January 2010 Senior Living Magazine Vancouver Edition by INSPIRED 55+ Lifestyle Magazine

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Valerie Green’s personal story as a care giver to her elderly parents is the most relevant book on “aging in place” I have read to date. It provides a powerful insight into the challenges faced by every care giver. It unveils the challenges, heartaches, struggles and agonizing decisions that often need to be made along the way. If you are currently a care giver, or anticipate being one in the near future, this book is a must-read. - Publisher Barbara Risto, Senior Living magazine

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MAGAZINE

(Vancouver & Lower Mainland) is published by Stratis Publishing. Publisher Barbara Risto

DEPARTMENTS

Editor Bobbie Jo Reid

FEATURES

Contributors Jackie Asante, Doreen Barber, Goldie Carlow, Ann Clement, Gipp Forster, Thomas Hoy, Aimee Hughes, Nadine Jones, Kevin McKay, Chris Millikan, Rick Millikan, Lynda Pasacreta, R.A. Propper, Barbara Small, Aileen Stalker, William Thomas

1972 Silver Medalist Karen Magnussen is hopeful the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver will feature more Canadian world champions to join the winners’ circle.

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4 Top of the World

8 Co-Housing: NOT a hippie commune

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12 City of Dreams

2 The Family Caregiver

20 Ask Goldie

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29 Between Friends by Doreen Barber

Volunteer extraordinaire Dora Jellema owes her happy life in Canada to chance.

32 Reﬂections: Then & Now

22 Finding Jack London

Travel journalists Rick and Chris Millikan follow an historic trail in search of a proliﬁc writer.

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18 The Coin Toss

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26 Listen Up!

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30 Cut Calories, Live Longer

Can a modest lifestyle lead to a longer life? Cover: Karen Magnussen, Canada’s only medalist in the 1972 Winter Olympics. Photo: Kevin McKay

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THE FAMILY CAREGIVER

Family Dynamics and Caregiving BY BARBARA SMALL

roviding care for a family member can bring out the same team, and to sort out what needs to be done. It can the best – and the worst – in everyone involved. also be an opportunity for current concerns to be aired and People can come together to support each other or miscommunications to be cleared up. the stress can lead to frustration and conflict between family Here are some suggestions for how family members can work together when caregiving: members. Past dynamics and family roles often re-surface when • Start early. Clarify tasks and responsibilities. Be condealing with the stress of caregiving. All those old issues and crete, specific and ensure eveunresolved tensions can often ryone has interpreted the plan re-emerge. the same. Important to keep in mind Everyone in the family comes is that everyone will respond to with a different history and per• Have one person (usuthe situation in his or her own ally the primary caregiver) be way. Frustration can occur if spective; a different relationship responsible for co-ordinating you expect other people to feel with the person who is ill; and a what needs to be done and for or act the same as you. Everykeeping family members in the one in the family comes with a different comfort level with illness loop. different history and perspective; a different relationship and the associated emotions. • Let others know their help with the person who is ill; and a different comfort level with is both wanted and needed. illness and the associated emotions. • Be realistic in your expectations as to what each person Also, family members each have their own strengths. Some will excel at the personal care aspect of caregiving, is able to do. while others cringe from it. Others may thrive by doing • Express appreciation to each other for the help each is housework, gardening, repairs or dealing with finances. Let able to provide. people work in the areas where they shine. Even when two people are both doing the same duty, they • Expect and accept differences of opinion and reactions may still do it differently. How you provide personal care to your spouse may be different than how his sister does when and find ways to compromise. Keep in mind that everyone she relieves you. Different does not mean wrong. Ask your- has the right to his or her own feelings and point of view. You can agree to disagree and still complete the caregiving tasks self whether it is really worth butting heads over. Family meetings are important for keeping everyone as needed. up-to-date regarding the care-recipient’s health, as well as • Take a moment to recognize what is old conflict and to delegate duties. The goal at these meetings is not to resolve long-time family issues, but to ensure everyone is on what is related to the current situation. Try to put aside longtime grudges for now so everyone has the energy to deal with caregiving. SL SUBSCRIPTION ORDER FORM Vancouver Edition 12 issues for $32 (includes GST) Name ________________________________________________ Purchase a Subscription for $32 and never miss an issue! Address ______________________________________________ City __________________________________________________ Province ____________ Postal Code _________________

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Next issue: Can you prepare in advance to be a caregiver? Barbara Small is the Program Development Coordinator for Family Caregivers’ Network Society located in Victoria, BC. www.familycaregiversnetwork.org

FOREVER BY WILLIAM THOMAS

Curling – a casualty of the cold war resurrected

y views on the sport of curling are well known. I’d like the curling rinks used for hockey and curling itself played outdoors on rivers and lakes where the ice is natural, smooth and thin. I was ﬁne with curling until they started to televise it and push real sports off the air on Sunday afternoons. Watching curling on TV is like setting up bleachers to watch the boys from the post ofﬁce deliver the mail. I never minded curling as long as the sport was contained and played in places where children would not be exposed to it. But now that it’s spread to the world’s largest country, it’s unfair to everyone, especially the Russians. In my mind, one of the few good outcomes of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, which left Russia in a communist deep-freeze for 74 years, was that they banned the sport of curling. Along with golf, the Bolsheviks forbid the “bourgeois pursuit” of curling. Say what you will about communism but, for the better part of the last century, Russians were spared the sight of gaudily dressed men and women chasing large rocks and running after tiny white balls. A police state? Yes, but until now relatively “silly free.” Lenin was always Russia’s leading lefty but he was never once a skip! In Russia, you saluted the hammer and sickle; a curling broom earned you a one-way train trip to the gulag. A tad harsh, but any nation that punishes its people for going into a freezing building on a cold day to throw rocks into a circle called a house cannot be all bad. Alas all good things must come to an

end and since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, curling has reared its tartan and tammed head again in Russia. Although boring, curling is physically demanding. It wasn’t enough that the Scots exported the game to Canada, where its athletic endurance and end-to-end excitement immediately matched the other popular Canadian pastime – napping. Now, thanks to the participation of a ragtag Russian women’s rink at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, curling is hot in Moscow and other places where they apparently have not yet heard of television. The Russians have put their own imprint on the game of curling. Much like ice dancing, all scores at Russian bonspiels will also be fixed. Of course, for a population who spent the better parts of their lives standing in lines only to find nothing left when they got to the front – curling at least does not disappoint. The Ice Planet, Moscow’s first curling rink, is part disco, part cocktail lounge, part curling rink. The game is being sold to neophyte curlers as “hip, stylish and fashionable.” Fashionable? No, sorry. I once went to a game of curling in Thunder Bay and a bout of butt cleavage broke out among guys who were not even plumbers. Curling is not a fashion statement. In fact, No Snore Nose Strips can, in many cases, control the statement made by curling. When the first Olympic curler tests positive for drugs, trust me, it’ll be caffeine. A report in the Moscow Times, described curling as “two teams whose members use a long brush to push a 19kilogram stone toward a series of con-

centric circles, while members of the opposing team use their brushes to keep the stone away from the goal.” Beautiful! Group goaltending. This is not only an inaccurate description of the game, it’s wishful thinking for the evolution of curling as a real sport. I’ve always said the guys standing around leaning on their brooms should attack the guy throwing the rock until they beat it out of his hand. They could then pass the stone off to a speedy winger breaking down the sheet beside them, which is being used by the ladies from the local senior’s home. I realize this could, in many circumstances, cause action! But that’s the risk when we wake people up out of a coma on a slippery patch of ice. Mayhem, tripping, boarding, high brooming, kilt hiking, tam twirling, skip to the loo plus a five minute major for fighting – this is the future of curling, a blood sport the whole family can enjoy. Think of it – Tonya Harding as the enforcer skip, knee capping all eight finalists in the Brier with her trademark iron shafted broom. There are now 1,000 regular curlers in Russia and the reason seems to be, according to the organizers, that their winters are so long. Let me say, no winter, not even one that exclusively involves penguins, polar bears and a magnetic pole is long enough to justify curling. Honestly, I’d sooner ice fish SL with no bait. Claus William ThomasSanta is the author of nine books of humour including Margaret and Me about his wee Irish mother. www.williamthomas.ca JANUARY 2010

Top of the World

STORY AND PHOTOS BY KEVIN MCKAY

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

marking system changed three times, but in 1972 at the Olympics, it consisted of two parts each worth 50 per cent of the skater’s score. Beatrix Schuba held the lead by such a wide margin after completing the compulsory ﬁgures that even though she ﬁnished seventh in the free skate, she still managed to claim the gold medal. This meant the best Karen could hope for was the silver medal she captured after nailing the free skate portion of the competition ahead

of her American rival Janet Lynn. “Trixie Schuba was a fabulous compulsory ﬁgure skater,” recalls Karen. “She did the circle eights just unbelievably. They marked her so high on her compulsory ﬁgures because her free skating was so poor compared to Janet and me.” Karen developed quite a rivalry with Janet Lynn – one that lasted all the years they skated competitively – but she’s quick to point out that it was a

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09-1831

n February 1972, the dreams of an entire country fell onto the shoulders of a petite 18-yearold girl. Canada was not doing well at the 11th Winter Olympic games in Sapporo, Japan. And as each day passed, more pressure mounted on young Karen Magnussen. “The pressure was outstanding,” she recalls. “It’s a long program, and every day I came out of the Olympic Village with the press just down my throat reminding me that no Canadian had won anything. Everybody was so downtrodden and everyone was saying ‘it’s all up to you.’ I was thinking ‘stop telling me this.’ I felt more pressure there than at any other competition I was ever in. But I kept telling myself to stick to the plan and focus.” One thing Karen had going for her was that, despite her age, the Sapporo Games were her second Olympic competition. Four years previously, she had competed as a 14-year-old in Grenoble, France. She finished in a very respectable seventh place for one of her first major international competitions. “The knowledge I got from skating in those first Olympics was really vital in carrying me through to the 1972 Games,” says Karen. “It grounded me and allowed me to stay focused on what I had to accomplish. Since I had been through it once, I was a little more seasoned. Had 1972 been my first Olympics, I would have really felt all that pressure. When I won the silver medal, it was a huge accomplishment because it was the only medal won by Canada in the 1972 Olympics in any sport.” The other Canadian Olympians must have suspected something special would result from Karen’s performance as she was coming off a third place finish at the 1971 World Championship. “I was voted on by my peers to carry the Canadian flag,” she says. “I understand now that it’s like some freaky thing, and many athletes don’t want to carry it because they are afraid it will jinx them. I just felt it was a tremendous opportunity. And being voted on by my peers – the whole Canadian team – [it] was such an honour.” During Karen’s skating career, the

JANUARY 2010

one-sided fight. “We battled back and forth, but I always beat her,” says Karen. “The Americans presented her as ‘the medalist,’ but they never said what medal. It was presumed she had beaten me, but I beat her every year.” The year following her Olympic silver, Karen completed her journey to the summit, winning the World Figure Skating Championship in Bratislava, now part of Slovakia, but then part of Czechoslovakia. This was the culmination of a four-year ascent at the Worlds. In 1970, she finished fourth, and then moved up one spot every year until winning the championship in 1973, which is the way figure skating seemed to work in those days. “In the skating world, you had to improve consistently all the way up,” she says. “And that was how you showed the judges, by your progress and your willingness to work hard.” In 1973, there were three events, the compulsory figures, the short skate and the free skate. Karen won each of

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

the three events, which meant she was ing myself and thinking, ‘Wow! It was awarded three gold medals, one of only some pretty good skating!’” two women to ever achieve this feat. Karen had come a long way from her And her timing was excellent. first time on ice at Kerrisdale Arena as “Figure skating was one of the last a young child. The eldest of three girls, sports to give out solid-gold medals, Karen surprised her mother by leaving and the year I won was the last year her support behind almost at once and they did. Now, they are in a safety deposit box.” “My passion was for figure Most Canadians who saw Karen’s skating right from the get world championship go. I used to be banging on free skate do not realize how fortunate they the doors of the North were. The satellite feed was going to go down Shore Winter Club at 5:45 in and Karen was in the the morning for the maintefinal group, which still had not skated. nance guy to let me in.” “Johnny Esau had to pay the Zamboni driver to go faster, so they could show me on television in Canada.” skating well for a beginner. But this was nothing compared to “The minute I stepped on the ice, I what Karen had to go through to see her wanted to figure skate,” she recalls. world championship “There was no question. My pasperformance more than sion was for figure skating right from 20 years later. ABC the get go. I used to be banging on the covered the event on doors of the North Shore Winter Club their Wide World of at 5:45 in the morning for the mainteSports show and after nance guy to let me in. Honestly, there the event, Dick Button were 25 to 28 figure skaters there every told Karen that they morning at that time.” had lost the tape of her Coach Linda Brauckmann worked with many of the skaters there, and performance. “They told me it stayed with Karen up until she won her wasn’t in the archives,” world championship title. Karen looked says Karen. “So, for up to Linda and was greatly influenced 20 years every time by her along the way. “There was a great loyalty to coachsomeone from Canada wanted to see my per- es then,” says Karen. “It takes a good formance or get a copy 10 years for the technique of a coach to put on the air, they to come through and, when it does, it’s were told it couldn’t really quite beautiful.” be found. I told this to Karen started competing at the age someone who was in- of seven. Her first was at the Kerrisdale terviewing me years Arena. She won. From there, she was later in Boston and identified as a skater with talent, but they went to New York she didn’t win them all. where they had a friend “There were some pretty ugly at the network and skates and some pretty ugly placefound a copy, so I could ments,” Karen recalls. “But I learned finally have one. It was from those even more than I did from quite a thrill watch- the events I won because I had to step

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back and analyze where I went wrong and learn from it.” Another important lesson came from her father. Karen noticed many of the other skaters bringing stuffed animals to competitions so, one day, she decided to bring one of her own. Just before she left the house, her father asked her where she was going with the stuffed animal. “I told him I was bringing it to the competition and he said, ‘what happens if you don’t skate well? Is it the stuffed animals fault or is it yours?’ I left it home, and it was quite a lesson learned. What matters is what you do out there as an athlete.” Today, Karen lives in North Vancouver with her husband Tony, her two boys and one daughter. She stays busy coaching skating at the North Shore Winter Club but no longer is she only coaching figure skaters. “I absolutely adore it,” she says of coaching. “I love the kids. And I have diversified into working with hockey players, and I love that as well.” Of her own meteoric rise to be the best figure skater in the world, Karen had plenty of help – loving and supportive parents, an understanding high school principal and an amazing coach. But the drive came from within. “I loved the speed [of skating],” says Karen. “I loved to go fast with big fast jumps and fast spins. Despite that, I was known as a skater who could do it all because Linda coached me in all aspects of figure skating. It wasn’t just that I was a good compulsory figure skater. I was good in the speed, the jumps, the artistry and that’s what ended up winning me the world championships.” Karen is a huge supporter of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver and remains hopeful some young skater may be inspired to become a future world champion. “Barbara Ann Scott and Petra Burka were the only Canadian World Champions before me and there have been no women since,” she says. “When we get together, we always have a great time. It’s a nice little club, but we certainly SL hope to make the club bigger!”

JANUARY 2010

Co-Housing: NOT a hippie commune

BY THOMAS HOY

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

be sought out. Co-housing is the result of envisioning, designing, arranging and building the “boxes” that society lives in, in a way that maximizes the creation of positive and sustained human relationships. A Co-Housing community usually has 20 to 30 smaller residential units grouped around a common green space with shared facilities for socializing and sharing meals. The residences “look inward” with their public face oriented toward the common green space with private spaces in the Photos: Ann Cle ment

umper stickers may try to convince the masses that “Whoever dies with the most stuff wins” but by now most have ﬁgured out that possessions don’t bring happiness. After extensive interviews, the 2005 groundbreaking book, “Re-visioning Retirement” concluded that the key to a long and satisfying life is a supportive social network. Unfortunately, today most people live many kilometres and perhaps a world away from their families. Increasingly, neighbourhoods and chosen lifestyles don’t contribute to socialization with neighbours. Social interaction often requires driving a distance and spending money in order to mingle with other people. Traditional forms of social support people once took for granted – family, community and a sense of belonging – now must

Working together in the back garden Gerry Kilganno n behind her hous in the garden e at the Yarrow Ecovillage

back of the units. Parking is on the outside of the community to make the inside area more inviting. Hundreds of Co-Housing developments already exist in North America. In such developments, before the ar-

chitect puts pen to paper or the contractor puts a shovel in the ground, the people who want to live there ﬁrst meet to make sure the “human” issues are fully addressed. To facilitate this, workshops are held to encourage people to clarify their requirements, especially around the often unspoken needs for social contact and support.

and work in a variety of ﬁelds. Seniors usually enter between the ages of 55 and 65 when they feel able to actively contribute to the development of the community. Most look forward to the idea

Seniors usually enter between the ages of 55 and 65 when they feel able to actively contribute to the development of the community. The social, as well as physical, centre of a Co-Housing Community is the Common House, which features a large kitchen and dining room where people can share a meal or relax over a cup of coffee in front of the ﬁreplace. In addition, there are rooms for activities such as exercise, kids play, arts and crafts; store rooms for the residents’ extra belongings; workshops for the handypeople; laundry rooms; and even a couple of spare bedrooms for visitors. All this means homeowners can substantially reduce the space (and purchase price) of their individual unit. Co-Housing isn’t a commune for superannuated hippies: people own their units and manage their own ﬁnancial affairs. The communities attract people from all ages and backgrounds, including singles, young families, and seniors. Most are university educated

of aging in place. Electrician Ann Clement and Kurtis is ready to get to work Gerry Kilgannon on a project are two senior cohousers living next to each other at the Yarrow Ecovillage (YES), southwest of Chilliwack. “I had retired from the big city to an acreage on Salt Spring Island ﬁve years ago,” says Ann. “I had lots of friends there but I wanted to have interaction with people as a natural part of my daily life, not to have to phone ahead to make an appointment and then drive over to see them. I wanted to be able to relate to people in a spontaneous, unprogrammed way.” “And keeping up the house and the grounds on my own was getting a little too much work. When I came to YES, I was looking for a place where I

could contribute my time and talents in creating something, where my contributions would be appreciated.” Gerry came to learn about CoHousing through a book she read – a Christmas gift from her children. “When I was near retiring from my government job my kids gave me Chuck Durrett’s ﬁrst book on Co-Housing and I was immediately hooked,” says Gerry. “His ideas about living in community really resonated with me. I wanted to help create something meaningful. When a group of people started to talk about building

» JANUARY 2010

Preparing a turkey dinner in the community kitchen

the Windsong Co-Housing community in Langley in the mid-’90s, I immediately got involved.” “I loved the community at Windsong, but I had grown up on a farm and liked gardening and being away from the hustle and bustle of the city, so I was one of the ﬁrst to join the Co-Housing community at the Yarrow Ecovillage.” But for both ladies, living in community has meant changes in how they relate to others. “Before I moved in, my biggest concern was how I could balance my strong need for privacy with the presence of so many friends and neighbours passing by right outside my door,” says Gerry. “But from the very start, we all agreed on some very simple rules: if we had the kitchen blinds closed then that meant that we didn’t want to receive any visitors just then. With all the facilities, it is easy for one spouse to be out socializing in the Common House, working in the workshop or puttering around in the garden, and the other to have his/ her ‘quiet space’ in their own unit.” For Ann, the most challenging – and rewarding – aspect of Co-Housing is human interaction.

E T I S WEB

Robert cleaning the common ho in use

“Being able to take initiatives that encourage and inspire other people without undercutting them. Living in community, the consequences of our actions are more immediately apparent,” she says. “It is nice to be able to make mistakes and then feel free to follow through to rebuild the relationship. This really gets to the heart of living in community. Here, people are more able to step back and learn from their experiences, to work together and in so doing ﬁne tune their communications.” Gerry agrees. “What I learned most in my 10-plus years in Co-Housing has been about communication,” she says. “In life, it is normal to have misunderstandings and even conﬂicts with people. Ignoring these issues only makes them worse. We cannot always solve them, but the very effort to work on the issues that seem to divide us can often bring us together.”

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The community makes decisions at regular meetings about issues such as maintenance, upgrades to common facilities, or community rules. “I learned a lot about dialogue facilitation and consensus building,” says Gerry. The skills and resources of the members, including electricians, handymen, computer techs, accountants and lawyers, enrich the community. “None of my grandkids live in the province, so being able to babysit other people’s kids and watch them grow up is very satisfying,” says Gerry. After moving into Yarrow Ecovillage, Ann penned the following poem “How Shall We Live”: Husband the sun, Marry the rain, Collect the wind in trees, Grow old with the young. Someone once said, “We thrive in companionship: loneliness is the worst experience that a human can have.” SL

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AUGUST 2009 VANCOUVER

Senior Living Special Housing Edition Good buddies Kurtis and Chris

PUBLIC PRESENTA TION Chuck Durrett is the lea ding North American ex pert in the ﬁeld of Co-Hou sing design. An architec t, he has written several books including The Senior Co -H ou sing Handbook. A dynamic and entertaining speake r, he will make a public presentat ion at 7 p.m. on Janua ry 15 in room 2/3 at the Abbotsf ord Recreation Centre, 2499 McMillan Way (north on Su mas Way from the Trans -Canada Highway, right on Old Ya le Road, right on McMi llan Way) and at 7 p.m. on January 16 at the Kerrisdale Co mmunity Centre, 5851 West Boule vard,Vancouver. To reserve a seat or req uest more information, contact Ann at annclement1@ yahoo.ca or 604-823-02 32. For more info on Co-H ousing, visit www.cohousingco.com www.cohousing.ca www.yarrowecovillage.ca

Contains articles pertaining to senior housing. Find out more about

• senior housing options and alternatives • how to determine what kind of housing is right for you • how other seniors are managing their housing • professionals, services and products available to seniors who are living independently (aging in place) • and much more

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VIEW ONLINE for Free... You can view the complete special housing edition on our website -- look for the Vancouver August 2009 Edition at www.seniorlivingmag.com JANUARY 2010

City of Dreams

omewhere around the third century BC, legend has it the father of Hannibal, Hamilcar Barca, founded the city of Barcino named after his family. Another legend says Hercules founded the city 400 years before the building of Rome. Somewhere along the line, the city became Barcelona, now ﬁrmly settled into the 21st century as the second largest city in Spain, capital of the semi-autonomous province of Catalonia and its fashion capital. Many famous artists and architects have lived and worked in Barcelona and their dreams nurtured the life and excitement of the city. Everywhere we went history ﬂourished just a few blocks from where we stood. Roman ruins are exposed under the Plaça del Rei, and the layout of the old historical centre: Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter) of Barcelona retains the typical Roman city grid-planning style. Barcelona’s cathedral, also known as the Basilica de La Sue, was founded in 343 and has remnants of Roman walls embedded in 12

STORY AND PHOTOS BY R.A. PROPPER

its structure. Fought over for centuries by the Visigoths, Moors and Christians, Barcelona’s art and architecture is a living trail of cultures that passed through the city as history unfolded. Outdoor cafés thrive throughout the city, and some are world famous. Take the café “Four Cats” or Els Quatre Gats. This café opened in 1897 and also operated as a hostel, cabaret, pub and restauStreet Angel rant. Around the turn of – a performing the century, Four Cats artist on Las became one of the cenRamblas tres of Modernisme or, as we know it, art nouveau. The bar had revolving art exhib- agining Picasso its including one of the first one-man arguing with Dali and Miró about the shows by Pablo Picasso. The bar closed finer points of painting. in 1903 because of the owner’s debts. In Art nouveau’s influence abounds 1989, a group of restaurateurs reopened throughout the city – from store winit. Today, you can enjoy the café’s crea- dows to whole buildings – especially tive atmosphere while dining, and im- in the work of architect Antoni Gaudí.

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Gaudí designed many architectural works in Barcelona and became synonymous with the city. His Cathedral of the Sacred Family (Sagrada Familia) was his greatest work. Gaudí died in 1926 with the Cathedral unfinished. Drive by the Cathedral today and see scaffolds, cranes, and workers still finishing Gaudí’s grand dream. Did you know that the Eiffel Tower was originally to have been built in Barcelona for the 1888 World’s Fair of lights and new technology? Time was too short so, voila, it was built in Paris for the next World’s Fair. The Fair’s grounds are still there, but turned into a park with the same street lights that illuminated the Fair in 1888 – and they still work! One of the earliest submarines was built in Barcelona. The Ictineo II was originally constructed in 1862 from the plans of Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol (1819-1886), and the original Ictineo II navigated the waters of the Port of Barcelona. The Ictineo II was the first vehicle of its time to submerge and navigate below the surface of the water. A full-size replica of the sub can be seen at the harbour. Christopher Columbus stopped at Barcelona’s harbour after his discovery of the new world, and there is a statue in the city of the great explorer shown pointing his finger in the wrong direction. He is pointing toward India, which he assumed he discovered – America was the other way. Hotels in Barcelona range from five stars to modest. For example: the Hotel Continental Barcelona on Las Ramblas Avenue is a modest hotel overlooking the broad avenue and costs about $150 dollars a night and includes all meals, with food and espresso available mostly throughout the day. Many other hotels have similar deals. Las Ramblas Avenue, a major thoroughfare, is also the stage for many street performers. Night and day, Las Ramblas is alive with crowds of pedestrians meandering down this long delightful street. There are many places where both tourists and city dwellers mingle. Families with kids watch puppet shows and eagerly grab balloons given out

by performers. Seniors chat with their friends on park benches ﬁtting in with the city’s ambience. Barcelona’s old city of narrow streets can be difﬁcult to navigate. A ride on a modern day super rickshaw is the best way to tour this part of the city. The bicycle driver/tour guide, can easily pull over for a quick shot of a monument or street scene. It’s no limousine, but at bicycle speeds, the small bumps are hardly noticeable and passengers are at eye level with pedestrians. Barcelona has the only pre-modernist arch in the world that doesn’t celebrate a military victory; Arc de Triomf built in 1888. Speaking of arches, the architect who designed France’s Arc de Triomphe also designed a townhouse in

Casa Batllo by Gaudi

Barcelona. If you happen to be travelling along the Carrer de Provença, you might run by the Casa Milà, otherwise known as La Pedrera, an amazing apartment house designed by Antoni Gaudí, built 1906 to 1910. Located at 92 Passeig de Gràcia, it was originally built for the Milar family, a wealthy patron of Gaudí‘s. Much of its interior had

JANUARY 2010

Trixi taxi driver/tour guide and prospective tourists

been abandoned and allowed to deteriorate, but it has been restored and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Free concerts are held on the roof every day from 7-9 p.m. Programs consist of jazz, classic, piano and other special events. For an unusual outdoor experience, visit Parc Güell, an extraordinary architectural outdoor environment designed by Gaudí, originally part of an unsuccessful real estate project and named for Count Eusebi Güell. The site was a rocky hill with few trees and little vegetation. Gaudí’s intention was to enhance the beautiful views from the site. Today, it is one of the premiere places to visit and enjoy in Barcelona, taking leisurely walks through the complex seeing Gaudí’s buildings integrated into the wide expanses of open space. Barcelona is full of attractions. Good public transportation is available and is recom-

mended. Special bus tours are also offered, as well as the metro. Museums are plentiful, including a special one just for Picasso. The El Parc de Collserola is a preserve of Mediterranean forests of pine and oak trees with fields of rockrose, heather and broom. Montjuïc, a hill overlooking the city, has many fine art galleries. On the north side of the city, the Plaça de Braus was a former bullring that now features various performances and where The Beatles played in 1966. Behind it, lies Parc Joan Miró named after the famous artist. The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya has an extensive collection of Romanesque art. La Font Màgica, the largest fountain in Barcelona, features free musical shows on summer evenings. The Centre d’Estudis d’Art Contemporani is Barcelona’s tribute to Joan Miró, the greatest Catalan artist of the 20th century and has the largest single collection of his work. If we could stay six months in Barcelona, we still couldn’t see and do all that Barcelona has to offer. After all, a city that has its history written in millenniums defies easy understanding. The dream still lives and thrives, and will do so long into the 21st century. SL

Sculpture on th e corner

of 4 Cats Café

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HAPPY FEET

BY NADINE JONES

Dr. Roy Mathews applies plaster casts for a patient suffering from plantar fasciitis.

Photo: Jackie Asante

ccording to artists’ depictions, humans’ bipedal ancestors had problems with flat feet, and seemingly had very large big toes. So perhaps present-day foot problems began as far back as life in the cave. Though feet form platforms for mobility, stability, and can help keep people fit and trim, it seems people and their feet have had a few issues over the millennia. For instance, for hundreds of years Chinese women had their feet bound as a status symbol, and the wealthiest were carried around on litters because walking was difficult. Today, many people would like to be carried around on litters because of foot pain. Dr. Roy Mathews, DPM, a Vancouver- and New Westminster-based podiatrist started his studies in the Kinesiology Department at Simon Fraser University and is now employed at their Athletic Department. He took further studies in Chicago and finished his residential surgery in North Hollywood before opening his practices in l997. Dr. Mathews estimates that seniors account for about 50 per cent of his patient list. Their numbers are increasing rapidly because of a rise in the population of active seniors, who are no longer satisfied with sedentary lifestyles. “Tired and achy feet” is the most common complaint among older Canadians. The causes of these problems are many and diverse. Pronation and supination are terms that describe the motions of walking. Pronation allows feet to absorb the shock when walking, but flat feet distribute that shock unevenly, which can lead to overpronation. Overpronation (ankles rotating inward) can cause misery. Most of the stress with flat feet is caused by the inner part of the foot taking most of the pressure. This, of course, causes the knee, hip and often the rest of the body to become unaligned. Technology, used to find out how the foot strikes the ground with each step, is no longer confined to elite medical offices, but is now becoming increasingly accessible to all. “Foot mapping is a relatively new technique in which the pressure points of [a patient’s] feet are noted, making the correct diagnosis for orthotics more precise than ever before,” says Dr. Mathews. There are pharmacies in Metro Vancouver that now feature foot-mapping kiosks, which measure each foot’s unique characteristics and recommends the most appropriate orthotic. However, Dr. Mathews cautions, Buyer Beware. “Many [consumers] think that because they have gone into a shoe store and been fitted with orthotics by salesclerks wearing white coats, they were qualified foot specialists.” Instead, people can be duped into paying ridiculously high prices for the same products they could have bought for a fraction of the cost at their local pharmacy. Dr. Mathew’s suggests visiting a local podiatrist, if a good off-the-shelf orthotic doesn’t bring noticeable relief. Incorrectly diagnosed foot problems and the wrong orthotic insert may cause irreparable damage. And sore feet can dampen

lifestyles. Walking is touted as the least expensive and most effective remedy for all sorts of physical ailments, but if walking is modified because of pain, further damage can ensue and normal activities curtailed - often resulting in weight gain, which presents another set of problems. Afflictions such as ingrown toenails, flat feet, nerve pain caused from diabetes, heel spurs, plantar fasciitis and bunions are a few of the problems feet encounter, which can worsen with age. “The main cause of tired, achy feet described by seniors can often be due to the fact that older people will go around the house in bare feet or slippers without support,” says Dr. Mathews. “Strong, structured sandals for indoor wear are ideal. Our feet need support - at every age.” The instruction to “use it or lose it” is often quoted by Dr. Mathews in his diagnoses because “not only structure (provided by good footwear) but strength is important.” Persistent foot pain as soon as a person gets out of bed in the morning is a sure sign to “look at the soles of your feet,” advises Dr. Mathews. “Any areas you notice that are red or sore looking may be signals your feet need professional care and attention.” So don’t delay! Call your podiatrist today and say, “I have SL Happy Feet.” JANUARY 2010

Senior Living Vancouver & Lower Mainland Distribution Locations

ABBOTSFORD DOWNTOWN BUSINESS ASSOC ABBOTSFORD REC CENTRE ABC RESTAURANT - MARSHALL FV REGONAL LIBRARY GREYHOUND BUS STN IGA MEDICHAIR MSA GENERAL HOSPITAL PEOPLES DRUG MART SEVEN OAKS MALL SHARES SHOPPERS DRUG MART TRIANGLE COMMUNITY CENTRE ZELLERS BURNABY ABC RESTAURANT AMICA @ RIDEAU MANOR BOB PRITTIE PUBLIC LIBRARY BONSOR COMMUNITY CENTRE BREAD GARDEN BRENTWOOD SKY TRAIN STN BURNABY GENERAL HOSPITAL CAMERON RECREATION CENTRE CANADA WAY LODGE CHOICES MARKET IN THE PARK CONFED COMM CNTR FOR 55+ EASTBURN COMMUNITY CENTRE EDMONDS COMM CENTER FOR 55+ EDMONDS PUBLIC LIBRARY EDMONDS SKYTRAIN STN EILEEN DAILEY FITNESS CENTRE GILMORE SKYTRAIN STATION HILTON HOTEL HOLDOM SKYTRAIN STATION IGA INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL HEALTH & VACCINATION CLINIC KENSINGTON ARENA LANCASTER MEDICAL LAKE CITY SKYTRAIN STATION LOUGHEED SKYTRAIN STN MCGILL PUBLIC LIBRARY MEDICHAIR METROTOWN BUS LOOP MULBERRY SENIOR’S RESIDENCE NORBURN MED CENTRE OLD ORCHARD MEDICAL CLINIC PATTERSON SKYTRAIN STN PRODUCTION WAY SKYTRAIN STN REGENCY MEDICAL SUPPLIES ROYAL OAK SKY TRAIN STN. SAFEWAY SPERLING SKY TRAIN STN. SFU LIBRARY SPERLING SKYTRAIN STATION STATION SQUARE MEDICAL CLINIC TIM HORTON’S WILLINGDON COMMUNITY CENTRE

COQUITLAM BREAD GARDEN CHIMO POOL & SOCIAL REC CENTRE COQUITLAM CITY CENTRE LIBRARY COQUITLAM LIBRARY DOGWOOD PAVILION DUFFERIN SENIORS CENTRE GLEN PINE PAVILION PARKWOOD MANOR POIRIER COMMUNITY CENTRE PARK & RIDE RESIDENCES AT BELVEDERE SHOPPERS DRUG MART DELTA DELTA HOSPITAL GEORGE MACKIE LIBRARY INSIDE RACK - RICKY’S KENNEDY SENIOR’S REC CENTRE KINSMEN ASSISTED LIVING LADNER COMM CENTRE LADNER PIONEER LIBRARY LADNER PUBLIC HEALTH UNIT MCKEE SENIORS RECREATION CENTRE NORTH DELTA REC CENTRE NURSE NEXT DOOR PINEWOOD LEISURE REC CENTRE SOUTH DELTA LIBRARY SOUTH DELTA RECREATION CENTRE SUN GOD RECREATION CENTRE THE WATERFORD WINSKILL AQUATIC CENTRE FORT LANGLEY FORT LANGLEY LIBRARY IGA LANGLEY AI WHEELCHAIRS ALDERGROVE MALL BROOKSWOOD LIBRARY DOUGLAS REC CENTRE HARRISON LANDING LANGLEY LIBRARY LANGLEY SENIORS CENTRE LANGLEY SENIORS VILLAGE LIFEMARK HEALTH CENTRE MAGNOLIA GARDENS MARKET PLACE IGA MAIN SPOT NEWS THE RENAISSANCE RETIREMENT RESORT TIMMS COMMUNITY CENTRE WALNUT GROVE COMM CENTRE WALNUT GROVE LIBRARY MAPLE RIDGE MAPLE RIDGE HOSPITAL MAPLE RIDGE LEISURE CENTRE MAPLE RIDGE LIBRARY NEW WESTMINSTER 22ND ST SKYTRAIN STN BRAID SKYTRAIN STATION CARE POINT MEDICAL CENTRE

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CENTENNIAL COMMUNITY CENTER CNTR OF INTEGRATION FOR AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS CENTURY HOUSE COLUMBIA ST STN EDWARD JONES HYACK HOUSE NEW WESTMINISTER QUAY NEW WESTMINSTER LIBRARY NEW WESTMINSTER SKY TRAIN STN QUEENBOROUGH COMMUNITY CENTER ROYAL COLUMBIAN HOSPITAL

MINORU ARENA MINORU SENIORS CENTRE RICHMOND ADDICTION SERVICES RICHMOND CENTRE FOR DISABILITY SEAFAIR MEDICAL CLINIC SHOPPERS DRUG MART SOUTH ARM COMMUNITY CENTRE STEVESTON COMMUNITY CENTRE THOMPSON COMMUNITY CENTRE VOLUNTEER RICHMOND INFO SERV WEST RICHMOND COMMUNITY CTR

NORTH VANCOUVER CAPILANO LIBRARY CHURCHILL HOUSE EVERGREEN HOUSING ADMINISTRATION KIWANIS LYNN MANOR KIWANIS TOWERS LION’S GATE HOSPITAL LONSDALE QUAY LONSDALE QUAY BUS LOOP LYNN VALLEY MEDICAL CLINIC MEDICAL CLINIC - 1940 LONSDALE AVE MOUNT SEYMOUR MEDICAL CLINIC NORTH SHORE COMMUNITY RESOURCES NORTH SHORE NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE NORTH VANCOUVER CITY LIBRARY NUTRITION HOUSE PARKGATE LIBRARY PEMBERTON & MARINE MEDICAL CLINIC QUEENSDALE MARKET SILVER HARBOUR MANOR SUPER VALU THE SUMMERHILL WAL MART WESTVIEW MEDICAL CLINIC

SURREY AQUATIC CENTRE ARBOURSIDE COURT BUENA VISTA LIBRARY BUY RITE FOODS CHOICES MARKET CLOVERDALE LIBRARY CLOVERDALE REC CENTRE FLEETWOOD COMMUNITY CENTRE FLEETWOOD LIBRARY GATEWAY SKYTRAIN STN GUILDFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY GUILDFORD SENIORS VILLAGE IMPERIAL PLACE KENT SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTRE KING GEORGE SKYTRAIN STN KIWANIS PARK PLACE LIFEMARK PHYSIOTHERAPY MEDICHAIR NEWTON ARENA NEWTON GENERAL STORE NEWTON LIBRARY NEWTON WAVE POOL N SURREY REC CENTRE OCEAN PARK LIBRARY PEACE ARCH MEMORAIL HOSPITAL PHARMASAVE 10654 KING GEORGE PHARMASAVE 9558 - 120TH ST PHARMASAVE 15280 - 101ST AVE ROSEMARY HEIGHTS SENIORS VILL SAVE ON SCOOTERS SCOTT RD SKYTRAIN STN (N) SCOTT RD SKYTRAIN STN (S) SEMIAHMOO PUBLIC LIBRARY SHOPPERS DRUG MART SHOPPERS HOME HEALTH SOUTH SURREY ARENA SOUTH SURREY INDOOR POOL SOUTH SURREY REC CENTRE STRAWBERRY HILL LIBRARY SUNRISE PAVILLION SURREY GARDENS / SURREY VILL SURREY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL SURREY CENTRAL SKYTRAIN STN THE CHEMISTS PHARMACY TOM BINNIE PARK COMM CENTRE WESTMINSTER HOUSE WHALLEY LIBRARY WHITE ROCK/ S SURREY PUBLIC HEALTH UNIT

PITT MEADOWS PITT MEADOWS LIBRARY PITT MEADOWS REC CENTRE SHOPPER DRUG MART PORT COQUITLAM AMICA AT MAYFAIR TERRY FOX LIBRARY WILSON REC CENTRE PORT MOODY EAGLE RIDGE HOSPITAL PORT MOODY COMM SERVICES PORT MOODY LIBRARY PORT MOODY SOCIAL REC CENTRE RICHMOND BRIGHOUSE LIBRARY BUS STOP - 6390 #3 RD CAMBIE COMMUNITY CENTRE CAMBIE PUBLIC LIBRARY GARDEN CITY MED CLINIC HAMILTON COMMUNITY CENTRE IRONWOOD LIBRARY LANG CENTRE MINORU AQUATIC CENTRE

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MAINLAND DISTRIBUTION LOCATIONS - CONTINUED VANCOUVER 1 KINGSWAY LIBRARY 29TH AVE SKY TRAIN STN 411 SENIOR’S CENTRE AMICA AT ARBUTUS MANOR ARBUTUS MALL BARCLAY MANOR BC WOMENS HOSPITAL BREAD GARDEN BRITANNIA ARENA / LIBRARY BROADWAY & BURRARD WALK IN BROCK HOUSE SOCIETY BURRARD SKYTRAIN BUS STOP - 750 BROADWAY CAPERS - 2285 4TH AVE CAPERS - 1675 ROBSON ST CAPERS MARKET CARE MEDICAL CENTRE CENTRAL MARKET - 830 THURLOW CHAMPLAIN HEIGHTS COMM CNTR CHAMPLAIN HEIGHTS LIBRARY CHOICES MARKET - 1202 RICHARDS CHOICES MARKET - 3493 CAMBIE ST CHOICES MARKET - 2627 16 AVE CITY SQUARE FAMILY PRACTICE COLLINGWOOD HOUSE COLLINGWOOD LIBRARY CROFTEN MANOR DENMAN COMMUNITY CTR DENMAN MALL DIAMOND HEALTH CARE CENTRE DOCTOR’S OFFICE 777 W BROADWAY DOUGLAS PARK COMM CENTRE DUNBAR COMMUNITY CENTRE DUNBAR PUBLIC LIBRARY FALSE CREEK COMMUNITY CENTRE FIREHALL LIBRARY

FRASERVIEW LIBRARY FROG HOLLOW NEIGHBORHOOD GF STRONG REHABILITATION CTR GRANDVIEW TOWERS GRANVILLE ISLAND MARKET GRANVILLE MEDICAL CLINIC HASTINGS COMMUNITY CENTRE HASTINGS PUBLIC LIBRARY HOME INSTEAD - VAN, NORTHSHORE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTRE JOE FORTES LIBRARY JOYCE SKYTRAIN STN KENSINGTON COMMUNITY CENTRE KENSINGTON LIBRARY KERRISDALE ARENA KERRISDALE SENIORS CENTRE KERRISDALE LIBRARY KHATSALANO MED CLINIC KILLARNEY COMMUNITY CENTRE KILLARNEY MARKET KITSILANO NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE KITSILANO PUBLIC LIBRARY KIWASSA NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE LIFEMARK HEALTH CENTRE LIFEMARK PHYSIOTHERAPY LITTLE MOUNTAIN NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE LONDON DRUGS - 1187 ROBSON MAIN ENTRANCE RACK MAIN ST SKYTRAIN STN MAPLE MEDICAL CLINIC MARPOLE COMMUNITY CENTRE MARPOLE LIBRARY MEDICAL CLINIC - 1280 GRANVILLE MERCATO MALL MID-MAIN COMM HEALTH CENTRE MT PLEASANT COMMUNITY CENTRE MT PLEASANT NGHBRHD HOUSE NANAIMO SKY TRAIN STN

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OAKRIDGE LIBRARY OAKRIDGE SENIOR’S CENTRE O’KEEFE SENIOR LIVING APT PARKVIEW TERRACE PHARMASAVE 595 BURRARD PLATINUM CARE RAYCAM COMMUNITY CENTRE RENFREW COMMUNITY CENTRE RENFREW PUBLIC LIBRARY RENFREW SKY TRAIN STN RICHMOND/VAN HEALTH UNIT RILEY PARK COMMUNITY CENTRE RILEY PARK LIBRARY ROUNDHOUSE COMMUNITY CENTRE ROYAL CENTRE MEDICAL RUPERT SKYTRAIN STN SHANNON OAKS SHOPPERS DRUG MART SIDNEY MANOR SINCLAIR CENTRE SORRENTO MARKET STADIUM SKYTRAIN STN S GRANVILLE PARK LODGE S GRANVILLE SENIOR’S CENTRE SOUTH HILL LIBRARY SOUTHVIEW HEIGHTS AND TERRACE ST PAUL HOSPITAL STRATHCONA COMMUNITY CENTRE STRATHCONA LIBRARY THUNDERBIRD COMMUNITY CENTRE TROUT LAKE COMMUNITY CENTRE UBC HOSPITAL VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY VGH EMERGENCY WATERFRONT SKY TRAIN STN WEST END AQUATIC CENTRE WEST END SENIORS NETWORK WEST POINT GREY PUBLIC LIBRARY YMCA COMMUNITY SERVICES

WEST VANCOUVER AMICA AT WEST VANCOUVER BUS STOP 2002 PARK ROYAL BUS STOP 2051 PARK ROYAL GLENEAGLES COMMUNITY CENTRE HOLLYBURN HOUSE SUPER VALU WEST VAN MEMORIAL LIBRARY WEST VANCOUVER COMM CENTRE WHITE ROCK HOME INSTEAD PACIFIC CARLTON SUNNYSIDE MANOR THE PENINSULA RESORT RETIREMENT LIVING

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Recommend a Distribution Location Near You! Senior Living is looking for convenient, high trafﬁc distribution locations throughout the Greater Vancouver region. If you know of a place of business or activity centre that would be a convenient location for interested readers to pick up our magazine, let us know. Email: ofﬁce@seniorlivingmag.com Phone 1-877-479-4705 JANUARY 2010

The Coin Toss

Hostess Dora Jellema at the Dogwood Pavilion in Coqutilam.

any people look forward to their retirement years so they can sit back, relax and enjoy their time of leisure in peace and contentment. Not Dora Jellema. After retiring from nearly 30 years as a busy physiotherapist at Royal Columbian Hospital, Dora had other plans. Ironically, she started her volunteer career at the very hospital she worked at for close to three decades. She claims this came about because the Columbian has an entrance where the old emergency ward had been. “My former boss retired the year before me and he stayed involved,” says Dora. “When I retired, he thought I might enjoy volunteering in the small gift shop and helping to direct visitors at this satellite entrance. It was quieter than the regular gift shop and became a place where people would stop to chat. I have been there since 1989.” 18

STORY AND PHOTO BY KEVIN MCKAY

The gift shop is not the only place Dora has volunteered at the hospital. She is now in the new Resource Centre, which offers health information along with material available on the Internet. In November, she escorted a group of 10 high school students on a tour through the hospital as part of Take-Your-Kids-to-Work day. A job vacancy at the Royal Columbian Hospital was what brought Dora to British Columbia in the ﬁrst place. She had been working in Hamilton, Ontario when she applied for an opening as a physiotherapist at the RCH. She landed the job and started work there in 1960 at the tail end of a polio epidemic. At the time, she was the only physio working in the wards. Because of the polio, she spent a lot of time working in the isolation ward until those patients were transferred to a rehabilitation hospital. “The doctors were very insist-

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

ent that if these people were going to get well, they needed to listen to their physio, so that made me feel very good,” recalls Dora. While helping a host of patients over the years, Dora watched the department grow to a staff of 16 physiotherapists by the time she retired. During the early years, the work quickly started to get more complicated. “After the freeway opened with close access to RCH, we started to see more trauma cases with spinal injuries, burns and amputees before special care units for them were developed in Vancouver,” says Dora. “We had to treat them until they could either move on to GF Strong for rehabilitation or be discharged home. We had a feeling of really making a difference and contributing to the quality of their lives.” Dora treated Rick Hansen for a short

time, after his spinal injury brought him to RCH. He became up to be a hostess at the front desk, greeting people and helpa paraplegic from a traffic accident, on the way home from ing at events, something she still enjoys twice a month after a fishing trip in the B.C. Interior. She remembers him as nearly 20 years. In 1994, Jill Rowledge, then director at Dogwood, called an angry, frightened teenager whose athleticism and strong character pulled him through to the role model he is today. a meeting to explore ways to make the centre more welcomBut there was a long process to go through first at RCH, then ing to new Canadians. Dora was at that initial meeting and has been secretary of the multicultural group ever since. “We on to GF Strong Rehab Centre. In time, Dora became the head of the physiotherapy de- meet monthly and the goal is to help everyone accept each partment and, eventually, she was asked to open a tempo- other and their different cultures. We go on outings and have rary Extended Care Unit for patients who were waiting for one big event each year with food and entertainment from placement in care homes. Her team aimed to improve the around the world. Some come to improve their English and mobility of these people and it proved very successful, as many of those people wind up volunteering at the centre. We have language buddies to speak with them.” well as rewarding. One of the great successes of this multicultural commitDora remembers a stroke victim, who, as a young man, had been in the Polish cavalry. One day, his neighbour tee is the Living in Harmony article that Dora writes for brought in a suitcase full of newspaper clippings, all about the newsletter six times each year. In the column, she highlights points of interest and items to illuminate aspects of the story of his life. “There was this great picture of him on horseback hold- different cultures. In addition, she also serves as a peer counsellor to fellow ing his sword up,” Dora recalls. “We put it on the wall beside his bed to show the staff what his life had been. This became seniors who need to talk. “One of the highs of my life now is volunteering as a peer our policy, to put up a photo representative of the patients life so staff would know these people had a history. They counsellor and helping other people cope,” says Dora. Dora’s life in Canada, along with her husband Theo and were not just the frail seniors before them. It helped us all to their two sons began as a game of chance. She says, “I was improve our interaction with them and their families.” Part of the therapy included preparing one meal a week glad the flipped coin brought me [here] because Canada has together. Patients enjoyed the slow process: contributing to given me a good life, and it’s good to be able to give someSL thing in return during my retirement.” their own daily life instead of being passive in their care. But more than the programs or ideas, what stays with Dora are the people. APRIL 2009 APRIL 2009 “There was this woman with totally paralyzed arms from polio who did everything by mouth, writing, painting and so on,” says Dora. “Over years of doing this, she GARDENING TIPS FOR APRIL (POST WINTER) developed neck strain, which I was treating. She was such GARDENING TIPS FOR APRIL (POST WINTER) an outstanding character that when her husband showed up to take her home, he asked for his wife the artist, notForhis wife Herbal Remedies Anxiety Newsletter for Senior Living Readers Herbal Remedies For Anxiety the polio victim. This is what inspired me. Their spirit shines Newsletter for Senior Living Readers Designed to Inspire, Entertain and Inform. through overcoming all kinds of adversity.” COOL WEBSITES TO VISIT Designed to Inspire, Entertain and Inform. Born and raised in Yorkshire, England to twoTOteachers, My intention is to live forever. So far, so good! �� COOL WEBSITES VISIT My intention is to live forever. So far, so good! she credits them for instilling her interest in the outside �� WEBSITE EXPANSION TITLE This month you will see some interThis will be something inspirational, like the Tiger WEBSITE EXPANSION TITLEblurb on the Business Newsletter. Blah, world because of their inquisitive minds. During summer esting Woods INTERACTIVE additions to This month you will see some interThis will be something inspirational, likelife. the ITiger Blah, blah....And that’s how I look at my will our website. We will be adding an Woods the Business Newsletter. Blah, I esting INTERACTIVE additions vacations, the family would travel all over the United King- EVENTS be betterblurb as a on golfer, I will be better as a person, section, where the com-to Blah, blah....And that’s how I look at my life. I will our website. We will be adding an will be better as a father, I will be a better husband, munity can post information about better as aas golfer, I willwebsite be better a person, I EVENTS events. section,We where the dom, visiting museums and historic castles. by our at I be will be visi�ng better a friend. That’s the as beauty of tomorrow. There upcoming willSign alsocombeup today better asas a father, I willThe be alessons better husband, munityacan post component information called about iswill nobe such thing a setback. I learn today I will apadding “social” I will be betterand as a friend. That’s the beauty of tomorrow. There upcoming events. Wevisitors will alsocan be www.seniorlivingmag.com Her parents expected her to become a teacher, but her “SPEAK ply tomorrow, I will be better.” OUT” where is no suchWoods thing as a setback. The lessons I learn today I will apadding a “social” component called -Tiger articles and comments. ply tomorrow, and I will be better.” “SPEAK OUT” where visitors can brother’s girlfriend, a physiotherapist, helped steer her ca- post -Tiger Woods members our latest Each month, we emailTITLE signed-up articles and to comments. Apost FRESH LOOK our Readers Newsletter. Tell us what you think... reer choice and Dora moved to London to train. Another inspiring blurb....personal growth, etc. Anewsle�er FRESH LOOK to ourcontaining: Readers TITLE “If you think of the story of David and Goliath, what you think... Anotherisinspiring blurb....personal growth,inetc. “What I discovered is that doing physio is teaching after Newsletter. Tell•usinspiring Goliath thesuccessful problem you havere�rement currently front ar�cles on you David think of the story ofone David and Goliath, ASK A PROFESSIONAL of“Ifyou. needed only slingshot and Goliath is the problem you have currently in travel front all,” says Dora. “You teach people exercises and about ways New articles felled his problem.gardening Then he got to go and onto other •ASK seasonal recipes • computer, �ps Aposted PROFESSIONAL this month: of you. David only each one slingshot problems. The needed point is that one of usand needs felled his problem. Then he got to go onto other • a new Sudoku puzzle every month to overcome their disabilities.” to focus that magnifying glass of attention on one Article 1 by Advertiser A month: New articles posted this problems. Thesolve pointit,isthen that go each onenext of usthing.” needs specific thing, to the Article 2 by Advertiser B updates on changes to our magazine orHansen website to focus that magnifying glass of attention on one Article 1 by• Advertiser A Once she was established in her career, Dora and a friend Article - Mark Victor 3 by Advertiser C specific thing, solve it, then go to the next thing.” Article 2 by Advertiser B “ASK A PROFESSIONAL” 4 by Advertiser • surveys toD secure your input • contests toVictor enter for prizes - Mark Hansen Article 3 by Advertiser C sought adventure. They noticed both Canada and Australia Article “ASK A PROFESSIONAL” Article 4 • by Advertiser YOUR HEALTH - Herbal Remedies For Anxiety And lists ofD our most recent senior-focused adver�sers advertised for healthcare workers and decided to give it a try. WELCOME NEW ADVERTISERES Stress YOUR HEALTH ar�cles - Herbal Remedies For website. Anxiety And • listsNEW ofADVERTISERES our most recent advice onhealth, our This has something on wellness, may be pharmaStress WELCOME welcome these new businesses to Unable to decide, they tossed a coin and wound up on a ship We ceuticals, cosmetics, herbal options, etc. Put article on This has something on wellness, health,videos may be pharmaSenior Living. It’s because to of their sup• access interes�ng websites and online website to track We that welcome these new port we can bring youbusinesses this maga-to ceuticals, cosmetics, herbal options, etc. Put article on bound for Montreal – and a new life in Canada. [READ MORE] Senior Living. It’sWe because of their supzine every month. encourage you, website to track port that we can bring you this magaSenior Living con�nues to develop more ways to stay in the reader, to let them know through [READ MORE] Shortly after retirement, Dora took out a membership at YOUR zine every month.ofWe encourage HOME REPAIRS (POST-WINTER) patronage their business you, that touch with our loyal readers. our rapidly the appreciate reader, to let them We will doJoin a section that’s related to growing home renovations, them asknow well. through Dogwood Pavilion in Coquitlam. Once there for a year, she you HOME REPAIRS (POST-WINTER) YOUR patronage of their business that repairs, etc. Handyman tips, etc. We will put these articles newsle�er membership today. Advertiser A We will do a section that’s related to home renovations, you appreciate them as well. on our website to track them. B saw how vital volunteers were to senior centres and signed Advertiser repairs, etc. Handyman tips, etc. We will put these articles Advertiser A [READ MORE]

�� Do you get Senior Living’s monthly Newsle�er?

Advertiser C Advertiser B Advertiser D Advertiser C Advertiser D

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on our website to track them. [READ MORE] HOW FULL IS YOUR LIFE? JANUARY 2010 This is an inspirational, motivational article designed to be HOW FULL IS YOUR LIFE? uplifting but thoughtful at the same time. We will put this This is an inspirational, motivational article designed to be article on our website to track it. uplifting but thoughtful at the same time. We will put this [READ MORE]

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Photo: Jason van der Valk

Goldie

BY GOLDIE CARLOW, M.ED

Dear Goldie: I hesitate to take issue with you, but feel your November column does not respond adequately to O.L.’s problem when a previous ﬁancé meets her again many years later and wishes to renew their relationship. Granted, O.L. was jilted, but wars do impact people’s lives, especially those facing danger and loneliness far from home. They can result in heartbreak and more. Granted, too, that she has neither forgotten nor forgiven but, since she enjoyed his company, I question why the possibility of rapprochement and other options was not considered before suggesting alternative ways to deal with loneliness and a possible new relationship. The problem is far too complex to be resolved without more information (was there contrition? The whys and hows of the divorce, what sort of life had he led since then? Even what is meant by relationship – it is not necessarily marriage, and exploration of O.L.’s current life). Perhaps this is the difﬁculty in a brief column. –D.H.

practical workbook, which I found in the U.S. and which can be used in a self-guided process. I have an extra copy that I can send to W.S. ($20 postage included – the manual retails for $12.50 US, plus postage of $6.50 US). If it is not useful to her, I will gladly buy it back. One of the authors of the manual writes: “Almost everyone has personal belongings such as wedding photographs, a baseball glove, a pie plate, a clock or jewelry that contain meaning for them and for other members of their family. What we’ve learned by listening to families and attorneys is that often the non-titled property is what creates the greatest challenges for families when estates are divided not the money. When doing real estate planning, families too often talk about the house or the investments; but they forget to plan ahead or discuss personal possessions.” One of the examples given was: “Just before Anna Krueger was about to enter a nursing home at the age of 85, she held a family gathering to discuss who should gather personal belongings. With each of her four children gathered, Anna shared family history and stories that went with the important possessions in her life, wishes were expressed, and decisions made. When Anna died six months later, her children not only held onto her possessions, but they also cherished the stories of her life. By making inheritance decisions ahead of time (about non-titled possessions), Anna also prevented disagreements about who should receive what items.” I hope this is helpful. –A.G.

Dear D.H.: Your last paragraph hits the nail on the head. It is impossible to indicate resolution to a difficult problem in a confined space. Occasionally, problems can only be dealt with in a clinical counselling session, as I have stated in previous columns. I do have to condense my answers. However, when problems are multiple and serious, I reflect on them from various viewpoints before replying. In this particular case, I contacted the client, and I assure you all possibilities you mention were explored. As you state, my “November column does not respond adequately” and perhaps this was not a suitable topic for condensation. Thank you for expressing your concern. I will keep it in mind.

Dear A.G.: Thank you for the information regarding the manual workshop for seniors who are involved with dividing nontitled personal property. This certainly is a troublesome issue, especially in large families. It is truly amazing to discover what some descendants deem valuable when grandparents or great-grandparents die. I am quite sure some senior groups wishing to hold a workshop for their members will contact you. Their volunteers are asked to help elderly clients with these concerns and this manual could prevent many headaches and even lasting feuds in their families. SL

Dear Goldie: I read with interest the letter in the October 2009 issues of the Senior Living magazine from W.S. expressing concerns about the issue of dividing “non-titled” property, a dilemma shared by many seniors. Several years ago, when I retired and researched the same issue, I sourced some research and writings from a cross-section of authors. I ended up putting together a short workshop that I have offered several times at places where seniors gather. The workshop is a discussion stimulated by an excellent

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SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

Senior Peer Counselling Centres (Lower Mainland)

Goldie Carlow is a retired registered nurse, clinical counsellor and senior peer counselling trainer. Send letters to Senior Living, Box 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria, BC V8T 2C1.

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Published by Senior Living

JANUARY 2009

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To Move or Not to Move? A Helpful Guide for Seniors Considering Their Residential Options

If you are a senior who has been wondering lately whether you should consider moving - either because you find the maintenance of your current home more difficult due to diminishing ability or energy, or you simply want a lifestyle that allows you more freedom and less responsibility - then this is the book that can help you ask the right questions and find the solution that is right for you. • What residential options are available? • Define your current situation - What residential option is right for you? • How to research and assess Independent and Assisted Living residences. • What do Independent, Assisted Living and Complex Care facilities have to offer? • How much does it cost to live in an Assisted Living residence? What subsidies are available? • Thinking of moving in with family members? Questions to consider before making your decision. • Are there any other residential options besides Independent, Assisted Living and Complex Care facilities? • If you choose to stay in your own home, what are your options and what should you plan for? • Who can help you decide what you can or cannot afford? • Funding sources available to seniors - tax deductions, housing subsidies, home care subsidies, equipment loan programs, renovation grants, etc. • Selling your home - how to find the right realtor or relocation services to assist your move. • Downsizing - Where do you start? How do you proceed? • Adapting your home to meet your mobility needs - tips and suggestions • Hiring home care services; do it yourself or hire an agency? • Legal matters - how to make sure you receive the care you desire should you not be able to communicate due to some incapacitating condition • AND MUCH MORE Advice from professionals who are experts in the area of assisting seniors with their relocation

questions and concerns. A handy reference guide for seniors and their families wrestling with the issues around whether relocation is the best option. This 128-page book provides helpful, easy to read information and suggestions to help seniors and their families understand the decisions they need to make.

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JANUARY 2010

Finding Jack London: Down By The Bay

STORY AND PHOTOS BY RICK & CHRIS MILLIKAN

n two recent trips to California, we became literary pilgrims tracing Jack London’s remarkable life of struggle and success around San Francisco Bay. Though born in San Francisco, only a plaque remains at the site of the ﬁrst home of America’s greatest adventure writer. After crossing the bay, the Londons struggled with poverty. Ten-year-old Jack sold newspapers, supplementing his family’s meagre income. The city’s prominent Jack London Square memorializes their most famous resident. Tracking brass paw-prints along an interpretive walking route, we read the colourful storyboards describing Oakland’s early history. We can picture him escaping his daily turmoil, hiking up nearby Washington Street to what was California’s second earliest public 22

library. Flaubert, Tolstoy and other prominent novelists ﬁrst stirred Jack’s imagination. Along the waterfront, a life-sized bronze statue embodies Jack as a young man in a rumpled suit gazing pensively across the bay toward San Francisco and considering his next venture. Its rugged portrayal conveys Jack’s constant striving. Even as a lad toiling long shifts in a local cannery, he dreamed of sailing into a better life. In this turn-of-the-century society, his black foster-mother Virginia Prentiss loaned him money to buy his ﬁrst sailboat, the Razzle-Dazzle. Using this, he pirated oysters. Later he went legit, joining the California Fish Patrol. At age 14, he signed onto a sloop bound for Japan’s coast to hunt seals. After returning to Oakland, he worked in a jute

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

A statue of a young Jack London on the Oakland docks.

mill and power station then, at 15, travelled the rails east as a hobo. Back in Oakland, Jack entered high school, hanging out at Heinolds’ First and Last Chance Saloon still standing on the edge of today’s Jack London Square. Walking over to the saloon, the owner sees our interest and invites us inside. Since the 1906 earthquake tilted the building’s floor southward, we enter gingerly, sitting at one of its levelled tables, bolted onto the old oiled floorboards. Gas-lamps dimly light its interior; memorabilia covers walls and ceiling, photos and news items often depicting Jack London. Serving hooch on the docks since 1883, this timeworn saloon well reflects the times of its most famous customer. Jack referred to this saloon 17 times in his novel John Barleycorn. Barkeep Carol Brookman tells us, “I bought this saloon from the Heinolds in

1984, promising to keep it as original as possible.” She points out Jack’s favourite table continuing, “He’d listen to early sailors spin their sea tales right there... and he’d use their accounts in his writings. In fact, he modelled captain Wolf Larsen in The Sea Wolf after a notoriously cruel captain Alexander McLean, who commanded a vessel nicknamed The Hell Ship.” We also learn that in those early days, Johnny Heinold encouraged Jack to study inside the saloon, even supplying him with a dictionary. And Johnny loaned him the tuition to enter university at age 19. But after a year of study at Berkeley, London sailed off to Alaska to prospect for gold.” An adjacent small park replicates an acre of northern wilderness, where Jack’s Klondike cabin was reassembled in 1970. During the 1887 gold rush, he endured a winter of scurvy in this tiny sod-roofed log cabin, filling his notebook with ideas. The park’s bronze wolf reminds us of Call of the Wild and other northern thrillers based on his time there. Returning from the Klondike at age 22, he and his mother moved into a Victorian house on Foothill Boulevard, just 3.4 miles [5.5 km] south of London Square. Among the 22 homes London occupied in Oakland, this one remains much the same as when he developed his tales at a small desk, writing six days a week, 1,000 words a day. A year later, his first magazine story appeared: “To the Man on the Trail,” a Klondike adventure featuring the Malamute Kid. He received $5. After that, he landed a contract for his first book, Son of the Wolf, a collection of short stories. Travelling the world next as a correspondent, Jack kept coming back to Oakland, twice campaigning as a socialist for mayor. His career as a prolific writer skyrocketed his impressive income allowing him to buy Beauty Ranch, his dream estate lying 60 miles [97 km] north. So, crossing San Pablo Bay, we roll through a pastoral countryside into old Sonoma, fascinated that in 1846 a handful of frontiersmen had proclaimed California’s independence in its large central plaza. On the northern edge of this sizeable green square, we enter Historic State Park, checking out the restored Toscano Hotel and Mexican barracks, now a museum commemorating California’s 22-days as an independent nation. Jack seldom referred to this very historic town; like most of his contemporaries, he was more interested in the future than the past and probably experienced Sonoma as an uninspiring, rundown community. In the adjacent block, San Francisco Solano’s whitewashed adobe walls sparkle in the sun. Jack may have seen this most northern Franciscan mission, California’s last of 21, when it served as a brothel and its chapel functioned as a liquor outlet, or perhaps later when its buildings were used as a barn, blacksmith shop and winery. As a critically minded atheist, Jack may have considered this mission’s disuse, abuse and resurrection as

» Inside London’s old hangout – Heinolds’ Firs t and Last Chanc e Saloon (exterio r pictured above) .

human evolution. Continuing our journey, we parallel a former rail line into Glen Ellen. Jack discovered his own Eden near this little whistle stop, like the main characters of Valley of the Moon, halfway up the narrow Sonoma Valley. Turning off the highway, we ascend the dry hills into Jack

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London’s Wolf House

London State Historic Park. Here Charmian, his second wife and soulmate, bequeathed their 1,400 sprawling acres to California for perpetuation of her famed husband’s memory. From the parking lot, we amble up a shaded forest trail to first visit House of Happy Walls. After Jack’s death, Charmian built this two-story stone house filling it with artifacts from their global travels. From south sea adventures, wooden tikis guard the premises; tapa weavings, clubs and spears cover the walls; wooden bowls serve as light shades. Glass cases display their sailboat Snark’s navigational equipment, wooden sandals, miniature totem poles and other mementoes. In another display case, Jack’s first rejection letter encourages him to write cheerier prose; news clips announce later successes. His 50 world-famous books appear in numerous translations, including Call of the Wild in both Hebrew and Bengali, White Fang in Afrikaans, The Sea-Wolf in Norwegian and The Cruise of the Snark in Swedish. Compelling videos and photos reveal this turn-of-the-century writer’s enthusiastic interest in modern agriculture. Another trail in the woods leads us away from the House of Happy Walls and toward the Londons’ simple gravesites. After paying our respects, we proceed upward into a grove of giant redwoods and see the burned-out ruins of Wolf House, the couple’s dream home. Never attempting to reconstruct this magnificent log and rock mansion, they continued their lives in the original ranch house from 1905 to 1916. The heart of Beauty Ranch requires a drive to another parking lot and climb over a parched grassy knoll. Two old stone buildings lie below. Originally a winery, Jack converted them as shelters for his stallions and for storage. Beauty Ranch Cottage perches on another hill. When Wolf House perished, the Londons enclosed front verandas, creating Charmian’s sunroom and Jack’s study, where he wrote over 1,000 words nightly. Arising late each morning, he’d frequently lunch with celebrity guests, filling afternoons with horseback rides and other vigorous activities. The dam built to conserve water created a pleasant lake for swims. Jack London’s prose often imitated his life. In Valley of the Moon, he portrays a struggling couple moving to this same idyllic valley, adapting new farm methods and prospering. Tending a variety of grains, vegetables and fruits himself, 24

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

Jack succeeded in a similar fashion. Vineyards now ﬂourish on terraces made to prevent hillside erosion; he raised ﬁne horses, cattle and pigs as breeding stock. Atop another hill, stands the highly reported concrete “pig palace” designed to raise healthier pigs at a time when many died of cholera. Learning his extraordinary friend had resided nearby, we head up the valley and wind through bustling Santa Rosa to visit Luther Burbank’s Home and Gardens. After admiring many of Burbank’s plant creations, we enter the greenhouse museum noting his tools and reading items highlighting his amazing horticultural work. A 1920s Santa Rosa brochure describes this plant wizard as “California’s Best Citizen.” A news clipping outlines Burbank’s stature in early science circles, equaling Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. We can imagine Jack and Luther Burbank discussing a visionary agriculture, upholding Jack’s belief that “natural resources, managed with intelligence and loving care, might sustain countless future generations.” In these gardens and in nearby Sebastopol, Jack may have witnessed some of Burbank’s crossbreeding experiments. During this friend’s 50-year career,

Jack London’s friend Luther Burbank’s home and greenhouse.

this botanical wizard introduced more than 800 new plant varieties, including over 200 types of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains, plus hundreds of ﬂowers, including the beautiful white Shasta daisy. He also created the blight-resistant Burbank potato and the plum cot, crossing an apricot and a plum. Unsurprisingly, in Valley of the Moon, London refers to Burbank and two of his hybrids: logan and mammoth berries. Shortly before his death at 40, Jack extolled, “I go into farming because my philosophy and research taught me to recognize the fact that a return to the soil is the basis of economics... I devote two hours a day to writing... and 10 to farming. My work on this land and my message to America go hand in hand.” During our journey, we’d followed Jack’s footsteps through a life of local struggle, into far-ﬂung adventures, writing acclaim, idealistic endeavours and prosperity. As Jack London said, “The proper function of man is to live...” and he did so passionately producing popular books that continue to encourSL age us all to explore life’s possibilities.

BBB Better Better Better Better

Business Business Business Business

Bureau Bureau Bureau Bureau

SCAM ALERT

BY LYNDA PASACRETA

Scams to Watch for in 2010

ach year the Better Business Bureau compiles a list of the scams that have most signiﬁcantly impacted consumers across British Columbia. The following is a brief summary of the top scams from the past calendar year and simple tips to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud in 2010. Credit Repair Schemes – Be wary of promises of fast, easy ways to ﬁx or even erase damage to your credit history. TIP: For credit help, contact the Credit Counselling Society at nomoredebts.org Not So “Free” Trials – Many websites that offer a free trial for products do not disclose the billing terms and conditions or do not prominently display such details on their website. TIP: Before giving the company any credit or debit card information, review the website fully and be aware that free trials typically result in repeated billing.

Cashback Fraud – Be aware of situations in which you are sent a cheque for a sum of money and asked to return a portion via money transfer. TIP: Never wire money to a stranger. If you believe you are a victim of fraud contact phonebusters.com Mystery Shopping – Be skeptical of mystery shopper ads in newspapers or on online job listings. TIP: If you are looking for mystery shopping work, go to the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) website at SL mysteryshop.org For a more detailed description of the top scams impacting consumers and tips to protect yourself, visit mbc.bbb.org Lynda Pasacreta is President of the Better Business Bureau of Mainland B.C. Contact the BBB to check a company report or Buyers’ Tip before you purchase or invest: www.mbc.bbb. org or 604-682-2711. To contact Lynda Pasacreta, e-mail her at president@mbc.bbb.org

ID Theft – ID theft is when someone uses your personal information to obtain loans, goods, or services and does not pay the bills. TIP: Never give out your personal information (especially your SIN, PIN, account numbers and passwords) to anyone, unless you have a personal reason to initiate a conversation in which such information is required. Home Repair Rip-Offs – Beware of “contractors” who use scare tactics to encourage you to perform unnecessary or over-priced home renovations. TIP: Do your research and comparison-shop before starting a renovation. Start with the BBB and search for a company reliability report at vi.bbb.org Free Government Money Schemes – Consumers have reported a number of companies that promise “free” advice on how to get government grants when in reality they charge a fee for participation. TIP: Federal grant-related information is readily available for free on the Service Canada website servicecanada.gc.ca Investment Opportunities – Watch for investment opportunities that appear lucrative, but often are more hype than substance. TIP: Go to the BC Securities Commission’s investright.org website for information on what to look out for when choosing to invest.

JANUARY 2010

Listen Up! BY AILEEN STALKER

fter returning from my “baby” brother’s surprise 50th birthday party, I began to think about hearing loss. For years, he had grumbled about the difficulty he had hearing. We assumed it was a combination of a genetic predisposition (hearing loss was experienced by both our father and uncle), his work as a young heavy-duty mechanic and his later exposure to gunfire and other occupational noises as a fish and wildlife officer. Now in an administrative position, he recognized that he was not able to hear all of the conversations and comments in complex planning meetings. At the party, he was delighted to show off his new hearing aids and discuss the world of hearing that he had re-entered. My younger sister had, from time to time, also commented that she had increasing difficulty hearing conversations – especially in crowded, noisy environments. Whenever I asked her why she had not had her hearing tested, she replied 26

with “Well, you can get used to reading lips” and “I just avoid really noisy settings.” She never mentioned one of the most frequently unstated reasons for avoiding exploration of hearing loss: “I don’t want to look old.” These family interactions led me to an interview with Harry Lam, a registered audiologist in Vancouver. He noted that it is not easy for people to deal with hearing loss. It takes most people seven to 10 years after they realize they are losing their hearing acuity to arrive for an assessment. Even then, it is not the concessions they were making in their lives that forced recognition of the need for an appointment, but because their spouses or relatives were annoyed by having to repeat information and insisted on an examination. “The concern about looking old because of wearing hearing aids is often there in the background,” says Henry. “But there is nothing that makes a person look older than having to ask for information to be repeated, responding inappropriately or appearing

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

confused because of misunderstanding words, becoming socially isolated because of avoiding noisy settings and living with a nagging family member related to hearing loss.” Other signiﬁcant consequences that result from unattended hearing loss include depression and mental health issues. Safety issues when driving, being a pedestrian or within paid work situations are also areas of concern. Hearing loss may occur at any age and results from a number of causes. For individuals who were born with normal hearing and experience hearing loss in adulthood, it may be because of illness, (e.g. Bell’s Palsy) or infections, tumours, drugs, disease processes, interruption of the blood supply to the inner ear or noise/work-related causes. Some hearing loss inevitably occurs with aging. Sadly, hearing loss is expected to become more prevalent in the future. Today’s children and teens who are exposed to loud music, an increase in urban noise pollution and the constant boom of a plugged-in audio world may

arrive in their 40s for assessment of significant hearing loss. Once a person acknowledges that he or she has hearing difficulties, there are a number of ways to obtain an assessment. Following an examination by either a family physician or an earnose-and-throat specialist, a referral to an audiologist or a hearing aid dealer/ consultant will generally be made. Audiologists have a master’s degree and specific skills in defining hearing loss, hearing testing, test interpretation, hearing aid fitting, hearing rehabilitation and counselling clients who range in age from infants to seniors. They are trained to manage situations such as seniors with dementia or blindness and those with other medical conditions. The Hearing Aid Consultant/Hearing Instrument Specialist is trained to test hearing, to fit hearing aids and to help individuals accept and learn to wear their aids. The price ranges from $1,800 to $4,000 per hearing aid, so it is essential to select a reputable resource for the assessment, possible purchases and follow-up. Many clinics offer free initial assessments, but it is important to ask questions before arranging an appointment to avoid any “hard sell” of expensive or unnecessary aids during the assessment. With the above in mind, and after visiting and talking with the audiologist, I made an appointment with a well-established company for their free assessment. I didn’t really think I had a hearing loss (although I was recently finding the sounds of sirens and fire engines increasingly loud) but I approached the assessment with mild anxiety. What if I really did have hearing loss and they suggested hearing aids? Could I face my own and possibly others’ perceptions that wearing hearing aids meant that I was “old”? Response to a client medical history preceded a visual exam of my ears. Next, as I sat in a soundproof room, I was asked to press a button each time I heard a beep or to repeat a word spoken with varying loudness. The ability to identify speech sounds with interfering noise is another part of the assessment, but was not used in my case. The

consultant tested both my external hearing as well as bone conduction hearing. Throughout the test, I worried. “Was I hearing the sounds correctly?” At the end of the assessment, the consultant showed me the graph related to my responses. Although the majority of responses were accurate, the errors I made were with soft sounds such as f, sh, ph. This indicated mild hearing loss suggesting a need for yearly monitoring – although there is no way to determine how quickly my hearing might deteriorate. After entering my hearing profile into a computer program, customized hearing aids were placed in my ears. The amplification meant soft sounds that had become somewhat fuzzy for me were back to their original clarity. A variety of hearing aid styles are available. They range from open canal aids to ones custom fitted to the ear canal. Some interconnect to cellphones and the TV. The smaller aids may be less powerful and those that go directly inside the ear tend to break down more quickly, although on average an aid should last about four to six years. Hearing loss will be a reality for most at some time in their lives. However, today’s seniors and those in the future may not be as concerned about the stigma of a hearing device. The earplugs of an iPod or cellphone appear similar but are often larger and more obvious than many of the hearing devices. “No one thinks wearing glasses makes you look older – and that is what we hope will happen with hearing aids,” says Harry. In the meantime, as those plugged-

in young people say, “Listen up.” If you have to continually ask for verbal information to be repeated, need to lipread, avoid social situations, miss the sounds of nature or become the recipient of angry comments about your lack of response to requests or in conversation, it may be time to have your hearing assessed. And it won’t hurt a bit! SL QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN MAKING A HEARING ASSESSMENT APPOINTMENT:

• What is included in the costs? For example: examination, ear mould, follow-up support. • Are the costs of the initial test put towards the hearing aids, if aids are needed? • What are the qualiﬁcations of the person conducting the test? For example: an audiologist or Hearing Aid/Instrument Specialist. • What are the usual follow-up procedures? • What is the trial period after ﬁtting the hearing aids? (A minimum of 30 days is standard.) • What warranties exist on the hearing aids? • What are the exchange and refund policies?

JANUARY 2010

Mind GAMES

Crossword PUZZLE Across 1. Lease holders 6. Condescends 10. Harvests 12. Rules 14. Building material 16. Asian country 17. Miles per hour 20. Rots 22. Male swine 23. High-pitched tone 25. Circles 27. Brother 28. Wife of Jacob 29. Dandy 31. Little job 34. Carabiner 36. Reliable 38. Italian city 39. Farewell

41. 11th letter of the Greek alphabet 44. Lead astray 46. Dance 47. Did possess 50. Browns 52. Inhabitant of Serbia 53. Large cat 55. Draw again 57. Indian dish 58. German port 59. Sailor 61. Clothes-pins 62. Female name 63. Barren place 64. SE Massachusetts town

Down 1. Quiver 2. Curve

3. Requirement 4. Domesticates 5. Small spots 7. Readily ďŹ&#x201A;uent 8. InďŹ&#x201A;uential person 9. Vow 11. Gastropod mollusks 13. Powerful 15. Oppressor 18. Noble 19. Heartfelt 21. Apostle 24. Lighthouse 26. Above 30. Preens 32. Teams 33. More inanimate 35. Innate 37. Fleshy fruits 39. Carry with great effort 40. Yielding an acid 42. Female name 43. Moved at an easy pace 45. Merited 48. Directed 49. Evade 51. Fine fur 54. Promontory 56. Farm wagon 60. Son of Jacob

ANSWERS

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

Between Friends O

OFFENCES

ffences are as common as a puddle of water when it is raining – and just as difficult to avoid. Offensive words seem to fly unerringly to our emotional centre like an arrow striking the bull’s eye of a target. Unkind words have the same effect; they too seem to hit the core of our emotional vulnerabilities. We feel the fiery dart of pain, hurt, embarrassment, and disrespect. Negative emotions rule over our logical thoughts and start us on a path of doubt. Self-doubt raises questions about our relationship and standing with the other person or persons involved. It can often seem like a personal attack even though, from their perspective, it may have been intended as “constructive criticism.” Lady Astor said to Winston Churchill: “Mr. Churchill you are drunk.”

s d e ﬁ i s s a Cl

Churchill replied: “I may be drunk, My Lady, but in the morning, I will be sober and you will still be ugly.” Another exchange between them reportedly went like this: “If you were my husband I’d give you poison.” He replied, “If you were my wife, I’d drink it.” There is a grace given to allow other people their own stupidity that comes from the realization that individual change comes from within. We can either be bitter or we can become better by the response we choose to give. Offences have the tendency to tear down relationships, distort facts and cut deep into our emotional fabric. Family offences are often the most difﬁcult because of the intimate emotional investment that is involved. It hurts deeply when compatibility, understanding and intimacy are lost, threatened or RESOURCE DIRECTORY RESOURCE DIRECTORY RESOURCE DIRECTORY RESOURCE DIRECTORY RESOURCE DIRECTORY RESOURCE DIRECTORY RESOURCE DIRECTORY

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impaired. “When differences come between family members it takes a hero to step up. Someone needs to be the hero.” –Dr. Phil McGraw McGraw also holds the belief that we need to pick our battles and we should only pick the ones we can win. When it comes to words of offence the old adage applies and we need to treat them like water off a duck’s back. In so doing, they will do us no harm. Let hurtful words simply roll off and free us from the snare of ofSL fence. RESOURCE DIRECTORY RESOURCE DIRECTORY RESOURCE DIRECTORY RESOURCE DIRECTORY RESOURCE DIRECTORY RESOURCE DIRECTORY RESOURCE DIRECTORY

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Cut Calories, Live Longer

BY AIMEE HUGHES

he Okinawan people in Japan are known to have the largest percentage of centenarians, (those living to or past the age of 100). They have an incredibly healthy diet, consisting of nutrient dense foods: large amounts of green vegetables and sweet potatoes, small amounts of ﬁsh and soy-based foods, whole grains and no meat, eggs, or dairy products. While the foods they eat are essential to their longevity, how they eat may be equally vital. Okinawans eat 17 per cent less food overall than the Japanese average and 40 per cent less than the typical North American. Recent studies suggest a major key to longevity is calorie restriction. Eating foods rich in nutritive value but low in calories may be the most important step towards joining ranks with centenarians around the world. Hara hachi bu is a reminder used by Okinawans, meaning eat until you are 80 per cent full. In his book Secrets of Longevity: Hundreds

of Ways to Live to Be 100, Dr. Maoshing Ni says, “After analyzing the diets of about 100 centenarians, I found that the majority lived under modest circumstances. They ate less than the average amount, and some fasted at times because they were poor and simply had no food.” Ni also found that most centenarians he surveyed around the world follow the “three-quarters” rule: they stop eating when they are three-quarters full. This likely doesn’t sound like the average Westerner. A person can tell when they are about 80 per cent full by eating mindfully. Start by eating less than normal, waiting 20 minutes and assessing hunger levels. Try putting about 20 per cent less food on the plate – or taking a smaller plate. The stomach’s stretch receptors take about 20 minutes to tell the body how full it is. North Americans are beginning to catch on and scientists are continually interested in the topic. Could a diet lower in

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

calories help Westerners live longer? Calorie Restriction (CR) is one of the few dietary disciplines that has been documented to increase both the median and maximum lifespan in a variety of species, among them yeast, fish, rodents, dogs and non-human primates. For mice and rats, there is a 30-40 per cent increase in lifespan. American scientists have been researching the theory that calorie restriction is beneficial for health and perhaps a prerequisite for leading a longer life. One reason for this has to do with free radicals. According to a study at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, calorie restriction in non-obese people results in less oxidative damage to muscle cells; oxidants, otherwise known as free radicals are created when food is converted to energy by mitochondria. By inducing the formation of efficient mitochondria, less free radicals form. Oxidative damage is linked to aging. The idea is that a CR diet, when executed correctly, provides all the nutrients necessary for optimal health, but minimizes the energy, or calories provided by food. Recently, the New York Times published a report about calorie restriction and the rhesus monkey. After 20 years of a CR diet, the monkeys are showing less diabetes, cancer, and heart and brain disease. This was a breakthrough study because most previous evidence of calorie restriction showed longevity in rodents. Here, evidence that a calorie restrictive diet slows aging in

primates, makes it more likely that humans would benefit as well. A 2009 research paper showed that a calorie restricted diet can improve memory in normal to overweight elderly. The diet also resulted in decreased insulin levels and reduced signs of inScientists flammation. believe that memory improvement in this experiment was caused by the lower insulin levels, because high insulin levels are usually associated with lower memory and cognitive function. Calorie restriction benefits people of all ages (although one needs to start calorie restriction after they are fully grown). A CR diet does not mean malnourishment or anorexia, which cause more harm than good to the body. It means smaller portions of intensely nourishing foods. The CRONdiet (calorie restriction with optimal nutrition) was developed from data by the late Dr. Roy Walford and compiled during his participation in Biosphere 2. In their book, The Longevity Diet, Lisa Walford (Roy’s daughter) and Brian M. Delaney (president of the Calorie Restriction Society) propose three meals a day, with variation allowed according to life schedules. The idea is to create meals to combine calorie-dense foods and calorie-lean foods in different ways. This particular approach works well because the body does not have to deal with empty calories, excess fat slowing down the system, or processing tremendous amount of waste.

SUGGESTE

D READING

Beyond the 12 0 Year Diet: H ow to Double Your Vital Years by D r. Roy Walford The Longevity Diet by Brian M. Delaney and Li sa Walford The CR Way: Using the Secr ets of Calorie Res triction for a Longer, Healthier Life by Paul Mcglo thin and Meredith A verill Detailed meal plans and sugg estions are includ ed in these bo oks.

Those who practice calorie restriction take vitamins as well as nutrient-rich foods such as kombu, brewers yeast, wheat bran, wheat germ, soybeans and tofu. CR calls for a diet reduced in intake of calories by 20 to 40 per cent. However, observations from a study in Free Radical Biology and Medicine indicate that even an eight per cent reduction in calories may provide protective effects against muscle and skeletal aging. The caloric needs of a person are determined by their Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which is the energy needed for normal metabolic activities such as breathing, digestion, maintaining body temperature, etc., plus the energy required for physical activities. According to Dr. Roy Walford, caloric reduction should take place gradually while intensifying the nutritive value of food choices – rapSL id weight loss releases harmful toxins into the body. To ﬁnd out more about the CR diet, visit www.crsociety. org and www.walford.com

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Reﬂections THEN & NOW

BY GIPP FORSTER

Photo: Krystle Wiseman

ARM-A-JELLO f anyone should happen to find comes sneers.” I’m right in the middle some loose arm muscles lying of leers and sneers! I’m afraid of turning red from about, I’d appreciate it if you would pick them up and put them in a sunburn in the summer in case kids come racing at me with spoons in safe place. They’re mine! I’m sure I had them yesterday (or their little hands. maybe it was the day before!). But It’s bad enough when one’s chin when I woke up this morning, some- starts to grow other chins. And one’s one – without so much as an “If you second stomach overlaps the origiplease” had put “arm-a-jello” in their nal. But when your upper arms on the place. I don’t know who coined the underside start waving like flags in I may not be able to part-icipate! Get it? term arm-a-jello, but they will know a gentle breeze, that’s just a bit too “Part”-icipate. At least they haven’t stowhat I’m talking about. much to take! len my sense of humour! My wife just I remember when the theft oc- advised me to check again. “Corn,” she Where my biceps (I call them arm muscles) used to bulge, they now jig- curred in my Mom and Dad’s lives. says, is not humour. (How did corn get gle like a bowl full of jelly. I mean, Even friends before and now are going into this?) She’s a strange woman, but I what’s the world coming to? love her! Corn? Go to bed feeling like Charles I’m starting to be afraid to go Atlas or Sylvester Stallone, to sleep at night. I never know Go to bed feeling like Charles and then wake up feeling and what will be missing or traded Atlas or Sylvester Stallone, looking like George Burns on come morning. But at least I his 100th birthday! Something don’t have to wear Coke-bottle and then wake up feeling and strange is afoot. glasses to see, although I still Someone said, “It comes need glasses. I own my own looking like George Burns on with years.” What comes with teeth (I should, I paid a fortune his 100th birthday! years? Sadistic thieves? They for the plate!). I can still drive, have no right to take away my as long as it’s not at night. And yesterday and disrupt my toI can still dance, as long as I’m morrow. What nerve! through the same thing. sitting down. I wonder if there’s a lost-and-found It’s too bad there isn’t a law against But I’m upset that my arm muscles years. They’ve been getting away with for missing muscles and taut skin. If are missing and arm-a-jello keeps jigthis nonsense far too long. They’re not, there should be. But I refuse to gling around with me wherever I go! okay for the first half-century, but then quit or surrender! Until I get my arm muscles back, I they seem to lose control. I still wear runners though I can no guess I’ll wear long-sleeved shirts and They draw lines on your face when longer run. And sneakers though I’m sweaters – even in the summer so as you’re asleep. Wrinkle your lower arms now too tired to sneak. I even wear a not to advertise the theft of years. and paint ugly spots on your hands that windbreaker when there is no wind and But all of you over 50, be warned! even lemon won’t take off! And, of continue to belong to the human race The thieves are out there and when you course, steal your muscles and leave even though my racing days are over! least expect it, they will pounce! Go to No sir! I’m not used up yet! arm-a-jello to infuriate and frustrate. bed one night; wake up the next mornBut at the rate those outlaw years ing with your arm muscles missing. What is it they used to say about the progression of years? “Some keep stealing from me, I wonder about The time bandits leave arm-a-jello bring cheers, some bring fears, some tomorrow. where youth used to be. Ah yes! I reSL If years steal away any more “parts,” member it well. bring tears, followed by leers and then 32

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