South Vancouver ADP and Beulah ADP will be closed to observe Labour Day on Monday September 4th. Both centres will reopen for regular hours Tuesday September 5th.
Thursday, 31 August 2017
Labour Day
South Vancouver ADP and Beulah ADP will be closed to observe Labour Day on Monday September 4th. Both centres will reopen for regular hours Tuesday September 5th.
Wednesday, 30 August 2017
Spoiled food can be warning signal about seniors’ health
Sometimes one of the first clues to an individual’s changing physical or cognitive abilities is finding spoiled food in their fridge.
Older people change in their use of the kitchen, cooking habits and their shopping routines. This can occur for a variety of reasons. Changes in mobility, access to supermarkets and more time spent eating alone are just a few examples.
Seniors with weakened immune systems are at the greatest risk for food-borne illness. These high-risk populations are less able to fight off disease and are therefore more susceptible to illness. Making safe food choices is a key strategy at any age; but as people get older, there may be reasons why this becomes more problematic.
Many chronic illnesses — like infections and diabetes as well as kidney disease — can make it more difficult to fight off infections. The body is not as able to mount the same response to bacteria like E. coli and salmonella. The stomach acid produced by the body is reduced as we age, and some medications can further reduce the production of gastric acid, which kill harmful bacteria.
Some seniors cannot manage to keep track of food, as they can become confused about day and date and may not be able to comprehend expiry or “best before” dates. They may also not recall when they purchased their food, forgetting which days of the week food items were bought. This is a cognitive issue that is related to other functional concerns.
In the past, mom may have had a routine to check her fridge for spoilage, but now may not remember when or how to do this. Family can gently remind the person to do a cleanup, but it is usually necessary to take a more proactive approach and ensure that old food is tossed away when you are present.
Monday, 28 August 2017
Financial Abuse & Scams Most Prevalent Type of Abuse Against Canada's Seniors
[F]inancial abuse ranks as the most prevalent type of abuse against Canada's seniors, reports the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors Forum in their collaboratively prepared (online) document, What every older Canadian should know about: Financial abuse (2010). Even so, we can take measures to protect ourselves and our loved ones — learn what constitutes financial abuse, know the warning signs, and put safeguards in place.
The government document defines financial abuse as "the illegal or unauthorized use of someone else's money or property. It includes pressuring someone for money or property." In addition: "forcing or tricking" a senior into using his or her money or assets for another person's gain; fraudulent use of a joint bank account; improper use of Power of Attorney (POA) for finances, the document that allows us to name other people to act on our behalf.
It's difficult to know how many seniors have been financially abused. Embarrassment, fear of retaliation, isolation, even lacking the full understanding of financial abuse, may prevent a senior from reporting it. Although financial abuse may occur one time, it usually occurs repeatedly over a stretch of time — even years.
Who's at risk?
Older adults in ill health and socially isolated, are most susceptible to financial abuse, reports the F/P/T Ministers Responsible for Seniors. It usually occurs after a stressful life transition, such as the death of a spouse. Isolation combined with dependency, can prevent a senior from sharing concerns with friends and family, and from receiving professional advice. The senior may be left to follow the directions of the abuser and make decisions based on false information.
Who are the perpetrators?
When a close relationship with a senior is exploited as a way to gain access to the senior's finances or assets, it's often a person with whom the senior has a strong relationship with — a family member, a caregiver, or a close friend (F/P/T Ministers Responsible for Seniors).
Predators as strangers, seek out easy targets to victimize. They strategically prowl dating sites, social media, directories, classified ads and obituaries — gathering information and hunting for victims, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC, 2017). Predators may work, worship or frequent places where older adults live or socialize, and where interaction with seniors is possible. They may observe a senior over a period of time (and collect information about that person), before approaching the potential victim under the pretense of a chance meeting. Once a conversation begins, the predator works at gaining the senior's trust, and may fabricate a commonality of interest between the two of them. What better way to gain trust than by naming a deceased person who is familiar to the senior?
Friday, 25 August 2017
Wednesday, 23 August 2017
New Study Connects Olfactory Loss with Alzheimer's Disease
Promising finding suggests odour identification tests may help scientists track the evolution of the disease in persons at risk
By the time you start losing your memory, it's almost too late. That's because the damage to your brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may already have been going on for as long as twenty years. Which is why there is so much scientific interest in finding ways to detect the presence of the disease early on. Scientists now believe that simple odour identification tests may help track the progression of the disease before symptoms actually appear, particularly among those at risk.
Wednesday, 16 August 2017
Advice for older adults on staying cool in hot weather
Risk of heat-related health problems increases with age.
With summer here and the temperatures rising, it is important to understand the health risks that excessive heat can bring and know the signs of heat-related illnesses. Older adults and people with chronic medical conditions are particularly susceptible to hyperthermia and other heat-related illnesses. The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, offers advice to help combat the dangers of hot weather.
Heat stress, heat fatigue, heat syncope (sudden dizziness after exercising in the heat), heat cramps and heat exhaustion are all forms of hyperthermia. Hyperthermia is caused by a failure of the body’s heat-regulating mechanisms. The risk of hyperthermia can increase with the combination of higher temperatures, underlying general health, and individual lifestyle.
Tuesday, 15 August 2017
Rent Help for Seniors Living in Rental Suites
“Seniors are being displaced" - Karsten Kaemling, assistant manager of support and information services at the West End Seniors Network.Many senior renters have been in the same building for decades and when they're forced to find new accommodations, rental rates are much higher than what they’ve been previously paying. Annual rent increases can also start to put a squeeze on seniors’ limited incomes.Increasing rents mean many seniors have less and less money for other things — cable, food and other expenses often fall by the wayside in an effort to pay for housing.“What complicates a lot of things as well is they become isolated,” some end up forgoing a proper diet or withdrawing from social or recreational activities, as a larger percentage of their income has to go to housing.Read More: Seniors Giving Up Quality of Life to Pay Rent
Getting Help With Rent
Vancouver Rent Bank can offer a short term funding source that is available to families and individuals that live in the City of Vancouver, at risk of eviction or essential utility disconnection due to a temporary shortage of funds. As well we can provide a security deposit if current housing is deemed unsafe or unsustainable. Furthermore we provide low income individuals with the tools to better manage their limited financial resources.
Vancouver Rent Bank
The Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER) program helps make rents affordable for BC seniors with low to moderate incomes. SAFER provides monthly cash payments to subsidize rents for eligible BC residents who are age 60 or over and who pay rent for their homes.
BC Housing provides SAFER subsidies to more than 17,000 senior households renting apartments in the private market, including singles, couples and people sharing a unit.Shelter Aid For Elderly Renters (SAFER)
Wednesday, 2 August 2017
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Caring for a family member or
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These articles may also help you
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You’re not alone in this. We’re
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The Team at Family Caregivers of
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PS: Here’s a link to the Caregiver Stress Test again so you don’t have
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