Seniors' Health

Hot Tip for Seniors' Health!

Some home renovations (up to $20,000) are tax deductible, federally and/or provincially, for taxpayers over 65 or with disabilities.  Check the CRA website for information if you are adding safety or accessibility to your home.

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Personal Resilience

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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

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Staying Healthy

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Preventing Falls​ 

• Maintaining Balance and Strength:​
  • Sit-to-Stand exercise video
  • Walking Balance exercise video
  • Tai Chi 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 

• Self-Care Assessment form
• COSCO - Seniors Helping Seniors
• McMaster Optimal Ageing portal
• Healthy Aging 101 - topic videos 
• Safety at Home BC
• CRA tax deductions for safety upgrades
• 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
• Alzheimer Society of Canada
• Help Age Canada info, grants
• ' Find-it' tags for keys & wallet, eg. Tile  or AirTag
• MedicAlert bracelet 
• Medication issues UBC Pharmacy info video

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

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Finding Support

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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: 

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​
• When to move to assisted care?
• Maintaining mobility - e-lessons
• National Gallery art program for caregivers and dementia​​

​Finding practical help at home (Merritt):

• Laundry:
  • Merritt Dry Cleaning & Coin Laundry pick-up/deliver laundry service
• Garden Work
  • TBM Services
•  House cleaning service
  • ​TBM​ Services