Community News
Volunteers Needed

The vital component of most of our programs at CV Senior Support are volunteers! While staff coordinate the pieces to make programs work, it is our incredible volunteers who venture into the community and provide the supports many of our clients depend upon.
Volunteering at Comox Valley Senior Support can range from a weekly phone call or in person visit to grocery shopping or assisting seniors to fill out forms and find resources. Volunteers are provided with training and support and opportunities for ongoing education.
As our volunteers retire, we need to replace them! If you have an interest in supporting seniors in your community, please contact the office at [email protected] or 250-871-5940 to find out more.

Did You Know?

• Peter Mark Roget published the first edition of Roget’s Thesaurus at 73 and oversaw every update until he passed away at 90.
• Grandma Moses began painting art at age 76 and painted almost daily until her death at age 101.
• Nelson Mandela was elected President of South Africa at 76.
• Laura Ingalls Wilder’s first book in the “Little House on the Prairie” series was published when she was 64.
• When Harriette Thompson ran in her fifteenth marathon, the Suja Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon, in 2014 she was 91.
• In 2018, at 95, Chau Thi Vo of Vaughan, Ontario, a prominent advocate for seniors in the Vietnamese community, was representing the Golden Age Village for the Elderly at fundraiser events and accompanying the Village’s board of directors to meetings with local politicians. She was also knitting hats and scarves for the homeless and leading charity efforts for disaster relief funds.

Social Prescribing

Social Prescribing is a pathway from your doctor or nurse practitioner’s office to local, non-clinical services for people who could use a little help connecting to their community or learning how to take care of their health and wellbeing. Due to Covid-19 the social prescribing program has been creatively adapted in order to continue supporting community members to meet health goals, connect with community resources and maintain wellbeing. Please call the program coordinator at 604-531-9400 ext. 204 or ask your Physician or Nurse Practitioner for more information.

Introducing: Seniors Walking Group

Let’s make 2022 all about healthy life choices starting with morning brisk walks. What better way to stay fit and make new friends? Seniors Come Share Society introduces our first ever Seniors Walking Group for seniors 55+. This fast-paced walking group allows you to enjoy time outdoors while being social. Starting January 19, 2022, at 9:30am, the group will meet around the Bakerview Park area. Walking sessions are for 2 hours. Please contact Shannen to register at 604-531-9400 ext. 203.

Exercise Helps Depression, Anxiety & Stress

During these times we must take care of our emotional health. Strength training provides similar improvements in depression as anti-depressant medications. Currently, it is not known if this is because people feel better when they are stronger or if strength training produces a helpful biochemical change to the brain. It is most likely a combination of the two. Strength training helps to ease stress and anxiety by reducing stress, it helps sharpen brain-power and increasing self-esteem. Lifting your mood can help relieve depression, boost your energy level helping you cope better with whatever comes your way in the run of a day.

Community Spotlight: Willow Medical Aesthetics

Willow Medical Aesthetics is a medical clinic specializing in women’s wellness and needs. Aging, combined with lifestyle and stress factors, brings unwanted visible effects, but with some help it is possible to retain a youthful appearance. The team at Willow Medical Aesthetics is committed to providing clinical treatments with excellent aftercare. Using only quality products and established procedures, with expert skincare and supplements, they can advise on your skin and feminine needs. Complimentary consultations allow clients to learn how the clinic’s Medical Aesthetics, Laser, and Spa treatments, can help them look and feel their best at any age.

Healthy New Year

If you find yourself considering a new year resolution but worry about follow-through, might I suggest exploring something you already love from a new angle? Anyone considered a professional in their field will say that it takes constant practice for refinement. Like to walk? Let’s look at how well your body moves throughout your gait. Find more ease, fluidity, speed and strength in your walk! Like to dance? Let’s break things down to the basics and make sure your different joints are moving well and in good coordination so that when you dance, you have the most grace and expression available to you! Any activity can benefit from refinement.

Staying Healthy in Winter with Diet

Winter is characterized by coldness, darkness, and dormancy, and we must adapt to it by using
more energy to stay warm and maintain homeostasis. Our mood tends to be more subdued
due to a decrease in sunlight, causing a drop in serotonin transmitters. Winter is an ideal time
to use food for nourishment and supplementation. Eat foods with a warm nature such as beef,
lamb, potatoes, yams, squash, ginger, cinnamon, apples, and pears. Eat more and rest more
which will preserve your energy for more fun in the summer and reduce the chances of getting sick or feeling depressed

What is Your Longevity Combination?

You know the feeling, you’ve tried it all: the anti-inflammatory diet, mindfulness, aerobics, probiotics, prebiotics, hiking, swimming in the ocean, self-help, TM, Atkins, Keto, injections, even contemplated more invasive treatments. Some worked short term, some not at all. Frustrating, your health and wellness still isn’t what you want. The perfect solution isn’t one thing, it’s a lifestyle, the daily/weekly practice of habits that are the perfect combination for you! Like the combination for a padlock, knowing and practicing your combination is key to “Owning YOU!”. Curious about your combination? Book a clarity call with Denise at whitecedarclinic.com

Shockwave Therapy: The Gold Standard

The FDA has approved the use of Shockwave Therapy (SWT) for the treatment of plantar fasciitis and other tendon injures. SWT is a non-invasive treatment that involves delivery of shock waves to injured tissue to ultimately reduce pain and promote healing. Multiple high-quality randomized clinical trials/research has provided substantial evidence that SWT is a safe and effective non-invasive option for treating tendinopathy & calcifications throughout the musculoskeletal system. At Origin Integrated Health we are currently yielding positive results using SWT for chronic injuries to tendons in the rotator cuff/shoulder, elbow, hip/hamstring, Achilles and plantar fascia.

Benefits of Sound Healing

Sound healing involves using sound vibrations to relax your mind and body, through the use of sacred instruments like tuning forks, gongs, or singing bowls, music, or simply the voice. These vibrations can help to promote energy flow, circulation, and rejuvenation, as well as activate de-stress responses in the body. This may lead to improved mood and sleep, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and lower stress levels. It may also provide some relief from depression, anxiety, autism, dementia, and post-traumatic stress disorder, among other conditions. You may find that different types of sound healing can produce different results.