When someone close to you has untreated hearing loss, it’s natural to want to help them. Here are seven ways to urge them to have their hearing checked: 1. Point out that annual hearing tests are recommended for everyone. 2. Explain what they risk by waiting. 3. Prepare for common objections. 4. Let them know they’re not alone. 5. Go with them and have your hearing tested too. 6. Don’t be the only voice that speaks up. 7. Call your local hearing professional and ask for their advice.
Community News
Seniors and Stress
Chronic stress is harmful to people of all ages, but its impact on older adults can be particularly severe, increasing the risk of age-related diseases, hastening cognitive decline and even triggering falls. Stressors that are common amongst the elderly include: loss of control, personal loss, declining health, financial worries, personal safety and loss of independence. To reduce stress, get regular exercise, eat balanced meals to ensure the mind and body are properly fueled and ask for help. Talking with a trusted family member, friend or healthcare professional, at the very least, releases pent-up stress and may even lead to a solution.
Summertime Wellness Tips
With more sunny days and warmer temperatures, it is time to get out there and have fun. Here are some summertime wellness tips: *Protect your skin; wear a mineral-based sunscreen (chemical-free/ocean friendly), and hat and sunglasses for face and eye protection. *Stay hydrated; keep a water bottle with you. *Eat more fresh raw fruits and vegetables and take advantage of local produce. *Get some exercise; outdoors whenever possible. Exercise and getting outside helps you to stay fit, feel energized, and improves your mood. *Do what you love; take up a new or favourite activity. Take care of your mental wellbeing to help you stay positive and happy!
Managing Multiple Medications
Your pharmacist offers solutions that can help you manage multiple medications. *Synchronized Refill Dates. The quantities of your medication may be adjusted to coordinate refill dates. All medications can be refilled at one time reducing the number of visits to the pharmacy. *Blister packaging to arrange your medications in a weekly or monthly schedule. *Extension of Expired Refills. Sometimes a prescription expires before you can see your doctor. Following an assessment, your pharmacist may be able to renew your prescription.
Enjoy LIfe to the Fullest
Good hearing means being able to enjoy every moment in life. When you start experiencing hearing problems, you quickly feel you cannot enjoy all the things you care about. A hearing professional will work with you to get you back to better hearing. They can give you back the ability to enjoy your life to the fullest. Quality hearing professional are there every step of the way to identify the best solution for you. Look for a hearing centre that offers an extensive, complimentary hearing test, free follow-ups, and a wide range of innovative and discreet products. We can help.
Is It Safe to Go to the Dentist?
Dental offices follow very strict guidelines set by the BC Centre of Disease Control as well as the College of Dental Surgeons of BC. The flow within the office will be highly regulated and there will be more forms and questionnaires to answer. Staff will be wearing a greater amount of PPE and barrier equipment to ensure the patient’s safety. Most offices are also adding air filtration and viral killing UVC light technology. This is part of the layering strategies that makes dental offices safer than a public space. Dental offices can see less patients in a day so there may be minor delays getting an appointment.
Help at the Push of a Button
Falls are a real concern for older adults. The good news is that most falls are preventable. Seniors can lower their risks by changing risky behaviour, proactively managing their health, and safety proofing their homes. Talk to your primary care provider about a fall-risk evaluation. Ask yourself, if I were to fall tonight, how would I get help if I couldn’t reach the phone? A medical alert service ensures that you can access help 24/7 at the push of a button. Some services also offer automatic fall detection. It’s never too early to protect yourself before a fall. Take these precautions today to live more independently and confidently.
Time to Clean Out the Medicine Cabinet?
Here are a few tip to clean up your Medicine Cabinet and other places where medication and vitamins are stored: *Gather all medications in one place. *Check the expiry date of each item. *Set aside any medications that you no longer take or has expired. *Set aside any medication that is not in its original container or whose appearance, consistency or odour has changed. Take all discarded mediations and vitamins to your pharmacist for safe and ecological disposal. Do not throw them into the waste basket, sink or toilet. The Medicine Shoppe can help with the cleanup process and disposal.
Keep Moving!
Daily movement is essential for physical and mental wellness especially during COVID-19 restrictions and isolation. Healthy movement can be as easy as a bike ride with your family, a walk on the beach, playing tag with the kids or doing your stretch routine. At minimum, keeping up a gentle movement routine such as stretching or prescribed stretches and exercises from your Physiotherapist is beneficial. Whatever movement you do, do what you love because that is what makes it worth doing!
Explore Parks and Trails in Nanaimo
The City of Nanaimo’s “Find the Golden Bucket Contest” is a great opportunity to explore our parks and trails and a chance to win some cool prizes. Each Wednesday, check our website, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (@nanaimoparksandrec) for a clue that will take you to a local park. Find the Golden Bucket Sticker in the park for a question about that park. Submit your answer for a chance to win weekly prizes and the grand prize of a Kayak Tour for you and four of your friends courtesy of Coastal Expression Adventure Centre. Contact us for more information.
Funerals During COVID-19
A funeral can be extremely difficult under the best of circumstances. Losing a loved one during a global pandemic adds another layer of challenge to loss that we couldn’t have previously imagined. With strict physical distancing mandates that limit the number of people who can gather, many wonder if you can even still have a funeral. The answer is yes, but by finding different ways to say goodbye. Funerals during COVID-19 are more personal and intimate. Many families view this funeral as the first act of memorialization and have postponed a more fulsome service until it is safe for a larger group to gather for a celebration of life.
