Tuesday, October 14, 2025
12:00 – 1:00 pm
CC Chapel

1. Stay Alert to Advertising and Scams

Advertisers spend billions during Open Enrollment, often promising increased Social Security checks, new government programs, or urgent changes to benefits. Thomas cautions that Medicare and its representatives will never call beneficiaries directly. Seniors should be wary of anyone requesting personal information and always verify offers with trusted sources.

2. Know Your Legitimate Savings Options

There are real ways to save money on Medicare and Social Security:

• The Extra Help program can lower eligible individuals’ Medicare Part D premiums, deductibles, and co-pays.
• Medicare Savings Programs may pay for monthly Part B premiums and other out-of-pocket costs. Eligibility is based on income and assets, and applications are handled through the Social Security Administration or local Family Services offices.

3. Understand 2026 Coverage Changes

Major changes are coming to Medicare Part D and Advantage plans:

• The out-of-pocket cap for Part D will increase to $2,100, and the annual deductible will rise to $615.
• Several popular Medicare Advantage plans, including UCare and HealthPartners in Lac qui Parle County, are leaving the Minnesota market. Seniors affected will have new options and a time-limited right to purchase Medigap Supplement plans.
• Reviewing coverage during Open Enrollment is crucial, as plan networks, formularies, and pharmacy statuses may change year to year.

Thomas recommends that individuals use the tools provided on Medicare.gov or a trusted insurance agent to determine which plan is best for them. JMHS would like to thank Thomas for providing this informative session to our community. The handouts she provided are below:

Medicare Open Enrollment Presentation

What’s the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan?

Energy Assistant Program

Medicare.gov

For more information or personalized assistance on 2026 Medicare Coverage contact Laura Thomas at 320-226-8861or [email protected].

Tuesday, August 26, 2025
12:00 – 1:00 pm
JMHS Conference Room

165+ million people use MyChart to take control of their healthcare, right from their phone or computer!

1. MyChart Overview and Accessibility
   • MyChart is Epic’s patient portal, available free to patients at facilities using Epic EMR. It can be accessed via website, mobile app (Apple/Android), and bedside in hospitals. The mobile app offers all the same features as the website, enabling patients to manage their health on the go.
2. Easy Account Activation
   • Patients can sign up for MyChart through email or text invitations, staff assistance during visits, or self sign-up. Automatic activation links are sent after scheduling appointments, check-ins, hospital discharge, or nurse triage calls, provided contact information is on file.
3. Proxy Access for Family and Caregivers
   • MyChart allows authorized individuals (proxies) to access another patient’s medical records, commonly used by parents for children or adult children for elderly parents. Proxy requests are managed through the patient’s MyChart account, and access varies by age group and legal status.
4. Popular Features
   • MyChart’s most-used features include scheduling appointments, viewing test results and notes, secure messaging with providers, accessing health records, eCheck-In, video visits, and bill pay. These features help patients stay informed and engaged in their healthcare.
5. Account Access by Age
   • Children under 12 can only have their records accessed via a parent/guardian’s proxy account. Teens (12–17) can have their own account with limited proxy access for parents. Adults (18+) can grant proxy access to others, such as spouses or caregivers.

MyChart Presentation

Tuesday, July 15, 2025
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Care Center Chapel

More than 25 million Americans struggle with pelvic floor issues like incontinence or chronic pain.

1. Understanding the Pelvic Floor
   • The pelvic floor is a group of muscles at the base of the pelvis, acting as a “foundation” for your torso. These muscles support the uterus, bladder, and bowel, and are essential for core stability and organ function.
2. Common Signs and Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
   • Symptoms include frequent bathroom visits, straining during bowel movements, constipation, leaking stool or urine, painful urination, unexplained low back pain, painful sex, and pelvic organ prolapse. These signs should not be ignored and may indicate underlying pelvic floor issues.
3. Risk Factors and Life Stages
   • Pelvic floor problems are common during pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, hysterectomy, obesity, aging, and certain medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, neurological disorders, prostate issues). Both women and men can be affected, though the presentation focuses on female health.
4. Treatment Options and Physical Therapy
   • Treatment includes pelvic floor physical therapy, exercises to strengthen or relax muscles, education on toileting posture, bladder and bowel function, dietary recommendations, and lifestyle changes. Therapy is respectful, private, and tailored to individual comfort and needs.
5. Lifestyle and Dietary Recommendations
   • Key advice includes drinking enough fluids, eating nutritious foods, staying active, avoiding bladder irritants (caffeine, carbonation, citrus, chocolate, alcohol), managing stress, and not holding urine unnecessarily. Medication and hormone changes (e.g., low estrogen) can also impact pelvic health

Pelvic Floor Presentation

Bonnie Will offers Pelvic Floor therapy based on your level of comfort. Please ask your medical provider if you think you could benefit from Pelvic Floor Therapy.

Call 320-769-4393

Tuesday, June 10, 2025
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Care Center Chapel

Dementia isn’t just memory loss, it’s a progressive brain disorder that affects thinking, communication, and everyday tasks.

1. Understanding Dementia
   • Dementia is a group of symptoms caused by brain cell death, affecting memory, language, visual-spatial skills, and executive functioning. Different diseases can cause these symptoms, including Alzheimer’s, vascular disease, Lewy-body disease, Parkinson’s, and frontotemporal disease.
2. Distinguishing Normal Aging, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia
   • Normal aging involves occasional forgetfulness and minor errors but does not interfere with daily living.
   • Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) presents cognitive changes that do not impact independence.
   • Dementia involves significant cognitive decline that interferes with independence in daily activities (IADLs like meal prep, medication management, driving, finances, and job performance).
3. Symptoms of Dementia
   • Forgetting recently learned information, repeated questions, difficulty with planning and numbers, losing track of time, trouble with words, misplacing items, poor judgment, withdrawal from social activities, and changes in mood/personality.
4. Effective Communication Strategies
   • Avoid correcting or reasoning with individuals with dementia; instead, connect and enter their reality.
   • Focus on triggers rather than behaviors, and use communication that fosters peace rather than frustration.
   • Never use phrases like “Don’t you remember?” or “Your parents died a long time ago.” Instead, use empathetic responses like “I’m sorry” to reset interactions.
5. Increasing Cognitive Reserve: The Six Pillars of Brain Health
   • Eat right (Mediterranean diet), get restorative sleep, exercise regularly, socialize, manage stress, and engage your brain with new activities. These lifestyle choices can lower dementia risk and improve overall brain health.

Please ask your medical provider if you or your loved one would benefit from cognitive testing available at JMHS.

Call 320-769-4393

Tuesday, May 20, 2025
12:00 – 1:00 pm
JMHS Conference Room

Caring for your mental health is just as important as your physical health.

Difference between mental health and mental illness.

• Being mentally healthy contributes to feeling, thinking and acting in ways that help you enjoy life and cope with its challenges. Struggling with mental health may result in feeling unhappy, difficulty thinking clearly, or feeling overwhelmed by stressful situations.

• 

  Mental illness is not the same as feeling sad, unhappy, or stressed because of difficult situations. People with mental illness may feel distressed regularly and may not feel in control of their lives. Mental illness can impact how we see ourselves, how we see the world around us and how we interact with the world.

   

Practical tools for managing stress, anxiety, and emotional well-being:

• Practice Gratitude – Write down three things you’re thankful for each day.
• Make Time for Self-Care – Prioritize rest, hobbies, or quiet time.
• Use the 54321 Grounding Tool – Calm anxiety by naming: 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste.
• Try Deep Breathing – A few slow breaths can ease tension and stress.
• Move Your Body – Even a short walk can lift your mood and focus.
• Get 8 Hours of Sleep – Good rest improves emotional and mental well-being.
• Unplug Before Bed – Turn off screens at least 30 minutes before sleeping.

JMHS has three mental health providers available to see individuals in person and via telemedicine. Anna Lewis, PMHNP, and Megan Derenge, PMHNP, provide behavioral health medication management and therapy. Lewis treats patients 16 and older, while Derenge sees patients five and up. Lisa Kuechenmeister, MS, LPCC, provides therapy services to individuals nine and older. To schedule, call 320-769-4393.