Category filter: Recognizing & Dealing with Health Issues > Stroke

Bill McCracken went to bed one night feeling like a 40 year old and woke up the next day feeling like a 90 year old. A stroke will do that to you. But that doesn’t mean life is over. For the past few years, it’s been such an honour to work as a Community Navigator with people… Read more…

Watch our latest video, “Watch for the Signs” on how to recognize the “red flags” or “taking stock” of the people we care for and their abilities can be tricky to assess. Families often overlook the “signs” that the people they care for may need more help or care than they are willing to admit to. For long… Read more…

Summer is back, in all its glory. For some it also means an onslaught of heat-related issues, especially for seniors. Lethargy, dehydration, poorer sleeping patterns — just to name a few. We tend to take our body’s ability to regulate itself during hot days for granted, and forget that as we age, we are at… Read more…

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit not one hospital but two! After rupturing my Achilles tendon in a squash tournament, I was taken to our local hospital where upon arrival, I discovered I didn’t have my CareCard on me. Which surprised me, as I was certain it was something I kept in my… Read more…

  All of us know the expression, “Where there is a will, there is a way” and perhaps we’ve even used it when we want to motivate someone, (maybe ourselves), that with determination achieving something or anything is possible. As I thought about a topic for this week’s column, it struck me that the same… Read more…

  The Patient as Partners – Working Dialogue Group held its two-day conference in Vancouver last week. The BC Ministry of Health recently identified patient-centered care as one of their priorities and the purpose of this conference was to receive input from stakeholder on what patient-centered care should look like in BC. I was lucky… Read more…

When working with stroke survivors, it’s not uncommon for me to hear, “I didn’t even know I was having a stroke” until it was too late. I don’t know about you, but given the physical, emotional and cognitive impact of stroke, prevention is pretty high up on my list. Although I’m not a medical expert… Read more…

My Dad and I always got a kick out of seeing if people could figure out which of the following statements about us were fictitious: 1. We both celebrated the same birthday. 2. We both had brain surgery. 3. We both had webbed feet, making us exceptional swimmers. We got even more of a kick… Read more…

  Springtime and fitness often go hand in hand. Warmer weather and longer days provide the perfect motivation to put a little “spring” in our step. However, if you’ve been hibernating all winter, jumping back into a fitness regime can seem daunting. We have just the thing and her name is Kim Hamilton! She is… Read more…

Why won’t my Mother accept help?” “My father won’t stop driving and he has had numerous accidents this year. What should I do?” “My Great Aunt denies needing any help despite evidence of missed meals and unwashed hair. Can you get her to accept help?” Sound familiar? Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to these… Read more…