These are some general recommendations from the Ontario Medical Association at virusfacts.ca to protect yourself and those around you from COVID-19. Everyone is encouraged to practice the following hygiene principles:
In February of last year, the new Canada’s Food Guide was released. It is significantly different from past versions in that they have done away with quantities for servings and instead it simply states, drink water, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables (they advocate half of your plate), eat protein foods (one quarter of your plate) and whole grain foods (the other quarter of your plate). And, as always, limit sodium, fat and sugar laden foods.
In the past we were told to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, but keeping track of a serving size was a challenge; half a cup of this, 30 g of that, a cup of the other. In this new food guide the visual of half a plate filled with fruits and vegetables is a powerful one. It empowers us with the tools we need to make healthier choices at each and every meal. The question is simple….is half my plate filled with fruits and vegetables? If yours is not, here are some tips to add more plants to your plate and delight your palate at the same time.
Start Each Day with Fruit:
- Use fresh fruit when you have it on hand, keep frozen fruit available for everyday access.
- Frozen cherries, mangos, and blueberries all keep their colour and flavour nicely when thawed. Add to smoothies, fruit salad, cereal, yogurt or as a side dish to toast, eggs etc.
- Add frozen raspberries to fruit salads, top with orange juice. Allow to thaw. They make a beautiful pink juice that is incredibly tasty.
- Top your toast with sliced fruit instead of jam.
Sneak it into a Snack:
Make it a point to have one piece of fresh fruit for a snack each day: oranges, pears, apples, grapes, they are the ultimate fast food, delicious and portable. If you have more time, slice a mango, strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, berries or melon.
Scrumptious Lunches:
Try salad for lunch. Add leftover cooked chicken, cheese or a handful of nuts or seeds as a protein source. Nice combinations include:
- Spinach, goat cheese, any berries, almonds, sunflower seeds or pecans, top with balsamic, maple or poppyseed dressing.
- Mixed greens, walnuts or pecans, pear, peach or apple slices and balsamic dressing.
- Romain or other sturdy lettuce, apple, walnut, celery, topped with cream-based dressing such as blue cheese, ranch, coleslaw dressing
- Coleslaw mix, add apple, raisins and a creamy coleslaw dressing.
- Mixed greens, cooked beets, goat cheese, walnuts and balsamic dressing.
- Romain or other hardy lettuce, cheddar cheese, ham, celery, apple and ranch dressing.
- Romain, avocado, cucumber and chicken topped with cider vinegar and oil or lemon juice and oil, salt and pepper to taste.
- Grate raw Brussels sprouts add lots of fresh squeezed lemon, oil and pecorino cheese.
- Warm salads are nice too and a great way to give new life to leftovers. Top mixed greens with sautéed beef and peppers, chicken and broccoli or ham and pineapple.
Try wraps with egg, tuna, ham, chicken, salmon and a variety of vegetables shredded or cut into match sticks.
Add some avocado to your traditional BLT sandwich. Vary the lettuce; try spinach, swiss chard or kale.
Try a bacon and apple sandwich on toasted raisin bread.
Test out a gourmet grilled cheese – vary the bread and the cheese, add sliced apple, sautéed spinach, kale, tomatoes, onion, pear, peach etc.
Add tomato, cucumber, avocado, sliced beets, or sliced peppers to your favourite sandwich or burger.
Delightful Dinners:
Buy two or three fresh vegetables each week. Keep a variety of frozen vegetables on hand to add at each meal. Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh but allow for less waste as you can cook only what is needed.
Towards the end of the week, use up your leftover fresh vegetables, whatever you have, in these recipes:
- Omelettes, mini quiche or scrambled eggs. Use whatever is on hand, just a little goes a long way in these egg dishes…1/4 of a pepper, 2 mushrooms, ½ of an onion, one broccoli tree etc.
- Vegetable soups. Sautee bits of finely chopped veggies then boil in broth for a few minutes. Or add veggies to a canned soup such as chicken noodle, beef barley, cream of broccoli.
- Stir fry bits of this and that with some chicken or pork and a little sauce. To make things easy, use a prepared stir fry sauce, there are many varieties to choose from at your local grocery store, or use an oil and vinegar-based salad dressing such as red pepper, lemon pepper or Greek.
Here are some of our favourite non-traditional salad recipes, that pair well with pretty much any meat. For a complete meal, fill half of your plate with salad, add a small amount of protein (meat, cheese, beans, tofu) and a slice of whole grain bread. Bon Appetit!
Butternut Squash With Roasted Almonds Feta Cheese
How do you plan to spend the rest of your life?
Does this question inspire you to pull out a pen and paper so you can begin plotting?
Or does the question make you want to hide under the bed sheets?
It’s easy to overthink this life transition and drive yourself into a frenzy. Luckily, there’s a more carefree approach to retirement that you may want to consider.
Meet June and Audrey. They live in the Independent Living suites of Credit River Retirement Residence in Streetsville, Mississauga. Call it good fortune — or a stroke of genius — but June and Audrey managed to skip retirement prep school and land on their own two feet.
Their strategy is simple. They’ve chosen to be grateful and to celebrate the bright side of life.
Here are 3 tips on how to have fun in retirement without losing sleep about it.
- Be Open and Say Yes More than You Say No
Chances are you have a strong work ethic, but how would you rate your play ethic? Do you say no when a neighbour invites you inside for tea? One way to start building friendships in retirement is to remain open to possibilities.
Two years ago, a mutual friend of June’s and Audrey’s introduced the now-friends. “We were watching a music concert here” at Credit River Retirement Residence, says June, when her friend spotted Audrey across the way.
That’s all it took —a friendly wave — to begin, what turned out to be, a close friendship.
“We think we’re lucky we have each other,” says June, who sealed the relationship that day by asking, “Should we have a glass of wine at the bistro?” To which, Audrey replied — yes.
- Stop Making Big Plans and Savour the Small Moments Instead
How much do you love your to-do lists? They were once your means for getting things done, such as stocking the cupboards and making sure there were enough gifts under the tree. A list of activities or a routine can be one way to avoid boredom in retirement, but not everyone swears by them.
“We don’t structure our day,” says June, when asked about a typical day in the life of June and Audrey. “We like the feel of “spur of the moment.”
When June’s or Audrey’s daughters stop by for a visit, the friends often take the opportunity to go out shopping. But they never fuss when it comes to making plans.
Rather than plan extraordinary moments, they savour the joy in the small moments.
“We have a lot in common,” says Audrey. Both hail from England, love to watch British comedies and laugh at the silly antics of Audrey’s cat. They confess that they spend most of their time chatting and laughing. “An hour will go by,” admits Audrey, “and we’ll say what did we talk about all this time?”
- Learn to Laugh When You’d Sooner Cry Me A River
Unfortunately, there will be days when you feel as though life delivers more loss than laughs. June’s husband passed away three years ago. “I’m still not adjusted now,” pipes up June. “Married 66 years in June.”
Audrey recounts how lonely it was living in the same house after her husband died eight years ago. “You have your days, but we talk it over,” she says, referring to her chum.
In spite of the occasional low moments, they choose to be grateful.
“This is all part of life, whether you like it or not,” June proclaims, “We’re old. And what are you going to do? You make the best of it.”
June and Audrey count their blessings. They’re grateful for good marriages, happy children, engaging grandchildren, the beautiful community at Credit River Retirement Residence, and of course, their friendship. Having good friends in retirement, they say, is more vital than at any other time in their lives.
So what’s the long-term retirement plan for June and Audrey? If today is any indication, there will definitely be no schedule or strategy meetings.
“This morning we laughed so hard when I spilled yogurt,” says June. I was covered in blueberry yogurt right down from my top to my toes; it was seeping into my sandals.”
Therein lies their plan: Always be open, always be grateful, and always look on the bright side of life.
Living Loving Local at Verve this Month: Beets
Red, yellow, orange, pink or striped, beets are a superfood full of folate, manganese, Vitamin C and a good source of flavonoids to boost our immune systems and decrease inflammation.
Originating on the Mediterranean coast, and initially harvested only for their greens, today we enjoy whole beets, eating the bulbs as well as the greens. More than just a vegetable, beets can be used as a natural dye and a source of processed sugar.
Health Benefits:
- One cup of raw beets contains 50 calories, 0g of fat and 4g of fibre.
- They are an excellent source of Folate, a good source of Manganese, Potassium, Copper, Vitamin C, Iron and Vitamin B. The leaves are also very high in Vitamin A.
- Considered a superfood by many, beets are full of flavonoids that help boost our immune system and decrease inflammation.
Beet Varieties:
The proper botanical name for beets is Beta Vulgaris. There are 4 basic cultivated varieties:
- Vegetable Beets: Most commonly available in red, but also heirloom varieties come in orange, pink, yellow and even striped. These are the variety we find at our local market typically in September or October. Not only can we eat the root of this plant but we can also eat the leafy greens. In season the greens taste a lot like spinach leaves.
- Fodder Beet or Mangelwurzel: The word fodder refers to food grown to feed pigs and cattle. The Mangel-wurzel is a large swollen beet that comes in white, yellow or orange/yellow and has been grown for this purpose for thousands of years. This beet can be consumed by humans if grown in a well-watered, nutrient rich soil which keeps the roots tender, however, the majority of this crop is grown to full maturity for animal feed.
- Swiss Chard: Swiss chard is the only member of the beet family that is grown for its leafy foliage and not its root.
- Sugar Beets: These particular beets have white cone shaped bulbs with large leaves and are used in the production of processed sugar. In the mid 1700’s a European chemist proved that beet sugar has the same composition as sugar cane and the beet sugar industry was born!
Sugar Beets: Yesterday and Today
- In the mid 1700’s a European chemist proved that beet sugar has the same composition as sugar cane and then beet sugar industry was born!
- By 1802 the first beet sugar processing plant was established in Poland and beets supplied 5% of the world’s sugar. By 1880 beets suppled 50% of the world’s sugar. Today that number is reduced to only 25%.
- The first Canadian sugar refinery was established in Farnham, Quebec in 1881.
- Beets in the 17th century contained approximately 6% sugar, but through cultivation of different varieties todays sugar beets can have a sugar content as high as 20%.
- Alberta and Ontario are the only sugar beet crop producing provinces in Canada.
- In 1951 Canada had 38,716 hectares of sugar beet fields.
- In 2006 Canadian Farmers produced 1.2 million tons of sugar beets mostly in Alberta.
- Russia is the #1 in the world for sugar beet production.
Fun Facts:
- If the soil is too rich it will split the roots and you get beets that look like forks
- Roasting beets intensifies the colour and flavor
- Once the sugar beets have been pulled from the ground the leaves are detached and left in the field as nutrition for the next crop
- Beets best planting companions are kohlrabi and onions
Recipes:
This month our Verve properties throughout Canada will feature the following beet recipes:
Pork Medallions with Beet and Raspberry Sauce
Living Loving Local at Verve this Month: Beans & Lentils
Around the world, for thousands of years, dried pulses (beans, lentils and peas) have been enjoyed as an economical meat alternative that is delicious as well as nutritious.
From black beans to split peas, kidney beans to chickpeas, these protein packed, fiber dense, nutrient powerhouses are wonderful in chili, soups, dips and salads and can help with heart health, digestion, and blood sugar control.
Pulse? Legume? What’s the difference?
The term “legume” refers to all plants whose fruit is enclosed in a pod. Pulses are a sub-category within the legume family.
Categories within the Legume family include:
- Pulses: the term “pulse” refers only to the dried seed. Dried peas, dried beans, lentils and chickpeas are the most common varieties of pulses. Pulses are very high in protein and fiber, and are low in fat.
- Fresh Legumes: include fresh beans and peas.
- High Fat Legumes: soybeans and peanuts.
- Forage: (used for animal feed) alfalfa and clover.
Canadian Statistics
Long sunny days and suitable soil conditions make Canada a natural area to grow legumes. Our cold winters not only protect the plants from disease and insects, but also help with storage after harvest.
- Quebec and Ontario produce coloured and navy bean crops.
- Manitoba produces white and coloured beans, as well as peas and lentils.
- Saskatchewan is one of the world’s largest growers and exporters of lentils, chickpeas and dried peas.
- Alberta produces beans under irrigation as well as peas, lentils and chickpeas.
- Canada is the world’s largest producer and exporter of legumes. We produce approximately 4.5 million tonnes of legumes each year.
- More than 90 % of legumes grown on the Canadian prairies make their way to India, the Middle East, Turkey, North Africa, China, Europe and South America.
The Sustainability Story:
- Legumes have a lower carbon footprint than almost any other food group.
- They are a water-efficient source of protein. For example, it takes 43 gallons of water to produce one pound of dried beans or lentils, vs 800 to 1,000 gallons of water to raise one pound of meat.
- Legumes require less synthetic fertilizer than other crops as they produce their own nitrogen from the air we breathe. They do this through a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen fixing soil bacteria that live inside their roots.
- Legumes also add nitrogen to the soil, reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizer for future crops grown on that field for the next 4 years.
- Legumes enrich the soil where they grown by exuding a variety of unique microbes which create a balanced healthy soil environment. This is why they are often used as a cover crop in traditional farming, giving the soil a break from nutrition sucking crops and allowing it to naturally regenerate with the help of the legume plant.
Health Benefits:
- Pulses are high in fibre which supports heart health, bowel function, and provides a feeling of satiety.
- Pulses also contain slowly digestible starch that keeps the body’s blood sugar levels closer to normal, than simple starches.
- Pulses are a good source of antioxidants – those fabulous phytochemicals that fight free radicals within our cells. Oxidative damage caused by free radicals is linked to everything from cancer to heart disease, Parkinson’s to Alzheimer’s disease.
Fun Facts:
- An easy way to tell if it belongs to the legume family is to see if the seed pod spits along a seam when ripe (think of a snap pea, peanut, green bean).
Recipes:
Here is just one of the many delicious recipes we are serving at our Living Loving Local celebrations this month:
Italian Sausage & French Lentils
What does one who is one hundred wish for in the year ahead?
Isabelle McClellan is a smiling and easy-going lady who lives in an assisted living home. She moved to Courtyard Gardens Retirement Residence in Richmond, BC to be closer to her family. At first, it was tough to leave the community where her friends lived and her big house, but her daughter was not in the same town and so Isabelle moved.
Her takes on some of the hot topics in the last year were probably like many others, regardless of her age. She hopes that we all can do more to help improve the climate situation, but she doesn’t worry too much about it. In talking about politics, she says she tries not to think about it too much!
The big change for her in this past year was she celebrated her 100th birthday in November. She says it doesn’t feel much different than years before, except that everyone reminds you all year long about it. She said she thought about turning 100 an awful lot beforehand, but since, it’s no big deal she says.
Overall, Isabelle says that she has been a lucky person, she has had very good health and a wonderful family, good friends and a good life. She misses some of the travel and adventures she and her husband used to do but gets lots of happiness from the family around her and she loves seeing the young ones. She spends her time trying to keep track of where everyone is and how they are keeping. She says she gets tired more now than she did before but shakes it off with a smile and a laugh.
Isabelle’s secret to living a full life and what she is looking ahead to in 2020? Her wish is for continued good health and happiness. That is all she needs. She says, “always be positive and don’t spend your time being negative.” Sound advice for people of any age.
Written by Amanda Hill, GM, Courtyard Gardens
Holland Gardens Retirement Residence in Bradford welcomed its first residents in April of this year – and celebrated its first-ever residents’ Christmas Party on Thursday, December 12th.
There were treats, eggnog, and a visit from Santa, and every resident received a special gift, said General Manager Marisa Jeronimo: “A snow tree.” The tiny live tree could be used by residents to decorate their rooms or entrance, in keeping not only with the season, but the “Garden” concept of the retirement residence.
‘Elf’ Darlene LaJoie took photos of the residents as they posed with Santa Claus, and singer Patricia Duffy, of Romance in Music, sang holiday songs and old favourites, encouraging the residents to sing along. The party was a delightful celebration of the season, and only the start of seasonal festivities at the retirement residence.
On Dec. 13, residents were invited to a Winter Wonderland Fashion Show. They could sign up for a Gift Exchange on Dec. 16, and on Dec. 25, from 4:30 to 5 p.m., were invited to enjoy a Christmas dinner, of turkey with all the trimmings.
Holland Gardens Retirement Residence is located at 552 Holland St. W. in Bradford. For more information and to book your personal tour, click here.
Click here for original article from Bradford Today
In Canada’s first dementia village, residents can walk by themselves outdoors on what seems like a never-ending path.
They can leave by the front door of their house and walk along Main Street past the rock garden to the community centre. Or they can walk toward the Red Barn and circle behind near Bradshaw Meadow.
There’s eight-foot fencing that’s mostly made of cedar bounding the property so residents can’t wander and leave The Village, which has one controlled entrance and exit.
The needs of people living with dementia permeates every aspect of the design, from the pathways around the five-acre site to the spacious interior rooms able to accommodate wheelchairs.
Eitaro Hirota, The Village project architect with NSDA Architects, said one of the principles of designing for people with dementia is that you don’t want dead-end corridors or paths.
“If you have a dead end, it goes to a destination so that it doesn’t seem that the path ends and there’s nothing there,” he said.
A person living with dementia who comes up against a dead end can experience heightened anxiety. In some cases, it can lead to the person going through the door to the other side in what’s called ‘eloping.’
“If you create an environment like The Village, that urge is diminished,” Hirota said. “They have options. They have a variety of destinations to go to.”
The Village opened earlier this summer in Langley. It’s inspired by De Hogeweyk, the world’s first dementia village that opened in The Netherlands in 2009.
Built at a cost of $28 million, Langley’s The Village is designed to make it as easy as possible for someone with dementia to live their life independently. It has a beauty salon/barbershop where people can get their hair cut and styled. There’s a grocery store where residents can buy household items. At the community centre, you can order a coffee or have a meal.
The Village is at 3920-198th St. on what’s known as the old Bradshaw Elementary School site.
Barb Ruscheinski knows The Village well. Her mother Regina, who has dementia, is a resident, as is her aunt Kay Gorse who doesn’t. Both women were at Maple Ridge Seniors Village before moving into The Village. She described the Maple Ridge home as a “wonderful place” with “very caring staff.” What it lacked, however, was the personal attention Ruscheinski’s mother needed.
“We need someone who could pay more attention to her and get her involved in day-to day activities that she always loved to do,” she said. “It’s been such a positive experience for us and our family. We’re very happy to have them there.”
Ruscheinski acknowledged the high cost of living at The Village. Including taxes, rates are $7,300 a month for regular residents and $8,300 a month for complex care.
“We’re very fortunate that they can afford to be there,” she said. “I think the model is fantastic. I think it could be applied just about anywhere.”
The Village builds on the kinds of assisted- and extended-care communities built by Elroy Jespersen during the past 30 years. Jespersen is the vice-president, special projects, for Verve Senior Living and the project leader for The Village.
The site had to be big enough, Jespersen said, so that the residences could all be built on one level with no stairs.
“One of our principles is for villagers to roam free so they can walk out the door without any stairs or barriers,” he said.
The Village has 38 residents, a little less than half of the 78 it’s designed to accommodate. Residents wear a Bluetooth-enabled wrist band that acts as an electronic key for their house and allows for real-time location monitoring.
Earlier this spring, the Alzheimer’s Society of B.C. estimated that 70,000 people in B.C. are living with dementia, an umbrella term that can include many diseases and conditions such as Alzheimer’s, as well as head injuries. By 2033, as many as 120,000 people in B.C. could develop dementia.
“We purposely need to move slowly because it’s new for everybody — new for the people who work here and new for the people who live here,” Jespersen said.
One of The Village‘s unique elements is that each house has the same group of 10 staff who work with 12 residents. A small, consistent group makes it easier for villagers and residents to get to know one another.
Jespersen took Postmedia News on a tour of Holly House, one of the unoccupied residences. The house was identified by its name out front and a symbol of a leaping deer, a visual cue for someone with dementia who loses the ability to read. Inside, Holly House looked like more like a big suburban home than an institutional care facility.
In the bedroom, the wardrobe has a unique design. A person with dementia can mix up the sequence of things and end up wearing underwear over their clothes. The wardrobe rack, visible from the bed, allows clothes to be laid out in their proper order so that someone can dress themselves unassisted when they wake up in the morning.
“Our success will be dependent on people who work here, how well they do their job and how long they stay. That’s our product — this is our packaging,” he said, referring to the surrounding buildings, paths and landscaping.
Jespersen said he’d love for researchers to come into The Village to study whether in fact a village designed and built for people with dementia is a better way to care for them.
“If it is, and we can demonstrate that, then it’s something the government can look to and say, ‘Maybe we should be looking to do more of these,’ ” he said. “We’d love to be able to partner with government and make it more affordable.”