Community News
Moving Aging Parents

Selling your senior parents’ home and moving them to a new home or retirement/assisted living community can be an involved and emotional experience. Your realtor can help make the sale and purchase of the homes easier. Here are some important things to share with your realtor during this process: 1) Basics about the property and circumstances prompting the move. 2) Financial impacts and potential obstacles to selling the home. 3) Details about what is needed for the new home (size, location, price, desirable features, etc.). 4) Any important information about the timeframes for the sale and purchase of the homes.

Safe at Home by MOTION™

MOTION™ Courtenay offers a variety of products that help you stay mobile and safe in your home. Some of the products offered include: STAIRLIFTS – choose from a variety of stairlifts to suit any type of stairway – straight, curved, split-level, or intermediate landing, and enjoy our fast in-home or virtual consultations. POWER LIFT RECLINERS – available in a wide range of styles, colours and materials, they help the user lower into and raise up from a seated position with ease. GO-GO SCOOTER® & GO CHAIR® – exceptional portability and provide a whole new level of comfort and performance with feather-touch disassembly.

Meet Your Practitioner

Owner and Technician of Comox Valley Skin Solutions Christina Hambleton, BScN, is an experienced medical professional with a commitment to combine advances in aesthetic medicine technology and expertise to help you reach your skin-health goals. Christina graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2005 and later went into Aesthetic Medical Device Education. She has extensive experience in advanced laser and injectable services and has an insider’s view of the industry’s most advanced and leading-edge technologies. Christina is uncompromising in her selection and delivery of service offerings to achieve the results of invasive procedures with little to no downtime.

Spring Nutrition for Seniors

Spring brings with it a crop of nutrient-rich super foods that are especially beneficial for older adults. As you age, its vital to eat healthy foods to maintain weight, manage and prevent diabetes, and boost brain health. Spring is a great time to swap out processed foods that lack nutritional value – for fresh fruits and vegetables. Some spring super-foods that are perfect for seniors to enjoy include artichokes, leaks, asparagus, green peas, watercress, strawberries and spinach. These springtime favorites are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants needed to live a healthy lifestyle.

May is Mental Health Month!

A good night’s sleep can do wonders in reducing stress and anxiety. Lack of quality sleep will cause your body to react like it is in distress, releasing higher levels of the stress hormone, Cortisol. Too much cortisol in the body can cause increased risk of depression, an overactive “fight or flight” response, increased stress and anxiety, even cardiovascular illness and weight gain. If you are struggling to get a good night’s sleep, a new mattress can help! Improve your overall quality of sleep with a new mattress, and significantly decrease your stress levels and restore balance to your body’s systems.

Golden Gamers

“Golden Gamers” is a term used to describe seniors who play video games. Some play to pass the time, some play to connect with their grandkids and some play competitively. There’s nothing wrong with playing video games, online or on a console. Just like gambling, some seniors may be vulnerable to the addictive qualities that the gamblification of gaming offers. This includes paying to open loot boxes for premium items, skins, coins, extended time, etc. No different than slot machines, some games can entice vulnerable seniors to spend beyond their means. For more information, contact VIGamingSupport.ca.

Sprout into Spring

Spring is about all things green and at Mortar and Pesto we have plenty of amazing green products to help you maintain and improve your overall health and wellbeing. We carry sprouting kits that allow you to grow nutritious microgreens in your own home, perfect for adding a nutrient-dense boost to your day. We also have greens powders, sea veggies, and high-potency broccoli capsules for those who want to achieve therapeutic doses for epigenetic support. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, spring is also liver season – a great opportunity to check out the many plant-based products we have that help the gallbladder and liver!

Cavity and Dental Disease Prevention

A cavity happens when bacteria in the mouth produces acid that attacks your teeth. Over time, this acid can dissolve away the tooth enamel and cause a hole, or cavity. Unlike some other diseases or injuries, a cavity will not heal by itself, but if the early signs of dental decay are promptly treated before a cavity forms, it can be stopped or even reversed by your dentist and your home care. To prevent dental disease: brush twice a day, floss once a day, eat a balanced diet, limit eating and drinking between meals, and visit your dentist regularly.

Class IV Laser for Chronic Pain

Chronic Pain? Acute Injury and a lot of swelling? Try Class IV Deep Tissue Laser which kick starts your body’s own healing capacity 2-3 times! It’s clinically proven by the World Health Organization to reduce pain and restore function to tissues. Injuries need blood flow and circulation to heal and laser does just that. Common ailments that have proven successful are: muscle strains, tendon injuries such as rotator cuff tears, as well as joint sprains. Even acute swelling or bruises can be treated with laser to accelerate the healing process and decrease scar tissue formation!

Take Care of Seasonal Allergies

Spring is the worst season for allergies, according to the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The biggest spring allergy trigger is pollen. Trees, grasses, and weeds release these tiny spores into the air to fertilize other plants. When they get into the nose or eyes of someone who’s allergic, they send the body’s defenses haywire. If pollen is a trigger, keep doors and windows closed to keep it out, and wear wraparound sunglasses when outside. Also, ask your doctor or pharmacist about the most appropriate allergy medications to avoid possible side effects, such as drowsiness and confusion.

Benefits of Pet Therapy

Pet therapy is a great form of compassionate care that has been popularized over the years, primarily on school campuses and across communities. The research on pet therapy’s effect on our aging population is remarkable. Pet therapy has been shown to decrease stress and anxiety. By providing connection and comfort through animals, pet therapy is extremely beneficial for feelings of stress and anxiety. Some studies even show positive results on mental functioning through pet therapy. Playing with animals is also a fun way to increase mobility as we age.