Burnaby NOW • Friday, December 21, 2012 • A11
25 Paper Postcards
27 Top 5
29 Telus Ambassadors
SECTION COORDINATOR Jennifer Moreau, 604-444-3021 jmoreau@burnabynow.com
Keep it simple Too much noise, confusion, can add to anxiety for seniors dealing with challenges Jennifer Moreau staff reporter
Gerontologist Katherine Willett has some words of advice for people with elderly loved ones who are dealing with challenges: keep things simple this Christmas, especially if a loved one is suffering from dementia. “Large celebrations can be confusing and even scary and agitating to a person living with a disease that destroys their brain,” said Willett, who “Make sure they hosts Burnaby are able to par- information sesticipate and are sions for fammembers cartruly included in ily ing for elderly the celebrations loved ones. “We always tell famiin a way that’s lies to keep it comfortable for very simple.” In the early them.” stage of dementia, someone KATHERINE WILLETT gerontologist with Alzheimer’s might appreciate being with a lot of people, Willett said, but if grandpa’s dementia is progressing, it’s best not to bring him out for family celebrations. “Just be mindful that if there are seniors in the room or at the table. Make sure they are able to participate, and are truly included in the celebrations in a way that’s comfortable for them,” she said. “At Christmas, there’s a lot of confusion that
Larry Wright/burnaby now
Quiet Christmas: Gerontologist Katherine Willett, left, is recommending people keep it simple during holiday celebrations that include an elderly loved one, especially someone with dementia.
goes on, there’s a lot of noise that goes on. … There’s a lot of things that are outside of the routine of an elderly person.” Willett also recommends that family members watch out for the “trip factor” during the holidays if they have elderly family in the home. “At Christmas, when they are visiting family, often there’s lots of stuff on the floor, like kids toys and everything,” she said. “(Families) just need be more mindful of the fact that there’s someone in the house that may be a little bit frail.
You want to watch the trip factor. You also want to watch the alcohol intake. ... Someone who’s on a lot of medications, after two drinks can … fall and break a hip.” Christmastime can also be very sad for the elderly, Willett said, because the longer they live, the more losses they have experienced. “They’ve lost a lot of friends and also family members. A lot of seniors have lost not only spouses but adult children,” she said. “I think it’s just a very sad time.
There’s a tendency to kind of isolate, or maybe they sit in the corner and drink. You’re watching everyone around you having a good time, but you are not.” According to Willett, the greatest gift to seniors is time and attention. “By the time you’re 70, you’ve accumulated so much stuff, but you’d like the opportunities and the time with your friends and family,” she said, suggesting experiential gifts, like lunch or a trip to the art gallery. jmoureau@burnabynow.com
Reporter reveals one of her favourite sources HERE & NOW
Jennifer Moreau
E
very year, NOW reporters get a modest gift from the company to give to our best sources. While there were many this year, and it’s difficult to choose, I’ve decided to give my present to Paul Cipywnyk of the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers. Paul is always available for a
phone interview, and he has posed countless times over the past year (and in previous years) for photos related to all the salmon stories we’ve done. He’s kept us abreast of the latest developments within the streamkeeping community, and he was the one who forwarded us the email from Otto Langer regarding the leaked documents about the Conservative changes to the Fisheries Act. That was a national story, and we got it online before any other news outlet, but we wouldn’t have done so if it weren’t for him. So thank you, Paul. Your efforts have made my job easier,
and it’s been a pleasure reporting on all the hard work the volunteer streamkeepers have done to make our waterways a healthy habitat for salmon.
Cadets pinch pennies for charity
A South Burnaby Cadets group has donated $500 to Canuck Place, a charity that runs a hospice for children. Members of the 637 Arrow Royal Canadian Air Squadron have been collecting pennies since September as part of a friendly competition between squadrons. The 637 Arrow Royal Canadian
Air Squadron is the same group that has been searching for years for a suitable and large enough venue to practise their drills. The Royal Canadian Air Cadets is a national organization, for youth aged 12 to 18, that aims to develop citizenship and leadership among its members. The program is sponsored by the Canadian Forces in partnership with the civilian Air Cadet League of Canada. For more on the cadets, go to www.cadets. net/pac.
Tar Sands flick
A local residents’ group opposing Kinder Morgan’s
pipeline expansion is hosting a free screening of White Water, Black Gold, a documentary about the Albert tar sands. BROKE, Burnaby Residents Opposing Kinder Morgan Expansion, includes people whose homes were coated in oil during the 2007 Kinder Morgan pipeline rupture. Filmmaker David Lavallee will be at the screening to introduce the film. The event is set for Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. at Capitol Hill Community Hall, at 361 Howard Ave. Admission is by donation. Do you have an item for Here & Now? If so, send it to jmoreau@ burnabynow.com
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