Yorkton This Week | www.YorktonThisWeek.com | Wednesday, October 28, 2020
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SENIORS Our Monthly Feature ...For Seniors and about Seniors
Couple celebrates 75th anniversary While the bride and groom of a 75th wedding anniversary are traditionally expecting diamonds, it is family that brings sparkle to the lives of Bill and Anne Shewchuk. And on this approaching November 1st, 2020, because of the pandemic spreading across the world and even crawling into the prairie city of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, there won’t be a big family gathering that the Shewchuk’s are so well known for. Anne was born on October 5, 1924 in the Galician region of what is now western Ukraine. She and her mother joined their father in Canada when Anne turned 6 years old. They settled near Stenen, Saskatchewan and began the exhausting days of creating a farmyard, garden and fields. Bill’s family came from the Bukovina region of Ukraine and homesteaded near MacNutt, Saskatchewan. Bill was born here on December 22, 1921. As God plans, in June of 1945, Bill had an aunt and uncle who lived near Anne. They invited her to go for a Sunday drive to attend a church service in MacNutt. The two youth met at church, met a few more times, and by mid-October, Bill asked Anne to marry him. Anne laughs as she recalls them walking back into the house. Her dad took one look at her happy
Bill and Anne Shewchuk are celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary this year, just as they did their 70th seen here. expression and said, “Ya, when’s the wedding?” Well, both their fathers believed in quick engagements and winter was fast approaching. World War II was coming to a close, making a dress, veil and ring tough, but not impossible, items to find. A church was booked. Two weeks later, they were married and their guests were treated to a blustery, but festive November 1, Ukrainian wedding. As the guests entered the Shewchuk home, Anne nods. ‘You’ve been to Ukrainian wed-
dings. There was clapping and dancing and singing. The villagers were greeted to folk songs, polkas and kolomyjkas from the accordion, fiddle, and tsymbaly. We ate, sang, danced and celebrated. My one regret is that I have no picture of my wedding day.’ Celebrations came and went and so did hard work and hardships. They used their backs and know-how to create their home, tend animals, work fields and plant gardens. The most heart-wrenching day
of their life came when their first baby passed away from pneumonia in his first cold winter. Looking back, they grew their family into five beautiful children, who then gave them 13 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. For parties, plates are now set at the Queen Elizabeth Court dining room for over 50. Bill and Anne, 98 and 96, laugh. ‘What keeps us going? There is always another event to look forward to! Ukrainian weddings, Christmases, Easters,
holidays, first days of kindergarten and then graduations. We even have two great grandchildren being born in the next few months!’ There is no space to tell of the difficulties this
couple has overcome. Nor is there time to paint a picture of a couple who has loved their family unconditionally and instilled honesty, hard work, and integrity into this large group. They have no time to complain of what wasn’t, only thankfulness for what they’ve received. When asked what wisdom they can offer to us, Anne takes in a breath and out comes a flow of poetry. ‘Well…. We had sunshine and rain, tears and laughter. There was sickness and feeling good. Life is a mixture. You have to take these things as they come. But the secret is God’s blessing. Ask God for help for everything. And the Virgin Mary, she has done a lot for me. Don’t ever neglect her. She is the mother of God.’ Bill, Anne’s husband of 75 years, nods, and says ‘Yes, Mom (Anne) knows. Tell the world we thank everyone. Thank God also for all the health we’ve got.” — Submitted
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October 2020
Evelyn Pidhorney donates $150,000 to The Health Foundation The Health Foundation received an extremely generous donation of $150,000 from Evelyn Pidhorney. The donation will be used to assist the purchase of the new operating room and lab equipment that is critically needed in the hospital. “This is an exceptional and generous donation, that we are very grateful to receive,” said Ross Fisher, Executive Director of The Health Foundation. “The equipment Mrs. Pidhorney is helping us purchase will be used every day, and benefit thousands of people every year. Literally thousands of people will benefit directly and her generosity will also have a very positive impact for the community generally.” “I’m in my 80’s now and thought since I’m in a position to make larger
are planning your estate or getting to a stage in your life where you can make larger donations,” continued Pidhorney. “I hope other people think about how they might help their community as well.” “We are very fortunate at the Foundation to meet people like Evelyn who genuinely want to help others and receive nothing in return. Donations like this are remarkable as they are so selfless; Mrs. Pidhorney obviously wants to help her community and the people who live in this area,” said Fisher. Submitted Photo
Evelyn Pidhorney, left, with Ross Fisher, Executive Director of the Health Foundation. donations, now is a good time. I would like to see how my money is used and know it will benefit my community,” said
Pidhorney. “The important thing to me is that I want my money to be used locally, to benefit the community I’ve lived
in.” “I think it is important to consider what you can do to help your community when you
“This donation covers half the cost of the equipment we need to buy, and I trust we will raise the remainder of the money needed quickly. People respond to this kind of leadership, it will lend momentum to our
fundraising campaign,” continued. Fisher. “Of course, this equipment will be able to move to the new hospital when it is built.” Evelyn Pidhorney faced many challenges in her life, but she didn’t let those challenges impede her or define her. Evelyn had Polio when she was very young which left her with mobility challenges and she needed braces and crutches most of her life. Mrs. Pidhorney was a very determined woman, she knew she would face challenges in her life and wanted to put herself in a position to deal with them. She took correspondence courses to obtain her accounting degree and was eventually able to open her own business – E & P Agencies, and provided people with income tax, insurance and investment advice and service.
How to avoid drug interactions Hundreds of millions of people across the globe rely on medications for their survival. In fact, the percentage of people using prescription medications may surprise people who work outside the health care industry. According to the National Center for Health Statistics’ National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-16, nearly 46 percent of the population of the United States used prescription drugs in 2015-16. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that prescription drug use is similar in Canada, where the Canadian Health Measures Survey found that roughly two-thirds of adults between the ages of 40 and 79 used at least one prescription drug in a 30-day period. Prescription drugs may be vital to many people’s survival, but they also can prove deadly if mismanaged. That’s especially true for people taking more than one medication. Taking multiple medications each day may be necessary, but it’s equally necessary that people taking more than one medication every day take steps to
avoid drug interactions. • Discuss all medications with each of your doctors. Primary care physicians and specialists should be kept in the loop regarding which medications their patients are taking. Patients should never assume their doctors know every medication they’re taking. When pre-
scribed a new medication, mention to your prescribing doctor what else you are taking. Include prescription medications but also over-the-counter, or OTC, drugs, supplements and even vitamins. Use a notes app on your smartphone to create a running list of your medications so you can easily access it during doctor’s
Getting your
appointments. • Read all labels. Prescription drugs and OTC medications list potential side effects in different ways. Each prescription medication comes with a lengthy list of potential side effects, while OTC labels cite potential side effects in the “Warnings” section on their labels. Familiarize yourself with all potential side effects of a given medication prior to taking it. Err on the side of caution and wait to speak with your physician before taking an OTC medication you’re unfamiliar with. • Order all prescriptions from the same pharmacy. Ordering all prescriptions from the same pharmacy makes it easy to access all prescrip-
tions. Pharmacists can look up all prescriptions and crosscheck interactions that may result from taking certain medications at the same time. This safety net can be useful and convenient. • Utilize online resources. The Drug Interactions checker at www.drugs.com/drug_ interactions.html is a
convenient way to learn about the potential interactions that can result when taking more than one medication or even mixing it with certain foods or beverages. Drug interactions can be deadly, which only underscores the importance of being careful when taking more than one medication at a time.
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Yorkton This Week | www.YorktonThisWeek.com | Wednesday, October 28, 2020
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October 2020
Phase 2 of YDCF Masks for Seniors Project in 20 Communities As a continuation of the “Masks for Seniors� project, Yorkton & District Community Foundation members will deliver 3,060 masks to residents living in seniors housing units in twenty district communities. During phase 2, Yorkton & District Community Foundation connected with corporate donors to prepare mask kits for 279 seniors in housing author-
ity properties in Langenburg, Churchbridge, Kamsack, Preeceville, Norquay, Bredenbury, Ituna, Buchanan, Sturgis, Stenen, MacNutt, Springside, Saltcoats, Pelly, Tantallon, Grayson, Invermay, Dubuc, Calder, Theodore. Each kit contains a reusable cloth mask, ten disposable masks and information about care and proper use of masks. “Everyone involved in this project wants
seniors in our communities to know that their community cares about them,� said Bailey. “We hope that having masks readily available will support seniors living in housing authority properties if they wish to use a mask when out in the community or when six feet of separation can’t be maintained.� Phase one saw delivery in July of 6,600 masks to 600 seniors, residents of Good Spirit Housing
Getting your flu shot is MOST important this year! With our healthcare system being stretched to deal with COVID-19, we need to do all we can to help keep ourselves and our community healthy this winter. The flu shot has proven to be effective in reducing illness, hospitalization, and death. The flu vaccine is recommended to EVERYONE six months and older but is particularly important for people at high-risk of influenza complications: • seniors;
• people with underlying health conditions or compromised immune systems; • children; • pregnant women; and • caregivers and contacts of people at high risk. Healthy people can spread the virus to others before they start showing any signs of illness. Vaccinating healthy people can decrease the risk of transmitting the flu to those that are most
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vulnerable. Getting your flu shot will look different this year as physical distancing and sanitization procedures will need to be implemented. The Medicine Shoppe pharmacy will be offering flu shots on a by appointment basis. Appointments will help to ensure we can get patients in and out smoothly with the lowest risk to both patients and our staff. Key points for flu shots 2020: • COVID-19 screening will be required upon arrival for your flu shot. • Masks will be required to be worn by the person getting vaccinated. • Your pharmacist will be wearing all required PPE and sanitizing between patients. • You may be able to prefill a consent form. • Wear loose clothing or short sleeves. • Arrive on time, not early, for your appointment. Protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community this winter and Fight the Flu! Tricia Klassen Pharmacist/Owner The Medicine Shoppe
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Authority and Yorkton Housing Corporation properties, in Yorkton, Canora and Melville. During discussions with residents and charities about needs, the lack of masks for seniors living in smaller housing authority properties was identified as a further concern. Yorkton & District Community Foundation works with local charity groups to identify needs in the community, uses that information to make it easy for donors to connect with causes that matter to the donor, and builds endowment funds generating grants to support local charity pro-
jects, year after year. “Yorkton & District Community Foundation was launched last year to build a legacy of support in our communities,� said Yorkton & District Community Foundation president, Ray Bailey. “The Seniors Mask Project and the Community Emergency Fund are two ways to connect donors for immediate support during the pandemic.� Donating to the project are Grain Millers, Legacy Co-op, Canadian Tire, Baileys Funeral Home, Southern Document Solutions, Inc (Xerox Canada, Ltd.), Yorkton Rotary Club,
Does something not look right?
The Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan (FCAA) wants to educate family members and caregivers on how to protect seniors from financial scams and frauds. “As financial abuse affects many seniors in Canada, we want to provide information and resources that will help family members and caregivers identify and avoid exploitation of their loved ones,� the FCAA Securities Division Director Dean Murrison said. “Senior financial abuse is not always easy to recognize.
It’s important that family members and caregivers stay actively involved in a senior’s day-to-day life and tell them to call someone they trust before making any financial decisions.â€? Here are some red flags that may indicate a senior is being targeted by a fraudster: • A senior starts talking about a new “friendâ€? and their helpful financial advice. • A new friend, relative, or caregiver starts conducting financial transactions on behalf of the senior without proper authorization or through an unexpected
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and seamstress Judith Stewart. The Yorkton & District Community Foundation continues to welcome donations to the Community Emergency Fund from interested individuals and businesses. Yorkton & District Community Foundation members Andrew Rae, Rob McDill and Ray Bailey will deliver the kits which were put together by Victor Surjik and Evelyn Surjik. In total, the Yorkton & District Community Foundation, Seniors Masks Project will have distributed more than 9,600 masks to housing authority properties in 23 communities.
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power of attorney. • The senior expresses excitement over a financial windfall or prize cheque. • Noticeable changes in banking habits, such as NSF (non-sufficient funds) activity or inconsistent transactions. • They withdraw large sums of money from their bank accounts. • Suspicious signatures on cheques. • Behavioral changes such as depression, fear and/or memory loss. Here are some steps you can take to protect a loved one from financial scams and frauds: • Tell them not to give out personal or banking information if someone emails, texts or calls asking for it. • Make sure antivirus software is installed and up-to-date on their computer. • Tell them not to reply to sweepstake offers and unsolicited mail. • Stay actively involved in their dayto-day life and ask what happened during their day. • Tell them to call you or someone they trust before they make a financial decision. For more information about senior financial abuse visit: https:// fcaa.gov.sk.ca/financialliteracy/seniors/seniorfinancial-abuse.
just for SENIORS - IN PRINT AND ONLINE MONTHLY We want your feedback. Do you have a story idea or know a senior who should be highlighted? Contact us by phone 306-782-2465 or email sales@yorktonthisweek.com
OUR NEXT FEATURE - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25