Lake Regional Health System | Thrive | Winter 2018

Lake Regional’s free eNewsletters give you up-to-date information on the health topics that matter to you. • Keeping Well • This Week in Health • Pregnancy • New Parent | Sign up at lakeregional.com/eNewsletters . T hinking about joint replacement surgery can be scary. You will certainly have questions. Lake Regional Nurse Navigator Mary Overman, R.N., will lead you through the entire joint replacement experience, from preparing for surgery to recovering at home. Learn more about her role in this Q&A. YOUR FIRST STEP To find out more about knee, hip or shoulder replacement, call Mary Overman at 573-348-8120 . Meet: Mary Overman, R.N. Nurse Navigator for Lake Regional’s Total Joint program Living with joint pain? Get answers Q. How do you support patients receiving total joint replacement? A. I am their one point of contact for everything related to their surgeries. A big part of my job is educating patients about steps they can take to avoid set- backs and achieve good results. But I also help with things like scheduling appoint- ments. That support makes the whole process a lot easier for patients. Q. How do you help patients achieve better outcomes? A. Education is essential. One way we something with their improved mobility. It might be playing with grand- children or going on a cruise. There is a lot of work to do with home exercises and outpatient therapy. Sometimes the process is slow, but that’s OK. Recovery is not a race. Steady progress is best. educate patients is through Total Joint Camp. This two-hour class covers what to expect before, during and after total joint replacement surgery. It also intro- duces patients to physical and occupa- tional therapists, home health nurses, dietitians, and social workers. Patients leave feeling better prepared and much more confident. Q. What is one simple piece of advice you give patients? A. I always encourage patients to set a goal. They need to look forward to doing Standard U.S. Postage PAID Madison, WI Permit No. 1184