Written by Kimberly Johnston
June is Stroke Awareness month in Canada. There are 62,000 strokes in Canada each year – that is one stroke every nine minutes. 405,000 Canadians are living with the effects of stroke. We had the honour of chatting with a few stroke survivors about their experience, struggles and advice for everyone.
My best friend Jennifer lives in Nova Scotia, that’s about 1,791.4 km from her 90 year old grandfather who lives in Toronto. She adores her grandfather above any other human in the world and I can see why he’s a lovely man who lives by his motto “I only know nice people”. I live much closer to him than Jennifer, only about 1.2 km away, so I meet up with him from time-to-time for coffee and a chat.
14 Exercises to Improve Balance and Strength
Written by Kimberly Johnston
I always believed that strokes only affect the elderly.
My father had a stroke which led to his death. He was almost 70 years old, and though he wasn’t overweight, his diet consisted mainly of high fat and carbs and he had been a heavy smoker all of his life. While I was devastated, I wasn’t very surprised.
As a caregiver you probably feel like you know more about the person you're caring for than yourself. From health issues, medication schedule, dietary needs to the smallest changes in their mood, trying to have everything in hand and under control is a lot.
Finding the perfect gift is often challenging and can be especially difficult when shopping for older parents or grandparents. Here are a few creative and inexpensive ideas:
1. Custom Photo Books
A story of history, pride and discovering more about my 92 year old grandma
This spring, my grandma will be turning 93 years old. Yep, 93. It’s an age that we all hope to get to one day and stay as sharp as we were when we started our very first job. That is one of the many good traits I would use to describe my grandma. Sharp. I often tell people how amazing it is that she is living on her own happily and independently in her golden years.
Becoming the primary caregiver for an elderly parent is a tough job and one that takes patience and often self-sacrifice. When the person being cared for or other family members disagree with key decisions, caregivers may often feel unappreciated, second-guessed, hurt and angry. Here are a few tips to help when you're feeling criticized:
For an elderly parent living on their own,
