Fresh avocados and tender baby kale add a healthy spin to this delicious smoothie bowl, packed with fruit for a sweet treat. 9 ounces oat milk. ¾ cup. baby kale. 1 ½ Tbsp. honey. ¾ cup avocado pieces. 1 ½ cup frozen mango chunks. 1 ½ cup frozen pineapple chunks. 1 cup frozen banana. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure the lid. Start on its lowest speed, then quickly increase to its highest speed. Blend for 30-40 seconds. Serve immediately with your choice of garnish – crunchy granola, fresh fruit, and a sprinkling of chia seeds.
Community News
Save the Date!
The Comox Valley Senior Support Society’s Second Annual Spelling Bee will be held on Tuesday, October 17 at Florence Filberg Centre in Courtenay. The first Spelling Bee was such a community success that we decided to get a larger space and invite more people! We look forward to seeing you there.
Help Parents Stay Independent
Seniors often face reduced independence due to health or mobility concerns. Mobility scooters offer a solution. Regardless of their location, a mobility scooter empowers parents to reclaim independence and relish outdoor experiences. With electric motors and a simple recharge, these scooters effortlessly transport them to desired destinations, allowing them to unwind and enjoy the ride. Portable models further facilitate transportation, ensuring the ease of taking them in cars when needed. By embracing mobility scooters, seniors can regain their freedom and embrace the world outside their homes.
When it’s Not Just Aging
While it’s true that some health conditions are more common with age, there are some symptoms that should be discussed with your doctor. 1. Memory loss – this can sometimes be the result of medications, vitamin deficiencies, and some disorders. 2. Vision problems – getting treatment early for certain vision problems like glaucoma can prevent serious damage. 3. Tooth loss – getting regular dental care can help seniors avoid tooth loss. 4. Depression – certain health conditions and medications can make depression symptoms worse, but this problem can be treated professionally. 5. Weakness – a good exercise program can help prevent loss of muscle mass.
Use Your Teeth Wisely
Your teeth have a specific purpose, and it’s not to serve as a multitool. Opening packages, bottles, or using them as an extra hand can lead to unfortunate accidents and tooth damage. Engaging in such creative uses of your pearly whites is a recipe for disaster. It’s only a matter of time before you crack or break a tooth. Rather than risking your oral health, take the extra trip to find appropriate tools or locate a pair of scissors. By using your teeth for their intended functions, you can maintain a healthy, intact smile for years to come. Don’t jeopardize your dental well-being by treating your teeth as makeshift tools.
New Short-Term Respite Care
Respite care is part of the long-term care continuum, yet publicly funded respite care beds are limited in their availability and demand for them is growing. For this reason, Providence Living is exploring how to provide short-term, private-pay respite services at The Views at St. Joseph’s in Comox. This service will address the care gap for families who need respite for a loved one but don’t qualify for a publicly funded bed. The short-term respite program launched on June 05, 2023. This private room has its own sink and toilet, and the daily fee includes all meals, 24-hour nursing care, activities, outings, and much more.
Senior Summer Safety Tips
Skin cancer is one of the most common and preventable forms of cancer. Apply SPF of at least 30 to 50—every two to four hours you are outdoors or riding in a car. Routinely wearing a quality pair of sunglasses protects the eyes from cataracts, a condition common among older adults. Look for a pair with a label showing they block 100% of UVA and UVB rays. As we grow older, the body doesn’t adjust to changes in temperature and humidity as quickly as in younger days. This puts seniors at higher risk for dehydration and sun-related illnesses, like heat stroke – so make sure to keep hydrated!
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.
Extreme Heat Caution
The possibility of extreme heat is now looking like more of a reality for the summer ahead in BC. When temperatures rise, please be sure to check in on your elderly neighbors, friends, and relatives, especially those
• who live alone
• with chronic health conditions (e.g., heart disease, chronic respiratory illness, diabetes, mental illness, substance use disorders)
• with limited mobility
• without air conditioning
• those who live in a home exposed to direct sunlight. If you or someone you know lives in a home where the temperatures will reach 30 degrees Celsius or higher, plan to go elsewhere during a heat emergency. If you are remaining in your home, please evaluate your home’s cool zones, choose one and plan to remain in that area of the home as much as possible. If possible to do safely, putting a barrier, such as cardboard on the outside of a window will help deflect the sun from hitting the window. Close your blinds and windows during the hottest parts of the day and, if the temperature drops significantly at night, open windows to allow some fresh, cool air circulation. Having a fan near a window overnight will help bring in cool air. In the event of extreme temperatures, cooling centers will be operated, and their locations will be well publicized. Please assist your senior friends, neighbors, and relatives to access cooling centers. Libraries, community centers, shopping malls, movie theaters, and shaded parks will all provide cooling assistance as well. Plan in advance where you may go in the event of extreme heat.
Identify an extreme heat buddy! If you live alone, or with someone who is vulnerable, have a buddy who will check in on you daily. Ideally, your buddy should be someone who can assist you in getting to and from a cooling location. Please call CV Senior Support at 250-871-5940 if assistance is needed.
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 (250-871-5940) 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 Hornby Health and are available free of charge.
Help Feed a Senior for $12/Week
In partnership with LUSH Valley Food Action Society, CVSS provides 82 meals a week to seniors in the Comox Valley. While some seniors contribute to the cost of the weekly meals, they are heavily subsidized. A donation of $12 a week will provide between two and four meals for a senior in the Valley, helping ensure food security for vulnerable residents. Donations can be made at the CVSS office, or by cheque, via mail at C1-450 8th Street, Courtenay, BC, V9N 1N5. Tax receipts are provided for donations over $20. Alternatively, monthly donations can be set up on our Canada Helps website at: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/comox-valley-senior-support/
