Greetings! it's good to have you back!
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10 Reasons to Eat Chocolate
@ The Bernard Betel Centre
- 1003 Steeles Ave W
Following a delicious
Kosher lunch, we gave a presentation on the health benefits of eating
dark chocolate. About 75 people attended, and they were intrigued with the
history and medicinal properties of dark chocolate.
Lots of discussion occurred about how much to eat
(about an ounce per day), and how dark the chocolate should be
(65% or more Cacao). A retired
family physician in the audience validated dark chocolate’s many positive health impacts.
With all of its natural and health-promoting components, dark chocolate is
an antioxidant powerhouse and a superfood that's truly
a joy to eat. It's been shown to boost heart and brain health, along with fight disease — just some of the many benefits of dark chocolate.
A chocolate tasting was enjoyed following our meal.
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Serving Seniors in Our Community
@ North York Seniors Centre - 21 Hendon Avenue
This week we visited
NYSC
's yearly Active Living Fair. Many community members came out to learn the products, programs, and services being offered to seniors.
We met many people looking for care for their loved ones or to just see what's out there. They hosted informative sessions on
"Wills and Power of Attorney" as well as "
Advanced Care Planning".
Our dedicated
RN Care Coordinator was speaking out on our home care services and the quality of the care we have to offer at our
CFC Booth. Check out our
Instagram
and
Twitter for more details. We had
a great time connecting with our community and learning from you on
how to best provide care - only you would know best!
Lastly, congratulations to
Mary and Nabil S. for winning our raffle - It was great to have met you two! Until next time!
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World Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
World Alzheimer's Month is the international campaign every
September to raise awareness and challenge the
stigma that surrounds dementia.
September 2018 will mark the
7th World Alzheimer's Month. The campaign was
launched in 2012: World Alzheimer's Day is on 21 September each year.
ComForCare assists our clients with Alzheimer’s and their families through our
DementiaWise Program. We provide training to our caregivers in how to work with clients with Alzheimer's. Information and coaching is provided to
families and their caregivers.
We aim to create
better days by:
- Focusing on feelings of the loved one with Alzheimer’s
- Minding your emotional displays as a care giver
- Respecting personal preferences of the loved one
- Making care person-centered—what is their background, what interests them
- Improving communication skills of caregivers and family members.
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Walking Toronto
@Sherwood Park - 190 Sherwood Ave
Just east of
Yonge Street is a hidden gem, known as
Sherwood Park. Our active clients like to stroll through this priceless piece of nature.
Sherwood Park is behind or east of
Muir Park. It runs east from Yonge Street tapering to a narrow stretch at
Bayview Ave along
Burke Brook. The property south of
Blythwood Road was originally the
Stibbard farm, and the park itself was known as
Waterworks Park, as it was a source of water for North Toronto.
The park includes a small section of the
Great lakes-St. Lawrence Forest, including white pine, hemlock, beech, oak, and sugar maple - some of the trees date as far back as the
1850's.
Ongoing
volunteer efforts, working together with the City of Toronto Parks and Recreation Department are ensuring that the forest survives, and thrives. The wide and leafy paths make you think you are up north!
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Recipes Caregivers Can Cook
An
omelet is a satisfying dinner or lunch for many of our clients. Served with some
green salad and toast and you have a quick and healthy meal. We use
Ezekiel bread for toast, which can be found in the freezer section of your supermarket. Ezekiel Bread is among the
healthiest of breads. It's a type of sprouted bread, made from
a variety of whole grains and legumes. Compared to other bread, which is often made of refined wheat flour, Ezekiel bread is much
richer in healthy nutrients and fiber. It’s convenient for the caregiver when it’s readily available in the freezer.
The most popular fillings are
ham and cheddar cheese. And, s
moked salmon with cream cheese. A couple of our clients love
garlic, cherry tomatoes, and anchovy!
The fillings vary, but the method is the same, here is an example:
1 Tablespoon
Butter
3 slices of
Onion
, chopped
2 slices of T
omato
, chopped
3 slices
Lox
, chopped
2 or 3
Eggs
2 Tablespoons
Low Fat Free Cream Cheese
Ground Pepper
Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a medium-sized pan (or just use PAM spray) over medium heat. Add the onions and stir until they start to soften/brown. Add the lox and stir in with the onion. Cook for another 4 minutes or so until the lox cooks (it will turn a lighter pink). Move cooked ingredients to a bowl.
2. In the hot pan, scramble the eggs together with a teaspoon of water. When the eggs start setting, add the cooked onion and lox to the middle. Continue to cook over medium heat until the top is no longer runny or almost solid. It may help to put a lid on, it will help steam the egg and cook the top half.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and using two spoons, dollop 2 Tablespoons of Fat Free Cream cheese as evenly as possible. Fold the omelette in half and let sit for another minute or two so the cheese will melt. Serve with some pepper.
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Good Nutrition Can Help You Live Your Best Life Possible
Having good physical function is important in maintaining independence for older adults.
Physical function
includes everyday tasks such as the ability to walk around, get up from a chair without assistance or bathe and dress oneself.
Nutrition is a key factor in maintaining good physical function among older adults. A
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
study that compared
diet quality and physical function
in
over 50,000 women
found those who had a healthy diet over the years were less likely to develop problems with physical function as they grew older.
- Spinach, collards, kale and turnips
- Low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese
- Sardines or canned salmon
- Almonds
- White beans
- Juice with added calcium
Sunshine stimulates the body to produce vitamin D. However, from about
October through March
(or longer in the far north), the
Canadian sunshine is not sufficient
to stimulate the body to make vitamin D. Eating food high in vitamin D can help.
Vitamin D
is found in egg yolks, fortified milk, tuna, salmon, beef liver and cod liver oil. According to
Health Canada
, all Canadians over the age of two should consume two cups (500 mL) of milk each day, and
adults over age 50
should take a vitamin D supplement of 400 international units (IU) each day.
Healthy eating makes good sense. It will nourish and strengthen the body and help preserve the physical function that remains.
ComForCare Home Care can help older adults with meal planning, meal preparation and other daily tasks. Let us help you live your best life possible.
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Dementia Isn't Just a Memory Disease
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We hear a lot about memory loss and decaying capabilities in dementia, but that’s not the whole story. People with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia also retain important abilities for a long time into their illness, or until the very end of life.
Understanding these abilities is important for delivering the best care possible.
Watch this video to learn more about:
- Why understanding intact abilities results in better care
- How to use intact abilities to prevent challenging behaviour
- Five abilities that remain most intact
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ComForCare North York
3421 Yonge Street, 2nd Floor | Toronto, ON M4N 2N1
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©2018 ComForCare Health Care Holdings, LLC
Each office is independently owned and operated. ComForCare is an equal opportunity employer.
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