Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? If you are a smoker, you can now add increased risk of hearing loss to the list of reasons to quit. The chemicals found in cigarettes may affect the way your ear processes sound. In fact, smokers have been found to be 15% more likely to have hearing loss than non-smokers. Hearing loss isn’t fatal, but it can lead to a number of health-related issues down the line. Dementia & depression have been linked to untreated hearing loss, so be sure to have your ears checked regularly. Get started by scheduling a hearing test today.
Community News
Sleep Hygiene – Ending Insomnia
When insomnia is ongoing, try altering your sleep habits. There is ample clinical evidence supporting the effectiveness of a concept called Sleep Hygiene – recommendations that help with the specific aim of improving sleep quality. Even a few slight adjustments can help immensely. These can include having a bedtime routine and avoiding nicotine, caffeine and alcohol. Listen to soothing music, and schedule ‘worry’ time for the next day. Patients can phone Cerebra Health to get a sleep study sent directly to their home. The results are interpreted by a specialist at Cardio 1 Medical and the appropriate treatments are reviewed with each person one on one.
Words to Live By
“No matter how hard the past is, you can always begin again.” — Jack Kornfield
Laughter is the Best Medicine
My Doctor told me I should cut more carbs. So, I bought a new pizza knife.
Words to Live By
There are greater things to be achieved in every New Year, and each and everyone must prepare themselves to be great, not by words of the mouth, but by a lot of sacrifices. – Michael Bassey Johnson
Words to Live By
New Year’s most glorious light is sweet hope! – Mehmet Murat ildan
Hidden Gem Awaits at Lions Place
It’s a tall, unassuming, 18 story apartment building on Portage Avenue where countless commuters drive by it daily. It’s not far from the downtown core, and to most Winnipeggers the building labelled “Lions Place”, looks like any other 55+ residence.
Lions Place, under the Lions Housing Centres umbrella, has a unique and truly one-of-a-kind feature in their building, and you’ll find it tucked away in the back on the main floor, The Greenhouse, a little touch of nature that is also attached to a backyard garden for the resident’s enjoyment.
On any given day, if you wander through the space that boasts tall ceilings and plenty of natural light, there’s a very good chance you’ll find long-time resident Dorothy Wilk. Wilk moved into the building back in 2007, and it was because of this very amenity that she decided to call it home.
“Yes, the Greenhouse is what brought me here,” she laughs. “My son accidentally found this building, and thought yes, my mom would enjoy it here.”
Now, she’s not just enjoying it, Wilk has made it her “baby”.
She heads up a small group of volunteers and has taken it upon herself to make sure the space is attractive, clean, and of course full of foliage. Wilk oversees the buying of the plants, soil, fertilizers, and any supplies needed – all reimbursed, of course, by Lions Housing Centres.
After a new organizational structure was put in place in 2020, Lions Place has seen many improvements throughout the building – but the one Wilk is most happy about is the Greenhouse restoration project, where the renovations are now almost fully complete. A project that began this past summer now sees new cabinetry, flooring, lighting, and paint – the choice of colour an honour bestowed upon Wilk and a few other volunteers. It’s now given the space a new life after years of being overlooked by previous management.
“I was delighted because nothing had been done since I have been involved, which is approximately 15 years,” she muses, “other than what the volunteers had finished on their own.”
While she is never short of volunteers for the greenhouse, it’s the outside garden in the backyard that is a bit more work to recruit help. This area -slated for improvements of its’ own in the summer of 2022 – gets TLC from Lions Place maintenance staff who look after the outside plots, shrubbery, and weeds, all of course under a watchful eye from Wilk who has high standards. Nestled in amongst the shrubs is the Memory Garden, started by the residents in 2012. It’s a space devoted to friends who have passed away at Lions Place. Roses and lilies adorn the area, all courtesy of residents who provided the plants or the funds to honour them.
For Wilk, who turns 92 in February, there is nowhere else she’d rather be, and loves nothing more than taking the time to talk to residents and tour them around the greenhouse. She wouldn’t trade her work in the space for anything.
“It just makes me feel valued as a member of society, that I’m useful,” she smiles. “Doesn’t matter the age you are, you can always be useful.”
If you would like to donate to the Greenhouse restoration project, or the upcoming garden improvements please visit their website at www.lhc.ca.
– Michelle Lissel
Celebrating 100 Years!
It was the third charter in all of Canada to be formed back in 1921, and on November 26th, the Lions Club of Winnipeg officially celebrated 100 years of existence. Hitting the century mark is a big milestone and the service organization celebrated by holding a Gala Dinner at the Hotel Fort Garry on November 20th. The Winnipeg landmark was also the site of the Lions’ very first function, as well as their 50th anniversary. For details to become a member, or to apply for a volunteer position on the Board of Directors with Lions Housing Centres, call 204-784-1236.
Community Announcement: We Have Moved!
Re-New Mobility is excited to announce that its 665 Stafford St. location has moved to its NEW location at Unit 1-940 Lorimer Blvd. (by the Golf Dome), combining the warehouse and retail outlet to serve you better. Re-New Mobility has been helping people gain more mobility for more than 25 years. The business offers new and gently used products such as power chairs, scooters, grab bars, security poles, stair lifts, and much more. Services such as equipment rentals, in-home installation, and modification of products are also available. Shop online or in person and regain your independence with increased mobility!
Stress Handling With Bioenergetics
Supply chain shortages, new restrictions, inflation – these are just a few of the distressing things that we are bombarded with every day. Add to that, the “normal” stresses of daily life, and there is no doubt that even the strongest can feel overwhelmed. Unmanaged, stress contributes to many health issues such as anxiety, exhaustion, insomnia, depression, and a weak immune system. An alternative approach such as Bioenergetics is highly effective in handling stress. It detects imbalances, or weaknesses, in the stress handling areas of the body, and in turn, stimulates the affected areas to help the mind and body process and handle stress better.
Avoid the Winter Blues
The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines suggest adults should perform at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week, as well as two sessions of muscle and bone strengthening activities, to achieve physical AND mental health benefits. With winter coming, and the challenges of leaving home, this can seem daunting! Your physiotherapist can tailor an exercise program designed specifically for you to do inside with minimal space (to help avoid the cold weather!), and with equipment everyone has around their home. At 30 minutes per day, the benefits of exercise are countless, while the side effects are minimal.
