February 27, 2013

This is the Life

A Living 60+ Magazine

+

Intergenerational gardening The secrets of dance

+ Community volunteering + Physical activity connections + Social and services a sharp mind + Keep with games + and more

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2 – This is the Life, February 2013

Sue Fleming, front, along with president of the Ridge Meadows Seniors Society Betty Levens, left, Bob Foster with the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows-Katzie Seniors Network and Jeff Sakari of The Green Man Landscape Services. - Photo by Colleen Flanagan

Growth from new Intergenerational Garden

By Tim Fitzgerald

"We are very excited about the opportunities for building friendships between the generations and the chance for seniors to share their knowledge and experience of gardening with a generation that, for the most part, is missing out on this learning."

Growth in any community comes from those that plans the seeds of development.

In Maple Ridge, that idea is taking root thanks in part to one of its newest projects, the Intergenerational Garden.

The idea is to lean on seniors from both Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows in order to help school kids in the region get a better understanding of the intricacies of developing a healthy, sustainable garden. The garden will be located on a vacant lot on the corner of Edge Street and 121st Avenue and is expected to get underway in March, or as weather permits.

The initiative was developed by the Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Katzie Seniors Network under funding from the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors program. The almost $25,000 grant was received in the spring of 2012.

And while not the first community gar-

den project to take place in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, it is the only one that has a formal intergenerational component, note's Heather Treleaven, coordinator of the Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Katzie Seniors Network.

"We are very excited about the opportunities for building friendships between the generations and the chance for seniors to share their knowledge and experience of gardening with a generation that, for the most part, is missing out on this learning," says Treleaven.

Project coordinator Sue Fleming is excited to be able to find seniors who are eager to share their wealth of knowledge and help create a wonderful garden on Edge St. that will help build a stronger community.

She said by bringing seniors in direct contact with kids, both groups will benefit immensely.

School children will be able to connect

to role models in the community and build a sense of ownership within their community.

For seniors, it's an opportunity to feel that sense of need that can sometimes get lost after retirement.

"This is a way for everyone involved to make their community a richer place to live and promote a more sustainable way of life," says Fleming. ""I'm looking forward to seeing it take shape."

She adds that seniors don't have to be experts in gardening, they just need to bring their enthusiasm to share.

She said they'll be no heavy lifting and the garden will be wheelchair accessible.

Treleaven said the Intergenerational Garden Project is also supported by the Community Environmental Education Development Centre, Golden Ears FEAST (Food Education Action Strategy), Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows Parks and Leisure Services, and School District No. 42.

The Ridge Meadows Seniors Society and it's more than 1,888 members is also a supporter of the garden project.

With the potential to create something so special, Treleaven said now all they can do is sit back and hope for great spring weather.

This is the Life, February 2013 – 3

The secrets of dance

By Lynn Easton

Bev Porter isn’t fond of housework.

The 75-year-old tap teacher takes a break from her threehour session to give a short explanation as to why she spends her spare time teaching other seniors the secret to dances she’s been doing since she was 12.

“It beats housework,” she says with a grin.

Porter started teaching again just after moving to Maple Ridge from Burnaby about a decade ago.

“I thought I better do something with my life or I have to do housework.”

Now, she doesn’t have time.

Porter heads to the Seniors Society activity centre on 224th Street three times a week to teach tap and jazz and shows up at many of her colleagues’ classes, too.

She leads groups of dancers who don their tap shoes and show-costumes and head out to entertain seniors in long-term care who can’t join them on the dance floor anymore.

Lynne Adlam, centre, practises with the Maple Ridge Senior Dancing Stars, at the Ridge Meadows Seniors Activity Centre. - Photo by Colleen Flanagan

She recalls one woman who told her while tapping her toes to the music that her daughter threw out her tap shoes when she moved her into the facility.

“I would have given her a pair if I had any with me,” she says defiantly.

Porter won’t be giving up her tap shoes anytime soon and says she and her fellow dancers are looking for ways to keep dancing “no matter what.”

Audrey Hatch agrees. She took up dancing at 73, and now, at 80, does everything from Flamenco to Hawaiian dance.

Tap, Spanish, ballet, musical theatre, line dancing, Hawaiian and old-time dancing classes are scheduled from Monday to Friday at the

This is the Life

A Living 60+ Plus Magazine Published February 2013 by the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows News

Jim Coulter, Publisher Michael Hall, Editor

Carly Ferguson, Advertising & Creative Services Manager

4 – This is the Life, February 2013

Seniors Activity Centre.

The new Pitt Meadows Seniors’ Centre also has Hawaiian and line dancing.

Hatch has seen a boom in interest over the years, and once people start, they don’t want to stop.

“They’ll have to teach us with our walkers,” she jokes with a couple of her fellow dancers, who note that maybe they can do a walker-version of ABBA’s Dancing Queen – a number they already know.

Myriam Schanofski, a senior’s games swimmer and a Mexican dance aficionado, is glad she’s had her dance partners to reach out to lately after some difficult times.

Schanofski says that the dancing is good for “spiritual, mental and physical health. It is good for everything.”

Editorial Phil Melnychuk Monisha Martins Neil Corbett Colleen Flanagan Lynn Easton Robert Prince Tim Fitzgerald

A noisy and popular linedancing class has just wrapped up, while Porter’s small group of tap dancers make their own noises about getting back to work on the floor.

She laughs again and makes it clear, she intends to spend the rest of her life on the dance floor, just as she has for more than 60 years.

“We have to keep dancing until we start to drop like flies – right in the middle of dance class.”

• The Maple Ridge Patter Dancers will join the Arthur Murray Ballroom Dancers at the upcoming spring dance event Something for Everyone.

For tickets and information call 604-467-4993

Creative Services Kristine Pierlot Annette Waterbeek Annie Sarazin Carly Moir Kathy VanHaster Advertising Michelle Baniulis Jaime Kemmis Karen Derosia

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This is the Life, February 2013 – 5

Volunteers keep seniors community going

ACT volunteer Betty Geisinger staples programs together for the upcoming production of Ballet Jörgen Canada's 25th Anniversary celebration of its Canadian production of Swan Lake at the ACT.

- Photo by Colleen Flanagan

By Lynn Easton

Darlene Morrey could be a poster child for volunteering in Maple Ridge – except she’s nobody’s baby, and will likely sing a few bars of a protest song just to let you know.

Among many other efforts, this local senior is one of a handful of women who have gathered together to offer their support in song to a variety of political and environ-

mental causes as part of the Raging Grannies, an offshoot of a Vancouver Island group started in Victoria in the 1980s.

“We’re not so loud and in your face,” she says, “but we have something to say.”

The Raging Grannies aren’t just singing about pipelines and far away politics. They …

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are also singing about seniors’ issues here in Maple Ridge, including a song Morrey helped write about traffic along 224th Street, where many seniors live.

She’s sure the Raging Grannies only had a small part in the getting new lights and crosswalks in the area, but she’s still proud of their efforts.

“We got a light didn’t we?”

After finishing work as a postal worker, volunteering was a natural progression for Morrey, who was already involved in politics and her community.

Morrey is not alone in her dedication to a long list of volunteer activities, which for her also includes 20 years volunteering for Meals on Wheels and working as a telephone buddy for the Ridge Meadows Seniors Society’s Seniors Helping Seniors.

This seniors’ volunteering bonanza is vital to keep much of this community going.

Joanne Leginus, director of administration and services for MRPM Community Services, relies heavily on seniors to operate many of her programs, which have a large volunteer component.

In fact, there are now almost as many volunteers as staff working for Community Services and most of those are in seniors programs, she says.

With a new partnership with Valley Fair Mall’s Save On Foods to provide a phone service delivery program for seniors, she’s adding even more seniors to her volunteer list.

“It’s great,” she says. “We couldn’t do this work without them.”

Programs like Meals on Wheels would not be possible without seniors who pick up and drop off hot meals to seniors and shut ins, she says. And director Joan Hamilton is always looking for relief drivers for the popular program, which delivers nutritious food made at the Seniors Society and then distributed to 100-110 people, five days a week.

“The volunteers amaze me,” says Hamilton. “They drive week after week – some of them for 25 years. They make it what it is.”

Other not-for profit organizations and boards are also fueled by the energy of seniors, such as the Golden Ears GoGos, the local chapter of the successful Stephen Lewis Foundations Grand-

mothers to Grandmothers campaign started by Former longtime Maple Ridge municipal councilor Linda King.

As well, the RMSS has plenty of volunteer opportunitie,s including volunteer drivers, typists, greeters, first-aid attendants and people to serve coffee.

From the traditional to the political, seniors like Morrey are not content to go quietly into the night.

“I just can’t stand doing nothing,” she says. “I am having a good time.”

The RMSS has recently completed a review of its volunteer operations and will hold meetings Tuesday, Feb. 26th in Maple Ridge and Wednesday, Feb. 27th in Pitt Meadows to discuss the results.

or more information or to F volunteer at RMSS, call 604-467-4993.

Or check out volunteer opportunities throughout the community at http://www.comservice.bc.ca /jobs/volunteering

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This is the Life, February 2013 – 7

Peace of mind in physical activity

Rino Cabianca plays carpet bowling at the Ridge Meadows Seniors Activity Centre. To join call 604-463-9789.

- Photo by Colleen Flanagan

By Tim Fitzgerald

The key for most seniors is staying active. Whether it's a simple 10-minute walk each day or a trip to the pool for for some laps, the key to a long life is an active one.

In Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, the options are plenty.

For those not sure where to start, a good bet is to contact your doctor and find out what level of exercise if right for your current physical condition.

According to the Canadian Society for

Exercise Physiology – the principle body for physical activity, health and fitness research and personal training in Canada – recommends people over the age of 65 should get at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity over the course of a week, in at least 10 minute spurts. Part of that exercise should focus on muscle and bone strengthening activities, as well as workouts that enhance balance to prevent falls.

Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows offer everything from Tai Chi to walking clubs for seniors.

Kirsten Shiels teaches a drop-in gentle joint and yoga programs at the Ridge Meadows Senior Centre on Mondays from 6 to 7 p.m. and Thursdays from 7 to 8:15 p.m. For $2, participants get a chance to work on improving strength, balance and, just as importantly, peace of mind. …

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"We've had a lot of success stories," says Shiels. "We had one woman who had fibromyalgia, and over the course of a few months, she noticed significant improvements to knees and her back."

Improvements in physical condition also comes with a side benefit, notes Sheils.

"Yoga is also a great way to relax and help relieve stress."

The teacher notes that the biggest obstacle for people is letting go of their own preconceived notions about yoga.

Shiels says her approach is always geared to ensuring classes fit the students' needs and abilities. Once clients engage, the benefits are tremendous.

"I always tell them they'll improve their health and sense of humour."

While more specialized forms of exercise are great ways to improve the body and mind, it doesn't have to be complicated. It can be as simple as going for a walk.

Anne Shek has been part of the Try Hard Walkers for the past 15 years.

They meet near the lottery booth at the Haney Place Mall every Monday,

Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 a.m.

With more than 80 members, the group focuses on not only getting their exercise, but on their social lives, too.

Shek says it's an easy way to get out and meet new people.

"It's not very costly. All you need is a good pair of shoes."

After walking, a lot of members get together for a coffee and a chance to catch up. They also head to the Maple Ridge Seniors Centre once a month to celebrate birthdays. She says centre is the perfect meeting spot because it can accommodate their large numbers and provides affordable meal options, mostly under $5.

Another option to start a program is to call the the B.C. Ministry of Health's Physical Activity Line, a free resource for physical activity and healthy living information. It offers physical activity counseling and are staffed by national, certified exercise physiologists who have undergraduate or graduate degrees in exercise science and advanced training in clinical exercise prescription. The line can prescribe exercise to people of all ages and abilities, including individuals with

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There are a number of great ways to get fit and stay active in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. For a yearly fee of $22, seniors 55 and over can join the Ridge Meadows Seniors Society and take part in a wide range of activities.

A list of some options available and their contact numbers: • Cathy Driver teaches Stay Fit and Easy Fit at RMSS 604-468-0860; • Gentle Joint and Yoga fit is taught

by Kirsten Shiels 778-298-4679; • Tai Chi/Qi Gong – Diana Kerr 604-467-2145; • Seniors Workout – Sharon Robinson 604-467-4993; • Carpet Bowling is organized by Floyd Tweedie 606-459-8063; • Tri Hard Walkers – Beverly Hernandez 604-467-9407.

For a complete list of activities offered by the Ridge Meadows Senior Society visit www.rmsseniors.org.

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This is the Life, February 2013 – 9

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The biggest challenge to getting older isn’t the aches and pains – it’s the loneliness.

So say many local seniors who spend much of their time helping out their fellow aging residents. They can tough out the physical challenges – but isolation is the most debilitating obstacle for both them and those they reach out to.

“Loneliness is the worst part of aging,” says Peggy Lambert, a Golden Seniors volunteer, wellness clinic nurse and senior.

Her sentiment is echoed by Maple Ridge newcomer Jetty Soolsma, who moved to Maple Ridge a few years ago to be closer to her family. She now spends about a day a week driving other seniors to appointments as part of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows Community Services Better at Home program www.comservice.bc.ca/programs “If you open yourself up for contact, you meet the nicest people,” says Soolsma, a former nurse who retired gradually from her work with new mothers and babies and knew she’d need to find a way to stay connected in her new community.

“It’s hard for some of us to retire,” she adds.

She’s a strong believer that the MRPM Community Services Better at Home program allows her to give back and the people she helps to stay connected, independent and in their homes longer.

“I think we underestimate old people,” Soolsma says, telling a story about a 100-year-old woman who told her she had to hurry home from their appointment to cut the grass.

“She’s very spiffy,” says Soolsma. …

10 – This is the Life, February 2013

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The Better at Home program, paid for by the B.C. government and funded through the United Way, is open to those 65 and over who need help with driving to appointments, housekeeping, home maintenance and visiting services. A small sliding scale fee is charged.

Community Services’ Meals on Wheels program is also used as a way to keep tabs on isolated seniors who need a little contact, says director Joanne Leginus.

“It’s ideal for this purpose,” she says. “It allows for contact with others, and the volunteers develop a connection and act as a safety check.”

The Maple Ridge Seniors Society also has a free driving and telephone buddies program to help keep seniors in their homes and connected to their communities. Both groups are always looking for volunteers. But free or inexpensive, it’s still tough for some seniors to reach out for help.

Heather Treleaven, coordinator of the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Katzie network (www.seniorsnetworkmpk.com), trumpets the work of the Ridge Meadows Seniors Society’s Seniors Helping Seniors volunteers.

“They are making some fantastic connections in the community,” she says, noting RMSS’s Bob Foster has given important input into the local Seniors Task Force, which looks into service gaps and future needs for local seniors.

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community.

The Seniors Network now tries to work with hospitals, doctors and community agencies to connect seniors with existing services like Foster’s Seniors Helping Seniors.

“They inspire me all the time with their efforts, ” Treleaven says.

Darlene Morrey is one of those telephone buddies who are on the front lines chatting with seniors about their past, pets, grandchildren and just about anything else.

She tells about connecting a couple of women who weren’t really into joining clubs, but loved to play a few hands of crib. And a senior who didn’t know where to turn when his wife passed away and now has a seat at a local coffee klatch.

She puts the success of her calls down to some simple truths.

“For a lot of people, all this depression that gets people down is just darn-well loneliness. We just have to try and connect people.”

• Check out the seniors resource guide at http://www.mapleridge.ca/EN/main/ residents/935/74142/seniors_services.html#Maple_ Ridge,_Pitt_Meadows,_Katzie_Seniors_Network • Better at Home and other seniors’ services can be found at http://www.comservice. bc.ca/programs-services/senior-services

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This is the Life, February 2013 – 13

Keep a sharp mind with a game of cards

By Tim Fitzgerald

As people age, the need to keep your mind sharp is just as important as physical exercise.

For seniors in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, there's nothing like the mental gymnastics associated with a good game of cards.

The Ridge Meadows Seniors Society hosts a wealth of options, from cribbage to poker to bridge. They're fun, social, and good for a laugh, says Paddy Godbehere, manager of the RMSS. "Forming those social bonds are a vital way for seniors to feel connected to the community," notes Godbehere. "When they have those connections, their world opens up on so many different levels."

She said seniors benefit from having someone to confide in, share their concerns and just stay connected to the world around them. Card games provide that bridge that can ward off isolation and depression.

Plus the mental benefits go beyond the social. Card games are a way to help stem the tide of memory loss and Alzheimer's disease.

Seniors can consider playing games like cribbage, euchre,

Eileen Bast, centre, learns to play Bridge with friends during an all levels class taught by Walter Schmid every Monday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ridge Meadows Seniors Activity Centre.

- Photo by Colleen Flanagan

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14 – This is the Life, February 2013

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bridge or canasta that exercise memory, concentration, strategy and math skills. Choosing to learn a new game also is a way to help with cognitive skills. Research is showing that games that involve concentration, problem solving, memory, math skills and focus will stimulate brain cells and keep neural pathways functioning.

Also strategy games, board games, word games like Sudoku and other crossword puzzles are all brain fitness exercises.

Some of these exercises are enjoyed alone while others have the added benefit and stimulation of social interaction.

Henry Vandelaar knows the advantages of keeping his mind sharp. He organizes the weekly cribbage games at the Maple Ridge Activity Centre, located at 12150 – 224th Street.

"We've got a wide range of players, from 55 to 92 and everything in between, says Vandelaar, "It's a nice chance to get out and socialize and have some fun."

The cribbage games get underway for members of the Ridge Meadows Seniors Society on Tuesdays from 1 to 3:30 p.m.

Like all events at the centre, Vandelaar stresses the importance of fun over competition. Whether someone arrives late or is just learning the game, the emphasis is on making sure everyone is included.

Godbehere says the addition of a new Pitt Meadows Senior Centre, located at 19065 119 B Ave., will only help enrich the lives of the region's growing aging population.

"Seeing those familiar faces can put a real smile one someone's face. It's that easy."

• For more information about the RMSS, call 604-467-4994.

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This is the Life, February 2013 – 15

Wills, Estates & Financial Planning

Be sure your will is current to avoid unpleasant consequences

By Robert Prince

Do you know what happens to your estate if you don’t have a valid will?

Perhaps it’s part of our cultural adversity to talking about death, but Pitt Meadows lawyer Sherri Robinson says not a lot of people know that there’s a set of rules under the B.C. Estate Administration Act that kick in when a person dies intestate. More importantly, they don’t understand that those rules cannot be altered, even if they don’t reflect what the deceased would have wanted.

“If you care what happens to your estate after you die, it’s important that you have an up-to-date will,” says Robinson, a wills and estates specialist at Becker and Company Lawyers in Pitt

Meadows. “I cannot emphasize that enough.”

The key to that is the “up-to-date” part, she adds, noting most people have some kind of will, but it’s often out of date owing to changes in the person’s life and family situation.

Robinson suggests a will should be reviewed every five years, or immediately after a major life change – a marriage, divorce or death.

“For instance, it’s not common knowledge that marriage automatically revokes a will,” Robinson says. “You must get it updated to reflect the new status or your estate defaults to the provisions of the act.”

This applies even if the plan is to en-

• Wills and Trusts • Estate Planning • Probating of Estates

sure the status quo remains in effect, which is often the case for seniors who get married, but who want to ensure nothing changes with regards to their individual families.

Two other key considerations when planning your estate are power of attorney and representation for health care provisions, both of which are considered more important than ever now that dementia has become such a serious problem in today’s society.

“Dementia is so common now that you really do need these agreements in place,” says Robinson, adding that she probably receives at least one call a week from people having to deal with Story continued on page 17

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Representation Agreements Powers of Attorney 22334 McIntosh Avenue Maple Ridge, B.C. V2X 3C1 604-467-6951 or 604-467-1224 e-mail: reception@mhwlaw.ca www.mhwlaw.ca

For Seniors Story continued from page 16

someone who didn’t establish power of attorney or representation.

“It’s a major burden on a family to have to deal with this problem. When a person gets all the proper documentation in place before something happens, it really makes life easier on their family emotionally, stress-wise, and even financially.”

She notes it can cost $5,000 – not to mention the time and hassle – just to get a court-order granting “committee” status to an individual, meaning the court has given a person power of attorney status. And that’s assuming the status isn’t contested by another.

Given the complexity of the modern family, not to mention the problems associated with dementia and other incapacitating diseases, Robinson says the best plan for smoothing the way forward is to have up-to-date will, power of attorney and representation documents in place.

• If you don’t have a will, set up a meeting with a lawyer to talk about options, and to get proper advice. They’re the only ones allowed to dispense legal opinions when it comes to estate planning.

• If you have a will, review it if you haven’t done so in the past five years. If it’s out of date, update as necessary.

“Having a will, along with your final wishes pre-planned, will relieve your loved ones of unnecessary stress and decision making.

It will also give you your own peace of mind.

Contact us for your free pre-planning guide

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This is the Life, February 2013 – 17

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Silvertones still singing strong

By Robert Prince

What started as a bit of a lark around the piano back in the late 1980s has become a venerable Maple Ridge institution, much to the delight of music lovers throughout the community, but in particular those at seniors homes and in hospital.

The Silvertones, the brainchild of the late Marjorie Bates, began back in 1987 with her gathering a few friends around the piano at the old seniors centre to sing some favourite songs. The idea took off, and pretty soon a choir called the Silvertones was being sponsored by the Ridge Meadows Seniors Society.

Since that time the choir, composed exclusively of music lovers in the 55-plus age range, have travelled all across Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows to sing and entertain people in hospital and seniors homes.

Doug Robinson, the assistant director of the Silvertones, has been with the group since the start. He learned about the group from an ad in the newspaper roughly six months after it began, and because he loved to sing, he joined.

“My wife and I had just moved to Maple Ridge and we were looking for things to do,” says Robinson. He joined Story continued on page 19

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Story continued from page 18

the choir, and wife Dorene eventually became the choir’s social director.

The Silvertones are a busy choir, performing one to two concerts per week from September through May under the direction of Al Smith, and accompanied on keyboard or piano by Jane Witwicki. In addition, they practice once a week at the new seniors centre. Doug says the choir is very glad to have the continued backing of the Ridge Meadows Seniors Society.

Over the years, the Silvertones’ assistant director figures a couple of hundred people have participated in the choir. They’re always recruiting, and bring new members on board in September at the beginning of each season. Men are particularly welcome as the basses and baritones are in short supply.

“We generally don’t start new people until September because it’s difficult to integrate them into the choir in the middle of a season,” says Robinson. “It’s easier when everyone starts together.”

As the mandate of the choir is to play for seniors, in particular those who can’t get out to events on their own, it’s rare to see the Silvertones singing for the general public, and the next big event will be the annual concert at the Maple Ridge library in June. In the meantime, for the next few months they’ll be entertaining seniors throughout the area by spreading their love of music where it’s needed most.

Anyone interested in singing with the Silvertones can call Al Smith at 604.462.7270 or Doug Robinson at 604-4675906.

Thanks, for building

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This is the Life, February 2013 – 19

Seniors should get flu vaccination

By Lynn Easton

This has been one of the worst flu and cold seasons in recent memory, with double the average numbers of hospitalization from residential care homes and more severe symptoms for everyone.

And it’s not over yet.

That’s the message from those on the front lines of the fight against this severe flu and cold season and they are urging seniors to take particular care as we head into spring.

The Fraser Health Unit is warning that the severe flu which has gripped B.C. shows no signs of waning.

“We are still seeing a lot of flu activity,” said Shelly Garcha, Fraser Health interim communicable disease nurse coordinator. “It’s not over yet.”

After an earlier outbreak in local, longterm care homes, in which there were four times the average number of cases this season, there has now been a 98 per

cent vaccination rate in those facilities.

Garcha now urges seniors who have not yet been vaccinated to get the shot and says it’s not too late for people to protect themselves.

This year, seniors 65 and older are being given Fluad, which Garcha says reduces the severity of the flu if seniors do become sick. As well, the vaccine will help reduce the likelihood of complications such as pneumonia, she said.

There are many ways for seniors to take proactive steps to stay healthy, says Peggy Lambert, longtime coordinator of the Golden Seniors Wellness clinic. Lambert has held the clinics every Tuesday for more than a decade at the Ridge Meadows Seniors activity centre.

“It’s important to be aware of your health,” she said.

Peggy Lambert, coordinator of the Golden Seniors Wellness clinic, holds clinics every Tuesday at the Ridge Meadows Seniors Activity Centre.

- Photo by Colleen Flanagan

There are about 600 seniors now registered with the clinic and Lambert has a team of 12 former nurses who work with her to monitor vital signs such as blood pressure, height and weight.

But the visits also help seniors in other Story continued on page 21

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Story continued from page 20

ways: providing tips on nutrition, free monthly advice from local healthcare professionals as well as seminars on health issues.

On a busy Tuesday morning, Lambert keeps a keen eye on the hustle and bustle of the clinic and waves to those who stream in and out. This banter is just as important for the health of seniors, she says.

There is drop-in fee of $2 per visit, but Lambert won’t turn away anyone and says the visits are a way to keep tabs on seniors’ physical and mental health.

“The idea is to get them out of their apartments and out with people as well as keeping an eye on how they are doing,” she said.

She will be holding several seminars on glaucoma and eye care in the spring.

And as spring approaches, she welcomes the chance to

offer her recipe for healthy ginger tea.

“It’s great and keeps you going,” she said, then leaves to wrap up her three-hour clinic.

• The Wellness Clinic is held every Tuesday 9 a.m. to noon at the Ridge Meadows Senior Society 12150 – 224 Street. Drop-in fee is $2. Flu shots are free for seniors and available in a number of locations in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, including family doctors offices, London Drugs, Shoppers Drug Mart in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, Safeway Food and Drug pharmacy, Save-OnFood.

Appointments are recommended, although drop-ins are available.

Clinics are also held at the Maple Ridge Public Health Unit, 22470 Dewdney Trunk.

For information call 604-4767000.

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The rising cost of living can wreak havoc on a budget.

By Tim Fitzgerald

Candace Gordon is coming out with a food resource guide for seniors.

- Photo by Colleen Flanagan

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www.cythera.ca 22 – This is the Life, February 2013

According to a study by Toronto Dominion Bank last fall, food prices are expected to jump as much as eight per cent in 2013 due in large part to a drought in western Canada and the U.S. that severely affected the corn crops. So as prices rise, the costs are passed on to consumers. That often means trouble for someone who can't keep up with the rising cost of living.

Seniors, especially, find themselves having to make sacrifices that can have detrimental affects to their well being.

A balanced diet is a critical component of the health and welfare of seniors, reducing the risks of heart disease and stroke, as well as ailments like type-2 diabetes, bone loss, cancer, and dementia.

In Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, the fight to help seniors meet their nutritional needs is being led, in part, by Golden Ears FEAST and its Community Kitchen initiative.

FEAST is an acronym for “Food Education and Action Strategy Table."

The idea behind FEAST is a collaborative community effort of mostly social service providers, along with local RCMP and the Fraser Health Authority, to identify and act on issues surrounding food in the surrounding community.

Candace Gordon is the coordinator for FEAST's Community Kitchen, where local produce, meats and other products are gathered, in part through donations, and people can come together to put together affordable meals for themselves, as well as picking up recipes and strategies to make healthy food choices.

"The goal is to build people's self reliance," says Gordon.

For a mere $7, seniors can come once a month to the Community Kitchen, where they have the opportunity to put together between 16 to 20 portions, including soups, vegetables, main courses and desserts, that they can take home.

Gordon said they also leave with recipes, so that over time they can build up a repertoire of affordable, nutritious meals they can cook for themselves at home.

In Maple Ridge, the program is operated out of the Community Kitchen at Fraserwood, located on 121st Ave., behind Extra Foods. In Pitt Meadows, it's run out of Heritage Hall at 12460 Harris Road.

As the food banks in the region continue to see their numbers rise, programs like the Community Kitchen will continue to play a vital role as the aging population continues to increase, she says.

FEAST is also working on putting together a seniors food coupon that can be used to purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables at the local farmer's market. The group is actively looking to the community for a sponsor for the initiative.

• For more information on the Community Kitchen, contact Candace Gordon at 604-466-0847 or email ciegordon@gmail. com

Liz and Frank never missed a beat...

And now they’re ready for the next step.

They took their first whirl around the dance floor in 1948 and have been kicking up their heels ever since. When they started looking for retirement living options, they were pleased to find out that Chartwell Retirement Residences offers active lifestyle programs like their signature Rhythm n’ Moves class.

And while they are enjoying a busy lifestyle today, they appreciate the peace of mind in knowing that Chartwell offers flexibility and choice to help with changing care needs in the future. Until that time, they’ll continue to follow where the music leads in their new home.

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This is the Life, February 2013 – 23

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