Yorkton This Week | www.YorktonThisWeek.com | Wednesday, November 27, 2019
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SENIORS Our Monthly Feature ...For Seniors and about Seniors
The opening of Judy Niebergall’s exhibit, Fearless Explorer at the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery.
Judy Niebergall reflects on art By Cory Carlick Staff Writer You can’t say that people don’t know her art, and that’s putting it lightly. Local artist Judy Niebergall is a celebrity of sorts; one quick look around the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery confirms it. During her Fearless Explorer exhibit, there are throngs of art lovers; the hall is wall-to-wall packed with people. This isn’t anything new for Niebergall. All her showings are like this. The well-loved artist sat down with Yorkton This Week to talk about her remarkable 50 years of art. Known for her vivid hues in watercolour, Niebergall takes her inspiration from a wide variety of subjects. By no means does she work exclusively in watercolour. As part of her remarkable career in the visual arts, the Gallery put on an exhibit of her extensive portfolio. “Well, Don [Stein, of the Godfrey Dean Gallery] asked me to do a retrospect of different kinds of work I’ve done throughout my life, and he came out to the farm and picked out what he wanted. [He] made a few trips to gather up what he wanted. He also just
curated the whole show and put it all together. I didn’t have anything to do with that part of it. He is an expert at it, and he did a good job at it. “I painted since I was young at home. At Christmastime, my parents asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said paint by number because that was the only way I could get paint,” she laughed. “Then, I’d paint very thin paint with [the] paint by number so I’d have paint leftover to do my own thing. I liked the acrylic paint, but I also like watercolour and I’ve explored a lot of other mediums, too. Ink, and pastels. I just like to try everything.” Watercolour in particular, however, is something that this artist gravitates toward. “I just like the flow of the watercolour and you can tip your paper in different ways to attach it to a board. For example in the one [painting] with the fish, the water looks like it’s running down the page. It’s just experimenting with a lot of different mediums and mixing up my own paint from pigments. It’s just really been a lot of fun.” Inspiration for her art comes from close to home, too.
Judy Niebergall “Life on the farm. I’ve explored different kinds of ideas. Just, life in general and I know I like to have a sense of humour about it. I started the penguin cartoons, and painting watercolours and going to craft-
shows. I really enjoyed the craft shows. I enjoyed the craft shows so much, there were so many nice people, in three different provinces and I got to be friends with them. It was a lot of fun going to craft shows. I would
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trade my work for pottery, and stuff like that. That’s what artists do, at the end of a show. They trade what they do – trade somebody’s work
for something they don’t do. It just was a really fun way to do things and it worked out really well with farming because we farmed all summer and we had all winter to go to craft shows and meet people. It was a lot of work though, for my husband,” she laughs. “Carrying boxes for everybody. But he never complained, ever, and we tried to build a stand a few times. The first time I had a show in Yorkton, it was in the street here – and we had a street fair. Somebody said, ‘Well, why don’t you go to Regina with this art?’ So, we packed up the paintings and we framed, packed all this up and we got there. But because we didn’t know what we were doing, we didn’t take a stand. We didn’t Continued on Page A18
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just for SENIORS
November 2019
Learn about causes of adult hearing loss By learning about what impacts hearing loss, people can make changes to prevent damage. Hearing loss is quite common and can impact people’s lives in profound ways. Although there are some treatments that can improve one’s ability to hear and communicate, many people are interested in learning about the ways they may be able to prevent hearing loss in the first place. Medical experts advise that hearing loss can be caused by different factors. Learning about these causes can help individuals make smart decisions at a young age to prevent future hearing loss when possible. In certain circumstances, hearing loss may be unavoidable. In such instances, audiologists, or doctors specializing in hearing, can help.
Conductive hearing loss Conductive hearing loss refers to problems with the ear canal, ear drum or middle ear and its bones.
ible. Age-related hearing loss is called presbycusis and is marked by muffled or unclear speech. Treatment with assistive hearing devices can help improve hearing. • Trauma to the ear or head may impact hearing. Wearing protective gear during sports or
other activities can protect against neurological damage that may cause hearing loss. • Damage to the inner ear can result from prolonged exposure to loud noises, states the Mayo Clinic. These noises cause wear and tear on the hairs or nerve
cells in the cochlea that send sound signals to the brain. When these hairs or nerve cells are damaged or missing, electrical signals aren’t transmitted as efficiently, and hearing loss occurs. Using hearing protection and turning down the volume can help. • Ménière’s disease is an inner ear problem of unknown origins. It usually starts in people between the ages of 30 and 50. Dizziness and ringing of the ear are common, and hearing loss comes and goes. Some loss can become permanent. • Viruses and diseases as well as family history also may play a role in SNHL. In some instances, hearing loss may be the result of a combination of factors. Anyone finding their hearing has become less acute should visit with an audiologist.
want to live anywhere else. “For me, it’s perfect, living on the farm. Driving is easy here. When we lived in Calgary, I used to drive in Calgary but we went back on the farm. There’s no way I’d drive in Calgary now because of the weather changes, the fast traffic.” What’s next for Niebergall is a special permanent exhibit. “I thought what I’d like to do with my paintings, because if your house is full, it’s hard to add on – I spent a lot of time with
my mother and my mother in law when they were in the nursing home, and there’s a room. They have a long hallway and we’d walk up and down [this hallway]. You know, when you go, it’s where they take [the residents] for exercise. They have this wall, called ‘Artist Lane’. But there’s only five pictures in it, and it never changed. They were done by somebody I know, but he just left them there; he was in one of my classes. So I went, you know, I’m going to fill that hallway up with paintings so that
people that live there and people that visit, have somewhere to go and talk about the paintings. If I keep them, it’s sort of, I don’t just paint for myself. I’m not just decorating my house. I’m painting because I paint. And if the house is full of paintings, what am I going to do with them? So, I thought I would really like to that with them. “I did talk quite a while ago with one of the directors there, and she said ‘We would love to have those paintings.’”
Some of the causes of conductive hearing loss include: • Otitis media is an infection of the middle ear in which fluid accumulation can interfere with the movement of the eardrum and ossicles. • Impacted earwax also can cause hearing problems. • Fluid in the middle ear may obstruct hearing. • Otosclerosis, which is a middle ear disease, can make it difficult for the tiny bones in the middle ear to move. Surgery can correct the problem. • Malformation of the outer ear, ear canal or middle ear structure can impact hearing as well.
Sensorineural hearing loss Sensorineural hearing loss, or SNHL, occurs due to problems of the inner ear. It is often referred to as nerve-related hearing loss. • Aging is a common cause of hearing loss that may not be revers-
NIEBERGALL Continued from Page A17 take anything to hang the paintings on! So we hung them on what was a wire fence, that we were allowed, so we hung them on the fence. Got the job done, and I sold lots of paintings that day. It really encouraged us to keep on going, and like I say, I couldn’t have done
it without my husband helping me all along the way. Carrying all this stuff, and hanging, and bringing it all home. I met so many nice people. “Then, I was asked to do all these private shows in houses in Regina. Did that for a while, too. Then we started going to different places and meet-
ing people. You know, it’s been good.” Support has also been crucial. “[With this exhibit], so many people came in the cold weather. Because I’ve lived here almost all my life, I know a lot of people. They’re wonderful people, and I wouldn’t
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Yorkton This Week | www.YorktonThisWeek.com | Wednesday, November 27, 2019
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November 2019
All five senses matter as we feed our seniors Written by Chef Michael Smith Fortifying our bodies and minds with healthy food and engaging conversation is critical to elevating the daily life of seniors. And when it comes to ensuring seniors gain the utmost enjoyment of their food, we need to pay close attention to how we respond to each of their five senses. It’s no surprise that, as we age, our senses change. It’s not just our hearing and sight that become less acute. All five of our senses diminish as we move through time, altering the way we experience the world. A research project by Sodexo and the University of Ottawa called the Five Senses Study was initiated to develop best practices to support seniors. The study focused on ensuring that the tastes, smells, sights, sounds and touches they experience everyday translate into improved quality of life and well-being. The issue of food and aging is close to my heart, not only because I’m a chef, but because my dad lives in an assisted living facility. Fortunately, he resides in a residence
that takes food, nutrition and fellowship very seriously. As a result, mealtime is the highlight of his day. For him, the enjoyment is mostly centered around social interaction with residents and staff. The healthy and tasty food on offer is the icing on the cake. By being intentional and carefully considering how we feed our seniors’ souls, minds and bodies, we can enhance their quality of life. In November, I’m joining a group of residents at a retirement community to share a family style meal and raise awareness of the various ways communal eating and the five senses connect us to food. The Five Senses Study sends a clear message about seniors’ care: simple things make all the difference. Taste, of course, is the sense we think of most when we talk about food. And while routine and familiar foods can be comforting, introducing new flavours, spices and ingredients keeps things interesting. We also need to think about temperature and texture, and pay attention to what our palettes respond to, whether it be sweet,
Chef Michael Smith has some advice for cooking for seniors. savory, spicy or sour. Aromas are the quickest way to send our minds back to childhood. For me, whenever I pull a carrot out of the ground on my PEI farm, I think of my grandma. From the smell of the soil, I can taste the flavour of the
carrot before I’ve even washed it. As we age, our sense of smell often diminishes, lessening our ability to taste. At home, putting a pot of water on the stove with cinnamon sticks creates a comforting environment. In retire-
ment facilities an open kitchen area helps residents better smell food — which can stimulate appetite. Seniors with low vision often have difficulty distinguishing between similar colors. Long-term care communities can compensate with meals featuring high-contrast colors to help residents see the different items on their plates. We know there is a direct correlation between a colourful diet and healthy eating. In general terms, the more colourful the plate, the more nutritious it is. A beautifully laid out salad bar, for example, is full of colour, textures and stimulating taste combinations. Hearing loss is an issue for many of our seniors. And since we want to encourage social conversations along with a healthy meal, we need to consider the sounds around the table. The many benefits of communal eating can be nullified if ambient noise levels are high. By minimizing background noise from heating and cooling systems, equipment and cleaning services, we make it easier for residents to connect with conversation.
The fifth sense is, of course, touch. When preparing meals for seniors, paying attention to the texture of food and how it feels in our mouth is important. When flavour is released slowly with every chew, people are encouraged to eat more. A good balance of crunchy vegetables, nutty whole grains, silky soups and tender lean proteins makes for a more interesting meal experience. One thing I know with certainty is that who’s at the table is every bit as important as what’s on the table. The act of sharing, passing the bread, connecting with each other as we touch our glasses and celebrate the bounty of food is wonderful for the soul. I learned the power of the table from my father and for that, I am forever grateful. About Chef Michael Smith: Chef Michael Smith, one of Canada’s bestknown chefs, is a passionate advocate for simple, sustainable home cooking and an inspiration for families creating their own healthy food lifestyle. He has been an active supporter of Sodexo’s Stop Hunger Foundation for 15 years.
Don’t fall for Trip Hazards! It’s an unfortunate fact of life that there tends to be a correlation between an aging population and hospitalization rates. With Canada being comprised of an ever-growing number of senior citizens, it’s important to know what’s causing these hospital visits so we can help address these causes as a society. November 6 – 12 was National Senior Safety Week and this year, the Canada Safety Council shed light on the most common causes of injuryrelated hospitalizations among seniors. As a demographic, Canadians over the age of 65 are disproportionately represented in hospitalization statistics, which prompts the question: what can we do to help? According to Statistics Canada, seniors aged 65 and above account for 35 per cent of our population – and this number is likely to continue its upward trend in the near future. And yet, according to new research by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, this same demographic is represented in 51 per cent of all injuryrelated hospitalizations in Canada in 20172018. (Hospitalization is defined as a patient being admitted and spending at least one night in the hospital.) An overwhelming majority of these 137,568
cases were fall-related, too – a whopping 81 per cent of all senior injury hospitalizations in 20172018 were due to falls. Comparatively, falls represent only nine per cent of all injury hospitalizations in Canada between 2015 and 2018. “In an aged population there are many influences that contribute to falls and injuries” said Gareth Jones, President of the Canada Safety Council. “The valued and often vulnerable members of this segment of our society rely on assistance and proactive measures to ensure their safety and ultimately their quality of life. Let’s work together and do our part to assist.” If you’re helping to take care of a senior,
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fall prevention must be at the forefront of your mind. Between physical conditions, deteriorating health and potential medication side-effects, falls can be much more likely to occur. Follow these tips and you won’t have to live in fear of dealing with the repercussions of a serious fall. Physical activity can reduce the chances of a fall. Gentle exercise can improve flexibility, balance and muscle strength; all of these are important factors in maintaining stability. Make sure living areas are well-illuminated. Bright lighting makes it easier to spot potential trip hazards ahead of
time and avoid them. This should include a bedside lamp within reach of the bed, hallways, staircases and bathrooms. Consider keeping a few flashlights in easy-to-find places as well. Along those same lines, keep living areas as clear and free of trip hazards as possible. Keep furniture, boxes, electrical cords and any loose objects away from high-traffic areas. Loose rugs should be secured with double-sided tape or tacks to avoid slipping. Invest in a good pair of non-slip shoes. While convenient and comfortable, slippers and slick-soled shoes can be contributing factors in falls, as can wearing
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only socks. Comfortable non-slip shoes can also reduce joint pain and contribute toward more stability. Install rails, grab bars and other assistive devices around the house, especially highmobility areas like staircases and bathtubs. For
everyday use, consider a cane or a walker as well. A healthy senior community benefits all Canadians and eases the strain on our healthcare system. It’s our responsibility to ensure that we’re doing our part to keep our loved ones out of harm’s way!
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