Impact Stories

Sharon Brubaker says that her weight management challenges started when she was just a child. After a lifelong struggle with her weight, Sharon contacted the Sun Health Center for Health & Wellbeing for help. After losing more than 135 lbs., Sharon has a new lease on life and is delighted to tell her story.

Sandra Forsey’s mom was an only child, which fueled her dreams for having a family of her own. “I think she always just wanted a family so badly that family was always number one for her,” Sandra says. “I can remember as a little girl her constantly sewing me dresses and sewing Barbie clothes for me so that I always thought of my mother as having the purest type of love; giving to other people.” Things began to change with her mother’s health a few years ago. Sandra noted that her mother began to lose things and would call to say she couldn’t find her car keys. From there it escalated. “One night I got a call from the Sun City Posse,” Sandra says. “So, I go to pick her up and as we are driving back to her house she says ‘you know, I don’t know why I couldn’t find my way home. I know I live in Idaho.’” Sandra’s mom had not lived in Idaho for 35 years, and Sandra was really concerned about her and what might happen in the future. “I don’t ever want to find out she is a Silver Alert because she’s just taken off to find where she grew up,” Sandra added. Sandra found Sun Health’s Memory Care Navigator Program though one of her clients. The client’s wife is a person with Alzheimer’s disease and he had full care of her. Sandra mentioned the changes happening with her mother, who had recently moved in with her. “He just lit up and said ‘are you aware there is a Memory Care Navigator,” Sandra says. “He spoke so highly of it, so I went online and started reading about Sun Health and I just felt like it was such blessing to me.” The website was

It can be frightening and painful to watch a loved one experience memory lapses, behavioral changes and the inevitable functional decline brought on by dementia. The Sun Health Memory Care Navigator is someone you can depend on to share knowledge about dementia and available community resources. The Navigator helps minimize the stress of supporting a loved one with this chronic disease. About Memory Care Navigator Sun Health’s Memory Care Navigator program can help those with memory loss and their family members and friends to identify support, services and resources that may be helpful in navigating the dementia journey. For more information or to schedule a consultation, call (623) 471-9300, or visit SunHealth.org/memorycare.

Hope for the Journey Memory Care Navigators Help Clients and Families Cope with Dementia When Alan Hughes was diagnosed with vascular dementia four years ago, he and his wife Judi felt unprepared for the road ahead. “We didn’t know to what extent our lives were going to change. We were depressed and confused,” Judi says. Alan was an accomplished computer engineer: analytical, precise and used to solving problems. But the dementia slowly robbed him of those skills. He grew increasingly forgetful and confused, which eventually forced him to retire from work. As is the case with many families, the dementia turned the couple’s life upside down. They struggled to understand the disease and make sense of the changing roles in their marriage and daily lives. Judi felt frustrated and angry at times. “I had a hard time accepting my husband’s changes. He was not the man he used to be,” Judi says. “I was floundering.” Through a support group, the couple learned about Sun Health’s Memory Care Navigator Program, designed to help clients, family members and caregivers navigate the emotional, psychological and physical effects of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Judi scheduled an appointment with navigator Cheryl Ortega who visited the couple in their Surprise home. “I was so surprised at the way Cheryl sat and talked to both of us. By the time she left, I was like ‘Oh my gosh, this is fantastic,’” Judi said. Cheryl proved to be a valuable source of information and presented Judi and Alan with options. She worked with them to develop an action plan that brought more order to their lives. For example, they plan each day and write it down, which especially helps Alan keep track of what’s going on and when. Upon Cheryl’s recommendation, Judi signed Alan up to attend

Roadmap to Caregiving For years, Ken Barberi and Mary Lou Pelletier have been friends. When Mary Lou was diagnosed with dementia, Ken became her full-time caregiver. But he hasn’t been alone. Sun Health’s Memory Care Navigator (MCN) program is by his side. Navigator Marty Finely provided information about community resources and helped Ken develop an action plan. It has given Ken peace of mind. “It’s an enormous help. I don’t know how you would approach this without having an organization like Sun Health,” Ken says. “You know what to expect, you know what resources you can access. It’s not a big unknown anymore.” The Memory Care Navigator program, offered at no charge, helps clients, family members and caregivers navigate the emotional, psychological and physical effects of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The program is fully funded through donations to Sun Health Foundation. Ken, a retired Foreign Service officer, and Mary Lou live in the same house and are navigating the dementia journey together. After Mary Lou received a diagnosis in 2014, Ken reached out to the Memory Care Navigator program for help. Marty visited the couple at home, working with Ken to create emergency care and transition plans and directing him to helpful resources. She also gave him a better understanding of what the next few years might look like as Mary Lou’s condition changes. Since the diagnosis, Marty has offered plenty of practical advice too—everything from eliminating trip hazards like rugs to taking a “sweet and soft” approach to caregiving with chocolate treats. Ken doesn’t know exactly what the future holds for Mary Lou, but he knows he can turn to Sun Health’s Memory Care Navigator Program as needed. “I find it extremely useful and I think anybody going through this would need an organization like this,” Ken says.

Strong-Arming Cancer Having World-Class Services in Her Backyard Helped Surprise Resident Tackle Breast Cancer When she read that 85-year-old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg does 23 pushups each day, Doris Westrack, 85, of Surprise, took up the challenge. After all, if one octogenarian can do that so could she. Doris added pushups to her exercise routine that includes yoga, Pilates, biking, walking and general workouts at the gym. She has now added 23 pushups to her daily routine. Take that Justice Ginsburg! But then, breast cancer came to call with a challenge all its own – survival. Doris went for her yearly mammogram when the screening test showed something was not quite right, but as she says, “at 84 you don’t think you’re going to get cancer.” Further testing showed that indeed, that was the case. Doris was paired with Tracy Griffith, R.N., an oncology nurse navigator with Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, who helped Doris sort out all the next steps, including finding a surgeon. While Doris’ mother and sisters all had had breast cancer, she said she really didn’t have a clue of what she needed to do. “I was kind of in la-la land.” But Tracy was there and helped Doris find a surgeon, Kelly Rosso, M.S., M.D., a breast surgical oncologist with Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center. While thrilled to have a Banner MD Anderson surgeon, Doris didn’t want to drive all the way to Gilbert, where the medical center is located. Imagine her surprise to find that all the services she needed are available right in Sun City West. Dr. Rosso and Doris met and talked about her care plan and decided a lumpectomy followed by radiation would be the best course. “I was so impressed with Dr. Rosso; she took a lot of

Managing Diabetes in the West Valley “Honestly I think having Sun Health Center for Health and Wellbeing is one of the blessings of living here in the West Valley,” says Lee. “I’m still diabetic. But living with it has become management,” she says, adding that a high-blood-sugar reading for her now is usually around 107. “I’m 75, and I feel like I’m 45. It comes down to a lot of eating right and exercising. And I swear, I really do feel like I could run with the teenagers.”

Positive Outcomes: Diabetes Self-Management with Sun Health Wellness After being diagnosed with diabetes for over 20 years, Larry knew that he needed additional help managing his condition. Through the Sun Health LiveWell magazine, he was able to find the Diabetes Self-Management program. He enrolled in the eight-week class series and hoped that it would help him to better manage his lifestyle. After the eight-week series, Larry shares how it helped him loose over 50 pounds, improve his diet, and increase his physical activity. He feels like his overall health and wellbeing has changed for the better, and thanks Sun Health Wellness and the provided classes for helping him get to where he is now.

A Wonderful Resource for Diabetes Education Thomas Maxwell, M.D., managing partner, Maxwell Group, has practiced medicine in Sun City his entire career. The primary care physicians and other providers in his practice see about 120 patients a day, and diabetes and pre-diabetes are prevalent issues. Dr. Maxwell’s group refers patients to Sun Health’s Center for Health & Wellbeing’s Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) and Diabetes Prevention Program. The Center is staffed by two registered dietitians, who are certified diabetes educations, and a exercise physiologist, who is also certified wellness coach. “We refer patients to Sun Health because, quite frankly, other resources for diabetes education are lacking,” Dr. Maxwell says. “The fact that Sun Health ahs these programs is wonderful. It’s a great resource,” he adds. Rene Kridler, practice manager at the Center, appreciates the importance of those referrals. “Physician referrals are critical to our programs. Patients trust their physician and will put their trust in us when their doctor recommends out program.” Rene says. “To truly serve our community, we must have physicians on board, working together to educate and shift the current health care model from treatment to prevention.” Dr. Maxwell spends about 15 minutes with each patient. However, he rarely has time to cover patient education. “It’s tough because my patients usually are not there for just one issue,” he says. “Almost invariably there are other concerns unrelated to what the appointment was for, so you spend time dealing with those things. It can be a challenge to provide patients with needed education in a limited timeframe.” He values the patient who takes a proactive approach to his or her health care. “I am more likely to get the results I want for that patient,” Dr. Maxwell says. “And, I can almost guarantee they will end up taking fewer

An Ounce of Prevention Diabetes Prevention Program Helps Those with Pre-Diabetes After being diagnosed with pre-diabetes, Mary Nielson knew it was time to get serious about changing her diet and lifestyle. “I had already been losing weight, but I had hit a spot where it was not going any further. My hemoglobin A1c level kept coming back high, so I knew I needed to do something,” says Mary, a Sun City West resident. Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. An A1c is a blood test that measures a person’s average blood glucose level. After hearing about the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) class offered at the Sun Health Center for Health & Wellbeing, Mary knew she had found what she was looking for. JoAnn Milazzo and Marilyn Mikols, Sun City West residents each with a family history of diabetes, also signed up for the NDPP class, which began in January 2016. Statistics Show Need for NDPP According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Mary, JoAnn and Marilyn are not alone. The CDC notes that older adults run an increased risk for both diabetes and pre-diabetes, with data suggesting that half of older adults have the latter. The CDC has also found that modest lifestyle improvements taught through the NDPP can decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by half. Moderate Weight Loss is Goal No. 1 Exercise physiologist, certified health coach and NDPP instructor Rhonda Zonoozi, says the goal is for participants to lose 5 to 7 percent of their initial body weight by the end of six months. “The other main focus is to build up to 150 minutes of physical activity each week,” Rhonda says, adding that the

Scott Looks to the Future When Scott Mahan’s mind tempts him to skip exercising, ignore his meal plan or ditch his medications, he thinks of Violet. His six-year-old daughter – an affable kindergartner who loves hanging out with dad – is a powerful motivator for Scott to continue on the healthy road he’s worked so hard to build. “I’m doing this for her,” he says. What he’s doing for Violet, as well as for his wife, two teen-age sons and himself is managing his type 2 diabetes. Reaching this point has taken years of stops and starts and some health scares. The first scare came in 2004 when Scott visited a primary care doctor who discovered in the office that Scott’s blood sugar level was over 600, a condition called ketoacidosis, which left untreated can cause a diabetic coma. The doctor told Scott to go to an emergency room immediately. Scott complied and was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit for five days. That’s when he first learned he had type 2 diabetes. He left the hospital feeling ill-equipped. “I walked out of there with no clue about what I needed to do.” He knew he needed insulin and he learned to give himself injections, but he didn’t realize the importance of checking his blood sugar regularly or of changing his diet. He saw an endocrinologist a few times but stopped going. “I didn’t feel like I was getting clear directions,” Scott remembers. He turned to his primary care physician for help.He vividly remembers a visit, during which his doctor told him his hemoglobin A1C score was 11.4, a dangerously high level. A1C is a lab test that measures blood sugar control by providing an average level of glucose in the blood over three months. (People with Type 2

When Gina confided to others that her husband Jim (last names withheld at subjects’ request) was battling dementia, the reaction was often the same: Plenty of troubling stories and “here’s-what-you-should-do” advice. Neither was helpful. Then Gina met Marty Finley, a navigator with Sun Health’s Memory Care Navigator Program. She had an entirely different response. “She actually gives you constructive things that you can do that make you feel like you are addressing the problem,” Gina said. “She’s really been a go-to person as things come up and I have questions.” Now, Gina and Jim are traveling their new journey with a better sense of direction. The Memory Care Navigator Program is designed to help clients, family members and caregivers navigate the emotional, psychological and physical effects of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. With guidance from navigators like Marty, clients develop a plan of care tailored to their needs. Clients also rely on navigators to serve as a liaison between them and families, physicians, and community services. Navigators make home visits and are available by phone. Gina learned about the navigator program through an unexpected source. Gina and Marty happen to share the same hairdresser and after hearing Gina’s story, the hairdresser made an introduction. The connection was meant to be. “I don’t think there are any accidents in this life,” Gina said. And the connection could not have come at a more critical time. “In the beginning, the diagnosis is devastating because you kind of know what’s coming or at least you’ve heard what’s coming,” Gina said. Tears flowed, she said, over “losing a part of our life” and facing the coming changes. During Marty’s first home visit with Gina and Jim, she did an assessment and began offering information and options. They talked about the importance of home safety