Community News
Profile: The Gardens at Qualicum Beach

The Gardens at Qualicum Beach offers boutique retirement living in the picturesque beauty of Qualicum Beach in the heart of town with shopping, golfing, dining and beaches nearby. Unlimited access to scheduled life enrichment programs in recreation, leisure, social arts, entertainment and fitness allows you to participate in as much as you want or to take quiet time for yourself. Their resident-focused philosophy and personalized care and support, provides a loving, caring environment that helps you feel at home. With three levels of care to choose from including Independent Living, Assisted Living and Residential Care, they can help you live a life of choice.

Brain Tumor Awareness Month

The Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada’s mission is to reach every person in Canada who is affected by a brain tumour through support, education, information, and research. Every day, 27 Canadians are diagnosed with a brain tumour. We work to serve the needs of both malignant and non-malignant brain tumours. Research funded by Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada has helped improve the accuracy of radiation treatments, shorten treatment regimen times, limit side effects from chemo, and improve quality of life for patients after surgery. We are the sole funder of the Brain Tumour Tissue Bank, providing free samples to clinical researchers around the world to further the search for a cure.

Gaming Disorder Support

Gaming disorder can be a significant barrier to living a fulfilling life. Yes, there are friends and a deep sense of community in the virtual world but nothing replaces a hug, or the feeling that your friend genuinely cares about your wellbeing. At VI Gaming Support, we care about people’s wellbeing, sense of belonging, efficacy, and desire to be part of a loving caring community. That’s why we are dedicated in supporting people to restore their sense of health and wellbeing. We believe that by providing rejuvenating services, we can support people to reset, regroup, and restore their lives.

Drug Free Pain Relief

If you have pain, your first impulse may be to reach for a pill but there are other options. The sensation of pain occurs when a pain receptor (nociceptor) detects a painful stimulus somewhere on the body. VOXXLife has developed a technology (VOXX HPT) that triggers a neuro response that helps the brain maximize its natural pain fighting mechanisms. This HPT technology, which works with the neuroreceptor on the bottom of the feet, is incorporated into VOXXLife socks and insoles. Benefits include enhanced pain relief and management, especially PDN pain, enhanced postural stability and balance, improved mobility and higher energy levels.

Are your Hormones Out of Balance?

Hormones affect many areas of your health, including your mood, your metabolism, and your sexual and reproductive function. Anyone who has been through puberty knows that hormones have a powerful effect on one’s body. Unbalanced hormones can make you feel like a stranger in your own skin. Compounded hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a way to restore balance and help you feel like yourself again. With your healthcare provider’s prescription, your compounding pharmacist can help start and maintain a hormone replacement regimen that brings your hormones back into balance and closely mimics what your body has been doing naturally for years.

Maintaining Oral Health

Here are some tips from Dental Hygiene Canada to improve your dental health: * Brush your teeth two times per day with fluoridated toothpaste, * Use an antibacterial mouthwash daily to rinse germs down the drain, * Floss Daily to remove food particles that get caught in your teeth, * You are what you eat! Eat a balanced diet and avoid in-between meal snacks, * Rethink your drink. Drinking sweetened beverages increases you risk of getting cavities. * See your dentist regularly. Your oral health is important. When you take care of your oral health, you take care of your overall health

Social Isolation

Our lifestyles continue to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Stay-at-Home recommendations have increased social Isolation, especially among seniors. This is a problem as it is associated with a number of health risks. Technology can help us stay connected through social media platforms but not everyone has access or ability to use them. The Nanaimo Lifeline Check-In Service offers a daily phone call to those who might not be connected. We provide a friendly chat that gives peace of mind and ensures someone knows you are doing Ok today. Now is a good time to sign up.

Visits to a Care Home

Now that Covid restrictions have been loosened in retirement homes, loved ones are being reunited…some after many long months. It’s heartwarming to see that the vaccines are helping people be able to reconnect and catch up. As wonderful as Zoom and other social medias have been in helping seniors keep in touch, it simply does not compare to being face to face and able to hug or hold hands. Please continue to do your part to stay safe for yourselves and your loved ones and please respect the policies that are in place in the retirement communities, such as wearing masks where required, so we can continue to protect the ones closest to us.

How to Choose a Seniors’ Residence

When the decision has been made to begin looking at a seniors’ residence, there are some things to keep in mind. Focus on what it is that you want, not what someone else may think you should want. As you are looking, remember that first impressions count. Is the building design appealing? Are the services and activities offered of interest to you? Are the residents and staff friendly towards you and to each other? Check out the dining room and ask the residents about their dining experience. If the first impressions are favourable, book a formal tour.

Is Everything Spinning?

Vertigo is an unsettling feeling of everything around you spinning that can be difficult to control. Vertigo is caused by a problem in the inner ear that causes brief vertigo spells that come and go. The spells can last a few hours or up to a few weeks. It best to seek medical help for vertigo. Most doctors and physiotherapists can do vertigo treatments to help relieve the dizziness and the sudden urge to feel ill. Treatment is available that helps release the crystals in the inner ear to relieve the dizziness. Contact your doctor or a physiotherapist to find out more about treatments for vertigo.

Mindfulness Exercises

With our days already busy with work and our loved ones, the pandemic causes many of us extra stress and anxiousness. To combat anxiety or burnout, engage in the practice of mindfulness to improve your mental wellbeing. Mindfulness is the practice of taking time to stop, think and focus on the present moment. This means being aware of your state of mind and thoughts, what feelings or sensations you are experiencing, the environment, and your breathing. Allowing yourself the time to be in the present helps you to calm down, frees your body of tension, and relieves your mind of distressing thoughts.