Canadian Senior Consumer Safety

The state of medical technology has never been more advanced. Every day scientists are dreaming up new medical devices that change the world in which we live. These medical devices prolong lifespans, improve the quality of patients’ lives and help to treat conditions that were once considered untreatable. However, there is a downside to all of this seemingly wonderful medical technology. As amazing as much of it is, there are some medical devices that can actually harm patients. When scientists and engineers release medical devices that are used to treat seniors, not all of them have all of the bugs worked out. These glitches in medical devices can cause a lot of harm to unwary seniors who have them implanted in their bodies. Here is a look at some of the most dangerous medical devices that seniors should be wary of. Knee and Hip Implants As seniors age, they often have to deal with problems with their joints. When these joints become too painful or simply non-function…
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Home care opens door to career possibilities; Statistics show increasing need for personal support workers

Kerry Harrison divides her work week between two elderly Toronto women. She spends four weekday mornings in one woman's home, and three weekday evenings and Sunday mornings in the other's. Both women are in the early stages of dementia, and Harrison helps them bathe, prepares meals, does light housework and spends plenty of time chatting and doing crossword puzzles with them. "It doesn't seem like work," says Harrison, 45, who receives $20 an hour for her services. "I feel like I'm being paid to hang out with people I like." Harrison is a personal support worker (PSW), a career that will see an increase in demand in coming years as Canada's population ages. After many years of working as a nanny, she completed George Brown College's personal support worker program last spring. The two-semester, 700-hour program trains students for basic front-line health care work in hospitals, homes for the elderly, group homes, hospices and as support workers in private homes. Tuition f…
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Seniors’ centres can do more as wellness hubs, top geriatrician says

OTTAWA — Ontario has nearly twice as many seniors’ activity centres as hospitals, but they remain overlooked and undervalued for the role they play in keeping older adults healthy and out of institutional care, says the government’s point man on seniors’ care. Dr. Samir Sinha is proposing to give Ontario’s 272 seniors’ centres a higher profile and, perhaps, greater role as storefront hubs of preventive care, which, he says, would help reduce admissions to the province’s 151 hospitals and relieve pressure on its 618 nursing homes. In the long run, facilities such as Ottawa’s Good Companions Senior Centre even have the potential to save an aging province from out-of-control health spending, which last year topped more than $48 billion, Sinha said. He hinted that the elements of a 21st-century seniors’ centre could include programs geared to exercise, nutrition, chronic-disease management and prevention of falls. Making such aspects of healthy aging available to more seni…
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Champlain CCAC Heroes in the Homes Caregiver Recognition Award

REMINDER:   Heroes in the Home award deadline fast approaching!! The deadline for nominations for the Champlain CCAC Heroes in the Homes Caregiver Recognition Award is end-of-day Friday, September 14, 2012. If you know of a caregiver whose kindness and commitment has allowed someone facing the challenge of age, illness or disability to live a fuller life in the community, why not help celebrate this person by nominating him or her for the Champlain CCAC’s annual Heroes in the Home Caregiver Recognition Award. Family members, friends, community volunteers, personal support workers, case managers, nurses, therapists or other health care professionals are all eligible. Each nominee will receive a certificate of recognition and be honoured during one of three special award ceremonies in Ottawa on November 27, in Cornwall on November 28, and in Pembroke on November 29, 2012. The pharmacy has detailed cost of viagra information about the products and the information prov…
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Resources for Job Seekers in Senior Housing & Care

Retirement Homes and Nursing Homes Jobs RetirementHomeJobs.ca is Canada's leading online career portal for the Senior Housing Industry. Their user-friendly site is improving the employment and recruitment experience in today's competitive job market. They are the #1 site for Job seekers in search for a job at a Retirement Home or Nursing Care facility in Canada. Their name says it: RetirementHomeJobs.ca Home Healthcare Careers Jobs PersonalSupportWorkerJobs.ca is Canada's leading online career portal for the Home Care and Home Healthcare Industry. Their user-friendly site is improving the employment and recruitment experience in today's competitive job market. Jobs seekers can search Personal Support Worker Jobs, PSW Help, Home Health Aide, Home care worker, Visiting nurses, Companions, and other careers in the senior home care industry. buy cipla tadalafil Generic manufacturers on the other hand don't have similar costs in production of their Silagra 100mg medications a…
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Aging gracefully, Most seniors not sure exactly what it means

Seniors and their advocates all are in agreement that an exercise regimen is crucial to aging gracefully; Aging gracefully; Most seniors not sure exactly what it means. We'd all love to age grace-fully, but it might be easier if we knew what the heck that meant. Does aging gracefully mean cheerfully accepting grey hair and other physical changes the way Barbara Bush (age 87) seemingly does? Or, on the other hand, does it require staying eternally gorgeous as the years slide by like Sophia Loren (77)? Is it keeping a busy schedule of work or public service like Jimmy Carter (87) or Betty White (90)? Or being super fit, like 68-year-old champion long-jumper Carl Etter of Duluth, Minn.? Or maybe it's gradually slowing down, relaxing, spending time in the garden, enjoying the grandchildren. It depends on your perspective. A few years ago, Ecumen, a senior housing and services company, compiled a list of graceful aging suggestions from customers and staff. They included suc…
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Send condoms, not flowers – SEX AND THE SENIOR Nursing homes are racing to accommodate sexually active boomers

Get ready for the 1960s sexual revolution to reach its ultimate climax. The trend-setting baby boomers are starting to move into retirement homes and long-term care facilities. But is the retirement industry ready for a generation that came of age during the summer of love? As boomers age -- the oldest are 67, making them 22 during the so-called summer of love -- and move into retirement and long-term care facilities, health care providers are increasingly having to accommodate sexually active seniors. "I think it's been a secret up until now, and as more people are moving into care we are making it an issue," said Susan Eng, vice-president of advocacy for the Canadian Association of Retired People. "There's no reason why that part of their lives should stop. People start with the assumption that at a certain age you stop being sexual, and that's not true." Nursing homes are ill-equipped to accommodate seniors' sexual needs, Eng said. "We need more private rooms.…
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Active aging key to seniors’ independence

Active aging key to seniors' independence;  Living at home just part of being independent; seniors must keep active, engaged to stay healthy Eric Steven wants to learn how to use a computer so that he can talk over the webcam with his grandkids. "My wife will see our grandchildren on Skype and I don't have the faintest idea how she does it," he says. "I'm embarrassed by my ignorance." Steven, 75, is a member of the Tantramar Seniors College and is at People's Park Towers for a computer class taught by Dennis Damsell, who is 84. "When grandchildren try to teach they go too fast," explains Damsell. Computer class at Tantramar is certainly not fast. But it is a chance for seniors to get out of the house, socialize, and learn something new. "Everybody thinks I'm crazy because I'm 85 and I want to do this," says Ortha Matthews. "Most people at 85, they don't do these things." Matthews is also learning French. Tantramar offers courses in pottery, poker, quilting,…
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Top 5 Ways to Reduce Falls in Senior Living Communities

When a senior falls and breaks a bone, it’s much more difficult to recover. In fact, hospitals and surgeries have been linked to a high rate of decline in the elderly, and in many instances—increased level of care for the duration of life after a senior falls. Senior Fall Prevention A 2012 Expo Conference session, Translating Research into Practice: Implementing Comprehensive Fall Management Across the Care Continuum, discussed evidence-based fall risk management techniques to help educate senior living professionals on how to minimize resident falls. The presenters, Alice Bell, the Vice President of Clinical Services at Genesis HealthCare, and Jennifer Sidelinker,  the Clinical Specialist in Physical Therapy at Genesis Rehab, suggested that senior living communities take a new approach to fall management. According to Bell and Sidelinker, fall rates are highest and result in the greatest number of injuries among those with fair standing balance and the ability to rise fr…
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