Seniors' Health

Hot Tip for Seniors' Health!

Keep those receipts!
Tax credit up for 65+ seniors' home renovations to improve access and aging-in-place safety!  The same expenses can be claimed for both federal and provincial tax credits.

• BC Tax credit - $10,000 limit per dwelling
• Federal Tax credit - $20,000 limit (2023)

Check here for a handy guide to making your home age-resilient: AARP HomeFit Guide

---

Personal Resilience

---

Be Ready for Emergencies​

• Medical Info Summary sheet (sample as pdf, doc, rtf )
  • post on fridge for 911 calls
  • purse/wallet 
• How to Prepare for Natural Disasters and Evacuation (seniors or anyone!)
• Red Cross publications: Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults  and Quick Guide
• Be ready to leave - have some cash on hand, fuel in car, cell phone charged,  to-go kit ready.
• Be ready to stay - Emergency supplies for home (BC list, CA list)

Keep Good Health records

•  Interior Health MyHealthPortal - set up your account to access your lab test results and reports
•  Keep a folder for personal "Health" information - copies of reports, surgeries, test results, immunizations, etc.​
• keep immunizations updated and noted  (shingles, flu, hepatitis, tetanus, etc.)​
• Your health records may not be immediately available to ER, or to other health regions, or when you change doctors or are referred to a specialist.  Have your own health summary ready.

Specific Health Issues

• loss of appetite​​
• Seniors and Shingles
• Hip Pain ​​​​​
• Sleep Apnea
• Fibromyalgia
• Bunions 
• Gout

Medication Issues

• Online Article on interaction of supplements and medications
• Drugs.com Interaction Checker: enter the names of the drugs and/or supplements that you're taking, and it will show you any known interactions.
• MedlinePlus:  (NIH)  offers a lot of information about medications, including potential interactions between them. 
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH): offers general advice on the safe use of supplements and gives overviews of specific herbs and supplements. 

---

Staying Healthy

---

Nutrition (see also the Food Security page

• Better Meals meal delivery service
• Hello Fresh grocery and menu service
• M&M Meats - frozen meals at Pharmasave Merritt
• Valley Graze Box artistic sampler food boxes

Preventing Falls​ 

• Choose to Move - free UBC coaching program for seniors exercise (online or phone)
• Maintaining Balance and Strength:​
  • Balance & Dizziness - excellent info
  • Sit-to-Stand exercise video
  • Walking Balance exercise video
  • Tai Chi exercise video 
  • Standing Exercise video
• Preventing falls - pamphlet​
• CDC Falls Prevention checklist
• Reducing Risk of Falls - McMasters articles
• Mobility Problems - HealthInAging.org 
• Causes of the shuffle when walking

​Seniors' Health Resources 

• CRA tax deductions for home accessibility upgrades (over 65)
• Safety at Home BC
• CounsellingBC.com - directory of online and in-person counsellors in BC
• COSCO - Seniors Helping Seniors

• Self-Care Assessment form
• Healthy Weight for Seniors
• Healthy Aging 101 - topic videos 
• NIA-Ryerson - Seniors' resources-download 
• Seniors' Guide to Cancer
• Assisting Seniors with Insomnia
• Men's Health Checklist
• NYT Aging Well
• What Seniors Need to Know  booklet
• Help Age Canada info, grants
• ' Find-it' tags for keys & wallet, eg. Tile  or AirTag
• MedicAlert bracelet 
• Medication issues UBC Pharmacy info video

Aging and Mental Health

• Alzheimer Society of Canada
• BC Brain Health - resources and online workshops
• McMaster Optimal Ageing portal
• Daily Caring - website, email newsletter on seniors' health topics (US based) 

Personal care equipment suppliers

• Red Cross (NVHC)​ loaners at local hospital​
• ​Halo Healthcare.com​
• AgeComfort.com
• BathDepot.com
• ​Wellwise.ca (bath lift)​
• Stair lift or elevator
• TB Vets 
• Sleep Apnea equipment
  • Snore MD - cpap machines
  • Vitalaire - cpap machines
  • Inspire - surgical treatment

---

Finding Support

---

care-giving and -recieving

Canada.ca - Programs and Resources for Seniors
BC Gov - SeniorsBC.ca and
           BC Seniors Guide (download)

Local resources for Nicola Valley

• Nicola Valley Home and Community Care office: 3451 Voght Street   (250) 378-3408
• Interior Health info: 
  • Home Care services
  • Help with Living at Home​
• Alzheimer Society - BC Central Interior (Kamloops, Merritt, ...) 1-800-936-6033
• Merritt Seniors Association
• 50+ Living Experience - online listing of regional resources and programs 
• long term care / assisted living facilities:
  • Gillis House
  • Nicola Meadows
  • The Florentine
  • Phelan House
• Merritt Mental Health Clubhouse
• Mobility: BC Transit - Merritt

Care Receiving Resources

• Self-Management coping with chronic conditions between medical appointments
• Self-Management resource links
• Self-Management support programs -BC
• Driving checkup​
  • Is it time to stop driving?
  • Planning to Retire from Driving
  • When to stop driving​
• "Do Not Resuscitate" order 
  • CPR considerations - info here
• When to move to assisted care?
• Maintaining mobility - e-lessons
• National Gallery art program for caregivers and dementia​​