Taste Preferences Change
Recently I facilitated a nutrition workshop at a senior community centre about managing chronic disease symptoms. It was a diverse group of seniors and adult children of seniors, and there was no shortage of interesting questions. One daughter and mother team stated that it was hard to cook in the household, because mother does not enjoy what I cook like she used to. This comment resonated with more participants in the workshop, and therefore I like to share this topic with you. Taste changes are common. In our infant years, the ability to recognize and enjoy flavors is developed. As we...
Read MoreLooking For The Hidden Signs.
When families get together during festive seasons after a long period of separation, it often becomes apparent an aging loved one may need help. January is often one of the busiest months for senior care organizations, largely due to an influx of phone calls after family members witness some troubling signs over the holidays. Last year, Home Instead Senior Care saw a 64 per cent jump in service inquiries from December to January. Driving Trouble: Have a look for dents or fender scrapes on your senior’s car. We all have an occasional driving incident but be aware one or several occasions...
Read MoreFacing the challenges of dementia.
Is the Person You Care for at Risk of Wandering or Getting Lost? Joe and his wife made a wonderful life for each other on a small farm in Sooke. When Joe’s wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a degenerative disease, Joe was determined to care for her in the familiar surroundings of their family home. He found it challenging but rewarding, and things went along well until one night when his wife grew confused, having lost all memory of the 40 years they had lived together. She decided to leave the house to find the childhood home she still remembered. “The coldest night of the...
Read MoreBusting Some Big Fat Myths
Most clients I work with have an uneasy relationship with fat. It’s no wonder. In my 23 years of nutrition experience, I’ve seen the pendulum swing from one extreme to the other regarding fat. I was in University training to become a dietitian during the fat-phobic years. Back when everyone ”knew” that fat was bad for you. To be healthy, you needed to eat a low-fat diet. Pasta and bagels were the king and queen. Practically every parent fed their babies yams and rice cereal as their first foods. Contrast that to the present where my social media streams are full of avocado recipes...
Read MoreThe Word Cancer Creates Fear
So much had happened in a short time and I want others to understand why it’s important to have a mammogram. I knew I was going to be okay but the word “cancer” instigates fear. Everyone is different in processing their thoughts and I have an emotional personality so I knew I had to have courage and discover a better me after cancer. A couple of weeks before my diagnosis, I was watching “The Doctors” talk about the importance of having a mammogram, no matter how old they are. In the back of my mind I remembered thinking. “It’s been awhile, so maybe I should go for one....
Read MoreB.C. to cover cost of abortion pill
Starting Jan. 15, B.C. will join five other Canadian provinces in offering the pregnancy termination drug Mifegymiso for free. According to a B.C. health ministry press release, universal, no-cost coverage for the drug, which is also known as RU-486, will be available to patients with a valid prescription at pharmacies around the province. Mifegymiso is an alternative to surgical abortion and can be used to terminate early-stage pregnancies of up to nine weeks. “It’s the gold standard in terms of health care for women,” said Dawn Fowler, executive director of the...
Read MoreCreating Christmas Spirit
Christmas … portrayed in folklore, the media and commercial hype as a time of peace, happiness and goodwill. Unfortunately, the reality is that for many people, the reverse is true; it is a time of loneliness, grief and regret. The suicide rate increases over the Christmas holiday period. Why should this be so? For some, this will be the first Christmas they will be without a spouse, a child or a loved one. For others, it triggers memories of Christmas past. For me, December 23rd brings back the pain of my father dying when I was 15 years old. The unrelenting commercial pressure at this...
Read MoreAttention-Deficit Disorder.
– the new flavor of the month diagnosis or is it one that has gone unrecognized and misdiagnosed for years? Have you ever wondered why you, your loved ones or associates seem to march to a different drum? Are not just another sheep in the fold but were/are considered a rather unique individual? Why, despite being average or above average intelligence, you or your loved one are underachievers? Or regardless best intentions, anxiety kept you or yours on the peripheral? Why emotions seem to be more intense at times and detachment seemed easier at other times? Why you more reactive than...
Read MoreBe Santa to a Senior in Victoria
This is the time of year when many of us are busy attending holiday parties. But not everyone is so fortunate. Many of our elderly find December a lonely, isolating month. That’s why becoming Santa for a Senior can make a huge difference. Nancy Hum was looking over a small Christmas tree at Heart Pharmacy IDA Shelbourne earlier this week. The tree was decorated with paper ornaments, on which are written the name of a senior and a gift they are hoping to receive for Christmas. Hum then spied an ornament which lists “socks and slippers” and removed it from the tree. That means...
Read MoreA question from mother
Why do I still need to eat healthy? When you have an elderly parent, encouraging healthy eating may seem a bit condescending. After all, she is over 85 years old, and must have been doing something right all this time? Why shouldn’t she just eat what she wants, or skip a meal when not feeling hungry? In fact, elderly seniors need more nutrients at a time that they need less calories. So, every bite counts. Proteins are important to maintain lean muscles to keep your strength, balance, and ability to walk. Losing lean muscle mass increases risk for a fall. The current recommendation for...
Read MoreMammograms Are Not Foolproof
The issues surrounding the misdiagnosis of women who have dense breasts when they have mammograms are alarming. The false sense of security most women have is tragic and life threatening because they are not informed of the fact that they have dense breast tissue by various organisations that control mammograms. Women in B.C. have a right to know the implications and vagaries in the way our mammograms are read and interpreted, they are playing with our lives. Delayed diagnosis can kill. To bring this problem into to focus for Island women, the article below is written by an Island woman who...
Read MoreAn Emotional Video With a Twist
Roy went to a Seniors Health Show in Nanaimo last week and was very enthusiastic about a project he had come across there. It involved a chair that a man, Jon Pimlott, had designed to enable a lady with mobility issues to access the beach in Parksville. The next day Roy had created an article to be posted on Seniors 101’s “Island Voices” page. The article included photos and a video. When I watched the video I was reduced to tears. To watch the sheer joy experience by this lady as she felt the sand beneath her toes was so emotional but this paled for me when I realised that...
Read MoreWhat’s the Best Time to Eat?
Eating healthfully involves more than what you choose to eat. It also includes when you choose to eat. Because even if you choose the right things, eating them at the wrong time can set you up for cravings that will drive you to eat things you will be upset at yourself for eating. Determining when to eat doesn’t involve memorizing times on the clock that are universal rules for everyone. In other words, there is no “best time” to eat. Here’s how to create a plan to eat at the right times that’s unique to you. Eat Within 1 Hour Of Waking Up While I don’t agree that breakfast is...
Read MoreAbortion pill not covered
Women are choosing unnecessary surgical abortions because the province doesn’t cover the abortion pill, the executive director of the Vancouver Island Women’s Clinic says. Dawn Fowler said the $350 price tag on Mifepristone, also known as the abortion pill, means some women who want to terminate unwanted pregnancies at the clinic opt for surgery because it’s covered by the province. “Women who want to terminate a pregnancy are being forced to put price in as a factor,” Fowler said. Canada approved Mifepristone, which has been available in other countries for 25 years, in 2015. It...
Read MoreA B.C. case study
Mi–Jung Lee is an investigative journalist and has worked for CTV News in Vancouver for 18 years. She anchors CTV News at Noon and at Five. Mi-Jung graciously spoke with us about her cancer diagnosis, what she learned about breast density and her efforts to raise awareness. When did you start having mammograms? In British Columbia, it used to be recommended that women start getting mammograms at age 40. They have since changed that to every 2 years starting at age 50, but I started at 40 and got mammograms regularly. I was conscientious about that. Please tell us about your diagnosis....
Read MoreThe Person Inside the Mess.
It was excruciating to watch the TV Reality Show, “Hoarding”, as the so-called ‘experts’ aggressively tossed out years of memories, while a shattered person watched by the sidelines, heart-broken. Fortunately, modern medicine is providing more humane treatments for hoarding. Most professionals agree that living in a mini garbage dump is a symptom of a much greater problem and the focus should be the person who is suffering under all that trash. The resounding message from a community forum on hoarding was that a gentle, compassionate approach is the sure-fire way to effectively deal...
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