(630) 892-4355 
Author: VNA Health Care Communications
Positive Parenting Classes
Being a great parent can be hard— VNA is here to help!
Join us in 2019 for these free classes
Aurora Classes:
These classes meet from 10:30 am to 12:00 p.m. at 400 N. Highland Avenue, Aurora in the Wellness Kitchen, 2nd floor
Class 1: January 22 Positive Discipline Tools
Class 2: February 19 The language of firmness
Class 3: March 19 Temperament and Development: Why do they do that?
Class 4: April 23 The basic of dealing with sibling rivalry and conflict
These classes meet from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at 1400 Indian Avenue, Aurora in the NEW Wellness Kitchen.
Class 1: February 6 Positive Discipline Tools
Class 2: February 20 The language of firmness
Class 3: March 6 Temperament and Development: Why do they do that?
Class 4: March 20 The basic of dealing with sibling rivalry and conflict
Come to one or all as your schedule permits
- Build confidence
- Learn positive ways to change behavior
- Make new friends
Call (630) 892-4355 ext. 8385 for more information or download our fliers:
Highland Avenue flier (Tuesday classes)
VNA Uncorked 2018
The VNA Uncorked Silent Auction is now live! Visit the site to view the live and silent auction items, make a bid, or donate to fund a specific need.
Please join us for VNA Uncorked 2018 featuring: wine and food pairings by Paul Lindemuth and Regine T. Rousseau, craft beer, appetizers & dessert, live music by Terra Guitarra, live and silent auction and a cork pull.
Chef Instructor
Marcel’s Culinary Experience
CEO & Sommelier
Shall We Wine
Jazz/Classical/World Fusion
All proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit VNA’s Century of Service Campaign which will support our planned health center expansion projects in Aurora and Joliet, IT and infrastructure improvements, the delivery of primary care services to people with little or no insurance and the construction of Wellness Kitchens in Aurora, Joliet, Carol Stream and Elgin.
VNA is a patient-centered, community-based not-for-profit provider serving the Chicago suburbs with convenient & compassionate healthcare. VNA will serve over 75,000 patients this year and provide over 200,000 exams.
The link to purchase tickets can be found below:
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To learn more about our $1 million dollar Century of Service campaign and sponsorship of this celebration event please contact rsvp@vnahealth.com. Please note complimentary tickets to VNA Uncorked are included in all Sponsorship packages.
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A special thank you to all of our Century of Service Campaign supporters including the following Sponsors and Grantors at or above the leadership level of $50,000:
Meet Himabala Medasani, MD, The First Internal Medicine Physician at VNA
Q & A with Himabala Medasani, MD
Doctor of Internal Medicine at VNA Health Care
Why did you want to work in medicine?
I was always fascinated by science, medicine was a natural selection for me with my inquisitive nature coupled with love for people.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
The gratification that I helped someone, the high I get from making a right diagnosis are the best part of my job. Yes, I am calling it high because each patient inspires so much curiosity and when you nail the diagnosis, it is like solving a puzzle.
What has surprised you most about working with older adults?
Providing emotional support along with medical care goes a long way with older adults.
Older adults when given enough time and attention are really compliant. I have had patients who make appointments just for the interaction as they rarely see their own family members.
What do you find most challenging about working with patients?
It is always hard to help patients who are not willing to help themselves and most of the times this is related to poor awareness of complications or insight into their own medical problems. I have learnt that spending enough time in patient education makes my job more enjoyable and easy.
What do you wish everyone knew about older adult health?
Decline in memory is not always just old age!
What’s your personal philosophy on adult health?
Compassionate care
Go slow, start low with your medications
What might someone be surprised to know about you?
I am good dancer, hold a dance diploma in Indian classical dance called Bharathanatyam
What are some of your favorite activities outside of work, and why do you enjoy them?
Photography and Travel
What is your favorite meal? Your favorite snack food?
I love Thai food, favorite snack would be Indian bhel puri
What book did you read last?
Living dowry by Abraham Verghese
Are you a morning person or a night person?
Morning any day
What’s one thing you need to have every day?
Sleep
Do you have a favorite quote?
“She is free in her wildness, a drop of free water” – Roman Payne
If you are expecting, you can expect to find resources for your pregnancy at VNA
When you are pregnant, suddenly everyone wants to open the door, carry your bags, and give you free things *. Here are the links for the gifts mentioned in our video.
If you are pregnant, you can start your prenatal care in VNA immediately. Learn more about what the services we offer here…
Free samples and offers
* Please note that not all of these items are free or may require you to cancel after receiving your free trial. If that is the case, we have noted specific instructions after the link on how to cancel.
Sign up for free on these online sites and you will get samples and coupons by mail.
Diapers – Free products but you must cancel within the specified period of time to avoid charges in the future.
Honest Company:
The most important thing to keep in mind when ordering this package is that you have 7 days after placing your order to cancel your ‘membership’ by calling 1.888.862.8818. If you do not cancel, you will be charged a monthly subscription.
Free baby items, you pay for shipping and handling with code: ccthanks16
uddercovers.com
An uddercover helps mothers who want to cover themselves to be comfortable and fashionable while breastfeeding their babies.
nursingpillow.com
A curved pillow designed to help you hold your baby during breastfeeding.
nursingpillow.com
Design and personalize a pacifier for your baby.
sevenbaby.com
Slings and wraps to hold your baby.
babyleggings.com
Cute designs to keep your baby’s legs and knees warm.
Pregnant? There is an app for you!
These apps are free and are available for iPhone (IOS) and android
Glow Nurture Pregnancy App (available in Spanish)
This is a customizable app to track your pregnancy. Includes alerts and insights based on data you enter, pregnancy articles, charts, symptom tracker, community support, and more.
Hello Belly Pregnancy Tracker
This application has a sense of humor and will send you useful and practical tips for each week of your pregnancy.
The Bump Pregnancy app
The Bump compares the growth of your baby in the womb with fruit in a fun and easy way. It also includes updates and information about the changes and developments that happen to both your baby and your own body and helps you prepare.
Ovia Pregnancy Tracker
This app offers a personalized approach to monitoring the development of your baby in the womb. It includes a customizable health tracker, calendar to organize and follow up on all things related to your pregnancy, and access to a safe support community of mothers and mothers-to-be.
Full Term Contraction Counter
The convenience of the Full Term counter allows you to count contractions at the touch of a button. Press the green when a contraction starts and red when it stops. The application automatically calculates and tracks the frequency and duration of contractions, so you can let your doctor know exactly how far apart the contractions are. This will help determine how quickly (or slowly) you will need to get to the hospital to give birth.
This application is the most convenient way to keep track of your labor contractions. Simply tap a single button to track the start and end of each of your contractions, and “Full Term” will take care of the rest.
This app costs $ 2.99 and is available for iPhone (IOS) and android
Baby Pics Photo Editor App (available in Spanish)
This app costs $ 2.99, but if you love sharing your photos on social media you may want to invest in this fun application. The application has filters for pregnancy and baby milestones for cute pictures on Snapchat. Includes beautifully crafted artwork to honor milestones to place on your photos as well.
Textforbaby will send you free text messages with health tips for you and your baby. Texts are free even if you are in a prepaid plan.
And finally, here’s your bonus for reading to the end: download our checklist for what you should bring to the hospital printable.
Pink Leads The Way Women’s Health Fair
Pink Leads the Way Women’s Health Fair
Join us at VNA Health Care, 400 N. Highland Avenue in Aurora on Tuesday, October 23 from Noon to 2pm for a FREE Women’s Health Fair. Learn about breast cancer prevention, screening, and the resources available through the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer program for low-income women who qualify. We’ll have giveaways, a raffle and more fun things for you too!
8 Common Myths about Men’s Health
10 tips for Preventing Sports Injuries in Kids and Teens
10 Tips for Preventing Sports Injuries in Kids and Teens
1. Talk with your young athlete.
Sports should be pain-free. Tell your child to let mom or dad know if something hurts or doesn’t feel right.
2. Get a preseason physical.
Asses any concerns before starting sports season, and prevent further injury during play if a condition is present and needs to be treated. Plus, your school won’t let you play if you don’t have a sports physical on file.
3. Encourage cross-training and a variety of sports.
Too much of the same sport puts lots of stress on the same muscles and joints. Limit the number of teams your athlete is on at any given time and change their routine regularly to give them a variety of activities and exercise.
4. Stress the importance of warming up.
Stretching is should become habit for all athletes before practicing or a game. Include both
Static and dynamic stretching. Toe touches or any stretch that you hold position for 30 seconds or more are considered static stretches. When the body continues to move during the stretch, like in a jumping jack, it is a dynamic stretch.
5. Make sure they rest.
Athletes of all ages need to rest between practices, games and events. A lack of sleep and muscle fatigue predispose an athlete to injury. Most common injuries in young athletes are overuse injuries – too many sports, not enough rest.
6. Provide a healthy, well-balanced diet.
It’s important for athletes to eat a well-balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, and to maintain a regular eating schedule.
7. Emphasize hydration.
Watch for any signs of heat-related illness, such as fatigue, nausea, vomiting, confusion or fainting. Be extra cautious on hot and humid days. Make sure your athlete drinks enough water before, during and after playing.
8. Get the proper equipment.
Helmets, pads, shoes and other protective equipment are an important part of injury prevention. But they must fit properly in order to offer this protection. Before the season starts, talk with the coach about what is needed and allow enough time to purchase the equipment and have it fitted before practice begins.
9. Emphasize proper technique and guidelines.
In every sport, there is a correct way and a wrong way of doing things. It only takes one time of not following this advice for an injury to happen.
10. Recognize injury and get help early.
Small injuries that are ignored can progress into a more serious injury. Get your child to the doctor right away even if they have a minor injury.
Need a sports physical for your student?
Schedule an appointment today at any of our locations-
Aurora Elgin Bensenville Carol Stream, Bolingbrook, Joliet and Romeoville
(630) 892-4355
A Century of Service Gala – Historical Video and Event Photos
VNA Health Care – A Century of Service Historical Video
The roots of VNA Health Care extend back to 1918 when it was founded in Aurora, Illinois by a group of men and women who wanted to make healthcare accessible for all. This philosophy guides us today and will do so for the next century. As we celebrate our Century of Service, we thought that you might enjoy viewing this video that highlights the history of VNA as it grew into the organization that is today, serving 72,000 people with over 200,000 patient visits.
We are also including a few pictures of our Gala venue below – we hope you were able to join us in celebration of our Century of Service but if not, please put October 12th in your schedule and join us in raising a glass at our upcoming Uncorked Wine Tasting!
To learn more about A Century of Service $1 million dollar campaign and to donate, please click on the link below.
Donate
5 Ways for Men to Live a Longer, Healthier Life
5 Ways for Men to Live a Longer, Healthier Life
by Zulfiqar Hashim, MD
Men can live longer and enjoy good health and independence as they age by following five healthy habits.
#1 – Quit smoking
Smoking is linked to 4 the top 5 causes of premature death in men. It contributes to high blood pressure which can lead to heart disease and stroke. About ¼ of all
heart-disease-related deaths happen in men ages 35 to 65. Ninety percent of lung cancer is caused by smoking. Men who smoke are nearly 12 times as likely to die from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) as men who have never smoked. The study determined that not smoking has the most powerful effect on your health.
#2 – Maintain a healthy body-mass index
Body-mass index is your ratio of height to weight. It is an important screen to determine if you are overweight or underweight.
#3 –Exercise daily
Maintaining a healthy weight is easier when you include exercise in your daily routine. Regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight work together,
helping prevent heart disease, cancers, stroke, diabetes and other diseases that cause premature death.
#4 – Cut back on drinking alcohol and avoid drugs
Excessive drinking – whether it is beer, wine, or hard liquor – contributes to heart disease and cancer. But did you know it also is a factor in another cause of
premature death in men- death by accident? And car crashes caused by driving under the influence are not the only concern. An estimated 40 percent of
residential fire deaths are caused by alcohol use. Never combine alcohol with drugs. Avoid street drugs completely, and use caution if you are prescribed an opiod pain killer. These can be highly addictive. It is important to follow your
doctor’s instructions carefully if you are using an opiod to manage pain.
#5 – Eat a healthy diet
Your diet has a direct effect on your cholesterol levels, which contribute to disease. If you have diabetes or are at risk for diabetes, it is important to watch your sugar intake. Diet can also affect blood pressure, which contributes to heart disease. Your diet affects the number you see on the scale and is a key part of maintaining a healthy weight.
Following these habits can add more than a decade on to your life expectancy, and healthier people enjoy a better quality of life. If you need some help learning about how to adopt these habits in your life, come to a free wellness class at VNA. The classes are fun and interactive. Classes include simple cooking demonstrations with samples. You’ll learn how to eat healthy and get tips for
becoming more active. And, be sure to have a check-up once each year with your VNA provider to talk about your health concerns and have important health screenings.