When ‘normal’ is not ‘normal’
Whew! If you’ve ever had a mammogram, you know that feeling of relief when that letter arrives in the mail saying your results are ‘normal.’ Most women exhale and then toss the letter in the garbage. But we ask, hold on! You’ve done great going for your mammogram, but you need to do one more thing for yourself: ensure the accuracy of your mammogram by finding out your breast density. Sometimes a ‘normal’ mammogram result may not be accurate, especially if you have dense breasts. If you have fatty breasts, you can be reassured: mammograms are about 98 % accurate in picking up...
Read MoreIn search of the invisible army
I still serve in an invisible army. There’s no six star general to guide us but we have no doubt about our personal marching orders. I have a theory though. I believe that if our army acts together, we might shift the culture of care just a smidgen. It could be a campaign of communication, and our army leading that charge is called Family Caregivers. One in four Canadians is on active duty. There are many services. Mine was caring for my aging parents, and was limited by their passing on after a decade of growing need. A sudden death incident did not spirit them away, as they might have...
Read MoreThe Diet Theory & Alzheimer’s
The food we eat has a profound effect on our health. A diet low in proper nutrition and high in fats and sugars can lead to many chronic health problems and illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. As we age, the risk becomes progressively worse. Many researchers believe that diet is a major factor in the etiology of Alzheimer’s disease. Considering the illness’ devastating toll on patients, families and communities, any possible contributing factor is well worth investigating. Finland, United States, and Canada have the highest Alzheimer’s / Dementia death...
Read MoreThe Eden Philosophy of Care
The old adage it takes a village to raise a child as a unique and specific relevance here in the Comox Valley. In this region, the aging population is one of the most deserving of our attention. The populace aged 75 years and older will nearly double in the next 20 years, which will bring increasing demand for access to quality residential care and other services for seniors. The Views, a not-for-profit residential care facility at St. Joseph’s General Hospital, is currently home to 117 residents all of whom are at different stages in life related to age, ability or mental and physical...
Read MoreChoosing Homecare
One of the most difficult decisions adult children make when caring for aging parents is where to turn for in-home care. The myriad of choices can be overwhelming. Essentially, there are three choices: private hire, Domestic Referral Agencies and full service companies. With a PRIVATE HIRE CAREGIVER, the family or older adult becomes responsible for all steps of the hiring process. They must advertise, interview, and conduct background checks. Once a caregiver is selected, the older adult or family member must negotiate schedule, salary and benefits. A written contract, signed by...
Read MoreWhat Women in BC Should Know
Do you know if you have dense breasts? No worries, if you don’t. When Dense Breasts Canada surveyed 900 women across Canada, women in British Columbia knew less about their breast density than women in other provinces. Why is that? The answer is simple: unlike many other provinces, British Columbia does not share information about a woman’s breast density. When you have your mammogram, a radiologist assesses and records your breast density, but this important piece of your breast health is never told to you or your family doctor. Does it matter? Yes, it really does matter! If you have...
Read MoreAn ongoing daily challenge
Is mealtime a struggle for you and your loved one with dementia? Anger, frustration, or refusing foods are signs that your loved one may be overwhelmed. There are several reasons your loved one may not enjoy mealtime anymore. The amount of food in front of them, background noises, distracting design patterns on the serving plate, or even the use of utensils may add to the confusion. Here are a few tips to help. Remove distractions. Turn of the TV and phones. Use a plain but colored plate; blue and red work well. The contrast between the plate color and the food makes is easier to see what...
Read MoreBuilding A Resilient Brain
In 2017, we are no longer passive on-lookers as aging impacts our cognitive functioning. Thanks to exciting and revolutionary new knowledge from brain science, we can now take proactive steps in building up our brain’s defences against dementia. In a local workshop in Victoria BC, we all learned ways to make our brains more resilient to the impacts of aging. An initiative of the Eldercare Foundation, March is “Embracing Aging Month” on Vancouver Island, with many interesting workshops to enlighten and educate. I was fascinated by “Heads Up, An Introduction to Brain Health”...
Read MoreCheat Days
“Cheat days” are everywhere in the health and nutrition information world. However, I’m completely against cheat days. Let me repeat that because I feel so strongly about it. Completely. Against. Cheat days. Cheat days set us up to have a negative relationship with food. I’ve found that the secret to achieving, and keeping, your happy weight is to first create a healthy relationship with food. Then the weight loss will follow. Cheat days take you further away from your goal of a healthy weight and feeling happy about your body. First, let’s look at the term ‘cheat days’....
Read MoreImproving Senior Sleep Patterns.
High quality sleep of adequate quantity is a central lynchpin of senior health. Many seniors have one or more of these sleep problems: trouble falling and staying asleep, waking up extremely early, not feeling rested when waking up, falling asleep during the day, wanting to go to bed very early in the evening, craving multiple naps during the day. Lack of sleep can cause falls and other accidents due to drowsiness, poor concentration, and inability to focus. Worse still, undiagnosed sleep disorders such as breathing trouble and sleep apnea have been connected to hypertension, pulmonary...
Read MoreSeniors & Medicine Safety.
Two-thirds of all seniors take at least one medication each day, and 25 percent take three or more. Many seniors owe their lives—or at least their quality of life—to medications. Of course, medicine doesn’t work if patients don’t take it. Researchers have found that getting older adults to take their medicine is a difficult task—even in those with life-threatening conditions. A new study shows it is almost hopeless to get seniors to take the medicines their doctors prescribe, let alone to follow directions for long periods. “Simple things don’t work and nothing works very...
Read MoreHandyDART survey results
BC’s Seniors Advocate released resultsof a province-wide survey of almost 7,500 HandyDART users in the province today. The survey highlights that while 91% of users are satisfied with the service when they receive it, almost 1/3 of respondents say it is not meeting, or only moderately meeting, their transportation needs. “Obviously there’s good news here,” said Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie. “People are telling us that across many aspects of this service, things are positive, however we are still concerned that there are a significant number of seniors whose transportation needs...
Read MoreAging 101
Aging. We all do it. And we all do it differently. Let’s start with the very basics – you can spell it ‘aging’, or ‘ageing’ – either way it’s something you’re doing right this second! Every single reaction going off in every single cell in your body every micro second makes you a little wee bit older. Every single time you put food or beverage in your mouth, or every time you choose to be active or not, you’re making a choice about how you want to age. Let’s look at the major components of intelligent aging. In my mind the three primary pieces of...
Read MoreAre you Listening?
Hearing your Spirit Guides & Energy Beings. In these tumultuous times, many people are seeking answers to the bigger question – are you too? Are you feeling unsure and fearful of what the future holds, in the big picture of politics, economics, and other global events? Are big changes happening in your own life? For 10 years, I have been doing my work as a healer and now, more than ever, my clients are coming to me in fear of the unknown. Many of them are asking me to help them connect with and hear their Spirit Guides, in the hopes of receiving answers to their many questions. Over...
Read MoreReflexology for Constipation
Constipation can be an embarrassing topic for some people to discuss, but so many of us can suffer from it, it’s an important conversation to have. How you are digesting and excreting food can also have a big impact on your energy levels and mood. Are you feeling lethargic and depressed? Constipation could be part of the problem. During the winter many of us do not intake the amount of fluids or fruit we need too. It’s natural not to feel the compulsion to intake these foods and fluids in the same way we do in the hot summer months. As a result however, this leads to reduced...
Read MoreLiving In The Light
I have always had a burning desire to understand how the Universe works, what life is all about and the meaning and purpose for which I am here. This is a profound question I have often asked myself. I consider myself foremost a spiritual being. I have spent my life seeking my higher purpose. My faith has been tested many times. On my spiritual path I allow the mystical power of living with consciousness to help guide me through. I believe that each one of us has a true purpose and each one of us is a channel for the Universe. After we are born in the body we forget who we really are...
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