On Wednesday evening this week during the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting Jami Dobson-Schrumpf, President of Dobson Healthcare Services, Inc, was honored with the ATHENA Award. This award is given out annually to a woman or man for professional excellence, community service, and for actively assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills.
Jami is active in several communities throughout the state of Michigan assisting such non-profits and causes as The Good Samaritan Rescue Mission, The YWCA of the Great Lakes Bay Region, The Bay Arts Council, The State Theater, The YMCA of Bay City of Bay City, The Bay City Noon Optimist Club, The Bay Community Foundation, The Antique Toy and Firehouse Museum, The Saginaw MDA Chapter, and The SVSU Center for Family Business, West Branch Medical Center’s Tolfree Foundation, Hospice of Helping Hands, The West Branch Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee, The Children’s Miracle Network and Sparrow Hospital’s Pediatric ICU.
During the evening Jami’s father, James “Jimmie” Dobson, was inducted into the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business Hall of Fame. Jimmie has been in business in the Bay Area since the late 1940’s and continues to be an active member of the community today.
The staff at Dobson Healthcare Services, Inc would like to say CONGRATULATIONS to Jami! We are so proud of you for your commitment to the advancement of females in the workplace and community.
Ogemaw Community Business Expo
April 7th
4-8p
Ogemaw Heights High School
960 S M-33
West Branch, MI 48661
This will be the 2nd year for the Ogemaw Community Business Expo. In its inaugural year the expo drew a crowd of over 500 attendees from the surrounding community. If you are in the area on April 7th time time to stop by Ogemaw Heights and say hello to the Dobson staff who will be at our exhibit.
Tolfree Foundation – 3rd Annual Blast the Blues
Thursday, Aril 21
5-8:30p
Dean Arbour Ford – West Branch
Dobson is pleased to be a sponsor of the event for a 3rd year in a row. Dobson Healthcare is represented on the event committee by Marketing Director Jenna Schrumpf. Last years event raised over $13,000 for the Tolfree Foundation to be used for the West Branch Regional Medical Centers Capital Funding. If you are interested in purchasing event tickets please contact the foundation office at 989-343-3690.
Rehab Institute of Michigan 3rd Annual Rehabilitation Symposium
April 29th
8a-3:15p
MotorCity Casino Hotel
Detroit, MI
This years keynote speaker will be Dr. John McDonald, International Center for Spinal Cord Injury.
Tuesday, May 3rd
1-6p
SVSU Ryder Center
U of M & St. Joseph Health Systems Rehabilitation Nursing Conference – Advances in Rehabilitation Nursing “Possibilities”
Friday, May 13th
Kensington Court – Ann Arbor
Keynote speaker this year is Michael Trout.
Synergy Medical 20th Annual Geriatric Conference
Thursday, May 19th
7:30a-4:30p
Horizon’s Conference Center – Saginaw
Attendees this year will receive 6 CEU’s. For more information contact Synergy Medical Alliance at (989) 583-6800
BAY CITY — Leadership Bay County class of 2011, through the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, has announced this year’s annual class project.
Leadership Bay County is a program which hopes to train it’s participants to lead the Bay County community through politics, business and non-profit organizations.
The class will be teaming with Good Samaritan Rescue Mission to recreate the outdoor courtyard area in the men’s wing of the Mission’s facility, 713 9th St., in Bay City.
“Being able to give these men a nicer area to sit and forget about all the trouble going on in their daily life is something we’re all really excited to do,” said Rebecca Kaiser, 2011 class member and chair of the marketing group for the project.
Once they begin the project, Kaiser said it is expected to take four to six weekends of work to complete.
The main fundraiser for the project will be the silent auction taking place at the annual Bay Area Chamber Annual Meeting held March 23. This year, the class also will be selling engraved bricks to pave portions of the courtyard, which can be purchased and engraved at a cost of $100 each.
“(The bricks) gives us the opportunity to give people some recognition for donating to the cause,” Kaiser said.
This year Dobson Healthcare is represented in the Leadership Bay County program via Tara Cox, Business Development Manager.
For more information on the project, or to donate to the cause, visit the Leadership Bay County website.
Source: Mlive
A Concussion is a Brain Injury
What is a Concussion?
Concussions are a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by a blow or jolt to the head. The injury can range from mild to severe and can disrupt the way the brain normally works.
An athlete does not need to lose consciousness to sustain a concussion. You cannot see a concussion, but you might notice some of the symptoms right away. Other symptoms can show up days or weeks after the injury. It is best to see a health care professional if you think you might have a concussion. An undiagnosed concussion can affect your abilities at school or work and in everyday activities.
Signs and Symptoms
- Nausea
- Dizziness or balance problems
- Double or fuzzy vision
- Sensitivity to light or noise
- Headache
- Feeling sluggish or tired
- Feeling foggy or groggy
- Confusion
- Trouble concentrating
- Trouble remembering
If You’ve Had a Concussion
- Never ignore a bump to the head
- Tell your coach or teammates
- Ask to be taken out of the game
- Pay attention to physical changes
- Watch out for thinking problems
- Talk to your parents or teachers about the troubles you are having
- See a health care professional
- Get plenty of rest
- Return to practice and play only after your brain is healed and your health care professional says it’s okay
When will I get better?
Your concussion symptoms can begin to decrease in the first few weeks/months depending on the severity of your injury. You may notice more difficulty in some situations than others. You might get tired after reading, studying or watching TV. It may be harder to do two things at once, such as talking on the phone or working on the computer.
Take things slow and be patient with yourself. Do not participate in contact sports until your health care professional says its okay.
Source: Brain Injury Association
Dobson Healthcare Services, Inc is pleased to continue to be a supporter of the Leadership Bay County program, operated through the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. This program takes 25-30 local businessmen and women annually and educates them on local issues while growing them into the leaders of tomorrow for our community.
Each year the participants of this program spend a year learning about Bay County, examining the community’s agriculture, history, educational options, local government, law enforcement, the local natural resources, local arts and culture and the area’s human needs and services that are offered. In addition to learning about the economics’s of Bay County, participants also work on a class project that is aimed to benefit the local community.
This year the Leadership Bay County class have chosen a project to benefit the Good Samaritan Rescue Mission. The rescue mission is a wonderful organization based in the Bay City Community. In the last year they have provided over 17,437 nights of safe lodging for women, children, and men from the community who would otherwise have no where else to go. In addition they serve over 42,685 meals annually to the hungry in our community. The Rescue Mission averages an occupancy around 48 daily.
This years leadership class has chosen to raise funds to benefit the courtyard that the male guests can access. The classes goal is to create a tranquil and inviting place for the mean to utilize during their stay at the Rescue Mission.
The primary method of fund-raising for the class is through an annual silent auction that is held during the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Dinner on March 23rd at the DoubleTree Hotel in Bay City, MI.
Currently the Leadership Class is actively looking for items to be donated to the silent auction, if you would like to donate to this auction you can contact Tara Cox at (866)-866-8984 or through email at taracox@dobsonhealthcare.com
For more information on the Good Samaritan Rescue Mission
For more information on the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
You can find the Leadership Bay County Class on Facebook
Dobson Healthcare has had an active member in the last four years of the Leadership Bay County program that is operated through the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. Previous years attendees have included:
Jenna Schrumpf (’07-’08) Danielle Clark Verlinde (’08-’09) Laura Langhart (’09-’10) Tara Cox (’10-’11)On the 20th Anniversary of Dobson Healthcare in 2008 we introduced the Verlene Ritter Employee Dedication Award. This award was started to honor an extremely dedicated Dobson employee, Verlene Ritter. Many of you over the years have been lucky enough to work with her through our Lansing Regional Branch.
We now continue to annually award an employee who has shown an ability to provide excellent client care. In addition they consistently go above and beyond when working with their clients, ensuring an unsurpassed level of care is being provided.
This year’s recipient is Marsha H., a Home Health Aide from the West Branch Regional office. Marsha has been a dedicated and loyal employee since 2006. She has been chosen for this award because of her flexibility, ability to work well in difficult situations, and clinical skills. Additionally, she has excellent communication skills with the clients, client’s families, and Dobson Healthcare Services, Inc. It is obvious she is very caring and passionate about her job.
Thank you Marsha for your continued hard work and commitment!
“YOU NEED TO FIND A CASE MANAGER”, says the nurse, social worker or discharge planner. As reality begins to “hit you between the eyes” following the brain injury of a loved one, many terms will be “thrown at you” and often you, the survivor are so overwhelmed that even the decision of when to take your next breath, seems difficult. For the next few months, I will attempt to assist you in understanding some of various words and phrases you will hear through this sometimes difficult journey.
Let’s start with the term CASE MANAGER:
A case manager is a health care professional, typically a nurse, rehab counselor or a social worker whose job is to manage your loved ones health care services and advocate (be the voice of) their client, your loved one. Their goals for their clients include but are not limited to:
1. Help their clients enjoy the highest quality of life possible
2. Maximize the use of available benefits, resources and services
3. Assist them to live as independently as possible and smoothly help to integrate them back into the community when able
Case managers do these things to assist their clients to recover to the best of their ability. It is the case manager’s responsibility to achieve these goals in a cost-effective way assuring the health and safety of your loved one. In short, you and your case manager have the same goals. A good case manager has the knowledge, skills and experience to accomplish these goals. Case management typically should start within weeks of the injury but, it can begin and end at any time throughout the lifelong recovery process.
The big question for all survivors is Where do I find one? How do I find one? Contact your state brain injury association or the Brain Injury Association of America for names of local case managers, check your yellow pages under rehabilitation, google “case managers” in (your town/state), ask health care professionals, pharmacists, your insurance company, etc. When your loved one is in the hospital, an inpatient rehab facility or day rehab program, there will be an “in-house” case manager/social worker who will do your “negotiating” for you. Your health insurance company may provide a case manager to oversee reimbursable medical services but long term, after discharge you may still need a case management advocate on your team.
REMEMBER…YOU ARE THE BOSS! A case manager can and should be interviewed by you just like any member of your loved one’s “team”.
You or your loved one will then become their “employer”. Some things to consider when interviewing a case manager are:
1. Is he/she licensed in her profession?
2. Is he/she a certified brain injury specialist? (CBIS) (not mandatory but very helpful)
3. How long has he/she been representing brain injured victims?
4. How many families has he/she helped?
5. ASK FOR REFERENCES
6. Does he/she sound informed about brain injury?
7. Does he/she seem to understand the issues you are facing?
8. What are the costs?
9. Will you and your loved one feel comfortable working with this person for weeks, months and, possibly, years?
10. How frequently will he/she communicate with you and how? In person, phone, email, and/or fax?
Keep in mind that your case manager works for your loved one. You have the right to “fire” them if you do not feel they are working in your loved ones best interest.
As a side note, look for a support group for TBI families and victims. Ask ICU/CCU nurses, physicians, friends to put you in touch with other families who are experiencing or have experienced the same “journey” you and your loved one are traveling right now. They will be thrilled to help. Again, we can only keep what we have by giving it away and especially for TBI survivors and their families, as they all wish they had the knowledge that only comes from going through the very unfortunate experience that they have.
Source: Successfully Surviving a Brain Injury-A Family Guidebook by Garry Prowe
Women and hearts; we draw them as we daydream of young love, they are broken, we are accused of making our decisions with our hearts and we invest every ounce our hearts can give into those that we love. Yet how often do we think of our heart’s health??
According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the number one killer of women. Heart disease is not a middle aged man’s disease any more. The American Heart Association’s “Go Red” initiative hopes to change this fact. “Go Red” was developed to raise funds for women’s heart health research and to bring awareness of heart health to women of all ages. Goredforwomen.org has been developed to bring this awareness to women by educating them in heart disease’s risk factors and preventative measures for women of all ages. You can log on to complete their Go Red Heart Checkup and learn your personal risk factors.
Healthy heart habits start when women are in their twenties and will continue throughout their lives. Although some risks can’t be avoided, such as family history of heart disease, women have many ways to manage the risks which we can influence. Some ways that women can manage their risk factors are as follows;
- Stop smoking…NOW. Not only does smoking put you at risk for heart disease, it also increases your risk of developing breathing problems and some forms of cancer. Besides, smoking is rumored to cause wrinkles…who wants wrinkles?
- Lower your stress level – easier said than done!
- Moderate your alcohol consumption. Most recent studies advise one drink per day for women. This does not mean that you can ‘save up’ your intake and drink 7 drinks on Saturday!
- Eat right. As with any preventable condition/disease, a healthy diet consisting of whole grains, fruits and vegetables and lean protein can fortify the body to fight off inflammation, thought to contribute to heart disease.
- Schedule/maintain regular check-ups with your healthcare provider. As ‘Go red’ recommends, knowing your numbers [cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL and vital signs] will help you and your health care provider manage your risks.
In this month of love and hearts, let’s give a little love to our hearts and be heart healthy!
Julie Hobgood, RN, can be reached at juliehobgood@dobsonhealthcare.com or by calling (866) 866-8984
Source: goredforwomen.org
Patients come to Dobson Healthcare after sustaining a Brain Injury in several different ways. No Brain Injury is the same, and this article from NPR is a great tool to understanding the process that physicians use to asses a patients injury and begin to treat the injury.
How Neurosurgeons Size Up Brain Injuries
First things first…Important to remember…
- A person with a brain injury is a person first
- No two brain injuries are exactly the same
- The effects of any brain injury are complex and vary greatly with each person
- The effects of any brain injury depend on things like cause, location of the brain injury and severity of the injury
Let’s talk about the “lobes” or sections of the brain. There are four: Frontal, Temporal, Parietal and Occipital. This will be very basic information about each of the lobes of the brain. Some behaviors/deficits may be explained by knowing which section of the brain is injured, and by understanding the basic functions of those lobes.
Frontal Lobe: Situated at the front of the skull, the “forehead region”, our frontal lobes are known as our emotional control center and are also, “home to our personality”. The frontal lobe is associated with motor skills, reasoning, higher level awareness/cognition and expressive language. This lobe receives information from other lobes of the brain and utilizes it to carry out body movements.
Temporal Lobes: Located on either side of the skull, above the ear, the temporal lobes are associated with visual and auditory (hearing) input. They provide the organization of the input. Persons with injury to the temporal lobe may have difficulty placing words or pictures into categories. They are highly associated with memory skills. Left temporal injury may result in impaired memory for verbal material, while right temporal injury may result in the inability to recall non verbal material, i.e. music, drawings. Severe damage to the temporal lobe may also increase unfavorable sexual behavior.
Parietal Lobe: The parietal lobe is the middle section of the brain, located near the back and top of the head. This lobe is responsible for processing tactile sensory information such as touch, pain, pressure, etc. An important section of the brain is located in the parietal lobe and is essential to the processing of the body’s senses.
Occipital Lobe: The occipital lobe is located in the back portion of the brain. It is associated with vision. An important section of this lobe of the brain is the primary visual cortex. This area receives and interprets information from the retinas of the eyes. Damage to this lobe can cause a variety of visual disturbances and even blindness.
Again, no two brain injuries are exactly alike. Every person will respond and recover at a different rate. This is just meant to help you to understand a little more on why the deficit you may be seeing with your brain injured loved one, is present.