Community News
Sleep & Weight Gain: What’s the Link?

Lack of sleep can seriously affect your hunger and weight. When you don’t get enough rest, your body produces more ghrelin—the hormone that makes you feel hungry—and less leptin, which signals fullness. This imbalance can lead to increased cravings, especially for high-calorie, sugary foods. Sleep deprivation also affects how your brain makes decisions, making it harder to resist unhealthy snacks. Over time, poor sleep can slow your metabolism and lead to weight gain. Getting consistent, quality sleep helps regulate appetite, supports better food choices, and plays an important role in maintaining a healthy weight.

Local Spotlight: Heart to Home Meals

Heart to Home Meals delivers delicious, nutritious meals right to your door. The company’s team of experts has developed a wide-ranging menu to suit many tastes, dietary needs, and lifestyles, including high-protein, low carbohydrates and/or saturated fat, low sodium, high fibre, vegetarian, and no added sugar options. Heart to Home Meals has a useful diet coding system to help you choose meals that are right for you. Meals also come in mini versions (for smaller appetites), hearty versions (for larger appetites), as well as minced or pureed options. It’s as easy as ordering online or by phone!

Sleep & Weight Gain: What’s the Link?

Lack of sleep can seriously affect your hunger and weight. When you don’t get enough rest, your body produces more ghrelin—the hormone that makes you feel hungry—and less leptin, which signals fullness. This imbalance can lead to increased cravings, especially for high-calorie, sugary foods. Sleep deprivation also affects how your brain makes decisions, making it harder to resist unhealthy snacks. Over time, poor sleep can slow your metabolism and lead to weight gain. Getting consistent, quality sleep helps regulate appetite, supports better food choices, and plays an important role in maintaining a healthy weight.

Occupational Therapy for Disability Support

Occupational therapy plays a vital role in helping individuals with disabilities live more independently and improve their quality of life. Therapists work closely with clients to build skills needed for daily activities such as dressing, bathing, cooking, or working. They may also recommend adaptive tools, modify home or work environments, and teach strategies to manage physical or cognitive challenges. The goal is to promote independence, boost confidence, and support participation in meaningful activities. Whether recovering from an injury or living with a lifelong condition, occupational therapy offers personalized solutions that empower individuals to navigate life with greater ease and success.

Organize for Mental Wellness

Clutter isn’t just a physical nuisance; it’s a mental burden too. Research underscores the direct link between clutter and mental health. In a cluttered space, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and out of control. Home organizing services offer more than just a clean house; they provide a pathway to mental well-being. Clear the clutter and get organized with comprehensive suite of services, including decluttering, downsizing, styling, packing, and unpacking. Embrace the transformative power of organization for a happier, healthier life.

August Events for Seniors at RDPL

Creative Writing Crash Course (every Wednesday)
Red Deer Cancer Connect (August 5 & 19)
First Thursday Concert Series: Windwood Festival Musicians (August 7)
Затишні Вечори: Cozy Evenings for Ukrainian Seniors (August 20)
Sip n’ Stitch (August 21)
Happy Ever After Book Club (August 25) For full details, visit rdpl.org/events

Grocery Raffle

It’s back! We’re once again hosting our monthly Grocery Raffle, featuring one $500 and two $250 gift cards to a local grocery store. Who doesn’t need groceries these days?
Get your ticket today by calling 403-343-6074 or visiting us at 4620 47A Ave, Red Deer, AB.

Social Prescribing in Action

We wanted to share a heartfelt story from our Social Prescribing Program, which continues to make a meaningful difference in the lives of local seniors. Recently, a referral was made for a client who had lost his spouse. Living in a remote area with his son over 1,000 km away, he suddenly found himself alone and overwhelmed. His spouse had always managed their household responsibilities, and after her passing in 2024, he didn’t know where to begin putting his life back together.
Feeling lost and unsure how to navigate the mountain of paperwork and emotional strain, he was referred to a Link Worker through the Social Prescribing Program. Over the next few months, the Link Worker met with him regularly—helping him organize finances, maintain personal care, and most importantly, reconnect socially.
He was introduced to a senior drop-in group, where he started forming meaningful relationships. These connections supported his grieving process and eased his loneliness.
Looking back on the past year, he shared just how grateful he is for the support from The Golden Circle and the Social Prescribing team. He says he couldn’t have made it through alone—and that until meeting his outreach workers, he didn’t even know such services existed, let alone how to access them.
Today, he has a new, happier outlook on life, and encourages others:
“No one should have to face sadness, loneliness, and the loss of a spouse alone.”

Downsizing Solutions

In an evolving real estate market, many clients are turning to reverse mortgages to secure new properties for downsizing. Reverse mortgages provide financial flexibility, allowing clients to buy a new home before selling their current one. Some keep the old home as a backup, while others move out and renovate it for a higher sale price. With traditional mortgages and secured lines of credit becoming harder to qualify for, homeowners are leveraging reverse mortgages, which have no income requirements, to position themselves advantageously.

Relieve Pain with Custom Orthotics

Custom-fit orthotics can offer significant relief from knee and hip pain caused by arthritis. By improving alignment and distributing pressure more evenly, orthotics help reduce joint stress and improve mobility. I provide a full biomechanical assessment of the foot, knee, and hip, along with a gentle, precise custom casting process to ensure a perfect fit. This personalized approach targets the root of discomfort and supports long-term joint health. Safe, gentle, and effective, custom orthotics are a non-invasive way to ease arthritis symptoms and help you move with greater comfort and confidence every day.