WINNIPEG
December, 2011
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A VIRTUAL WAY OF DEALING WITH
real death and dying By Gaylene Dempsey
When your loved one is dying and you don’t know where to turn, Canadian Virtual Hospice will always be there no matter what the time of the day or night. Canadian Virtual Hospice is an innovative web site offering information and resources for palliative and end of life care, loss and grief, all subjects that seem difficult to broach if you’ve never dealt with them before. Launched in 2004, Canadian Virtual Hospice came to fruition when the founders noticed a gap in information and resources in the area of palliative care for caregivers and families as well as for professionals. And since statistics bear out that 70 per cent of Canadians are looking for health information online, a web presence made perfect sense.
Tricia Yerex, marketing manager, says Canadian Virtual Hospice has developed a team of 11 clinical team members – doctors, nurses, social workers, spiritual ethicists – who collaborate on content for the site. Articles entitled “When Death is Near” and “Guide to Making Tough Decisions” have been created exclusively for Canadian Virtual Hospice as well as topical information on many other pertinent issues at end of life. There's also a gallery featuring video clips of palliative care experts, patients and families on a range of topics. Every month, up to 30,000 people visit virtualhospice.ca. which is fully bilingual. Yerex says the section entitled Ask a Professional tends to get the most hits. More than 1,500 questions have been asked by patients, families and health care providers through the Ask a Professional feature. People can post a question on anything related to end of life, loss, grief and care, and receive an answer from Canadian Virtual Hospice's clinical team within three business days. Visitors
“A man’s dying is more the survivors’ affair than his own.” THOMAS MANN receive answers with current information customized to individual situations. Under the Asked and Answered section visitors can also immediately access dozens of past topics that have been addressed and may be comforted in the fact that they are not the only one to have faced the same questions. Kim Grant says she is indebted to Canadian Virtual Hospice. Her daughter Karalee was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer when she was only 19 years old and as her condition deteriorated over four years, Grant found she had many questions, medical and otherwise, that needed answering. She recalls reading the whole web site from start to finish, but many of her questions would arise after caring for her daughter in the evening and putting her to sleep. “It’s an amazing site and it’s available 24/7,” she recalls. “I could go online at 3 am and ask a question and sometimes I’d hear back the very next day.”
Grant says the compassionate answers and the availability are helpful for anyone coping with the strain of an ill or dying family member. Karalee passed away at age 23 and Grant says she wants everyone to know how invaluable Canadian Virtual Hospice was for her journey. "You have no idea how helpful that can be when you're stressed out and dealing with illness," she points out. "I felt so fortunate to have this resource.” While the majority of users hail from cities, Yerex adds the site was also designed with rural communities in mind, to give them the same access to expertise in the field. It is particularly helpful when people are care-giving from a distance and need to access information and resources in their area. If you're in Ontario, but your parent is in need of care in Saskatchewan, continued on page 3
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WINNIPEG
Have an ICE time skating this winter
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hether you prefer the great outdoors or a rink, ice skating offers so many pluses as a winter activity, it’s no wonder it’s a favorite among all age groups. Glide gracefully for a relaxing spin around the pond or pump up to a workout with intervals of speed and power. Skating uses large muscle groups of the legs and abdominals to keep your balance so it’s a good idea to gently stretch the hamstrings, calves, thighs and hips.
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If you are an adult starting from square one, you may want to invest in a few lessons to have someone demonstrate the basics. Gordon Linney is an awardwinning coach ( for 53 years!) and has been with Skate Winnipeg since 1986. He enjoys teaching all levels of skaters and has coached competitors at the National Level. He strongly suggests the CanSkate program taught through Skate Winnipeg. “Though some adults take part in lessons alongside their kids, they have evening sessions specifically for grown-ups.” he says. “Regardless of age, every novice skater will have to master balance first.” Anyone who learns to skate in a rink will gravitate to the boards for support, but Linney doesn’t recommend using a chair or frame because it can become a hazard and will very likely just delay developing balance on your own. After learning to simply remain upright, the next step is to get moving. Bending your knees is necessary to being able to push off. To start moving, the blade of the skate bites into the ice as you push back and slightly to the side at about 30 degrees. Anyone who has learned to in-line skate will find the sense of balance and the side-to-side stroke very familiar. Lengthening the stride and increasing balance is a matter of time and practice. Starting from square one to being able to push off, glide and come to a stop requires a time frame of about 6 to 8 hours – usually no more than an hour at a time – is average. As with any sport or activity, learning will come a whole lot more easily with the right equipment. For skates, the checklist is 1) fit – boots are meant to be snug but not tight. 2) support – used skates are fine as long as there is still support in the ankle, 3) sharpness – this is what literally gives you an edge to be able to move and come to a stop so make sure your skates are free from rust and nicks. A dull blade will simply slip off the surface . As tempting as it may be to pad the boot with another pair of socks for added warmth, Linney says a single, warm pair of wool or cotton to keep feet dry is your best bet. Too much bulk in socks and the boot may not fit properly anyways. For listings of city of Winnipeg arenas and schedules, go to www.winnipeg.ca/ cms/recreation/facilities/arenas/arenas.stm Join us at www.Winnipeg WellNews.ca for additional resources on learning ‘how to’ and where to skate in Winnipeg. ■
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Add a Canadian flavour To add a distinctively Canadian touch to your holiday feast, not to mention flavor and fibre to boot, wild rice makes a terrific base. To make the whole recipe gluten-free, just substitute a bread made from a nonwheat flour. What we like about wild rice aside from the slightly nutty taste, is the texture. As long as you don’t over-cook, it won’t get mushy. To keep the recipe vegan, just substitute vegetable broth for the chicken stock and omit the bacon. Thanks to Naosap Harvest for allowing us to reproduce their recipe.
Traditional Canadian Organic Wild Rice Stuffing 3 cups cooked Naosap Harvest Certified Organic Wild Rice www.naosapharvest.com 2 cups finely cubed bread 2 onions, chopped 1/2 cup butter 2 strips of bacon, fried and crumbled (optional) 3 Tbsp flour 1 cup chicken broth 1/4 tsp sage 1/4 tsp thyme 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper
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DIRECTIONS Saute onion in butter. Stir in flour; cook for 1 minute. Add broth; cook, stirring until smooth and thickened. Add remaining ingredients; toss lightly. Makes enough stuffing for a 6 - 8 pound (3 - 4 kg) bird.
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VARIATIONS To put the "festive" into your stuffing, add any of the following: 1/2 cup blanched, roasted almonds (just brown in a dry frying pan) 1/2 cup Burgundy red wine (in place of some of the broth) 3/4 cup sliced, fresh mushrooms 1/2 cup dried cranberries COOKING WILD RICE Take one cup of uncooked Canadian organic lake grown wild rice and rinse, drain and rinse again. Put the uncooked organic wild rice and 3 to 4 cups of water in a heavy saucepan. You can add seasonings for flavour. Examples: salt, lemon pepper, chicken or beef bouillon cubes, or chicken or beef broth (would replace water). Bring water to a boil and stir. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 40-50 minutes or just until kernels puff open. Be careful not to overcook as with any rice it gets mushy. Drain any excess liquid. For chewier texture cook less time. Yield: 3-4 cups of cooked wild rice.
Real Death and Dying continued from page 1
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the Program and Services section provides an outline and contact information for palliative care associations, home care programs, residential hospices, support groups and bereavement services. Virtual Hospice is located in Winnipeg and operates with the support of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and CancerCare Manitoba. “End of life is something that will touch everyone,” says Yerex. “Canadians should know about it to help make the time a little easier because we will all face it at one point in their lives.” Grant found people around her – including health care professionals – seemed hesitant to discuss her daughter's impending death. “It's like the elephant in the room,” she recalls. “Nobody really wants to talk about it but it’s so necessary to know what to do.” www.virtualhospice.ca ■
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WINNIPEG
The ALS Society of Manitoba Wants you to Lite up a Life this Christmas. Help to Lite the bulbs on the trees in the front yard of the Brummitt-Feasy ALS House 3 bulbs for $5 or 7 bulbs for $10 Lite a whole tree (150 bulbs) for $150
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CONTACT US! You can reach the Publisher — Mireille Theriault — at mireille@winnipegwellnews.ca, by calling 887-2999, or leaving your comments and questions on our discussion board at www.winnipegpwellnews.ca The information in this publication is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice. We encourage our readers to always conduct their own research into any treatments or programs and to consult with a medical professional prior to the start of same. Winnipeg WellNews is published monthly with 2,000 print copies per zone distributed through waiting rooms at most walk-in medical centers, dentists, chiropractors, alternative health practitioners, natural food and nutritional supplement stores as well as fitness and exercise facilities...wherever health and wellness matters. Printing and design by Contemporary Printing Services Inc.