Message from the President
BY SUE AMUNDRUD
THIS ISSUE OF Outreach focuses on what I see as “what is possible” and “what should we be able to look forward to” as we age. I mentioned in the last issue that only about 5% of us will truly need a long-term care home, but the other 95% are likely to need some sort of assistance. There are initiatives to look at ways in which assistance might be provided.
What assistance might be available to allow aging in place? My husband and I want to stay in our current home for as long as possible, and if that is no longer feasible, we want to at least stay in the community where we have chosen to retire. We cannot predict what services we will need, but we certainly are hoping that they will be available when the need arises. We are not alone in that hope.
Age-Friendly Communities are spreading across Saskatchewan and there are some remarkable stories coming from individual communities. This initiative is
Outreach
ISSN 2817-1721 (Print) ISSN 2817-173X (Digital)
All articles in Outreach represent the information and opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the STS.
Reminders
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Content Curator
Kevin Schmidt
Executive Director Murray Wall www.sts.sk.ca
prompted by the work of community members, many of whom are, in fact, retired teachers. What is the status in your community? How might you be able to get involved in either what exists or in beginning the process to establish this initiative in your community?
Social Prescribing is a holistic approach to health care. We are familiar with receiving prescriptions for drugs as needed, but this initiative extends to referring people to local non-clinical services and community programs that suit an individual’s interests, goals, and gifts. Social Prescribing addresses the challenge of social isolation which is now recognized as a significant health risk, as serious as being a lifetime smoker.
As individuals and as an organization, we can work together towards this supportive future for an aging population. Enjoy the articles as you explore these ideas.
ELOW IS A selection of photos by members of the STS. Do you have a photograph, idea or a topic you would like us to include? Email us at sts@sts.sk.ca
Please note that if you'd like your photos to be considered for the cover of Outreach , they must meet the following requirements: a minimum resolution of 3000 x 3000 pixels and a file size greater than 10 MB. For all other photos, we recommend they meet at least 1000 x 1000 pixels and be larger than 1 MB in size.
Angela Dogniez
Beverly Magel
Lorraine Brokop
Hugh Lees
Lori McNaughton
Diane Selby
Social Prescribing and Aging in the Right Place
BY ROD MCKENDRICK C.M.
What does it mean to “Age in the Right Place?” What is Social Prescribing? Can Social Prescribing support aging in the right place? I believe it can, and I promote the program to be implemented across the province of Saskatchewan.
Let me give you an example. Imagine as older adults we are living in a community in which we have lived for a long time and have enjoyed the experience, either as an individual or with a partner. We build connections within the community with friends, colleagues, and
neighbours. We grow our families who may also become part of the community. In that moment in time, you decide this is the right place to age.
As we all know, things in life change as we get older. New people may join the community while
others in the community may leave for various purposes. Our friends and colleagues may move or pass away. Change happens in the community as new services or programs may start, yet we are not made aware of them, and other programs that we did know about no longer exist.
Then one day something happens to you that requires you to request help from a health care professional. It may be that you have fallen, or you are feeling a sense of isolation or loneliness due to the loss of a partner, or you are having to move to another community. The list is endless and now you may start to feel anxious or depressed.
The Community Connector
can find resources within your own community that may be of assistance.
You see a health care professional to try to address your medical needs, and while those may be addressed, the underlying social issues have not been. This may cause you to have to go back and get further help from the health professional. Unless the social concerns are addressed, you may find yourself in a vicious cycle. Social Prescribing may be a way of breaking this cycle.
Social Prescribing, in Saskatchewan, will seek your consent to allow the health care professional to provide a Social Prescription/Referral to have a Community Connector contact you. That individual will listen to what is happening in your life and identify programs and services that may address some of the issues that you are facing. This might reduce your reliance on the health care system for issues that are not medically related. The Community Connector will work on finding resources within your own community or the surrounding area that may be of assistance.
Social Prescribing is a new initiative in Saskatchewan. We currently have five initiatives up
and running. They are situated in the following communities: Shaunavon and Area, Moose Jaw and Area, The Resort Village of Candle Lake and Area, Yorkton and Area, and an area within the City of Regina. Discovery meetings were held in these locations to inform them about Social Prescribing in Saskatchewan, across Canada and around the world. These meetings allowed folks to see how effective Social Prescribing has been in other locations.
Each initiative has an anchoring entity to hold the funds for the salary of the Community Connector and a community steering committee. The steering committee can be made up of individuals from various programs and agencies, including the Saskatchewan Health Authority, Age-Friendly Communities, Seniors organizations and a representative from the anchoring entity.
Research has shown that when we work on the social determinants of health that affect an individual, we are able to not only see a change in the client’s health and wellbeing, but also a reduction in pressure on the health system. Over the next nine months, the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism will be looking to invite another nine communities throughout the province to start a Social Prescribing initiative.
A Social Prescribing initiative provides information about resources to older adults to support their ability to age in the right place and individuals get to choose for themselves what resources might serve them best. ●
Rod McKendrick C.M. is a retired Police Officer and a retired Ministry of Justice official in the area of Victim Services. Rod is currently the Social Prescribing Coordinator for the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism.
To request additional information about Social Prescribing, contact the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism via email at socprescrib@skseniorsmechanism.ca or call Rod McKendrick at 306-539-0465.
The following is part 3 of a 3-part series of articles exploring Generative Aging.
Generative Aging with Awe and Astonishment
BY DON ROBERTSON
CANADA’S POST 65-YEAR-OLD population will, over the next 20 years, increase by 68%.
The 75-plus population will double. At the same time the zero- to fourteen-year-old age group will see little growth. But there is still more to be said about such uncharted waters. We now have, on average, 30 more years of life compared to people living in the year 1900, whose average age at death was 51 years.
The startling news is that what we call old age, all 30 years of it, is a relatively recent gift! How is life to be lived when one is gifted 11,000 more days unknown to earlier generations? Responsible and generative aging requires intentionality rather than a drift from one birthday to the next. I want to suggest that we recognize the ages of
65 and 80, or thereabouts, as thresholds between the known and the unknown. I see these two ages as a crossing over space, so I make bold to suggest six intentional initiatives to consider while living in this space. I offer them for individual reflection, or with some adapting, for sharing in a conversational gathering.
1 A SELF AWARENESS
Commit to being intentionally self-aware that you are on a threshold that requires space for thinking and reflecting upon the purpose of the years that lay ahead. These years are uniquely yours and hold potential and promise for aging that is truly generative. Feel an amazement at the gift of the years that await you.
2 A FACING
To move on we must first look back. It was Leonard Cohen who wisely asked, “How can I begin again, when there is so much of yesterday in me?” I say, turn to your years of living and take a bow! Face up to regrets or perceived failures and turn them into learnings and sources of wisdom. There is a harvesting of learnings that can come from years of living.
3 A BEQUEATHING
Yes, a legal Will is important and requires careful consideration of who receives what following your death. But there is more! What legacy do you want to leave? You get to decide! To think of a legacy is to think of those aspects of your life that will outlive you. What qualities in life might you freshly aspire to and would want to leave behind as gifts? What better legacy can you leave in your wake but the riches of kindness, generosity, and hospitality?
A bequeathing can also be your life story written by you but left for family and friends. Take the time if you have not done so and write your story! Don’t be shy. Be in awe of the mystery and marvel of your years of living.
4 A DISCERNING
Indeed, what is the point, the purpose, of these aging years of living? What life meaning do you sense bubbling up from deep within you and to which you quite literally say “YES!”? When you lived life without intentionality, life just happened to you. With discernment, you made
life happen. To be discerning is to come to see what we want to make happen, be it at age 65 or age 80. In the words of Bishop Oscar Romero, “We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted knowing they hold future promise.”
5 ACTING
You are not dead yet! In these aging years you remain an engaged actor on the world stage. There remains injustice to confront and climate change to address. There are notes to write and forgotten people to remember. Your mantra to begin the day just might be, “Today I want to do or say or write something that might make the world a bit of a better place.” It was a wise person who once wrote, “I do not know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be truly happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.” The gift of these years provides an awesome opportunity and an awesome responsibility.
6 AN EXUDING
"Peter, what were you up to today?" I asked my friend. “Well,” he said, “I began the day as I usually do and went for an awe walk.” Indeed! The years of our lives need to be run through with awe and astonishment. Don’t hold back. Take an awe walk. Be astonished at the mystical and marvellous gift of life.
Six initiatives I leave with you, as well as these words of Psychologist Erik Erikson, “There is…at every stage a new miracle of vigorous unfolding.”
Welcome, my elder friends, to life’s amazing unfolding! ●
Don Robertson, a resident of Vancouver, is a retired Minister of the United Church of Canada which he served for 36 years. In his retirement he volunteered in Vancouver’s inner city, and is currently leading a variety of study groups on aging. Don recently wrote a widely used resource to facilitate the discussion on aging. The resource is available, without charge, at: Generative Aging: Let Go and Begin Anew
The following is part 3 of a 3-part series of articles reviewing data from the 2023 survey from the National Institute on Ageing.
Health and Independence
BY JANE MACLEOD
According to a survey of over 6,000 Canadians aged 50 and older conducted by the National Institute on Ageing, good health and independence are fundamental to successful ageing. In addition, older Canadians believe that having the freedom to make choices about their lifestyle and their future is as important today as it was when they were teenagers.
The NIA survey bases its findings regarding the state of Canada’s ageing population relating to health and independence on three indicators:
• Access to Health Care,
• Access to Home and CommunityBased Care, and
• Enabling Ageing in the Right Place.
ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE
Findings show there is little change in older Canadian’s attitudes toward the importance of health care. Over the past three years, the proportion of Canadians over 50 who can access health care all or most of the time has remained stable. In 2024, of the 88% of Canadians who identified a need for health care, 60% reported that they were able to access it. However, due to the increasing number of Canadians over 50, the absolute number of older Canadians needing health care is on the rise. Unfortunately, the statistic that one in three individuals over 50 in Canada is unable to access health care, when necessary, remains a concern.
The 2024 NIA identified some unfortunate gaps regarding older Canadians’ access to health care. Findings show that individuals who have less income security, who are in poor health or dealing with a disability, or are from a racialized or immigrant group struggle all or most of the time to access health care when needed.
Finally, the survey identified barriers older Canadians experience in accessing health care. Nationally, of those needing access to health care, 47% reported the inability to get an appointment (unavailability, cost, distance) and 25% reported cancelled or delayed appointments.
ACCESS TO HEALTH AND COMMUNITY-BASED SUPPORTS
The NIA survey found that in 2024, 16% of older Canadians require ready access to health and community services and programs. However, less than half reported having access to these critical services, such as transport, meal delivery, social interaction, or exercise, all or most of the time.
Again, income adequacy, regional disparity, and racial or immigrant background all contribute
TYPES OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES CANADIANS 50+ WITH A NEED FOR CARE RELIED ON IN 2024
From Perspectives on Growing Older in Canada; The 2024 NIA Ageing in Canada Survey. https://www.niageing.ca/2024-annual-survey. Toronto Metropolitan University.
to the challenges encountered. Significantly, Canadians between the ages of 65-79 years reported the greatest difficulty in accessing community programs and services.
ENABLING AGEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE
“Ageing in the right place” requires the availability of systems and services that reflect the individual needs and preferences of older Canadians, enabling them to remain in their own homes and communities.
In 2024 and consistent with previous years, only 3% of respondents reported that they would prefer a long-term care home as they age. New in 2024 was the response, “It’s too early to say,” suggesting that older Canadians are aware of potential challenges such as affordability as well as the availability of health care and community supports.
Undoubtedly, the results of the NIA’s survey will not be surprising to STS members. However, it is comforting to know that they do affirm many of the strategic priorities of the STS organization
Perspectives on Growing Older in Canada; The 2024 NIA Ageing in Canada Survey. https://www.niageing.ca/2024-annual-survey. Toronto Metropolitan University.
and its partners. For example, ACER-CART’s 2024-25 priority, Ageing in Place, recognizes the importance of access to medical care and community supports so that older Canadians remain in their homes and communities for as long as possible.
Similarly, the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism’s (SSM) Home Supports Initiative sees the availability of community supports as critical to successful ageing in place for older individuals across Saskatchewan. Results from SSM’s 2024 survey of approximately 1,400 Saskatchewan residents revealed a 99% agreement that the provincial government should commit to establishing a home supports initiative.
NIA survey findings confirm that most older Canadians have a positive outlook regarding ageing. However, the results also suggest that many still struggle to access necessary health care programs and services. These findings give us pause to reflect. For example, how might STS Chapters assist members who encounter barriers, for whatever reason, in accessing health care and community-based programs and services or who have unmet health care needs? What might be our collective responsibility to those superannuates with a reduced allowance due to parenting, education, or medical leaves? To what extent might we ensure that all superannuates look forward to ageing with a healthy and independent lifestyle?
In conclusion, NIA survey findings in all three key areas – social well-being, financial independence, and health and independence –invite STS members, as recognized and respected advocates for superannuates in Saskatchewan, to work closely with their colleagues and partner organizations to seek positive developments in legislation and policy that will enable all Canadians to age with a well-deserved sense of well-being, security and dignity. ●
Jane has experience as a teacher and educational leader in Saskatoon as well as in Papua New Guinea and Abu Dhabi. Upon her return to Canada in 2016, Jane worked at the STF as Senior Manager of Research and Records. Today, as an active superannuate, Jane continues to enjoy researching and writing about educational issues from both a local and global perspective.
Embracing Retirement
BY KATHY BRADSHAW
I’m honoured to share my experiences with life after teaching, and healthy aging during one’s retirement years. It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly nine years for me now (seems almost like a lifetime) and I hope to offer some insights into what, in many ways, is the most exciting time of our lives.
Though I began my teaching career in high school Phys. Ed., I drew constantly, and was always an artist at heart. While it was difficult to describe this insatiable need to create, I just knew that I had to switch things up. Once my three sons were independent teens, I returned to the University of Saskatchewan at 43, completed my BFA, and
proceeded to teach Visual Art for the last half of my teaching career. This subject-switch was life-changing and continues to be to this day.
For thirteen years, I worked tirelessly to learn as much about teaching and making art so that I could become an “artist” and help my students find their artist within. The Latin proverb, “By learning you will teach; by teaching you will learn” seems to sum it up
Above: “Chase’s Forest", encaustic, 40” x 60”, was painted in memory of our son, Chase Bradshaw, who succumbed to brain cancer in 2022. A large-scale vinyl window version is installed in the Spiritual Room at the Hospice at Glengarda in Chase’s honour.
best. The most significant influence of that journey was my eight years as an Advanced Placement Art teacher as it required me to elevate my game even more. Pursuing my own art while teaching meant painting at nights and on weekends out of a spare bedroom, which wasn’t ideal, but I made it work. Once I retired from teaching in 2016, I was ready and beyond excited to embrace life as a full-time artist. Reinventing myself as an artist during retirement has been revitalizing, and, at times, all-consuming, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Many people say, “You are so lucky to have something after retirement” or “You’re lucky to have that talent,” but they need to
It’s about passion, hard work, timing, and curiosity. I simply did everything in my power to surround myself with quality people and put in the time so that I could experience further opportunities and see how far it might take me.
understand that it didn’t just happen, and it certainly wasn’t there from the start. It’s about passion, hard work, timing, and curiosity. I simply did everything in my power to surround myself with quality people and put in the time so that I could experience further opportunities and see how far it might take me.
I have been painting full-time with oil and encaustic (an ancient technique using beeswax, resin and pigments) for the past nine years. I continue to work hard (although it doesn’t feel like work!) to improve my skills because, as I always told my students, hard work always champions talent. At the start, I purposely enriched my practice with as many local and international workshops as time and money would allow plus two major artist mentorships, one of which was with a top U.S. encaustic artist. One thing simply led to another. There have been retreats and residencies in France, Ireland, California, Cape Cod, Newfoundland and Vancouver Island (this coming June).
Intertwined were interviews, promotional videos, a documentary, presentations, demonstrations and written articles. Once again, I’m thankful for my teaching background! Working with artists, curators, gallerists and collectors from around the world has been a huge learning experience and keeps me honest, humble, inspired and connected.
Photo by Bruce Bradshaw
Creating a large home studio in our basement has also been a game changer. It is a large, quiet, peaceful space away from our main living area where I can spread out, make a mess and visit freely as family demands and my schedule allows. For me, my inhome studio has further enhanced the right place to age. That said, the convenience provided by a home studio, unlike a shared working studio at an outside location, can be isolating. That’s why I continue to meet regularly with other local artists in other settings to critique our work, share experiences, and generally, just connect.
There are two other factors that have been instrumental in fueling my art career. First, was the COVID pandemic. Surprisingly, the damaging isolation that most people were subject to was actually good for most artists. Social distancing allowed for plenty of uninterrupted studio time to gain momentum and reflect, and after two years of hunkering down, most artists emerged with significant growth. Despite what I may have achieved during the pandemic, it cannot rival the inspiration my family provides. And, without a doubt, the unthinkable death of our youngest son in 2022 has been most life-changing. I know that my art career wouldn’t be where it is if it weren’t for him. Through painting, I continue to rise for our family and find a way to experience joy while honouring the light that
was our son. It is an immense privilege to share that love and light with others through my art; knowing that my paintings bring joy, hope and healing to others continues to ease my pain and give me a greater purpose in retirement.
Other retired teacher friends, my husband and I often joke that retirement is the best part of teaching. We jest of course, but there is some truth to this. After a long and demanding teaching and coaching career, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted and we finally have the time to pursue our own passions and interests. Countless studies emphasize that engaging in life-long learning, pursuing connections, and staying active is critical to one’s longevity. But it’s one thing to read this and another to live it. I understand fully that embracing any artistic endeavour, a hobby or even a local cause is highly therapeutic, fulfilling and life-affirming and aging will never look or feel better than when one is accomplishing something greater in its right place. And that right place for me is in my home studio, thanks to teaching. ●
Kathy Bradshaw is a Saskatoon-based, awardwinning encaustic and oil artist known for her light-filled landscapes, soulful portraits and expressive florals. Her paintings are represented by galleries across Canada and are collected worldwide. www.kathybradshawart.com
Above: “DeeDee III”, oil on linen, 24”x 20”
Left: “Light Overcomes Darkness”, encaustic & metallic powder, 30” x 30”
Building Bonds Through Reading with Children
BY JOAN ELLIOTT
SUMMERTIME PROVIDES A wonderful opportunity to share your love of books and reading with the young people in your life. Whether on a road or camping trip, at the cabin or in your backyard, reading together helps build relationships and is a powerful way to connect generations. Here are some engaging titles for superannuates to consider sharing with their younger family members.
I Am We: A Book of Community, written by Susan Verde and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, is a heart-warming picture book that illustrates how caring for ourselves enables us to care for others because we do not exist alone, but are part of something bigger. Readers are shown how compassion and kindness, turned outward, build safety nets for each other, assist us in standing up to injustice or solving problems, and foster a sense of belonging.
Why Not? A Story About Discovering Our Bright Possibilities, an inspirational picture book written by Kobi Yamada and illustrated by Gabriella Barouch, reveals how each day holds the potential to discover talents, get to know the unknown, have adventures, and be courageous and grateful.
Walking Together, coauthored by Elder Albert D. Marshall and Louise Zimanyi and illustrated by Emily Kewageshig, is a vibrant picture book which describes how walking together in a good way helps us see nature through two eyes. We learn that we are all connected, and about the gifts and stories of our family, lands, waters, plants and animals. The book builds understanding of the importance of protecting Mother Earth.
Waiting for Pelly, by Dave Glaze, is a novel geared to middle grade readers. It is the story of Sandra, a young girl in Saskatoon who anxiously awaits the return of her pelican friend, Pelly. The story outlines Pelly’s new life setting up a nest and describes Sandra’s enjoyable visits with a pelican researcher to Redberry Lake where they watch the pelican families with their babies.
Road to La Prairie Ronde, written by Cort Dogniez and illustrated by Jade McDougall, is a historical fiction tale in which eleven-yearold Frederick takes readers on an imaginary journey from Batoche to La Prairie Ronde with Gabriel Dumont and his family, a few years before the 1885 Resistance. On the journey, he learns about the importance of staying connected with family and the group hunts buffalo and meets Chief Wapaha Ska (Whitecap).
Invasion of the I.Q. Snatchers, by Arthur Slade, is a hilarious chapter book for young readers. The far-fetched plot revolves around solving the mystery of who is delivering plates of Nanaimo bars to homes in Nanaimo because the bars are causing people to behave strangely.
Mistasiny: Buffalo Rubbing Stone, by Mary Harelkin Bishop, is a touching middle years novel told from the perspectives of two young people. One is Danny, a boy in grade 6 who learns about the history of his family’s farm when doing a school heritage project. From his great-great-grandmother’s journal, he learns how they broke the land, built a sod house, received help from First Nations people in the area, and in turn, assisted them when food became scarce after the disappearance of the buffalo. The book is also about Zach, a First Nations youth whose feelings of being unwanted at school lead him to troublesome behaviours. The two boys form a bond while working on the family history project together, and after, Danny shares with Zach the location of the Mistasiniy stone, which was important to Zach’s people and to the buffalo.
The Ghosts of Spiritwood , by Martine Noel-Maw, is a great young adult novel to share around the campfire. Ethan and four friends end up in the ditch north of Spiritwood one summer night when
heading for a camping trip to watch the northern lights. When a thunderstorm breaks out, they take shelter in an abandoned country school where they relate scary stories, and Ethan shares the legend of the northern lights.
Rank 6: Firestorm , by Barry McDivitt, is a young adult novel about the fear and destruction caused by a forest fire. Emily, the teen protagonist who has struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts, races into the inferno to save a dog. She comes to realize that her rash actions could have killed her and that she wants to live. ●
Joan Elliott is the Librarian/Manager of the Emma Stewart Resources Centre.
These books are available at the Emma Stewart Resources Centre (ESRC). These, or any others in the ESRC collection, can be mailed directly to you by calling the ESRC at 1-800-667-7762 or by emailing esrc@stf.sk.ca.
Age-Friendly Communities
BY WENDY THIENES
Age-Friendly
Communities foster healthy and active aging, creating vibrant places where people want to live at any age!
One of the steps in becoming an Age-Friendly Community is to assess your community in eight areas of focus, or domains. This assessment is done through the lens of older adults by ensuring that older adults are involved in the process. Action plans can be developed to address one or more of these areas where needs or gaps are identified. This thorough approach to assessing all facets of a community ensures a respectful, accessible, safe, supportive, and vibrant community where people of all ages can live.
The Eight Domains are:
OUTDOOR SPACES & BUILDINGS
Natural environment and buildings in the community can help people to get around easily and safely and encourage active community participation.
TRANSPORTATION
People can access transportation to get around within and outside of the community for services such as health or business.
HOUSING
Housing options are available that suit varying needs and stages of life.
RESPECT AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
Public services, media, commercial services, faith communities and civil society are respectful of the diversity of the needs among citizens.
SOCIAL PARTICIPATION
All people have opportunities for developing and maintaining meaningful social networks in their neighbourhoods.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND HEALTH SERVICES
Local access to social and health services are needed to stay healthy and independent.
CIVIC PARTICIPATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Opportunities are available for citizens of all ages and abilities to participate in community decision making and to contribute their experience and skills to the community in paid or unpaid work, or in volunteering.
COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION
People are aware of the diverse range of programs and services available within their community.
To learn more about how your community can begin the age-friendly journey and assess these areas of focus in your community, please contact
Age Friendly Domains
the Age-Friendly Saskatchewan Committee through: agefriendly@skseniorsmechanism.ca and visit our website at: agefriendlysk.ca
Consider this your invitation to join us on the agefriendly journey! ●
Reprinted with permission from Gray Matters magazine.
Wendy Thienes is the Age-Friendly staff person with Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism. Wendy resides in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, where she was involved in the initial stages of the development of Age-Friendly Shaunavon, leading a task force that explored the concept of Aging in Place. She is also a member of a Shaunavon steering committee that is implementing a Social Prescribing Pilot Initiative. Her personal experience as a caregiver for aging parents is the root of her passion for creating age-friendly communities.
Summer Heat Waves and the Medications That Increase Your Risk
BY CAMILLE GAGNON
For many Canadians, summer is synonymous with having fun in the sun. Unfortunately, over the past several years, extreme heat waves have become increasingly common.
This not only makes summer less enjoyable but can affect your health. Heat and humidity can cause heat stroke, dehydration, dizziness and fainting, hospitalizations, and even death. As you get older, it becomes harder for the body to adjust to changes in temperature. That’s why older adults are at greater risk during periods of extreme heat. Certain medical conditions more common in older adults, such as diabetes or Parkinson’s disease, can also make it harder for the body to adapt to heat.
DID YOU KNOW? SOME MEDICATIONS CAN INCREASE YOUR RISK OF HEAT STROKE
Certain commonly used medications can make you more sensitive to the effects of heat. These medications can increase your risk of heat stroke and other heat illnesses. The more medications you take, the greater your risk.
MEDICATIONS THAT CAN INCREASE YOUR RISK
Below are several examples of medications that can impair your body’s ability to adapt to heat. Many of them are commonly used medications. Some are available with a prescription and others are available off the shelf in your pharmacy. Are you taking any of these medications?
Some medications impair the body’s ability to produce sweat, which is essential for cooling off when it’s hot out:
• Beta blockers (e.g. metoprolol or bisoprolol), which are medications used for certain heart conditions and for treating high blood pressure
• Decongestants such as pseudoephedrine, an active ingredient in cold medications that are available off the shelf
• Anticholinergic medications, which include some off-the-shelf allergy medications (e.g. diphenhydramine or Benadryl®), off-the-shelf sleeping pills (e.g. Nytol®), medications used to treat urinary incontinence (e.g. oxybutynine), and some antidepressants (e.g. amitriptyline or nortriptyline)
Some medications can make you dehydrated:
• Diuretics (e.g. hydrochlorothiazide or furosemide), laxatives (e.g. Senokot®) or some diabetes medications (e.g. Invokana® or Jardiance®), which increase the elimination of bodily fluids through urine or stool
• Some antidepressants (e.g. fluoxetine or venlafaxine) cause excessive sweating, which can lead to dehydration
Some medications can increase your body temperature:
• Antipsychotic medications, such as olanzapine or quetiapine
• Stimulant medications for attention disorders, such as Ritalin® or Adderall®
Some medications can make you drowsy, reduce your ability to concentrate, and slow your reaction time. This can impair your ability to adopt safe behaviours in periods of extreme heat, such as drinking water or staying cool. For example:
• Anti-anxiety medications or medications for insomnia such as benzodiazepines (e.g. lorazepam or oxazepam)
• Some nerve pain medications (e.g. pregabalin, gabapentin)
• Opioid pain medications (e.g. morphine, codeine)
Some medications can become toxic to the body and kidneys if you become dehydrated from the heat:
• Anti-inflammatory medications (e.g. ibuprofen or Advil®, naproxen or Aleve®)
• Blood thinners, which are used to prevent blood clots
• Medications for high blood pressure
• Various medications used to treat diabetes, including metformin
• Lithium, for bipolar disorder
As you get older, it becomes harder for the body to adjust to changes in temperature.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PREVENT HEAT STROKE AND PROTECT YOUR HEALTH THIS SUMMER?
If you take medications, especially any of those identified in this article, it’s particularly important to take action and prepare for the heat this summer. Here are three things you can do:
1. Protect yourself from extreme heat and stay hydrated, as per your health care professional’s recommendations. Visit the Government of Canada webpage on Extreme Heat Events to find out how to stay cool and hydrated during periods of extreme heat, and what to do in case of heat stroke.
2. Complete a thorough review of all your medications with your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. Make an appointment specifically for a medication review. Together with your health care professional, you can identify the medications that increase your risk of heat illnesses, including heat stroke and dehydration. You may then decide to put in place an action plan to reduce your risk. Don’t forget that medications which can be bought off the shelf can cause harmful effects, too.
3. Do not hesitate to ask your health care professional the following question: “Do I still need this medication?” The answer might surprise you! Even if it is not possible to stop a given medication, reducing the dose could decrease your risk of harm. For example, gradually reducing the dose of your sleeping pill could help you stay more alert for a safer and healthier summer. If a medication is stopped or reduced, ensure that a follow-up plan is put in place with your health care provider. ●
Reprinted with permission from the Medication Appropriateness and Deprescribing Network
Camille Gagnon is a pharmacist and Assistant Director of the Canadian Medication Appropriateness and Deprescribing Network.
Upcoming Events
JUNE
3-4 Provincial Executive Meeting
18-19 Provincial Pickleball Tournament (Regina)
JULY
1 Canada Day (Office Closed)
AUGUST
4 Saskatchewan Day (Office Closed)
SEPTEMBER
1 Labour Day (Office Closed)
9-10 Provincial Executive Meeting
22-25 Provincial Stitch ‘N Quilt (Yorkton)
Office Hours
During July and August, the STS Office hours are from 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon.
Lorraine Brokop