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Heart Murmurs Online Newsletter |
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The November meeting and presentation will be held Monday November 24, 2008 at 7:00 PM at the Alberta School for the Deaf. We are very fortunate to have an internationally recognized speaker, Dr. Gabor Gyenes MD, Ph D, talking about the role and benefits of the Statins drug class and their relationship to successful patient recovery and on going well being. He will provide us with a fuller, richer, and "cutting edge" understanding of how these medications are so critical in maintaining good heart health. Other related medication issues and challenges will also be discussed.
Dr Gyenes has numerous scientific publications and
papers in well known and widely respected medical journals and has been
recognized as Outstanding Researcher "Eminent Scientist of the Year"
Gold Medal (1999), Honourable Mention for Teacher of the Year by 3rd
Year Medical Students' Mandatory Cardiology Rotation (2007) and as an
Outstanding Researcher in "Marquis Who's Who in the World"(1999 - 2008). CHRISTMAS PARTY TICKETS GOING FAST ! The day of the annual Christmas Party, Sunday December 7 is coming up fast! It’s time to break out the seasonal joy and join with Santa and all the other CASE elves to enjoy a great seasonal feast.
The get together will be at the Malmo Community Hall,
11525 48th Avenue with cocktails at 4:00 PM and dinner at
5:00. The tickets are available from Jim Hammond at 780-437-0543. CHRISTMAS BREAK FROM EXERCISES Much to Lynn’s dismay, we will be having a break from our regular exercise classes from December 19, 2008 until January 6, 2009. After the last exercise class in December the exercise group will go to the Royal Fork on Stony Plain Road and 150 St for the LAST SUPPER. More information will be given out at the exercise classes.
This time off does not mean that you should not do
many laps around your Christmas tree, the dinner table and even the
shopping mall. Try lifting your heaviest present and hold it at arms
length. Stand on one foot while singing Christmas carols… MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES The education session held on Monday October 27, 2008 first heard from Peggy Clarke, who is the Self Management Consultant for Alberta Health Services (Capital Health) in the Edmonton area. She noted that the program is focused on assisting patients and their families to undertake self-help in the management of five diseases which are of particular concern and which are often inter-related. The target diseases were diabetes, asthma, heart failure, cardiovascular risk and obesity. There are already three programs up and running in the Capital Region: the Weigh Wise program; Live Better Every Day/Be Your Own Boss, and the Regional Diabetes Program. The focus of each of these programs is on patient self-management which includes appropriate medical management, life roles and regular activity and emotional management. The programs are delivered in a workshop format with sessions of about 2.5 hours a week over a 6 week period. Each workshop is led by 2 leaders who often are themselves patients or others with an interest in the chronic disease. Research has shown that significant improvements in health status, healthy behaviors, positive self-worth and reduced use of health system resources have resulted from this type of training. CASE members who are interested in taking one or more of these self-help workshops can call 780-401-2665 to register in a session. They are held throughout the Edmonton region so extensive travel should not be a factor. Diane Pyne, Community Coordinator with Chronic Disease Management. Diane's responsibilities include the development of the Weight Wise Community Network. The Network consists of organizations that can provide programs and services that are designed to assist Albertans that have participated in the 6 week Weight Wise program and want to address issues of weight management. The Weight Wise Community Network member organizations offer programs that are intended to promote physical activity, encourage healthy eating and lifestyle choices and support mental and emotional health. For an organization to become part of the Network, their programs have to meet a number of criteria that address issues such as safety, careful and effective program design with a close match between the programs and the intended consumers. The positive outcomes of the programs delivered should be measurable.
Once an organization becomes part of the Network they
will be linked with other programs and services that may enhance their
services to their clients receive some support from Alberta Health
Services and receive referrals of individuals that may benefit from the
services offered by the organization. DON’T KNOCK ON THEIR DOORS….YET Despite having the ‘grand opening’ in May 2008, a recent news release indicates that move-in plans for the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute--originally scheduled for November 2008—must be postponed until September of 2009. An announcement of the official move-in date will take place as soon as it is confirmed. Construction and commissioning (testing of systems and equipment) in the new building are not yet complete. To ensure the Heart Institute incorporates the most current technology, numerous design changes were made since this facility was first conceptualized. These changes included the addition of three new floors, a short-stay unit, a redesigned cardiac catheterization lab and a new plan for the intensive care unit. These changes and additions affected the construction schedule. When construction is completed, the commissioning process begins. This involves testing all the systems and technology within the heart institute on a room-by-room basis. This very complex process is expected to take several months. Heart patients will continue to receive excellent cardiac care at facilities in the Edmonton area—all of which are equipped to handle cardiac emergencies so patients having a heart attack can be treated at their nearest hospital emergency department.
All cardiac services scheduled to move into the heart
institute will continue to function at the University of Alberta
Hospital site. ROYAL ALEXANDRA HOSPITAL BUILDING NEW CARDIAC TREATMENT CENTRE Now under construction at the Royal Alexandra Hospital is an expanded facility for non-open-heart treatments of cardiac illness. The hospital is fundraising with a target of $8-million to support two new catheter labs with advanced technology that will allow doctors to reach more blocked arteries. Pacemaker programs will be expanded. At the Royal Alexandra Hospital, the C.K. Hui Heart Centre will focus on heart care, helping those having heart attacks or heart failure before they open heart surgery or transplants. Already, $5 million has been raised to support the construction. The Hui centre is expected to be finished in 2009, and will hold 14 cardiac intensive-care beds and 32 inpatient beds right next to each other. This will increase current capacity by 30-per-cent. Eight of the 32 beds will be dedicated to patients experiencing chest pain. This will allow them to be diverted from the hospital's emergency department to receive care immediately. All the labs, patient rooms, treadmills, ultrasound and electrocardiogram machines will be located on the same floor, eliminating the 10- to 15-minute delays it sometimes currently takes to get patients moved up elevators or down corridors in the old portion of the hospital. One new surgical suite will be dedicated to pacemaker or defibrillator implants, driving waiting lists down for the crucial devices that help hearts work properly.
This article has been
extracted from the Edmonton Journal
article by Jodie Sinnema published on November 5, 2008.
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December Birthdays |
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8 |
Steve |
Gushta |
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10 |
Stan |
Ragan |
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11 |
Darlene |
Comfort |
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18 |
Ed |
Abel |
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19 |
Gordon |
Halls |
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28 |
Wilma |
Berke |
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31 |
Alan |
MacLean |
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January Birthdays |
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15 |
Ed |
Zaharichuk |
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18 |
Jack |
Barr |
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21 |
Shirley |
Alexander |
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29 |
Steve |
Martyniuk |
HAVE A
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A GREAT
NEW YEAR!