As an older adult, you know that you need to stay active for optimal mental and physical health. But are you having FUN? Fun and joy are what make us feel truly alive, engaged, and connected to others. The world becomes more vibrant and inviting when we give ourselves permission to laugh and play. Every senior deserves to pursue enjoyable pastimes that make him or her lose track of time or feel like a goofy kid at heart. Plus, many of the best activities for senior citizens cost little or no money. Explore activities that spark the kid in you!
Community News
Music of the Plants: Interspecies Communication
Since the 1970s, Damanhur—a Federation of Communities with its own constitution, culture, music, currency, school and uses of science and technology has researched communication with the plant world. They created an instrument that perceives the electromagnetic variations from the surface of plant leaves to the root system and translates them into sound. Each variation is given a different musical note value. When connected, the musical instrument digital interface turns the value into an audible note of music. Plants can create 4 to 5 octaves of music and upward of 120 different sounds. Music of the Plants allows people around the world to connect with plants’ innate intelligence to expand their awareness.
Dealing with Grief & Trauma
Trauma and grief often go hand-in-hand, and learning how to mourn can be a crucial part of healing from grief and trauma. Grief is the reactions that we must mourn through a shift to an active, shared response instead of a passive, isolated one. Six ways to help active mourning include: 1) Acknowledging the loss is real. 2) Interacting with the pain instead of avoiding it. 3) Honouring what you loved about who/what you are mourning. 4) Discovering the new you in the context of loss. 5) Finding meaning and purpose beyond what happened. 6) Getting ongoing support and talking with loved ones and/or a professional.
Dysregulation, Disorders, and Music Therapy
Music has nonverbal, creative, structural, and emotional qualities. These are used in the therapeutic relationship between client and music therapist to facilitate contact, self-expression, communication, and other clinical goals. Our bodies pulsing with internal rhythms of the heart, the digestive system, and the lungs synchronize to music with its intrinsically rhythmical structure. For people living with autism, ADHD, mood disorders, effects of TBI, stroke, or trauma, the skillful use of music and its elements such as melody, rhythm, and dynamics promotes positive change. Most significantly, it influences the important and necessary shift in physiological and emotional responses away from dysregulation towards regulation and balance.
We Are Here For You
The BC Responsible and Problem Gambling Program continues to provide free services to citizens of British Columbia through this period. We are working to provide virtual options (telephone and videoconferencing) for the delivery of our services, including counselling and outreach support. For more information, please contact the Gambling Support Line at 1.888.795.6111 or email Problem.Gambling@gov.bc.ca. If you need to renew your VSE agreement, please contact BCLC’s Customer Support Centre at 1-866-815-0222. A BCLC Investigator will set new ‘temporary’ agreement renewal and contact you when venues are set to open to obtain your documentation.
Welcoming Patients Back Safely
We have great news! Our clinic is now open for regular service. We’re taking extra measures to protect you and our staff during these times, including: asking screening questions about travel and health; having patients wait outside until they are called in for their appointment; asking patients to sanitize their hands and use mouthwash; wearing masks, face shields/safety glasses and gowns; sanitizing all equipment and surfaces; sterilizing all instruments and tools; and equipping front desks with Plexiglas, hand sanitizer, gloves, and masks. We’re ready to serve you in a safe environment and look forward to seeing you soon!
What’s the Human Body-Field?
While traditional healthcare has primarily focused on physiology, we are now seeing that energy and information control biology. In fact, frontier science proves that there is a regulating field of energy and information that operates in the physical body at the subcellular level. At NES Health, they call this the Human Body-Field (HBF), and they have researched its functions and structures for more than 30 years. In that time, they have discovered that the root causes of physical problems are distortions and blockages in the body-field, which serves as a master control system for all physiological function.
New Superberry: an Antioxidant Powerhouse
In the spectrum of nutrition, berries rank near the top, and among berries, none are more nutritious than the Aronia berry. That’s because powerful antioxidants (proanthocyanidins) in Aronia berries remove harmful free oxygen radicals from cells. Research shows that in diabetics, Aronia berry juice reduced blood glucose, and its extracts reduced inflammation and improved immunity. An extract of Aronia berries injected into highly malignant brain tumor cells killed malignant cells within 24 hours without harming healthy cells. And in hard-to-treat cancers, combining Aronia with chemotherapy improved the effectiveness of conventional drugs.
Acceptance & Adaptability
The Yoga tradition supports us in life by teaching us how to stop fighting with circumstance and to become adaptable. The many and varied practices of Yoga not only support us through difficult times but also offer a practical way to infuse our lives with greater ease, clarity and presence. Numerous practices of Yoga teach us to hone our inner life as well as our relationships with others and with the world at large. Such practices teach us how to cling less, resist less, observe our fears in order to be less reactive and to not buy into our ego-driven thoughts. They also encourage us to live with greater acceptance, compassion and gratitude, no matter the external circumstance. For some FREE Practices for Difficult Times and upcoming Deep Self Care online program go to YogaAndHealing.ca
Fear of Falls Causes Unsafe Behavior
When someone is fearful of falling, they start to avoid everyday activities by staying at home and doing less. This lack of activity leads to loss of strength, reduced muscle tone, and loss of coordination and balance. This physical deterioration increases the risk of falling and if a fall does occur, it further heightens the fear. Turn your fear of falling into positive actions; remain active, exercise regularly, use assistive devices such as walkers or grab bars and wear sensible shoes. Consider joining a group session designed especially to teach balance exercises for fall prevention.
Product Review: Anti-inflammatory Releaf
ACTIVE RELEAF strives to inspire active wellness through the use of Mother Nature’s remedies. Offering a variety of applications from topicals, to tinctures, capsules and soaps, ACTIVE RELEAF’s plant based products can help support the inflammatory related pain of sore muscles and stiff joints. For fastest relief, their topical relief stick utilizes broad spectrum, cannabinoid-rich hemp plant extract combined with the additional power of essential oils increasing the anti-inflammatory properties to help combat stubborn aches and discomfort. To support more chronic inflammatory response from within, look to their tinctures and capsules for ongoing support.
