Every year, more than 60,000 Canadians suffer a heart attack. A healthy diet and regular exercise can reduce the risk. If you have cardiovascular disease, follow your treatment carefully and take medicine as prescribed. Common signs of a heart attack include *chest pain; *discomfort or pain in the neck, jaw, shoulder, back, or arm; *shortness of breath; and *dizziness. If you are having a heart attack, call 911 immediately, follow operator instructions, stop all activity, stay calm, and rest in a comfortable position while waiting for help. Ask our pharmacist for more information about heart health.

With the change in weather comes the potential for colds, flu, and COVID! Everyone is encouraged to get their flu and COVID booster shots. Remember to sanitize regularly out in the community, especially if you are in the grocery store (the handles of the carts) and when you get back into the car. Comfort Keepers can help by doing your shopping for you, or if you get sick, we can help by just giving the care needed as you convalesce. Contact us today to set up a meeting and get a regular schedule in place for times like this. Let’s stay well this winter.

It’s fall prevention month, and that’s an extremely important one for us at Nanaimo Lifeline. 20%–30% of hospitalizations from injuries among older Canadians each year are attributed to falling. Not only that but falling is the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged 0-14 months each year as well! To prevent falls, it’s important to engage in balance and strength-training exercises, avoid alcohol and substance abuse, and find out about any side effects of medications that may cause cognitive or balance impairments. And as always, eating a healthy diet contributes to strong bones and muscles. Stay safe!

Holiday and special celebration meals are amazing. The endless array of baking, casseroles, and other rich foods can make your mouth water long before the meal. Sometimes “too much of a good thing is—too much!” To stay on track with healthy eating during celebrations, plan ahead of time. Decide what you cannot live without and plan to enjoy it without guilt. Allow yourself to indulge in small portions and savour them. Be sure to include fresh vegetables and drink plenty of water during the celebration to keep hydrated. Water helps flush out the extra salt and fat that you consume.

It’s 1950, and new colours are being added to the Red Scare. Two U.S. State Department employees, Bob and Norma, have been tasked with identifying sexual deviants within their ranks. There’s just one problem: Both Bob and Norma are gay and have married each other’s partners as a carefully constructed cover. Inspired by the true story of the earliest stirrings of the American gay rights movement, madcap classic sitcom-style laughs give way to provocative drama as two “All-American” couples are forced to stare down the closet door. Tickets are on sale now for October 6–26, 2024.

“The secret to having everything in life, is believing that you already have it.” Many seniors will tell you that the things that you thought mattered in your younger years were not really what mattered. It’s not the ‘things’ that matter. It’s the people, the experiences, the memories that you carry with you throughout your lifetime. Retirement communities are great places for retirees to continue to make new friends, have new experiences and make more wonderful memories. We should all strive every day to learn something new or meet someone new – it’s what keeps us young at heart!