When you have the flu or are not feeling well, the best thing for you to do is make yourself cozy and to rest comfortably at home while you recover. Drink plenty of fluids, get lots of rest, use a humidifier and make sure you have flu season health essentials on hand, including: Acetaminophen for fever, headache and minor aches and pains. Decongestants to relieve congestion and clear nasal passages. Sprays or lozenges to soothe a sore throat. Speak with your pharmacist about flu shots, prevention, appropriate symptom relief and other ways to stay healthy this flu season.
Community News
3 Ways to Improve Mental Health
Seniors are at risk for developing anxiety and depression due to chronic disease, isolation, and loneliness. If you’re a senior, here are 3 proven ways to help improve your mental health: 1. Move your body and stay active. Exercise has been scientifically proven to boost your mood and relieve stress. Aim for 30 minutes of activity each day. 2. Make time for friendships. Research shows that seniors who have a close group of friends tend to live longer and happier than those who don’t. 3. Flex Your Mind. Routine brain exercises help you maintain healthy cognitive function, so grab a new book or challenge yourself to a puzzle.
Wellness for Winter
Wellness can be hard to maintain during the winter months when presents and holiday meals can take priority. Basic foundations to health, like balancing nutrition and toxins, eating wholefoods, and avoiding processed, artificial, or sugar can significantly improve health & quality of life, but not everybody can keep up. Regardless of diet and lifestyle choices, supplements like vitamin D, Vitamin C, and omegas can provide help immune, stress, hormonal, inflammation/pain, and brain function. The quality of the brand of vitamins make a difference to your help.
The Dark Brother Within
Deep buried inside each man is a part of himself that he does not like. This is his shadow self with roots as far back as childhood and the storehouse for anything he has disowned or rejected about himself such as anger, shame, empathy, grief, and unresolved wounding. Because he chooses to shun his shadow it results in him having low self-esteem and mental or chronic illness. This month, we courageously face the dark brother within as we start to integrate our shadows living as whole complete men.
Scents and Our Brain
Almost all information about smell is stored in the brain’s hypothalamus, a part of the limbic system, which seems to play an important role in controlling mood, memory, behaviour, emotions, heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, stress, and hormonal balance. When a person inhales a smell, a certain signal is sent to the brain, which then spreads throughout the body. Choosing specific scents can lower our stress levels, boost mood, and improve memory. For better concentration, for example, combine a few drops of rosemary, sweet orange, and basil essential oils in your diffuser to increase your focus and productivity.
Negotiating vs. Compromising
I used to believe that relationships were all about learning to compromise with each other to find a middle ground. When we compromise, we tend to give up our own needs for the betterment of staying connected to others. When we learn to negotiate, we zero in and distill those needs that are fully needed to be met by finding the bridge between ourselves and another. By giving ourselves permission to express and negotiate our deepest desires, we find a creative way where both people can get their core needs met, which then leads to less resentment and greater satisfaction without losing themselves in the relationship.
Did You Know?
As of July 1, 2022 there were 7,329,910 Canadians over the age of 65 and there were 13,484 Canadians over 100! (StatsCan 2022)
1st Annual Christmas Craft Market
Santa’s coming to the first annual Christmas Craft Market at the Comox
Seniors Centre Saturday November 19th from 9am – 1pm.
A free event for the entire family. Featuring talented Artisans, giving the gift
from their hearts. Quality handmade items. Something for everyone.
Located at 1801 Beaufort Ave, Comox, (across from Town Hall).
Visit our unique Gift Shop. Enjoy beverages and baked goods at Dei’s Cafe.
Christmas Donations
As Christmas nears, please think of isolated and vulnerable seniors in your community when considering charitable donations. Comox Valley Senior Support provides supports to seniors year-round in an number of ways, but the requests for support always become more urgent as the Christmas holidays approach. $50 will provide ten hot meals for one of our seniors. $200 will pay the Society’s phone and internet bill for one month, freeing our funds to support seniors in the community. $500 will cover the the cost of mileage for our volunteers for one month – volunteers use their vehicles to deliver food, assist with household errands, attend to shopping needs or to ensure seniors in the Valley are able to safely get about their community. Comox Valley Senior Support also collects gifts for seniors each year and a donation in any amount will be directed to creating a smile on Christmas morning.
First Annual Spelling Bee
Thank you to those who attended the Comox Valley Senior Support Society’s first annual fund-raising Spelling Bee! A wonderful time was had! Comox Valley Senior Support extends its thanks to the wonderful sponsors of the Spelling Bee, Quantum Dental Group, First Credit Union, Berwick Comox Valley, Casa Loma & Casa Loma Seniors Village, Wellnessnews, and Sara Kempner Photography. And thanks to our give sponsors, Sunnyvale Golf & Country Club, Extreme Runners, Cons Bread, Wild Play, Laughing Oyster Book Shop, The Mustard Lady, K & V Nails, Bigfoot Donuts, Second Page Used Books, Country Market, Sara Kempner Photography, and Soul Star.
Volunteers Always Needed!
The strength of CVSS is its contingent of amazing volunteers. If you would like to visit with a lonely or isolated senior, or assist someone with accessing services in the community, or if you have another strength to offer, please contact us to learn more about providing support in your community. Beginning in September, volunteer training sessions will be done monthly so there will be only minimal waiting before you can begin! Volunteers are provided with monthly support meetings and regular education sessions.
