u


Giving elderly


confidence to enjoy the outdoors


Continued from page 1


died at younger ages, emphasizing the importance of human connections.


If regular exercise is one of the building blocks of preventative medicine, one might assume peo- ple are regularly exercising. However, a Statistics Canada survey revealed that only 15 per cent of Ca- nadians are getting the recommended 150 minutes of exercise a week. The report also found that adults are sedentary for 9 ½ hours a day, that’s 70 per cent of their waking hours.


Krystal Simpson Healthy Living


So how do we get people moving? One answer may lie in in- dustry and technology. Some people have the desire to be more active, but with age and declin- ing mobility no longer have the confidence. Perhaps they’ve stopped walking their dog in our Manitoba winters in fear of slipping on an


icy sidewalk, or they no longer feel safe walking alone at night.


Now imagine a mobile help button that went ev- erywhere you did and could pinpoint your location in the event of an emergency.


Victoria Lifeline recently introduced the GoS- afe mobile pendant to the Winnipeg market and they have high hopes it will help people get mov- ing with more confidence. “This is really a game changer for us,” said Randy Williams, acting direc- tor of Victoria Lifeline. “Traditionally we’ve been able to support individuals who want to feel safe and secure at home. This new generation of Life- line help buttons gives people the freedom to go where they want, when they want.”


The GoSafe mobile personal emergency response service offers 24/7 access to help both inside the home and outside on the go. Randy explains, “With advanced geo-location technology and the fall de- tection feature built right into the button, GoSafe marries innovation with usability in this ground- breaking product.” Recognizing that people need a button that goes where they do, GoSafe includes six advanced locating technologies that can quickly find the subscriber when they need help. (Note, however, that Lifeline may not always be able to determine location, depending on cellular network availability and coverage.)


GoSafe uses assisted GPS (satellite systems)


and Wi-Fi locating technology to utilize Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the city. It also has two-way voice communication right through the button and an audio beacon that can be activated by the Life- line Response Centre if a person falls outside, for example, and cannot be easily seen by emergency personnel.


Victoria Lifeline education facilitator Sandra Duma said the button can be used to keep people in touch right across Canada and so far the re- sponse from clients has been excellent. “We recent- ly installed GoSafe for a woman who travels to see her daughter in Hamilton twice a year. She loved the idea of being able to use the button wherever she goes.”


Sandra noted that GoSafe is an excellent option for people of all ages and abilities. “GoSafe is right for people who are active or want to be more active and don’t want anything to jeopardize their inde- pendence. It gives people the peace of mind to go out and enjoy their life.”


For more information on GoSafe, please visit www.victorialifeline.ca or call (204) 956-6777. Community presentations are also available free of charge. Krystal Simpson is a communications officer with Victoria Lifeline, a community service of the Victoria General Hospital Foundation.


4 www.lifestyles55.net


Krista Tellier (second from left), Janet Fost (far left), Maureen Chouinard (third from right), and members of the Special Care Unit at Deer Lodge Centre, in front of one of two murals created in Dave Fost’s memory.


Ryan McBride T


he wall murals on the special care unit at Deer Lodge Centre might not look at first like more than colourful flights of whimsy, painted at the ends of corridors for decorative effect. But to the patients living in the unit — also known as Tower 3 — the murals are optical illusions designed to fulfill a very special purpose. Tower 3 is home to more than 80 residents living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Alzheimer's, which affects mostly people 65 and older, wreaks havoc with memory and thinking. It grows steadi- ly worse over time. “It’s a horrific disease with no known cure,” says Mau- reen Chouinard, a manager of resident care for Deer Lodge’s dementia care program. Two of the unit’s three wards are dedicated to residents exhibiting some of the more challenging behaviours associated with the disease. “These residents can be physically and verbally aggres- sive. They can scream for hours, act out in inappropriate ways,” Maureen says.


Residents in these wards are free to come and go from their rooms and common areas, but doors to unsafe areas are locked for their safety. The doors, however, create a problem for some residents by triggering feelings of panic and entrapment. And that’s where the murals come in, says Maureen: “Disguising the exits by painting murals over them eliminates those triggers.” Krista Tellier has seen the chaos created by locked doors in Tower 3. Her father, Dave Fost, was a resident there until he passed away in 2015. “I’d often see resi- dents trying to get out, or waiting at the door for some- one to take them home, or begging me to keep the door closed because they were afraid of what was on the other side. The staff spent a great deal of time gently guiding them to other parts of the ward. The murals reduced that anxiety. That’s a big win — both for the residents and for the staff.”


The murals are partly her doing. Inspired by stories of similar features in other healthcare facilities, Krista and her family launched the Dave Fost Memorial Fund to raise money for two of the murals that now grace the walls of Tower 3. The artist worked closely with the family to cre- ate a work of art that would soothe the ward’s residents


while serving as a tribute to her father’s memory. The murals evoke the landscape and wildlife of Newfoundland where Dave grew up, and include visual tributes to his strong faith.


Diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in his 50s, Dave moved into Deer Lodge in his 70s. Prior to that, his wife cared for him until home care could no longer provide support.


“He was a smart, inspiring man with limitless energy,” says Krista. Through his work in church outreach and youth ministries, Dave strove hard to make a difference in the lives of others. Far from shutting his spirit down, his Alzheimer’s diagnosis gave him a new sense of purpose. He became an advocate for the Alzheimer’s Society, lead- ing support groups for those with the disease and coach- ing caregivers. “He never hid the fact of his condition from anyone. He believed in confronting reality head- on.”


Krista admits that as the disease progressed, her dad could be aggressive, paranoid and fearful. But when he arrived at Deer Lodge, he was unable to speak or walk. Physiotherapy and a drastic reduction in medication gradually drew him out of an almost comatose state. “Six month after arriving here, he said ‘Krista’. It was the first time I’d heard him say it in over a year. Two months later, we were able to walk him down the street to Sargent Sundae. Ice cream and walking — two of his favourite things.”


Krista credits her father’s remarkable improvement to Deer Lodge staff. “My mom and I were Dad’s caregivers. Nobody cared about his day-to-day quality of life more than we did — until he moved into Deer Lodge. “The staff here treated him like family, not because it was their job, but because they really, truly cared. They acted like they were working in his home — not like he was living in their workplace.”


The murals are as much a testament to their outstand- ing care, she says, as to her father. “As a family, we felt like we lost the years Dad spent living in those other plac- es – but that we gained them back during his time at Deer Lodge.”


The Dave Fost Memorial Fund is still open and rais- ing funds for equipment to improve the quality of life for residents living in Deer Lodge Centre’s Special Care Unit. For more information, visit deerlodgefoundation.ca.


u We all can benefit from yoga Continued from page 1


as flexible as a Cirque du Soleil per- former to enjoy yoga, it’s time to take another look.


Yoga is for every- one at every level. Those who have had fibromyalgia,


sci-


atica, carpal tunnel or bulging disks are now feeling wellness and learning self-care. Yoga with a focus on pelvic floor health is great for both men and women who suf- fer from incontinence. On


an emotional


level, we’ve seen huge increases in well- being for those who suffer from medically- diagnosed anxiety or


emotional weight of helping a loved one with health issues, yoga can be a powerful healer. For athletes who have had injuries and had to slow the body down, yoga has been amazing in restoring joint, ligament and tendon health and increasing range of motion. Yoga is part- ly about getting in touch with your body and learning how to self-regulate emotions – abilities that we lose sight of in our busy worlds.


Janet Cranston Fit for Life


depression. For anyone who is deal- ing with a chronic disease that is cre- ating stress in their lives or with the


It is never too late to start yoga. If you have a hard time get- ting on and off the


floor, you can still participate and benefit from yoga. Yoga can be done from a chair. You will just need to


look for a yoga studio or fitness facil- ity that offers chair yoga. So, if you’ve never practiced yoga, where do you start?


Virtually all types of yoga improve strength, flexibility and balance. The more intense styles can also help you shape up and trim down. Look for a beginner yoga class to start and then when you begin to feel more comfort- able with the practice of yoga you can explore the many different options. Also make sure you go to a repu-


table yoga studio or fitness facility that offers yoga and ensure the yoga instructors are certified. A good yoga instructor will be able to guide you to the best type of yoga to meet your goals and health concerns. “When you find peace within your- self, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others” ~ Peace Pilgrim.


Janet Cranston is director of health and fitness, Reh-Fit Centre.


May 2017


Murals bring calm to Alzheimer patients


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