Seniors’ Scene

CRE welcomes back Bull Congress

Lori Larsen, Camrose Booster

Delighted to welcome back the Canadian Bull Congress after a year’s hiatus due to the pandemic, the Camrose Regional Exhibition was abuzz with farming families, exhibitors, guests and beautiful livestock January 21 and 22.

Above: The Pen of Three event always guarantees a little fun action in the ring.

Left: Nine-year-old Brynn Burkhardt from Gwynne prepares her one-year-old Hereford heifer Jewel for the show ring.

Steven Prichard from Glenrose Polled Herefords and Angus, Camrose, stands with two-year-old bull Venture, which weighed in at approximately 2,100 pounds. Eleven-year-old Chayse Hollman, of Royal Western Gelbvieh of Innisfail, has no problem curling up alongside two-year-old bull Guilt Trip, despite a more than 2,200 pound weight difference.

Being your own Valentine this year

By Lori-Ann Huot, Camrose Senior Coalition

February is quickly approaching–a month often equated with love as Valentine’s Day falls on the 14th. There are many milestones that are difficult to face alone when you are grieving the loss of someone you love. Valentine’s Day can be one of those difficult milestones.

If you are grieving the loss of a spouse or partner, Valentine’s Day may have been a time you would celebrate your love. It is hard to imagine celebrating when the one you love has died. Death may have ended the life of the one you love, but death has not ended the relationship you have with the one you love. That relationship and love deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated.

Would your loved one buy you a card? Flowers? Take you out for dinner? These are all ways your loved one may have shown you that they loved and cared for you. After your loved one has died, it is important to give yourself the love and attention that you would have received from them. Self-care is important for everyone, however, self-care and nurturing yourself when you are grieving is even more critically important. Perhaps you could buy yourself flowers or treat yourself to your favourite meal, giving yourself the love that your partner would want you to have.

Many of us tend to be very hard on ourself when we are grieving. We set high expectations for ourself and feel like a failure when we don’t meet these expectations. We even find ourself judging ourself and criticizing ourself for things we do or don’t do, or even things we don’t do well enough. We are often influenced by societal messages and misconceptions of what to expect from our journey, and when our personal experiences don’t align with these expectations, we often shame ourself.

We often put ourself low on our priority list because we feel putting ourself first is selfish. Be reassured that this is the farthest thing from the truth. The truth is that our own self care needs to be a priority, not only when we grieve but in general. Good self-care gives us the strength and endurance to face this difficult grief journey and helps us to move towards healing. Self-care allows us time to be more gentle with ourselves, providing us more time to focus on our own needs and giving us renewed energy to do the hard work of grieving.

Remember to be gentle and compassionate with yourself. Our losses often have us shifting perspectives in our life and realizing what is truly important, and our priorities change. We love others deeper, forgive others easier and appreciate others more. Don’t forget to love yourself deeper, forgive yourself easier and appreciate yourself more. As your priorities change, allow yourself to put yourself on the top of that priority list. Part of our self-care is delegating responsibilities to others so you have more time for self-care. What can you delegate to remove some of the burden of responsibilities from your life?

Lori-Ann is a grief and bereavement navigator, at Hospice Society of Camrose and District. Hospice is a member of the Camrose Seniors Coalition, visit www.camrose seniorscoalition.com. Call SOS at 780-672-4131 for more information about the coalition.

Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

By Murray Green

Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are having a substantial and growing impact in Canada and around the world.

The World Health Organization estimates the number of people living with dementia worldwide will increase from 55 million to 78 million by the end of this decade. In fact, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia that contributes to 60 to 70 per cent of dementia cases.

“This January, for Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and beyond, visit Canada.ca/dementia to learn about the condition, what Canada is doing to support the national dementia strategy and the steps you can take to help lower the risk of developing dementia. You will also find tips on how to communicate with people living with dementia and how to address the stigma surrounding dementia,” said MP Jean-Yves Duclos.

The Government of Canada remains committed to supporting Canadians living with dementia, their families and caregivers. That’s why the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is working with stakeholders and partners across the country to raise awareness about dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Through this awareness, the risk and stigma around the conditions can be reduced, the quality of life of people living with dementia and family/friend caregivers can improve, as well as dementia-inclusive communities can be enabled.

One of the ways that PHAC is doing this involves supporting the Native Women’s Association of Canada to conduct an Indigenous-led, distinctions-based awareness initiative with the goal of reducing stigma and encouraging dementiainclusiveness. In addition, in Ontario, the University of Waterloo is training local wellness advocates to work with people living with dementia and family/ friend caregivers to facilitate positive health behaviours related to physical activity and healthy eating.

Understanding dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, requires targeted research into specific focus areas. Recognizing that women make up 70 per cent of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is supporting research through the Joyce and Wilfred Posluns chair in Women’s Brain Health and Aging to study sex and gender differences to improve women’s brain health.

Still, more needs to be done. We all have a role to play in reducing stigma and supporting dementiainclusive communities to help create a Canada where people living with dementia and caregivers feel valued, supported, and have an optimal quality of life.

Talk to us today about the benefits of pre-planning funeral arrangements

The idea of advance funeral planning is one which many people would rather not think about. However, planning your own funeral is one of the kindest things you can do for your loved ones. At a time of grief, your family members will be spared the stress of making important, emotionally draining decisions. Pre-planning also ensures your final arrangements will be carried out according to your exact wishes, in a cost-sensitive manner. Call us today for more information about advance funeral planning or to arrange a no-obligation consultation with one of our directors.

Bart Orr Derek Robertson Colin Yuha

4817-51 Avenue, Camrose Phone 780-672-2121 RECORDED OBITUARY LINE: 780-679-2400 www.burgarfuneralhome.com

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Plan Now For Their Future Needs

You’ve worked your entire life to build your assets. Sound estate planning can ensure these hard-earned assets are passed on to your family according to your wishes, without interference. Talk to us today about developing a plan that makes sense for you and your loved ones.

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COVID TREND

Friday, January 21

City of Camrose Camrose County

174 active 23 active 810.2 active/100k 266 active/100k 1866 cases (total*) 695 cases (total*) 1657 recovered (total*) 670 recovered (total*) 35 deaths (total*) 2 deaths (total*)

Tuesday, January 18

City of Camrose Camrose County

213 active 25 active 991.8 active/100k 289.1 active/100k 1841 cases (total*) 691 cases (total*) 1593 recovered (total*) 664 recovered (total*) 35 deaths (total*) 2 deaths (total*)

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Apply for summer jobs help

By Murray Green

Alberta employers and small businesses have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and some are struggling to hire the workers they need. Young people have also been impacted and continue to face obstacles in finding quality jobs that will help them earn money, grow professionally, and build their careers.

The Canadian Summer Jobs Program strives to help youth from ages 15 to 30 obtain their first summer work experience. This year, the program is aiming to create up to 100,000 full-time summer jobs for young people across the country.

Public and private sector employers will be reimbursed for up to 50 per cent of Alberta minimum wage, and not-for-profit employers will be fully reimbursed for Alberta minimum wage.

For more information on how to apply for CSJ funding, visit Canada.ca/ Canada-summer-jobs.

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