Can I Sit Here?

Bullying is not a new topic; children have been bullying one another for decades. What I have found recently is that bullying can be a problem for those of all ages. Adult bullying does often look like the bullying you see on a playground, it just takes place in senior housing, church, senior centers or even at the place of employment. 

Bullying is a distinct pattern of deliberately harming or humiliating others, usually involving an imbalance of power. With seniors, the bullying is usually not physical but insults, isolation and demeaning the other person. Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me, is a nursery rhyme we have all heard, but words can hurt. Calling people insulting and derogatory names is a major weapon of a bully.

Name-calling seeks to separate the victim and make those around them see them in a negative light. It also serves to make the victim feel bad about who they are. Continued insults and put downs can affect how a person sees themselves; it can also influence how those around them see them. The insults could be based on real or perceived difference but the outcome is the same. 

Isolating a victim is also a common bullying tactic. “Saving seats” for friends seems like an innocent act, but if the purpose is to exclude people from sitting at “your” table then it is bullying. I have had clients tell me stories of trying to sit in a pew or at a table and people told them they could not sit there it was reserved for Friend X. This was repeated at several seats; soon the person just gave up and no longer goes there.

They felt isolated and excluded, which they were. 

Acts of bullying can include:

+Mocking

+Threatening

+Isolating

+Gossiping

+Destroying property

+Physical violence

So what can be done to eliminate senior bullying? First, of all if you see someone being bullied, speak up, we all know right from wrong so if it feels wrong it probably is. Speak to someone in charge and make him or her aware of the situation, they cannot fix a problem they do not know is there. Finally, be kind. If you see someone being mistreated you can always be the person that invites them to sit by you. Be the person they can turn to. As the saying goes, treat others, as you would like to be treated. That applies at every age.

Saint Francis Healthcare System welcomes nurse practitioner Amanda Wareing, APRN, FNP-C, as a new team member with the Saint Francis Medical Center hospitalists.  She joins 21 other providers that are dedicated to caring for hospitalized patients at the Medical Center. 

Wareing earned her Master of Science in nursing from Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri and is board certified by the American Academy of Nurse practitioners. She has been a member of the Saint Francis Family since 2013 and previously served as a registered nursing in the medical intensive care unit at the Medical Center. 

Nurse practitioners are nurses who have undergone advanced training and are able to diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries, order lab work and imaging tests, and write prescriptions. They can manage many health conditions, teach health promotion and help patients with disease prevention.

Hospitalists are doctors who focus on the general medical care of hospitalized patients. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Saint Francis hospitalists are dedicated to coordinating and managing the healthcare needs of each patient from admission to discharge. Hospitalists help ensure a seamless continuum of care among primary care doctors, physician specialists and inpatient care providers. 

To learn more about this new physician and the role of hospitalists at Saint Francis, visit www.sfmc.net. 

Saint Francis Healthcare System is guided by our mission to provide a ministry of healing, wellness, quality and love inspired by our faith in Jesus Christ. Founded by Franciscan Sisters in 1875, our priority remains the same: serve all who enter with dignity, compassion and joy. Serving nearly 713,000 people across Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas, our focus is on patients' outcomes, experience and value.

Anchored by Saint Francis Medical Center, a 306-bed tertiary hospital, and supported by nearly 3,000 employees and more than 250 providers in eight communities, the Healthcare System is a driving economic force in the region. Major services include the Cancer Institute, Emergency and Level III Trauma Center, Family BirthPlace and the region's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Heart Hospital, Neurosciences and Orthopedics.

SAINT FRANCIS PAIN MANAGEMENT CENTER 

WELCOMES NURSE PRACTITIONER

Saint Francis Medical Center welcomes nurse practitioner Tamara Keesee, FNP-C, to the Saint Francis Pain Management Center. 

She earned her Master of Science in Nursing from South University in Savannah, Georgia and is 

board certified from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. 

Nurse practitioners are nurses who have undergone advanced training and are able to diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries, order lab work and imaging tests, and write prescriptions. They can manage many health conditions, teach health promotion and help patients with disease prevention.

The Saint Francis Pain Management Center is nationally recognized for its commitment to delivering high-quality care and is the region’s only center accredited by the American Academy of Pain Management. 

The Pain Management Center treats a wide range of conditions, including: 

Degenerative disc disease

Spinal stenosis

Spondylosis (arthritis)

Compression fractures

Sciatica

Diabetic and idiopathic neuropathy

Facet syndrome

Myofascial pain syndrome

Occipital neuralgia

Piriformis syndrome

Post-hepatic neuralgia (shingles)

RSD (reflex sympathetic dystrophy)

Torticollis

Trochanteric bursitis

Post-laminectomy pain (cervical, lumbar and thoracic)

Muscle spasm

Intercostal neuralgia

Chronic pain

Inguinal pain

Cancer-related pain

If pain is keeping you from the life you want, talk with your doctor about a referral to the Saint Francis Pain Management Center or call 573-331-5329. 


Saint Francis Healthcare System is guided by our mission to provide a ministry of healing, wellness, quality and love inspired by our faith in Jesus Christ. Founded by Franciscan Sisters in 1875, our priority remains the same: serve all who enter with dignity, compassion and joy. Serving nearly 713,000 people across Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas, our focus is on patients' outcomes, experience and value.

Anchored by Saint Francis Medical Center, a 306-bed tertiary hospital, and supported by nearly 3,000 employees and more than 250 providers in eight communities, the Healthcare System is a driving economic force in the region. Major services include the Cancer Institute, Emergency and Level III Trauma Center, Family BirthPlace and the region's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Heart Hospital, Neurosciences and Orthopedics.

Many people are asking where their new Medicare cards are and what they have to do to get them. New Medicare cards are on the way, they should be here by the end of the year and you only have to make sure the address Social Security has for you is up to date. Medicare will not call you and ask for your information to send you a card. Medicare will not charge you for your new card either. Several people in our area have received calls that they must send $5-25 to get their card, that is a scam. Please do not give your Medicare or Social Security number out to someone who calls you on the phone.

Another recent question is what to do with letters and information that promotes a website Medicare.com to access Medicare information. That site is not in any way affiliated with Medicare. If you need Medicare information, you can go to Medicare.gov. The .gov is important and lets you know you are on the real Medicare governmental site. If the internet is not a way you like to communicate, you can also call 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227). Aging Matters will happily help with your Medicare questions, 800-392-8771.

Medicare also has changes to the cost; the standard Medicare Part B premium will be $135.50. Some will pay less because the Social Security COLA raise of 2.8% will not cover an increase. Those with higher incomes (over $85,000 for a person filing single or $107,000 for a couple filing jointly) could pay more. If you have limited income and assets you might qualify for help with your Medicare costs, call Aging Matters to see. The Medicare Part A deductible will increase to $1364 per benefit period and the Part B deductible will increase $2 to $185.

Many Part D plans are changing and we have already begun to help beneficiaries sort through the plans available. Open Enrollment for Medicare Part B continues until December 7. Please check your plan to make sure you are in the best plan for you. If you have any questions about Medicare, please call Aging Matters, 800-392-8771 or 573-335-3331.

Saint Francis Healthcare System proudly welcomes nurse practitioner, Gena Weinhold, APRN, FNP-BC, and physician assistant, Autumn Wills, PA-C, CDE, at Cape Diabetes and Endocrinology in providing the region with diagnosis, management and comprehensive treatment of diabetes and other disorders of the endocrine system. 

Weinhold earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah and her Master of Science in Nursing from Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. She is board-certified from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. 

Wills earned her medical education from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. She is board-certified from the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators. Prior to Saint Francis, Wills worked in Herrin, Illinois and has 11 years of experience in endocrinology. 

Cape Diabetes and Endocrinology cares for adults with cholesterol and lipid disorders, diabetes (gestational, Type 1 and Type 2), growth abnormalities, osteoporosis, secondary hypertension, and thyroid disorders. The practice offers insulin pump education and management and also has dietitians and nutritional specialists to assist and educate diabetics about meal planning, carbohydrate counting and insulin administration.

If you or a loved one has diabetes or another endocrine disorder, enlist the help of the specialists at Cape Diabetes and Endocrinology. Talk with your primary care physician about a referral or call 573-339-8718.

Saint Francis Healthcare System is guided by our mission to provide a ministry of healing, wellness, quality and love inspired by our faith in Jesus Christ. Founded by Franciscan Sisters in 1875, our priority remains the same: serve all who enter with dignity, compassion and joy. Serving nearly 713,000 people across Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas, our focus is on patients' outcomes, experience and value.

Anchored by Saint Francis Medical Center, a 308-bed tertiary hospital, and supported by nearly 2,800 employees and more than 250 providers in eight communities, the Healthcare System is a driving economic force in the region. Major services include the Cancer Institute, Emergency and Level III Trauma Center, Family BirthPlace and the region's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Heart Hospital, Neurosciences and Orthopedics.