Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
Each January, the Alzheimer Society supports and leads Canada’s Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.
During this month, the Society encourage organizations across Canada, to learn more about dementia and its stark impact on Canadians.
By understanding what people living with dementia experience in their day-to-day-lives – their struggles, their successes and their hopes – together we can raise awareness of dementia throughout Canada.
Awareness is the first step to fighting stigma, reinforcing human rights and pushing for policy change, as well as other actions that can lift up Canadians living with dementia.
For this year’s theme, we are pleased to announce a nation-wide campaign reminding people that the Alzheimer Society is the First Link® to Support, Knowledge and Community.
What is First Link®?
When a person is diagnosed with dementia, the Alzheimer Society is the first place to turn – and First Link® is the connection to support, care, knowledge, expertise, and referrals.
First Link® is the Alzheimer Society program offering approved services and information to those living with Alzheimer’s or other dementias, and caregivers. It encompasses the areas of Risk Reduction, Education, Living Well with the Disease, Community, Research, and Advocacy; an umbrella that brings together all aspects of the care and management of dementia in Canada.
New Year’s Eve and Day Clinic Hours
Drumheller Associated Physicians would like to wish you and your family a happy New Year!
The clinic will be closing at 3:30pm on Tuesday December 31, 2024 and will be closed on January 1, 2025 for our staff to spend New Year’s Day with their families.
Regular clinic hours will resume Thursday January 2nd, 2025, 8:30am – 5:00pm.
All emergencies will be seen at the Hospital – 351 – 9th Street N.W.
Fireplace Safety Tips
Wood-Burning Fireplace Safety Tips
• Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on an annual basis.
• Keep the area around the fireplace free from combustible materials. Place a guard or screen in front of the area, to protect children and pets.
• Make sure your fireplace’s damper is open before starting a fire so it can vent properly.
• When starting a fire never use flammable liquids. Only use a match or firelighter.
• Test the function of your fireplace by lighting small pieces of wood to make sure the smoke is exiting vertically from your fireplace. If smoke enters the room, you need to investigate why.
• Only burn dry, seasoned firewood. Lumber, painted or treated wood releases chemicals into your home, compromising air quality. Wet wood can increase creosote buildup, which can lead to chimney fires.
• Never leave an active fireplace unattended. Always fully extinguish the fire before going to bed or leaving the house.
• A fireplace is not a garbage bin and is designed to only burn firewood.
Gas Fireplace Safety Tips
• Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on an annual basis.
• Do not move or alter the arrangement of logs in your gas fireplace. You could cover vents which can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.
• The glass front can reach dangerously high temperatures. Place a guard or screen in front of the area, to prevent burns.
• Do not place objects near the air-circulating passageways or fans. Do not put combustible materials near the hot surfaces.
• Unusual odors or flames can indicate it is not operating properly, and you should contact a certified technician to investigate it. Do not use the fireplace until you have it checked.
• If you notice the pilot light or flames go out while it is turned on, wait five minutes or longer before relighting it. This will provide time to clear the fireplace of gas.
• Do not clean the glass of the fireplace while in use and make sure it has completely cooled down to prevent breakage. Do not use the fireplace if the glass is cracked or broken.
Always be diligent when operating a fireplace, in the event of a fire, call 911.
Time to Bid Farwell to the Clinic Elf
It’s Christmas Eve and the clinic elf has to return to the North Pole. Lots of practice this week driving a team of magical ponies…just in case this is the **year** that Santa needs a sleigh driver. 
Walk-In Clinic Hours December 24th, 2024
Tuesday December 24th, 2024
Walk-In Clinic Hours – 11:00am – 3:00pm or until capacity is reached.
Clinic Christmas Hours
Drumheller Associated Physicians would like to wish you and your family Merry Christmas!
The clinic will be closing at 3:30pm on Tuesday December 24, 2024 and will be closed on December 25th, 2024 and December 26th, 2024, for our staff to spend Christmas with their families.
Regular clinic hours will resume Friday December 27th, 2024, 8:30am – 5:00pm.
All emergencies will be seen at the Hospital – 351 – 9th Street N.W.
What a Christmas Elf – This Week’s Adventures
The clinic elf has been very busy this week: there was an issue returning from the North Pole after checking in with Santa and needed to be quarantined. A wee bit of a snafu after finally catching the notorious office mouse. Cruised the clinic with his Christmas gnomies and is very cleverly disguised hiding from the Grinch. 
🖰 
Carbon Monoxide (CO) Gas
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an invisible, silent, odorless toxic gas. In an enclosed space, such as a home or garage, CO exposure can lead to serious illness or death. What makes this gas so dangerous is that when you breathe it, it replaces the oxygen in your blood.
SIGNS OF CO EXPOSURE
• Headache and dizziness
• Fatigue and weakness
• Watering and burning eyes
• Nausea and vomiting
• Loss of muscle control
If you have symptoms that you think could be caused by CO poisoning, leave the area right away, and call 911 or go to the emergency room.
WHERE DOES CO COME FROM?
Carbon monoxide is a gas produced by burning any type of fuel – gas, oil, kerosene, wood, or charcoal:
• Furnace
• Hot water heater
• Dryer
• Range
• Fireplace
• Kerosene Space Heaters
EXHAUST FROM
• Gas and diesel vehicles
• Gas-powered machines
• Wood-burning fireplaces
PREVENT CO IN YOUR HOME BY:
• Have your fuel-burning appliances checked by a qualified technician regularly according to manufacturers’ specifications
• Install CO detectors in your home near sleeping areas, regularly test the alarm.
• Follow the directions closely and know what to do if the alarm sounds.
• CO detectors are a backup safety measure. They do not replace the need to check appliances regularly and use them safely.
HOW IS CARBON MONIOXIDE POISONING TREATED?
The best treatment is oxygen therapy. Breathing pure oxygen can bring the oxygen level in the blood back to normal. There are two kinds of oxygen therapy:
• 100% oxygen therapy. For this treatment, you breathe oxygen through a mask. This is the most common treatment.
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy. For this treatment, you lie inside a chamber that delivers oxygen under high pressure. This quickly reduces carbon monoxide levels in the blood. With quick treatment, most people recover within a few days.
Long-term problems can show up later. Be sure to tell your doctor about any changes in vision, coordination, or behavior that occur in the weeks after treatment.