, will be the main contact for the Essential Care Program. Michelle can be reached at 218-338-1008.
As the Corona virus continues, many of us struggle with sporadic, unwanted and unruly emotions that we don’t know how to deal with. Most everyone doesn’t like to feel difficult emotions, and without good emotional management and a common-sense direction to file these feelings, emotions oftentimes relieve themselves in unhealthy ways through the use of volatility and aggression as well as the use of defense mechanisms, or unconscious ways individuals use to protect themselves from the intensity of these emotions.
There are many ways our emotions can get us into trouble if not tended to, and the one emotion that speaks the loudest and is more socially acceptable these days, is anger. For example, as cursing seems to be more of an accurate depiction of what one feels inside, it seems to be deemed as more acceptable. Also, have you noticed more recently that Minnesota Nice is harder to come by, with sharper tongues, increased irritability, explosive tempers, elevated resentments, or more frequent complaints? And, then there are those that are inspired to blow their gaskets, take on threatening swipes, roar at others, or get into another’s face after continued illustrations of aggression blasted in the TV news reports. The intensity of emotion is ineffective and consequential. In fact, managing the emotion of anger is a key to resolving the issues that may have brought on anger in the first place.
And, then there is the type or expression of anger that contributes to the toll an emotion holds, despite its intensity. Defense mechanisms are commonly used to deal with the emotion sideways, usually to protect oneself from internal anxiety or conflict. Usually, anger takes on two common defenses: Blaming others or situations directly without looking back at numero-uno; or displaced or projected anger in which one transfers the blame onto someone or something else that is really not directly involved. Both expressions are damaging and give rise to increased animosity and deeper wounds. However, at least with direct blame, one is able to defend or respond accordingly. With displaced anger, the source of one’s frustrations are not clear or hard to directly impact, and thus seeking someone or something else less threatening is oftentimes a win if they can capture a vulnerable side-step as a replacement target. A good example of displaced anger is… “kicking the dog” after a hard day’s work; a sad but heinous occurrence most dare not confess because of the absurdity of it all.
Blaming others or using displaced anger is a cowards’ way out. There is no identified responsibility of self. Both do damage, and the effects are lingering. Displaced anger is unfair. It gives rise to the wrong opponent. Unfortunately, “Kicking a dog when it’s down” happens more than anyone wants to admit. Yes, dogs can be annoying at times, especially when one is spent from the day. However, when anger is at the door seething for a reason to blow, the dog, by its very nature, is at risk. An unwelcomed greeting with continual licks, being underfoot, or demanding a head pat or a hug can indeed trigger oneself to go over the edge. As the harsh words are expelled and the foot boots the dog, there may be a smitten of release only to later find Man’s Best Friend bruised and retreated, and guilt spawning.
If we are willing to be afront to a dog, how much easier is it to displace anger onto family members or friends who likely can’t find reprieve because of being homebound from the pandemic? How about those we work with or spend our time with? How much anger can be spent without some sort of consequence? We need to learn how to manage our emotions and reactions, and know what to do to deal with them as we cope with ourselves during the stressors of COVID-19…. And for goodness sakes, don’t kick the dog!
Did you have to give up your regular physical therapy visits because of COVID-19? Or have you sustained a new injury that needs more attention to heal?
Aches, pains, and other physical ailments don’t go away because there’s a global pandemic. If you need physical therapy, we have good news for you. The physical therapy clinic at St. William’s Living Center is open!
Here’s what you need to know about physical therapy and the precautions we’re taking to keep you safe during the pandemic.
Do You Need Physical Therapy?
Mobility issues are caused by many things including arthritis, falling, overuse, and surgery. They can happen suddenly or may evolve over time.
Physical therapy can help restore range of motion in stiff and sore joints through stretching and other exercises. These same exercises can make muscles stronger and more supportive. The stronger your muscles, the less likely you’ll re-injure yourself.
Therapy is also great for those recovering from surgery. Surgery often means a prolonged period of bed rest, which can cause the rest of your bones and muscles to weaken. Physical therapy can get you back on your feet again with less downtime and less pain after surgery.
If you suffer from any type of mobility issue, or are experiencing pain through regular movement, physical therapy might be just what you need.
Therapy Options
At St. William’s, we have several options to administer physical therapy treatment. Traditional or in-clinic treatment is ideal for those who have sustained a recent injury or had recent surgery. This is where you’ll receive the hands-on treatment you need in the first few days after the event.
In-clinic treatment is also ideal for those who need a higher level of assistance during physical therapy sessions. This includes patients who are less steady on their feet or prone to falling.
Another option is a virtual or telehealth session. If you have limited access to transportation, this is a great option for you. It allows you to visit with a physical therapist and learn practical exercises that you can do in the comfort of your home.
Also, if you’re uneasy about venturing out in public due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a telehealth session is a great option. You’ll receive the treatment you need while maintaining social distance.
For those patients who are somewhere in the middle between telehealth and in-clinic visits, our therapists can create a personalized program that’s a hybrid of the two options. You can come in for certain therapies and work with your therapist to continue your program at home while checking in through virtual visits.
Safety Precautions at SWLC Physical Therapy Clinic
We’ve taken extra precautions during this pandemic to ensure the safety of our patients, residents, and staff members.
Upon entering the clinic, a staff member screens you by taking your temperature. Anyone with a temperature over 100 degrees will be asked to leave and contact their doctor.
Then, you’ll answer a series of questions related to COVID-19 symptoms to ensure you are not carrying the virus. Nobody who exhibits symptoms will be allowed into the St. William’s facility, and that includes staff members. If you do feel like you have any symptoms, we ask you to reschedule your therapy appointment and call your doctor.
All physical therapy patients and therapists wear surgical masks and eye protection during treatment sessions. Staff sanitizes therapy equipment after every patient. In addition, nursing home residents do not share the therapy facility with out-patient clients so you’ll have no worries about picking up the virus from others.
Are you ready to get back on your feet? Contact us today to make your appointment at St. William’s physical therapy clinic!
Many adults know what it feels like to be traumatized as a child because they have experienced it themselves while growing up, be it tornados or floods, accidents, death of a close family member or friend, poverty, peer teasing, or difficulties at home. However, in our lifetime, most of us have not experienced a world-wide trauma, like a pandemic or world war.
World-wide events are different than more localized traumas as there is some sense of normalcy still standing outside the disaster. However, when the whole world is dealing with a pandemic, it is hard to find the anchor. There is no knowledge as to where the COVID-19 will take us, how bad it will get and how long it will last. Most of what we do know is that there have been pandemics in the past and we have survived them. It is at least a reference point.
How do we help our children if the adults in the room aren’t able to gain perspective themselves on how to move forward? Even though most of us adults are struggling with heightened anxiety and fear ourselves about the pandemic, that dread is quickly infiltrated to our children. Overall, children are mostly vulnerable as their developing brains are easily overwhelmed with raw emotions of which a filter has not yet emerged. They haven’t gained a perspective as to how to survive, and without logic or guidance, children can easily become prey to their own explosive emotions and the trauma itself is absorbed into the fabric of their own development, with lifelong influences.
Nearly 5 months in and children have already experienced the surge of emotion that comes with traumas. It can take the form of anger, irritability, clinginess, sleeping difficulties and nightmares, and isolation. Along with life or death worries and fears, their lives have also been disrupted with no school, limited contact with their friends and extended families, the scarcity of activities they have become accustomed to, their parents’ own struggles with increased demands, the change of structure at home with parents having fluctuating work schedules and environments, budgeting changes, a lack of structure and much less stimulation than their previous life before COVID-19. Children need to know that despite the trauma, a part of their lives are still indeed normal, and life goes on. Children need their parents or guided adults to help them realize that their whole world isn’t caving in.
Parents need to manage their own stressors so that they can be good role models for their children. Parents need to be perceptive to their children’s needs and avail themselves accordingly. Parents need to give their children the love and attention they need to help them find ways to express themselves and direct their fears and anxieties to a level that they can manage. Parents need to be honest with their children, explaining what is happening in a way that they can understand, even if they are young. Parents need to provide structure and routines to their days so that their children can find some anchor. Parents need to find a sense of “normalcy”, so that their children can grasp it as well.
Shopping at garage sales is a lot of fun; especially when you are able to accumulate things you’ve “always wanted”, especially at a good price. Garage saling can also take on a life of its own. Usually, it is a time for women to get together, have coffee or brunch and do something light-hearted and casual on a Friday or Saturday morning. Cruising the streets for sale signs, dropping in for a look, putzing around, bartering and then leaving with an armful of good stuff and pocket change only to go at it for another round.
As these treasures accumulate and as the years go by, it is fairly common to find a buyer in their packed home where there is no more room to spare. It is a dilemma for sure, but then again garage sale buyers usually beget garage sale sellers! Buying and selling is the draw, and the social get-togethers remain steadfast; unless of course buying without selling becomes a stickler.
Unfortunately, there are indeed some who just cannot part from all those treasures they have collected throughout the years; and as the problem merges further, they find themselves in cramped living conditions with only narrow pathways winding through stacks of clutter. Countertops, book cases, sinks, stoves, desks, stairways, and all other surfaces are piled high and can fall in domino fashion with a simple nudge. And then, if there still isn’t room, there is always the garage, storage units or even stacks of stuff piled outside.
Individuals with a Hoarding Disorder have a very difficult time discarding their possessions because of their belief that they need to save. Even thinking of parting with their items brings them significant stress and anxiety, regardless of the actual value of the items. Common characteristics for those that hoard have difficulty planning, organizing, and making decisions, procrastinate and avoid ways to deal with arising issues, and struggle with getting rid of things or wasting anything that could be used later. They also tend to have an emotional connection with the objects collected, reminding them of previous times they felt happier or safer. There are treatment efforts available to reduce hoarding behavior and one finds they have grown out of their own home. However, many also can learn to stop and take action to reduce the clutter once they realize the problem. Keep garage saling fun by managing its potential aftermath!
Are you one of those oversensitive souls that take things too personally and oftentimes feel attacked when the other person didn’t intend to hurt you? Possibly, they were just giving you feedback or making suggestions to you, and you took it to heart. Or, maybe they actually were confronting you or even criticizing something that you were doing, and you felt like you melted into a puddle on the floor, feeling worthless. Maybe you search for facial expressions or gestures that might validate others’ dislike towards you, because you already know inside that they don’t care for you or that you’ve disappointed them. Maybe, you over-analyze even a huff, or reading into getting no responses from others as reinforcing your belief that you don’t matter to them. If you struggle with being over-sensitive to rejection, are you also your own worst enemy? Does your inside voice rattle off a plethora of negative statements about yourself, questioning your own self-worth? Your strong yearning to be cared about and approved by others may actually be an attempt to overcompensate for the lack of support you give yourself.
Oftentimes, those that are over-sensitive to rejection have experienced significant rejection in the past, although there are some who have more of a biological propensity to being over-sensitive to rejection. Possibly, they have received strong parental criticism or verbal and/or physical abuse and neglect as a child. Others may have been victimized by significant bullying and negative peer relationships, and with continual taunting and ridicule, grew up believing that they were “no good”. Oftentimes, those that have experienced significant rejection, also anticipate that they will continue to be rejected or criticized. This isn’t about feeling bad about making mistakes. It is only about self-rejection.
Unfortunately, those who remain oversensitive to rejection and continue doubting themselves oftentimes become over-dependent on others for validation and support. As the quality or equality of the relationship swings the pendulum to a lopsided relationship, partners oftentimes feel they are “walking on eggs” and have to be careful how they approach sensitive subjects ,or they may puppet or connive the sensitive person towards being controlled by them with the use of criticism and condemnation if not followed. Regardless, the relationship is impacted by one struggling with an oversensitivity to rejection.
For many, it is not easy to learn not to be self-rejecting. It’s usually a habit developed over a lifetime. However, it may be worth the battle to go inside and fight those invisible tigers. With research suggesting that we can change the hard drive in our brains by how we think, it seems like a worthwhile pursuit.
