Often in life, the most meaningful moments are the moments spent with those who teach you something, with those who share laughs with you, and with those who support you no matter what. And within those moments, it’s the little things that become the most significant and valuable. Professional caregivers can be there for you, when you need a little extra hand around the house or someone to accompany you on your outings. Caregivers can help with the day-to-day tasks, so you have time to enjoy the little things in life, while remaining safe and independent in your own home.
Community News
Free Online Alzheimer Education
Learning new skills can help you face the daily realities of living with and caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. The Alzheimer Society of Manitoba is offering free online family education to help empower and inform people with dementia, their families and friends. Join us for a wide range of topics, such as navigating the first steps after a diagnosis and end of life care, so you can feel more confident on your dementia journey. To learn more about our sessions and to register, please visit our website at Alzheimer.mb.ca.
A Good Night’s Sleep – Naturally!
A good night’s sleep does not come from a bottle because sleeping pills are not able to create natural, good quality, deep and refreshing sleep.
You may have already tried various strategies to manage sleeping problems or taking one or more medications to help you fall asleep or stay asleep. Interestingly, people who take sleeping pills are very often dissatisfied with their sleep despite taking one or more sleeping pills. On top of that, sleeping pills have longterm consequences. If you want deep, refreshing sleep, take a fresh approach. The research and medical community rank Cognitive behaviour therapy for sleep, which involves no remedies, the most effective and safest strategy. Happy zzzz!
Get a Yearly Denture Check-up
Your dentures should be checked on an annual basis to ensure you still have a correct fit. Your face and the tissues in your mouth change over the years, while your dentures are rigid and stay the same. Your appearance and comfort can be compromised the longer you delay receiving care from your denturist. Annual visits to your denture clinic can help ward off many potential problems including headaches, neck and joint pain, irritated gums, indigestion, problems with chewing, and even bone loss and occasionally changes in facial contour. Are you due for a check-up?
Enriching the Life of Your Pet
Keeping your pet in good physical shape is an important part of their wellness, but it’s crucial to provide mental stimulation and enrichment for them as well. Depending on the breed and personality of your dog, a walk doesn’t always provide enough stimulation. Drop-in visits from a pet sitter give your dog the opportunity for an extra play session during the day. For high energy dogs, or those needing more socialization, daycare is a great option. Even if it’s not every day, it gives your dog something to look forward to during the week. There are also many cognitive enrichment toys and puzzles you can purchase for your dogs, cats and birds to keep their minds sharp.
Senior Moving Preparation
Not quite ready to commit to a move but want to get a head start on preparing? Here are a couple suggestions you can work away on to make things simpler when the time does come! Filing cabinets and desks are notorious for holding papers that are unnecessary. Take one drawer per day and make friends with your shredder! Do you only use items on 2 shelves in your 4-shelf linen closet? Pet shelters and rescues appreciate used towels and donation centres are always happy to accept bedding, to sell at reduced prices to folks who can really use them.
Workplace Wellness
Wellness is the state of being healthy in mind, body, and spirit. This approach to healthcare emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life, as opposed to treating diseases, especially of deliberate effort. Workplace Wellness is any workplace health promotion activity or policy designed to support healthy behavior in the workplace and to improve health outcomes. People are an organization’s most valuable asset. Helping them stay healthy, considers the 8 dimensions of wellness for a holistic approach. It will keep your organization healthy, seeing reduced absenteeism, lateness and turnover due to illness and increased productivity, loyalty and commitment due to better health.
Hearing Loss and Heart Disease
It might come as a surprise, but there is a connection between heart health and hearing. Both rely on blood flow, so heart problems that cause plaque buildup in the arteries and restrict blood flow can potentially damage ears. Nerves in the ears can also be damaged by poor circulation. Studies have shown that the better someone’s cardiovascular health, the better their hearing tends to be. It’s important that older adults eat a healthy, balanced diet; get regular exercise; quit smoking and have their hearing tested every two years, to help maintain a healthy heart, and therefore healthy ears.
International Overdose Awareness Day
Thousands of people from all walks of life die each year from drug overdose. On August 31, International Overdose Awareness Day aims to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have died due to drug overdose. On Aug. 31 – and throughout the month – you can help raise awareness, memorialize a lost loved one, inspire change and save lives. While it can be scary or upsetting to think about overdose, the good news is that education and preparation can help prevent it from happening. Learn how you can help by visiting www.overdoseday.com
What is a Green Burial?
Green burials, also sometimes called eco-funerals or natural burials, provide a simple, green option for saying goodbye to a loved one. Green burials typically don’t involve embalming – instead, family and friends may choose to wrap their loved one in a shroud made of eco-friendly, biodegradable material and choose an eco-friendly casket. Using land sustainably for burial purposes, such as choosing communal memorialization and planting with native plants, is also often part of a green burial. Your local funeral director can provide advice about and help you plan a suitable green burial for your loved one.
Acupuncture for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are typically treated with anti-inflammatory and
immunosuppressant drugs that work to stop inflammatory responses in the body. Studies have shown that acupuncture can be a helpful option alongside medication for potentially making patients’ symptoms less severe. Acupuncture patients often report that they experience less pain, fatigue, and gastrointestinal symptoms after acupuncture treatments, perhaps because acupuncture treats the mind, body, and spirit. Researchers have found that acupuncture can help increase hemoglobin levels and reduce C-reactive protein levels, which can aid in lowering inflammation in those with an inflammatory bowel disease.
