Yearly Archives: 2020

//2020

Nutrition for Health

By | 2020-09-17T19:36:45+00:00 September 17th, 2020|Categories: Elder Care, Health Care, Self Care|Tags: , |

When it comes to our overall health these days allopathic doctors are often quick to cure what ails us with a pill or antibiotic or some other form of unnatural band-aide for our condition. What has been long forgotten is what Hippocrates said: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” There was nothing said about loading our systems with medication. This is not to say that we never need to take medication, but not everything that ails us needs to be sorted out with a pill. In fact, with good nutrition, we can often avoid the need [...]

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Palliative vs Hospice Care

By | 2020-08-25T18:14:32+00:00 August 25th, 2020|Categories: Elder Care, Health Care|Tags: , |

Many times palliative care and hospice are considered the same or are confused with each other, however, they are different and it is important to understand the difference between the two when you need to determine the best route of care for your loved one. The main difference between the two types of care lies around prognosis. To qualify for hospice, a patient must, in most cases, have a prognosis of fewer than six months to live whereas palliative care does not have that requirement. Palliative care however does require a serious illness that has been diagnosed by a physician. [...]

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What Have We Learned?

By | 2020-07-24T21:25:18+00:00 July 24th, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|

If you were to sit and reflect on the last 6 months, what have we learned? Do you remember in March when everyone was completely crazy about stocking up on toilet paper supplies? People were lined up outside of Costco waiting for them to open and racing to the back of the store in the hopes of grabbing a package of that precious commodity, most often leaving the store empty-handed. Even more ridiculous were the scenes of people jumping into semi-trucks as they were arriving to unload stock at the grocery stores. Fears arose as we watched places like Italy [...]

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Reconnecting

By | 2020-06-30T20:14:59+00:00 June 30th, 2020|Categories: Elder Care, Health Care, Self Care, Uncategorized|Tags: , , |

As we come closer to the end of a long time of physical distancing we are slowly working towards reconnecting with family, friends, and co-workers. This creates such a positive atmosphere after such a long time of having physical distancing measures in place. We have experienced a huge shift in the way we interact, and it seems it will still take time before we can completely return to normal. The recent events of COVID-19 have dramatically altered the emotional climate around the world and have likely caused a permanent change in the way we interact, express our emotions and our [...]

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The Disease of Loneliness

By | 2020-06-08T20:00:17+00:00 June 8th, 2020|Categories: Health Care, Uncategorized|

We around the world have been hit by a unique situation. A virus came but what may have been worse was the fallout from the virus. People have been told to “stay home”, “stay safe”, but what has been the risk to those who have been staying home and staying safe? For many, they have been socially starved. There are those who are in care facilities who would have normally had family and friends visit and help keep them positive and engaged, and now they have not been able to have people visit. The “disease” of loneliness can be just [...]

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We Are Here For You

By | 2020-04-30T20:31:37+00:00 April 30th, 2020|Categories: Health Care, Self Care, Uncategorized|

For many of us who have experienced the lockdowns in Canada, the question coming to the minds of most is– when will we open back up, and when we do, what will that look like? The common phrase tossed about now is “the new normal”, as our health and provincial officials talk daily about how we will again re-open, but that life will not return to the “normal” we are used to. It can cause a conflict of emotions for many as we are eagerly anticipating being able to go to a restaurant again, to get our hair cut, visit [...]

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Surviving the Crisis

By | 2020-03-27T20:09:19+00:00 March 27th, 2020|Categories: Elder Care, Health Care|Tags: , , , |

During this current time of crisis, it is important to understand how to manage many things in order to survive and thrive. Navigating the requirements of isolation, limiting your exposure to others, ascertaining necessities, and managing illness during this time can be stressful and confusing. While there does not seem to be an enormous number of cases in our area at this current time, BC’s Health Officer Bonnie Henry and the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau have made it clear that all Canadians have a part in staying home as much they possibly can in order to “flatten the [...]

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Heart Health

By | 2020-03-10T16:34:56+00:00 February 27th, 2020|Categories: Health Care, Self Care|Tags: , |

For many, February is recognized as “heart health month”. When we consider the statistics for heart-related deaths in seniors it is quite staggering. 84% of those 64 and older will die of heart-related diseases. That is not something to ignore. What can you do to avoid becoming one of the statistics? It is important to reduce your risk of heart disease, and this can be done in small daily steps. Most importantly you should be watching what you eat by staying away from saturated fats, too much salt avoiding high cholesterol foods like fatty meats and focussing more on fresh [...]

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Dying With Dignity?

By | 2020-01-24T21:12:27+00:00 January 24th, 2020|Categories: Elder Care, Health Care, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

What does “dying with dignity” mean, and what has it come to? According to the World Health Organization, "All people have a right to receive high-quality care during serious illness and to a dignified death, free of overwhelming pain and in line with their spiritual and religious beliefs." In 2015 the right to die via lethal injection was enacted by the Supreme Court of Canada. The newly introduced law meant that a patient with a medical condition causing severe suffering, by the patient’s definition, could opt to die via lethal injection and this decision could be arrived at whether or not [...]

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