The Comox Valley Lifeline Society, a non-profit organization, has been providing an easy-to-use personal emergency response system to the Cowichan Valley since 1988. The Society was established because the membership believed that people deserved the dignity to live on their own and have access to immediate help in an emergency. If you experience a fall or other emergency in your home, every second counts. Delays can jeopardize your recovery and your independence. Lifeline quickly connects you to a trained Response Associate, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at the push of a button. You are never alone and help is always there when you need it.
Community News
Happy & Healthy in 2022
Many of us made a New Year’s Resolution to take better care of ourselves in 2022. We welcome you to check out the Wellness Hub, our local, online Health and Wellness resource for great information on doing just that. The Wellness Hub features hundreds of health tips and articles on a variety of health and wellness topics along with a directory of hundreds of local businesses and practitioners offering services and products. It is easy to search, access and share information. While you are checking out the Wellness Hub, don’t forget to enter the January Contest. The draw date is January 31, 2022.
Support is Available
Post-holiday debt can pile up quickly and easily become overwhelming. The stress of overdue bills can temp us to use gambling as a quick fix to achieve financial relief. Gambling when we’re vulnerable can cost us everything, not only our money but our mental and physical health. There are lots of free and confidential supports and tools available. This includes Voluntary Self-Exclusions from casinos, gaming centers and BCLC’s PlayNow available 24/7 toll-free at 1-888-795-6111 or connects with us at VIGamingSupport.ca. There are also excellent credit counsellors, financial advisors, ministers, pastors, podcasts, and/or trusted friends. Support is a game-changer: Do it!
DECEMBER LOCAL WELLNESS BOX PRIZE PACKAGE
Over $500.00 worth of prizes including; $210.00 Therapeutic Yoga-Based Movement Gift Card – BodyWell Remedial Exercise & Registered Massage Therapy www.getbodywell.com
$115.00 Initial evaluation and treatment Gift Card – Red Sage Wellness – Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine www.redsagewellness.com
2 Tickets to the Vancouver Island Symphony – Mozart’s Serenade March 19, 2022 in Nanaimo www.vancouverislandsymphony.com
Voxxlife Socks from Great Socks for All – www.greatsocksforall.voxxlife.com
Cactus Club – Gift Card www.cactusclubcafe.com/location/victoria
Life Stages and Hearing Loss
Hearing loss can affect people of all ages for various reasons such as genetics, exposure to loud noises, presbycusis, autoimmune issues and sometimes ototoxic medications. More dangerously, untreated hearing loss can cause issues, often psychological, which also tend to be the indicators.
If you’re concerned that you or a loved one may have hearing loss, here’s a list of signs in each stage of life that may indicate a hearing loss.
Children
Signs of hearing loss in children often go unnoticed, hence it’s important to look for signs as early as infancy for quick treatment. If a hearing loss isn’t indicated now, it’s still a possibility as they age.
Here are some of the signs to watch for:
- Lack of attention to sound and sound localization
- Delayed speech development
- Unable to monitor their own voice or follow verbal instructions
- Behavioural changes and hyperactivity
- Poor school performance
Teenagers
Diagnosing teens is easier because they’ve developed communication skills. Personalities influence any diagnosis because they affect our verbal interactions and reactions to different situations.
The following are some indicators:
- Struggles with verbal cues and instructions
- Often ask people to repeat themselves
- Lack of participation in school activities, poor school performance
- Isolated from social situations
- Behavioural changes – may act out or do nothing at all
Adults and Seniors
In adults, signs of hearing loss present differently with age due to developed coping mechanisms. Seniors often lose their hearing as they age, but they can take action to treat it for a better quality of life.
Here are signs to look for:
- Regularly ask people to repeat themselves
- Talk very loud or quiet
- Difficulties understanding verbal communication
- Isolate themselves in noisy environments and don’t participate
- May present with depression or anxiety
- Complaints of dizziness, ringing in ears and exhaustion
If you’re concerned about hearing loss affecting you or a loved one, NexGen Hearing provides free hearing tests and hearing aid consultations, sales and fittings. NexGen Hearing’s team is dedicated to helping you find solutions and discussing your hearing needs, goals and options to find the best outcome and support you every step of the way.
Author: By NexGen Hearing, NexGenHearing.com
Happy Holiday Wishes
As another year draws to a close, we give thanks for the many blessings that we have received. We continue to publish this newsletter, along with four additional local ones here on the island, with help from our communities. We thank our advertisers, readers, subscribers and newsletter distributors for helping us to continue to spread the wellness message. A big thank you to Isabella Ostman who is retiring at the end of the year. She worked with Teresa for five years to establish and grow our newsletters and the WellnessHub. We wish everyone Peace, Happiness and Good Health this Holiday Season.
Experience Profound Relaxation
Your body can be rebalanced and reset on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level. A therapy session in The Harmonic Egg (a uniquely engineered bio resonance chamber) activates the body’s repair mechanism to promote profound relaxation. With the fusion of advanced technology and ancient wisdom, it uses the vibrational energies of sacred geometry, light, colour, and sound. These frequencies vibrate to create a 360 degree amplified resonance experience that returns the body to homeostasis. Each energy therapy session is individually tailored and is precisely controlled, consistent, and repeatable. It is completely non-invasive and 100% safe. Use code XMAS99 in December to save $25.
Socks for Christmas
Socks are not usually on the list of most wanted Christmas gifts but they should be. Anyone who works on their feet all day, the hiker and skier out in nature or the senior working hard to maintain their mobility would be thrilled to receive a pair of Voxx socks. Benefits from wearing the socks include enhanced pain relief and management, especially PDN pain, enhanced postural stability and balance, improved mobility and higher energy levels. You deserve the benefits of Voxx socks too, so get a pair or two for yourself while shopping for your loved ones.
New Holiday Traditions
This month may be the first time for get-togethers after a long time and there may be loved ones who are no longer with us. The first holiday season after losing a loved one can be a very difficult time. Acknowledge that things are going to be different and the holidays will never be the same as they once were. Hold your memories of loved ones close and connect with other people during these cold winter days. There will be opportunities to make the holidays meaningful; be open to the change and accept it for what it is – a new opportunity to create stronger family bonds and traditions.
Profile: Moose Mobility Scooter Co
If you are looking for home accessibility products, mobility aids or daily living aids – Moose Mobility has you covered. They carry a wide selection of products including lift chairs, stair lifts, scooters, wheelchairs and much more. Trained technicians are available to install stair lifts and platform. Moose Mobility services and repairs all makes and models of mobility scooters, electric wheelchairs and more! Planned maintenance and tune-ups are available to ensure your scooter is in tip-top shape. Visit their showroom where many of their products are on display; you can try before you buy. You can also shop online from their website. MooseMobilityMedical.com
Organs Influence the Way You Move
Most people are very surprised at how much their inside organs influence the way they move. Any exercise routine can be a great benefit IF you can learn to control the INSIDE of you and be AWARE of how the whole body reacts. Muscles can become weak over time and create imbalance due to this lack of awareness. It happens to everyone! If you stay connected to the patterns, you can minimize undue stress in the joint, stronger muscle tone, increased neuroplasticity, and minimize effects of aging. A class with Justina is rich with benefits and will stimulate a stronger vagus nerve reaction.
