Beth Donovan Hospice seeks approval from Province for 2 residential

submitted by Sue Walker Executive Director, Beth Donavan

Over the past 30 years, Beth Donovan Hospice has been actively serving the North Grenville and surrounding area by providing counselling, support groups, caregiver respite, day hospice and medical equipment lending to all residents free of charge.

Hospice Beds

infrastructure.

Therefore, with necessity being the mother of invention, a group of staff and volunteers put their heads together to develop an alternative model for the Ministry’s consideration.

creature comforts. Within their means, they will pay for luxury, expertise, and convenience.

However, many travel no matter their scarcity of time or money. They want engagement. When not seeking exotic locales, they will choose enriching encounters in a known place. Close at hand, North Grenville is friendly and familiar.

For boomers, the Internet is a research tool. They suspect self-congratulatory marketing materials. Promising more than can be delivered undermines their trust, and ends hope of building long-term relationships.

Understanding the expectations of this multifaceted population helps when designing the events to draw them here. Promoting, developing, and improving the services, activities, and destinations for visitors boosts North Grenville for all of us.

Tips for a healthy heart

submitted by Saman Shaikh, RD., M.Sc.

Registered Dietitian and Public Health Nutritionist Leeds, Grenville and

La-

nark District Health Unit February is Heart Month.

According to the Government of Canada, heart disease is the 2nd leading cause of death in Canada. About 1 in 12 Canadian adults live with diagnosed heart disease. Heart disease affects men and women differently.

Some risk factors of heart disease include diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, and stress. Common signs of heart disease include fainting, chest pain or pressure, and shortness of breath.

For heart disease, prevention is key. Eating healthy, being physically active, quitting smoking, drinking less alcohol, and, managing your stress and current health conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes are all important for reducing your risk of heart disease.

There are a few things we can do to prevent heart disease.

Eat healthy for your heart

A heart healthy diet includes foods low in saturated and trans fat, and sodium, and high in unsaturated fat, vegetables and fruit, plantbased proteins, whole grains, and fibre

Move more, sit lessUnless you have been advised not to, do moderate to vigorous physical activity throughout your week and reduce sedentary screen time. Choose activities that you enjoy and that fit your lifestyle.

Health Canada recommends 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical

The only component that is missing are residential beds to allow residents to palliate (i.e pass away) in our own community and not have to travel to Ottawa or further afield.

Up until recently, the Provincial Ministry of Health would only consider applications for 10 bed residential hospices as they were deemed to be the most costeffective models.

Given the size of our municipality, this community is not in a position to support a facility this large. However, we would greatly benefit from 2 palliative care beds that would allow individuals and their families to have 24/7 access to important end of life care.

After much discussion and cost analysis, it was determined that it was cost prohibitive to add beds to the existing facility on French Settlement Rd due to having to build a new structure in addition to establishing a well, septic and related activity, such as a brisk walk, hiking, jogging, biking, or swimming, along with at least two days of strength activities each week.

If you smoke, quit - Ask your family doctor about support with quitting, or contact our Health Unit’s smoking cessation team for help. There is no safe level of tobacco use, so even if you smoke a little, consider quitting.

If you drink alcohol, drink less - Heart disease risk increases with 7 or more standard drinks per week. Try to replace these with non-alcohol options, and if you are trying to relax or recharge, spend some time in nature or being active instead.

Manage your stress - Explore activities that help you manage your stress, such as mindfulness and yoga, journalling, and connecting

This model would see 2 beds co-located in Kemptville with another facility to reduce overhead costs and facilitate possible staff sharing models. The cost savings to the Ministry of Health and the taxpayer are significant for someone choosing a hospice bed versus a hospital bed.

This proposed model has been met with much enthusiasm by members of the North Grenville Council and partner agencies in the community. The Mayor of North Grenville has been a champion of this project since assuming her role 4 years ago and presented the proposal to the former Minister of Health Christine Elliot last January 2022.

Mayor Peckford and Council have been hearing from members of the community who have had firsthand experience supporting loved ones in the last stages of a terminal illness and who have not been able to access a palliative bed in our community.

Mayor Peckford has said that “families should not be put into the heart wrenching position of having to provide intensive care at home (with very limited support) around the clock for a terminally ill family member who does wish to die in a hospital. Travelling up to an hour or longer to support a loved one in a hospice facility in the Brockville and Ottawa areas is no longer acceptable when there is a viable option right here in North Grenville.”

MPP Steve Clark has also been a huge supporter of bringing residential beds to North Grenville since Beth Donovan approached him 20 years ago. However, we have not been able to make our dream a reality despite the surge of support that we have received for so many years.

You may wonder why we are writing this article at this time, and the answer is simple … we need your help. The more our community speaks out about the need for dedicated hospice beds, the more successful we will be in achieving our dream. How can you help?

You can contact Mayor Nancy Peckford and MPP Steve Clark and tell them how much you appreciate their support in making the 2 bed model come to fruition for our community.

Mayor Nancy Peckford can be reached at npeckford@northgrenville. on.ca and MPP Steve Clark can be reached at steve. clark@pc.ola.org

With Others

Manage your health - If you have a health condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, take control of your health and follow up with your health care team regularly. If you have been prescribed any medications for your health, take them regularly

Here are some tips for eating healthy for your heart.

A heart healthy diet includes foods low in saturated and trans fat, and sodium, and high in unsaturated fat, plant-based foods, vegetables and fruit, whole grains, and fibre. To cook with less fat, steam, boil, bake or grill your food more often than frying. Choose low fat dairy, limit butter and shortening, remove the skin from poultry, and drain the fat from cooked ground meat.

Include heart healthy fats in your diet by cooking with liquid oils such as olive oil, having omega-3 rich fish such as salmon or trout regularly, and including nuts and seeds and their butters often.

Choose plant based protein foods such as soy and tofu, beans, dried peas, and lentils regularly.

Cook with more vegetables and fruit by having a variety of canned and frozen vegetables and fruit on hand, adding shredded vegetables like carrots and zucchini to spaghetti sauce, and keeping containers of diced fresh vegetables in your fridge to use in recipes.

To reduce sodium, prepare your own meals often and add less salt. Flavour your food with herbs, spices, and flavourings such as garlic, ginger, and lemon juice.

Limit processed foods, choose low or no sodium options, and rinse canned vegetables and beans under cold water to wash away some of the salt.

To have higher fibre, choose whole grain or whole wheat options such as whole grain bread, brown rice, whole grain pasta.

Cook with whole grain options such as quinoa, barley, wild rice, and oats.

Add ground flax to smoothies, salads and muffins for a fibre boost.

Visit our website at healthunit.org, call us at 1-800-660-5853, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. Also visit unlockfood.ca for more information on heart healthy cooking, and ParticipACTION.ca for information on physical activity guidelines.