Heart to Home Meals delivers delicious, nutritious meals right to your door. The company’s team of experts has developed a wide-ranging menu to suit many tastes, dietary needs, and lifestyles, including high-protein, low carbohydrates and/or saturated fat, low sodium, high fibre, vegetarian, and no added sugar options. Heart to Home Meals has a useful diet coding system to help you choose meals that are right for you. Meals also come in mini versions (for smaller appetites), hearty versions (for larger appetites), as well as minced or pureed options. It’s as easy as ordering online or by phone!
Community News
Smell the Flowers
April showers bring May flowers, at least that is how the saying goes. As we enter into May, it is important to remember to stop and smell the roses, or any other flower or scent you like to smell! Often we get so caught up in the “doings” of life, we forget to remember to be. So take a moment every day to just stop, take a deep breath, look around and work to appreciate just being you at the moment.
Great Socks for Travel
Many of us have compression socks for travelling. On the day of travel, put them on when you get up; that is when your legs are less swollen. This allows your body to adapt to the socks. Make sure to leave them on for a few hours after you land to again allow your body to adapt. Wearing the socks for the extra time can reduce any swelling of the legs much more effectively than if they are taken straight off. Travel socks do not work unless you wear them. Voxxlife socks provide comfort compression that clients love to wear.
Free Hearing Test Components
Hearing loss is a fairly common health issue for adults in Canada.
The good news is that it is treatable, especially when addressed at earlier stages. If your hearing is not what it used to be, why not schedule an appointment to get it checked as soon as possible.
To help with this, NexGen Hearing is pleased to offer free hearing tests at our hearing clinics across Vancouver, Lower Mainland BC, Vancouver Island and the British Columbia Interior.
What can you expect during this hearing test? That’s what we’ll explore in this edition of the NexGen Hearing blog.
What Does a Hearing Test Entail?
Being proactive about your hearing health today will pay off tomorrow.
That’s why we recommend getting your hearing checked, especially if you have concerns regarding hearing loss or feel as though your hearing has deteriorated over time.
Our free, three-step hearing test includes:
1. Air Conduction
You will be listening to tones of decreasing volume until they are no longer audible.
Both left and right ears will undergo this test independently.
2. Word Discrimination
You will listen to spoken words in both ears.
Since you won’t be able to read the speaker’s lips, this will effectively measure your ability to identify speech.
3. Tympanometry
In a tymnpanometry test, we will check whether your eardrums and middle ear system are working properly.
This way, we will be able to determine if your hearing loss is coming from your inner ear or your middle ear.
Hearing assessments are painless and take less than one hour of your day. All you have to do is choose a NexGen Hearing clinic near you to book your free hearing test.
Reasons to Test Your Hearing
While most adults get their eyes examined frequently, many people do not get their hearing tested as often as they should.
While hearing aids cannot repair hearing damage, they can help restore the sounds of the world around you.
Still, it is preferable to maintain the hearing level you already have and use preventative measures to ward off further hearing loss. A hearing test can help determine where that hearing loss is occurring, so that you can take measures to preserve your hearing from here on out.
Here are 3 reasons to visit an audiologist:
To catch hearing loss early
One in five adults in Canada experiences hearing loss.
The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be for your brain to adapt to hearing aids.
For health reasons
Hearing loss does not only occur due to aging.
It can be a symptom of several health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes.
Also, if you work in a noisy environment, getting your hearing tested can help you protect your ears better.
To establish a baseline
If you are in your 50s or more, and you haven’t gotten your hearing tested recently, it’s time to visit your local audiologist.
Even if there is no significant hearing loss, your test will serve as a benchmark for future assessments.
If you find yourself turning the volume up while your family complains about your hearing issues, or you are frequently asking other people to repeat themselves, you might be experiencing hearing loss. Do not postpone your hearing test any longer!
Listen to Your Body
Having established the importance of getting one’s hearing checked, we invite you to contact us today to schedule your free hearing test.
By examining your unique hearing requirements, our specialists will determine the best next steps for your hearing needs and assist you with any questions you may have.
Music and Dementia
The effects of dementia are devastating to individuals and their families. Researchers are keen to find ways to ease its symptoms and restore abilities and memory. Studies on music and dementia have shown promising findings. Did you know that the area of the brain associated with musical memory tends to be least affected by dementia? Music therapy may help reduce cognitive decline while improving the memory of people with dementia. In one study, test subjects performed better on memory tests when they listened to music. It has also been found that the emotional content of music can bring back emotional memories.
Aronia Berries and the Liver
The liver is vital for digestion and detoxification. It can suffer from inflammation, scarring or fibrosis due to various stressors. Scientists working to address liver problems recently made three exciting discoveries involving Aronia melanocarpa, a super-berry now growing in BC: 1) Certain components of Aronia berries may inhibit the secretion of inflammatory compounds in the liver; 2) Extracts from Aronia improved liver function in mice that were fed a high-fat diet; and 3) Aronia berry components significantly reduced signs of liver injury, and helped to restore a balanced microbial ecosystem in the gut. See our website for more information.
Do You Drink Filtered Water?
Many people believe that the water coming out of our taps is safe. This may not be true. Whether it’s contaminants from the reservoir or the pipes or the addition of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) used by the local governments, most tap water contains things that are bad for the biology of our cells. DBPs can be endocrine disruptors. An additional concern is the concentration of fluoride in tap water, which is of particular concern to the thyroid hormone system. Too much fluoride can be toxic to the body and its cells. There is a huge benefit to drinking some form of filtered water.
Are You Doing A Spring Detox?
Spring is the season of cleansing and renewal. Before starting a detox, consider the following? 1) Are you under stress? If yes, your body may not be able to get rid of toxins. Your Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) regulates voluntary and involuntary physiological processes in the body – including detoxification. An ANS that is out of balance is inefficient. 2) Are you drinking enough good quality water and replenishing electrolytes to stay hydrated? 3) Are your emunctories (pathways of elimination such as liver, intestines, and kidneys) ready and well to eliminate the toxins from your body? Detox safely!
Laughter is the Best Medicine
I feel as if my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got my doctor’s permission to join a fitness club and start exercising. I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors. I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. By the time I got my pants on, the class was over!
Remember 1-4-2
Have you heard of Canada’s Low-Risk Gambling Guidelines (#LRGG)? Guideline 1: Gamble no more than 1% of household income, e.g.: $60,000 annual gross income = $50/month. Guideline 2: Gamble no more than 4 days per month = roughly once a week. Guideline 3: Avoid regularly gambling at more than 2 types of games, including lotteries, sports betting, table games, slot machines, scratch tickets, horse racing, bingo, video lottery terminals (VLTs), and online gambling. Mental health & addictions, gambling type and reasons for gambling can make these guidelines difficult to follow. Reach out to VI Gaming Support! We’re here for you.
Stay Connected to Family and Friends
It is important for seniors to maintain strong connections with family and friends. Social connections can reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation and make life more enjoyable. Regular activities, such as having coffee with friends or going for a walk, can help. Friends and family can also offer emotional and practical support. If you are taking care of someone with dementia, or other ongoing health issues, it is important to make sure you have time for yourself. Maintain a balanced schedule and take time to do activities that make you happy, such as reading a book, listening to music, or spending time in nature.
