Happy 2022! Let’s make this our healthiest year yet! If you feel overwhelmed with where to start, it turns out even small daily adjustments can have a surprisingly big impact on your health! Here are a few ways you can help yourself feel good and age well: Eat more nutrient-dense foods. You need fewer calories with aging, but twice as many nutrients. Get active. Indoor walking, swimming, and doing yoga are all great activities to ease yourself into. Stay connected and make new friends. Social engagement and participation are especially important for older adults. These are linked to better cognition and overall health, and lower risk of depression and disability.
Community News
Inspiration vs. Obligation
A new year is an opportunity to re-evaluate, prioritize and upgrade your life. What do you feel most inspired to do, learn, and explore in your life? Are you living with inspiration or obligation? Who brings out the best in you and what obligations and responsibilities are you ready to release that no longer serve you? How can you give yourself full permission to do more of what fills you up and let go of the rest? Decide what kind of life you really want, then say no to everything that isn’t that.
Avoid Sweaty Hands and Feet
Over 950,000 Canadians suffer from hyperhidrosis. You are not alone. Excessive sweating can affect your quality of life and lead to emotional distress. You may have noticed that showering and deodorant are not enough when dealing with hyperhidrosis. But there are other fast acting options with longer protection available. There’s a 1st line proven effective therapy for hyperhidrosis and meets the criteria of the Canadian Dermatology Association’s Skin Health Program, is clinical strength antiperspirant that works. Don’t let sweat get the best of you.
New Year’s Resolutions for Seniors
The new year is always a good time to consider some positive changes you’d like to make to set you on the path to a happier, healthier you! These New Year’s resolutions for older adults are a great place to start. 1) Give your brain a boost – keeping mentally fit can be done by joining clubs or even doing a crossword puzzle each day. 2) Eat more veggies – sticking to a healthier diet is important as we age. 3) Move more – sign up for exercise classes or work out with a friend. 4) Spend more time with loved ones!
Ask The Expert
Q: I’m 75 years old and for the last year or so, I can see really well up close without my reading glasses! I suppose this is good, eh?
A: It is indeed nice to not have to wear reading glasses. But you should have your eyes checked: your far vision is likely going blurry, and a common cause of newly-developed nearsightedness in seniors is cataracts.
Impact of Hearing Loss on Daily Life
Every day comes with its struggles for people who are deaf and live with hearing loss. There are side effects of dealing with a hearing loss, especially if left untreated. Often, they deal with listening fatigue and an increased risk of burnout, which can be linked to mental health issues. But there are solutions available, and technology is advancing every day to improve the well-being of the deaf and hard of hearing community. If you’re concerned that you or a loved one may have hearing loss visit www.nexgenhearing.com to book your free hearing test.
Know an Outstanding Senior?
Would you like to highlight an outstanding senior in the Comox Valley? Send a brief paragraph, explaining why, to Chris at [email protected]. We will need contact information for the senior you are recommending as we will need to attain consent from them to share their story. We will feature as many as possible in upcoming issues!
Volunteers Needed
The vital component of most of our programs at CV Senior Support are volunteers! While staff coordinate the pieces to make programs work, it is our incredible volunteers who venture into the community and provide the supports many of our clients depend upon.
Volunteering at Comox Valley Senior Support can range from a weekly phone call or in person visit to grocery shopping or assisting seniors to fill out forms and find resources. Volunteers are provided with training and support and opportunities for ongoing education.
As our volunteers retire, we need to replace them! If you have an interest in supporting seniors in your community, please contact the office at [email protected] or 250-871-5940 to find out more.
Did You Know?
• Peter Mark Roget published the first edition of Roget’s Thesaurus at 73 and oversaw every update until he passed away at 90.
• Grandma Moses began painting art at age 76 and painted almost daily until her death at age 101.
• Nelson Mandela was elected President of South Africa at 76.
• Laura Ingalls Wilder’s first book in the “Little House on the Prairie” series was published when she was 64.
• When Harriette Thompson ran in her fifteenth marathon, the Suja Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon, in 2014 she was 91.
• In 2018, at 95, Chau Thi Vo of Vaughan, Ontario, a prominent advocate for seniors in the Vietnamese community, was representing the Golden Age Village for the Elderly at fundraiser events and accompanying the Village’s board of directors to meetings with local politicians. She was also knitting hats and scarves for the homeless and leading charity efforts for disaster relief funds.
Winter Blues Solutions
Winter months bring on more then cold temperatures; they often bring on winter blues. Many seniors experience depression due to lack of sunshine, activities, and socializing.
Come in out of the cold into the warmth of the Comox Seniors’ Centre at 1801 Beaufort Ave in Comox. Enjoy a coffee and meal at Dei’s Cafe with friends or meet new acquaintances. Pick up Dei’s hot meals to go; ask what’s on the menu. Check out our library for a good book, DVD, or puzzle. Looking for a handmade gift for someone special; our best kept secret Gift Shop is waiting for you. Become a member and participate in the many activities available.
The Centre is always looking for volunteers. Chase those winter blues away at the Comox Seniors’ Centre.
Help Parents Stay Independent
Help Parents Stay Independent
It’s common for seniors to lose some independence due to health problems or mobility issues. Mobility scooters can help! No matter where your parents live, a mobility scooter can allow them to gain a sense of independence by enabling them to get out of the house more. Since mobility scooters are powered by an electric motor and simply need a charge after use, your parents just have to sit back and relax while getting to wherever they’d like to be. Some models are portable, making them easier to transport if taking people out and about in a car is important.
