Nutrition plays a major role in dental health, helping to ensure gums, teeth and tissue are healthy and free from tooth decay, gum disease and other issues. It’s important to eat a healthy, balanced diet for dental health, which includes enough protein, calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, folate, and omega-3 fats. Vitamins A, B, C, and D are also important, as are antioxidants. Some great things to include in your dental diet are probiotics from fermented foods, cranberries, soy products, CoQ10, echinacea, garlic, ginger, ginseng, arginine, and green tea. It’s best to avoid heavily processed foods, especially ones high in sugar.
Community News
Puzzles for a Strong Mind
Puzzling is a mental workout that stimulates both sides of the brain. Studies have shown that jigsaw puzzles can help improve visual-spatial reasoning, short-term memory, and problem-solving skills, as well as reduce the rate cognitive decline and dementia. Puzzling can also help improve your mood by boosting dopamine production. It also helps reinforce connections between brain cells, improving mental speed and thought processes. Engaging yourself in puzzle-making can serve as an exercise in mindfulness and help relieve stress. Puzzles are also a great way to exercise the small muscles in fingers and eyes, which is especially true for those with arthritis or who have experienced a stroke.
Ask The Expert
Q: I often see glowing rings around lights. Someone told me this isn’t normal, is that true?
A: Halos around lights are from haziness somewhere. If it’s not because of something in the atmosphere, then this may be from foggy or scratched spectacle lenses, old contact lenses, swollen corneas, or opacities within the eye, like cataracts. Time for a checkup!
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!
Laughter is the Best Medicine
There should be a calorie refund for things that didn’t taste as good as you expected.
Maintain Health and Wellness
It is important to stay on top of your health and wellness as you age, as various health risks become more prevalent. Taking preventive measures is key to staying healthy and avoiding major health issues. One of the best ways to do this is to make sure seniors have access to additional help with everyday tasks. This can help them avoid feeling overwhelmed and isolated and can also make it much easier for them to maintain healthy routines. Age should not be a barrier to leading a healthy and active lifestyle. With the right help and support, seniors can still enjoy life to its fullest potential.
Nutritional Needs for Seniors
As you age, your nutritional needs change, which is why it’s important to adjust your diet accordingly to improve the way you think and feel. Eating a diet that is high in fibre and rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes promotes a healthy digestive tract, prevents constipation and maintains healthy body weight. Antioxidant-rich foods, such as berries, cabbage, beans, and spinach help to fight against free radicals and boost immune function. Foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as fish, walnuts and flaxseeds help improve cognitive function. Following a well-balanced diet is crucial to leading a long, happy and healthy life.
Board Members
Comox Valley Senior Support Society is currently recruiting Board Members. If you have a passion for seniors, an interest in working with a collaborative Board, and supporting an active staff team, please contact Chris at [email protected] for more information.
Comox Valley Seniors Resource Guide
The 2023 Comox Valley Seniors Resource Guide is now out! This free guide is being dropped at locations around the Valley, but if you want one, or more, set aside for you, please contact the office and we will either hold one for you or arrange for delivery! 20,000 copies of this spiral bound guide were created in partnership between Comox Valley Senior Support and Denman and Hornby Community Health Care Services and will be available free of charge.
Freedom at Any Age
These days the mobility market is full of possibilities. Rather than being confined to the inside of your home or relying on friends and family to take you out, consider the freedom of a mobility scooter. Battery powered scooters have come a long way and are now more affordable and reliable than ever before. They provide the freedom to get around, they conserve physical energy, and they also provide you access to places you may not have previously been able to go. Along with the freedom, mobility scooters offer an element of safety.
The Sandwich Generation
Are you a caregiver to your children and your aging parents? If so, you’re part of the “sandwich generation,” a group of adults who are “sandwiched” between caregiving responsibilities for their young and elderly loved ones. This generation of caregivers has its own unique stresses and challenges, spending on average about three hours per day on unpaid care while also working full-time. These challenges can take a toll on this group’s health, finances, and emotions. Thankfully, home care agencies can help relieve some of the stress by providing quality care for senior loved ones in their own homes.
