Keeping your mouth healthy can benefit your overall well-being, so regular visits to the dentist every six months are important. Having regular dental checkups can help prevent smaller problems from becoming bigger ones and can keep your smile looking its best. Besides taking care of plaque and tartar, dental hygiene appointments also ensure you’re being checked for things like cavities, oral cancer, gum disease, and any abnormalities with your neck, jaw, or lymph nodes. Most health insurance plans cover regular dental hygiene appointments, making it easy for you to get the dental care you need and keep your mouth healthy!
Community News
Heat Exhaustion & Heat Stroke
Heat exhaustion can occur if the body loses an excess amount of fluid through sweating and does not have it replenished. As your body becomes dehydrated, it begins to overheat and you may start to feel faint, dizzy, and lightheaded. If left untreated, heat exhaustion may progress to heat stroke, a life-threatening condition. At this stage, your temperature rises to a dangerous level and you may no longer sweat due to extreme dehydration. A person suffering from heat stroke may be in a state of confusion and disorientation. If you suspect someone is experiencing a heat stroke, press their Lifeline Personal Help button or call 911, get them out of the heat, and apply cold compresses on the body to lower body temperature quickly. Denise Metcalfe, Executive Director ComoxValleyLifeline.com
Early Signs of Dementia
It can be difficult to determine if a loved one is experiencing early onset of dementia. Some early signs include memory loss such as not remembering recent events or faces of loved ones which is a very prominent symptom, difficulty performing routine tasks such as brushing your teeth, tying shoes or checking the mailbox, personality or behaviour changes such as sudden and increased anger in normally calm persons. If you know a loved one who is experiencing any of these signs, it’s important for them to see a doctor to determine the next steps for you and your family.
Meet Your Practitioner
Owner and Technician of Comox Valley Skin Solutions Christina Hambleton, BScN, is an experienced medical professional with a commitment to combine advances in aesthetic medicine technology and expertise to help you reach your skin-health goals. Christina graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2005 and later went into Aesthetic Medical Device Education. She has extensive experience in advanced laser and injectable services and has an insider’s view of the industry’s most advanced and leading-edge technologies. Christina is uncompromising in her selection and delivery of service offerings to achieve the results of invasive procedures with little to no downtime.
May is Mental Health Month!
A good night’s sleep can do wonders in reducing stress and anxiety. Lack of quality sleep will cause your body to react like it is in distress, releasing higher levels of the stress hormone, Cortisol. Too much cortisol in the body can cause increased risk of depression, an overactive “fight or flight” response, increased stress and anxiety, even cardiovascular illness and weight gain. If you are struggling to get a good night’s sleep, a new mattress can help! Improve your overall quality of sleep with a new mattress, and significantly decrease your stress levels and restore balance to your body’s systems.
5 ways healthy hearing can improve your life
“Do you want to go out for dinner?”
That’s a question that always deserves an enthusiastic “Yes!”
But what if you stop yourself from enjoying a restaurant dinner because you find it too hard to follow a conversation in a noisy environment?
There have been tremendous advances in hearing aid technology since your grandparents’ day. Hearing aids can be highly customized to adapt to specific types of hearing loss and they are so discreet, they are barely noticeable.
Here are five reasons why getting your hearing tested will lead to a happier, more fulfilling life
- You’ll say yes more often
Two people feel badly when you have to say “no” to an invitation. You, and the person doing the asking. Think of how much better you’ll feel when you can embrace new opportunities — and try out that new restaurant everyone’s raving about.
- No more excuses
It can be difficult to explain why you are isolating yourself. Sometimes you make up reasons not to join friends or family at events. It’s hard for them to understand why, especially since all they want is to spend time with you.
- You’ll feel more in control of your life
We waste a lot of energy finding ways to cope with awkward situations. It’s better to turn the awkward situation into a positive one. You’ll be glad you’re doing something about your hearing loss — and others will be, too.
- Only actors get applause for pretending to be someone they’re not
Stop nodding your head to make people think you understand what they’re saying. Chances are they haven’t been fooled.
- You can live in the moment
You have the right to feel fully involved in life. Your life. It wears you down to keep saying, “Pardon? Can you repeat that?” The only thing that needs repeating is time spent enjoying the company of others.
If you think it’s time to start living life in the fullest, or know someone who needs a gentle nudge, book your free HearingLife consultation here or call 1-833-776-4733
Board Members
Comox Valley Senior Support Society is currently recruiting Board Members. If you have a passion for seniors, an interest in working with a collaborative Board, and supporting an active staff team, please contact Chris at admin@comoxvalleyseniorsupportsociety.ca for more information.
Comox Valley Seniors Resource Guide
The 2023 Comox Valley Seniors Resource Guide is now out! This free guide is being dropped at locations around the Valley, but if you want one, or more, set aside for you, please contact the office (250-871-5940) and we will either hold one for you or arrange for delivery! 20,000 copies of this spiral bound guide were created in partnership between Comox Valley Senior Support and Denman and Hornby Community Health Care Services and are available free of charge.
National Seniors Strategy for Canada
The year 2015 marked the first time Canadians aged 65 and over started to outnumber children under the age of 15. This demographic shift in Canada prompted the publication of the first version of the National Seniors Strategy (NSS 2015), recognizing that Canada’s policy response to an ageing population was lagging behind real, historically unprecedented changes in the make-up of our national population. Older Canadians now represent Canada’s fastest growing demographic. In 2019, approximately 1 in 6 Canadians were over 65 years of age. By 2035, one in four Canadians will be over 65 years of age.
Read the full report about the need for a National Seniors Strategy here: http://nationalseniorsstrategy.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/NSS_2020_Third_Edition.pdf
Health Care Presentation
Comox Valley Seniors Support, Elders Take Action and Better at Home are currently working together to bring British Columbia’s Senior’s Advocate Isobel MacKenzie to the Valley for a presentation about long term health care for seniors in BC. The tentative date, June 26, will be confirmed very soon.
Income Tax
The Senior Information and Access Services Team is wrapping up tax season for seniors with simple taxes needing to be done. Seniors must register with CVSS to access this service (a fast and painless process!) and incomes must be below $35,000 for a single person or $45,000 for a couple. Please contact Chris or Tiss at 250-871-5940 or admin@comoxvalleyseniorsupport.ca to register.
