“I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this”, thought Emma French as she lifted the last morsel out of an otherwise pristine litter box. In 2020 French, a young senior contracted an auto immune disorder making daily chores more difficult. But she knew that as long as she could clean her cat’s litter box, she could continue withe benefit of owning her pet cat. Studies … [Read more...] about The benefits and pitfalls of owning a pet
Seniors
OAS changes bring a bit of extra cash
Are you 75 or older? Do you know someone who is? Get ready for a little bonus! You (or they) are in for a bit of extra cash in the coming year due to some tweaks happening to the Old Age Security (OAS) system. A bit of background. The self-proclaimed purpose of the OAS program is “to ensure a minimum income for seniors and help reduce the incidence of low income … [Read more...] about OAS changes bring a bit of extra cash
The gifts of aging
Just before the pandemic of 2020 shut down the world, my family celebrated my 80th birthday at a local restaurant. My gifts included a beautiful album that reviewed my years with photos and notes from my children and grandchildren. The next day, two friends surprised me with a seafood dinner and a gift of 80 roses! Through the years, my husband and I have received other … [Read more...] about The gifts of aging
Do you remember?
“Do you remember?” is one of questions that anyone living with dementia will struggle to answer. It just slips off the tongue and the next thing you know, you’ve put them in the very difficult place of trying to do something (remember) that is not possible. It took me a while to train myself not to ask this of the seniors whose memories had faded. I used to approach them and … [Read more...] about Do you remember?
Supporting elderly seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic
With more than 700 seniors residing on our campus-of-care, there is a wide range of interactions and levels of supporting elderly seniors from families during this COVID-19 pandemic. As I write this today, we have reached 100 days of lockdown. This has meant there have been no visitors in the long-term care homes, and only socially distanced visits for those who live in … [Read more...] about Supporting elderly seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic