About 1 in 10 Canadians suffers from chronic pain, affecting both sexes and is most common from middle age onwards. The following are some tips and information on how to cope with chronic pain symptoms.

Psychology works for chronic pain sufferers

Psychologists help people with chronic pain recover their strength and sense of self, improve quality of lives, in spite of the pain. In non-direct ways, chronic pain may affect personal relationships, so family or marital therapy may also be of benefit.

Build your personal skills set

Time management, goal setting, stress management, sleep hygiene and even learning how to be assertive can all benefit your mental well-being when coping with pain.

Learn how to relax

Learning how to relax is also a skill. When you can enjoy a fulfilling hobby that takes your mind away from the pain, you are giving your body and nerves a chance to rest. Find hobbies that don’t increase the pain, that are suitable and enjoyable.

Acupuncture evidences it is helpful
for chronic pain sufferers

Strong evidence from various medical studies suggests acupuncture helps those suffering from chronic pain. The process may stimulate the body’s own natural pain-killers and the immune system.

Remain as active as possible despite pain

Despite the pain, your body still needs exercise in order to remain healthy and vital. Try visiting a physical therapist for exercises which may help you stay fit but which won’t inflame your pain.

Find a supportive and cooperative team
of health professionals

Chronic pain can often confuse and frustrate not only you, but your health care providers as well. Current research is helping us advance our understanding of chronic pain and it’s management. If you feel your health care professional is not taking your needs seriously, consider visiting someone else for a second opinion.

Consider drug therapy

Chances are if you’re a chronic pain sufferer you are already on medication. Learn the risks associated with their long-term usage, and stay on top of new medical options. Talk to your health professional should you have any questions.

Nutritional support is important
for your overall health

The health of your entire body needs support and strength. Feeding yourself with whole, balanced and nutrient rich foods is of utmost importance. We are what we eat – not only physically, but mentally and otherwise. Choose your foods carefully and find pleasure in what you eat.

Speak with your friends, family and
co-workers about how you are feeling

Having the support of those around you can make a world of difference. How will they know what you are really experiencing if you don’t tell them? Sharing your situation can ease your mental burden and may help them to understand what is happening to you. You should never feel that pain is your problem. Your loved ones should want to share in your life with you.

Other Blog Articles in
the “Newsletter Series”:

Communicating with Home Care Agencies (Apr.22, 2010)
Shaping Cultural Views towards Dying and Grief (Feb. 25, 2010)
Coming Home after Hospitalization: What to Expect (Dec. 3, 2010)

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The following changes will soon be reflected on our About Us page but in the meantime, this is the first place we’re posting it:

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Our Purpose

We recognize that among the elderly, persons with disabilities, and anyone else for that matter, there is a growing desire – albeit, an increasing need – to receive respectful and liberating self-directed care at home, wherever home is.

Our Vision

We envision a “homecare revolution”, a future where private homecare providers led by Premier Homecare Services cooperate seamlessly with not-for-profit and public organizations and professionals to provide widely accessible, self-directed and liberating in-home care services across the social continuum.

Our Values

Accountability
We must conduct ourselves in a manner consistent with the contracts we enter, the claims we make, and the general conduct expected of a professional. We keep our promises!

Communication
We will take steps to ensure that all stakeholders are given means to have their voice heard and valued in decision-making processes. We listen!

Community
While we aspire to become an industry-leading homecare services provider, we do so with a sense of humility, an understanding that the communities and professional networks in which we operate house the true agents of our success. We will get involved in our communities!

Integrity
We will act in an ethical, moral and responsible manner in all our interactions.

Safety
The safety of our clients and our employees is of paramount concern. We task ourselves with implementing the appropriate systems and processes that will ensure a safe environment.

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By: Will Oud, B.Sc.

Will Oud is a Research Assistant in Behavioural Neurology for the Brain Health Clinics, Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest (Toronto, ON).

Does Physical Activity
Improve Brain Health?

You know that last 5 km you just ran? That set of push-ups you just completed? That decision to walk to the store instead of jumping in the car? You’re not only exercising your body. As it turns, out you’re doing a load of good for your brain too. In other words, yes, you’re working out your brain. Nike’s “Just do it!” motto suddenly gained an all new epistemological significance.

We generally tend to think of exercise in terms of its benefits to our physical bodies. After all, following any physical activity we typically feel fatigue in our muscles, a shortness of breath and our heart beats faster. We naturally link these physical symptoms to the common knowledge we possess (and that you hear every other day) that regular exercise is among the most important things we can do to prevent disease and positively affect our overall health.

All that knowledge began several decades ago when a fitness revolution was spawned due to research that positively linked changes in lifestyle to the prevention of cardiovascular disease and related conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, etc.

Do you ever feel more alert or better able to focus after exercising? As an active individual, I certainly do, and experts alike in fields like mental health and neuroscience are becoming very interested in the role physical activity may have toward brain health. Their work could have considerable implications for how we confront the aging process, particularly the prevention and management of dementia. It may change how you look at exercise too.

Studies Linking Exercise & Brain Health

A growing body of research has been developed over the past few decades that is fairly comprehensive in exploring the connection between physical activity and brain health. The findings are being derived from cross-sectional (observation) studies as well as longitudinal (intervention) studies that have been showing a strong positive relationship between cardiovascular fitness and overall brain health in terms of structure and function. This correlation is seen in both older adults free of neurologic disease and clinical populations such as those with dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and depression.

Functional Benefits

The emerging evidence is encouraging, indicating that individuals in both normal aging populations and those with cognitive impairment/dementia perform better than comparable but less physically fit individuals on tests of general cognitive function (such as the mini-mental state exam). The cognitive benefit appears to be greatest for higher order processes (executive functions) like planning, multi-tasking, inhibiting irrelevant information, and working (short-term) memory. These are abilities that have been consistently shown to decline most with the aging process.

Structural Benefits

Results from imaging studies show significantly preserved gray matter volume for high fitness individuals over their less fit counterparts in cross-sectional studies. Longitudinal studies have produced promising findings too, showing that gray matter volume can actually be increased through cardiovascular training. Interestingly, exercise’s protective effect against neuronal death and capacity for growth appears to be greatest in the frontal, parietal and temporal cortices regions of the brain. These regions are thought to support the higher order process (executive functions) that were identified above.

These findings lend considerable support to the notion that physical activity may act as a protective mechanism against the brain aging process’ degrading effects.

How DOES Exercise Affect
Positive Change in the Brain?

Circulation throughout the body is improved during exercise when the heart begins to pump more blood. The increased blood flow is known to produce many positive effects on the body’s physical systems. The benefits seen in the brain may be widespread too and likely comparable in nature to those seen in the body. To discover what changes are occurring that may be affecting this positive trend, we must rely on work done with animals since we cannot efficiently study the brains of fellow humans in this way. The work in this field has shown that the neural mechanisms physical activity affects are widespread. They include:

• Growth Factors – Two major growth factors inside the brain of exercise trained animals are seen to increase significantly with exercise: BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic factor), and IGF1 (Insulin-like growth factor). These are important signalling molecules that support growth and offer many protective effects in the brain’s neural environment.
• Blood Flow – Blood flow to the brain increases when exercise is started, similar to the increased flow to the rest of the body. Like the body’s tissues, the working neurons of the brain need glucose for fuel and optimal function. Increased blood flow to the brain – bringing with it more oxygen and nutrients – consequently improves those working neurons’ glucose metabolism potential. Regular exercise is also shown to lead to angiogenesis (an increase in the density and size of capillaries surrounding the neurons), thereby enhancing blood flow even while at rest.
• Neurogenesis – New neurons are generated in the brains of animals that run regularly. These new neurons develop mostly in the hippocampus (an important structure for memory and well-known to deteriorate with Alzheimer’s disease). The new neurons survive to contribute to the function of the cortex and become associated with learning and memory.
• Synaptic Plasticity – A process called Long Term Potentiation (LTP) – a cellular level mechanism for learning and memory – is a long lasting increase in the strength of communication between two neurons across the synapse (a tiny gap between two neurons where communication occurs via chemical signals called neurotransmitters). Stronger connections and thus communications between neurons is shown to improve brain function. In studies done with animals, running exercises have been shown to enhance the LTP process in the hippocampus.
• Neurotransmitters – Neurotransmitters are important chemicals in communication between neurons at synapses. For instance, deficits in neurotransmitters like Acetylcholine (ACh), serotonin, and dopamine have been implicated in the disease processes of Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and Parkinson’s disease. Levels of all three of these major neurotransmitters have been shown to increase within exercised animals’ Brains.

These mechanisms are likely to be interdependent upon one another, acting in combination to provide a more protective, healthy neural environment.

Beginning to Exercise in
Later Life – It’s Never Too Late

Taking up regular physical activity later in life may seem like an intimidating task. You may be reading this article while painfully imaging the participants in these studies exhausting themselves during intense workouts. The good news is, however, that the activities that can produce the benefits reviewed above do not need to be very strenuous. The exercise programs used in the studies mentioned were, for the most part, rather simple walking programs done multiple times a week for half an hour to an hour and designed to cause only a moderate increase in heart rate.

There are many simple things you can do if you wish to increase your physical activity. For older adults and those who haven’t exercised for a long time, you should start by slowly adding a bit more activity to your lifestyle. For instance, take up more chores around the house that get you moving like vacuuming, cutting the grass, or gardening. When you’re ready to partake in more regular activity, get started by asking your spouse, a family member, a friend, or a caregiver to go for a walk with you, take the dog out, or visit a friend’s house. Aim to do this 3 or 4 times a week for maximum benefit. Being active with someone whose company you value, or walking with a fond destination in mind will make it more enjoyable. Overtime, you may gradually increase the distance walked or the speed but be sure to stay within your comfort zone.

An Active Lifestyle for a Healthy Brain

Build activity into a regular part of your lifestyle, stick with it and, in doing so, you are building a solid foundation for lifelong brain health. This is all just another great reason to get active (as if we didn’t have enough already!).

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Spring is here and hibernation season is officially over! It’s time to peel  off the winter woollies and get back to our favourite outdoor activities; walking, hiking, biking, wheeling, gardening, sailing and more. Now, as much as we love these sports and hobbies, for many of us with mobility impairments, these activities can put extra strain on our joints causing swelling and pain.

So while you’re tuning up your bike this spring or getting your gardening tools ready to plant, you might want to also consider tuning up your joints. One of the best ways you can do this is by eating celery. Yes, this crunchy, low-calorie, fibrous vegetable has a number joint-health benefits.

Important Minerals for Your Joints

To start, celery contains a substance called silica, which is one of the most important minerals for our joints because it helps build the cartilage and connective tissue that make these vital body structures. Celery is also 23% sodium, another mineral that is an integral part of our bone health.

This means this bone-shaped veggie helps to strengthen the bones that come together and build our joints. The high water content of celery helps to lubricate our joints, while its anti-inflammatory properties help reduce swelling and pain around the joint. You just can’t go wrong by eating celery!

So give yourself months of pain-free fun and start munching on some celery several times a week. Slice and dip it into hummus, chop some stalks in your salads or blend it into a refreshing glass of juice.

More “Nutrition by Joanne Smith” articles:

• Astragalus: Herbal Armour (Mar. 11, 2010)
• The Almighty Pea! (Nov. 5, 2009)
• High Fibre Diet (Aug. 13, 2009)
• Quinoa (July 16, 2009)

__Contact Information:__
Joanne Smith, Certified Nutritional Practitioner
Ph: 416.992.2927
Email: fruitfulelements@gmail.com
Website: http://www.fruitfulelements.com/

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Finding care doesn’t have
to be a stressful process

At home is where we feel most comfortable. Many of our memories with friends and family are in the home and time and time again we hear that home is where seniors wish to remain. If you or your loved one is not yet ready to move out into a retirement community or long-term care facility, home care assistance is a helpful and serious option to consider.

There are many decisions to be made when assisting your loved one in determining what care options are the best for everyone involved.

Communicating with home care agencies/providers can sometimes be a long and frustrating process, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some suggestions to help make finding the right provider easier. Being prepared with the right questions and attitude can help smooth the transition to home care for yourself or a parent.

Tips on dealing with
a home care agency:

• Have a diary/notebook handy. Write down a list of questions to ask each home care agency so that you can do a comparison across the board. Ask yourself: What are the priorities for having home care? What are our preferences for care? What is a realistic price range? Are they available 24/7 for emergencies?
• Record the name of the person you were speaking with, note your impressions. Did they answer your questions appropriately? Were they helpful and friendly? Did they offer to send you additional information or resources on their services or did they direct you to their website?
• Ask your questions and prepare to invest time in getting your questions answered. Take notes.
• Be specific about your situation, your concerns and priorities for care. Typically the more details you can communicate, the easier it is for the home care provider to understand what would be the best way to assist you.
• Meeting for an interview or an assessment is beneficial; this gives you an opportunity to ask questions in more detail, and for the provider to clarify their services. A good home care company should also ensure they are personalizing the services to each situation, what we call a care plan. Will they be available 24/7 to fill emergency schedules if needed? You can invite other family members or power’s of attorney to be present. Involve your parent in the decision making if possible.
• Share a laugh, you are not alone! Many people are in similar situations, and having a positive outlook makes the transition easier for everyone.

Other Blog Articles in
the “Newsletter Series”:

Shaping Cultural Views towards Dying and Grief (Feb. 25, 2010)
Coming Home after Hospitalization: What to Expect (Dec. 3, 2010)

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By: Will Oud, B.Sc.

Will Oud is a Research Assistant in Behavioural Neurology for the Brain Health Clinics, Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest (Toronto, ON).

Forecasting Canada’s
Brain Health & Dementia Risk

A decade into the new millennium and it is well understood that Canada’s demographic landscape is changing – our most elderly population cohort is growing immensely. Advances in science, healthcare technology and medicine, along with better lifestyle choices, have resulted in individuals living longer lives and maintaining better physical health throughout their later years. Along with this will come the inevitable implications of an older population.

An impressive study recently commissioned by the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada – appropriately titled, “Rising Tide” – examines the impending tsunami-like impact of dementia on Canadian society. The study’s results are truly alarming. It estimates that about 500,000 Canadians are living with dementia today, already crowning it as the most significant cause of disability in those aged 65 and over. This number is expected to more than double in the next 30 years, increasing the number of those inflicted to 1,125,200 people by 2038. Such a dramatic increase represents not only a serious health concern but also a crippling economic burden for Canadian society. It is clear that we must begin addressing the issue now.

What Brain Health Means to You and I

Many of us will come to accept that living into our 70’s, 80’s, 90’s or beyond will eventually mean sacrificing some of our physical independence due to unpreventable physical frailty. We may need to employ services like homecare for the added assistance required in maintaining a certain level of personal independence. While for most this is an acceptable compromise in exchange for an extended lifespan, amongst our biggest unresolved fears and one most difficult to comprehend is the potential loss of our mental faculties.

Losing the ability to think for ourselves, to decide on the direction of our own lives as a result of the senility caused by a degraded brain, is not a comfortable concept even for the most stout of heart. For anyone who has witnessed the devastating effects of dementia on another – whether in a family member, friend, or as in my case with clients – the experience can become a very potent alarm, signalling the importance of educating ourselves of this health risk.

I welcome you to my Brain Health Series on the Premier Homecare Services Blog. I hope that with this first entry you will become convinced we should all begin paying more attention to this topic of brain health.

Shattering Traditional Modes
of Thinking about the Brain

In the not so distant past, the accepted concept of the adult nervous system was that it was a fixed static entity both in terms of function and structure. Remember hearing the expression, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”? Contrary to this ingrained maxim, many years of groundbreaking research – the work of many brilliant minds – has begun to offer a different way of thinking about the brain. We now view the brain as a very dynamic organ constantly changing both in function and in structure.

Evidence of Functional Change (Synaptic Plasticity)

Back in the middle of the 20^th century, neuropsychologist Donald Hebb posited a theory, which has been summarized as, “[brain] cells that fire together, wire together”. This means that if a neuron (the cells which make up our nervous system and act by stimulating each other in a pathway) continually causes a neighboring neuron to fire, a metabolic change will take place that can, over time, strengthen the connection between the two. Neuroscientists like Michael Merzenich have applied this theory and observed significant functional rewiring of the cortex of primate and human brains, experimentally demonstrating that this theorized functional change occurs.

Evidence of Structural Change (Neurogenesis)

We used to think that the growth of new neurons was not possible after our childhood years. If someone were to experience brain injury there wasn’t much that could be done with them other than to help them cope with what functions remained because we believed that brain cells could not regenerate and the damage was permanent. We now know that through a process called neurogenesis, the development of new neurons is very much a possibility. Psychologist Elizabeth Gould has conducted pioneering research in this area of neuroscience. She has shown that the generation of neurons in the adult brains of monkeys does indeed occur. These newly created neurons arise from neural stem cells and migrate not only to the hippocampus – a part of the brain important for memory – but to the associative areas of the cortex that are important for higher cognitive function.

Until recently and most likely because of the traditional model of the static brain, the most focus on brain health has been given to the stages of older age and what happens in advanced brain failure like Alzheimer’s disease. Armed with this fresh knowledge regarding a more dynamic brain, we may begin to adopt a more holistic approach to brain health and focus on the greater process of brain aging. By turning our attention to what we can do in the areas of prevention, early intervention, and rehabilitation, we may be able to strengthen Canada’s brain health and reduce the burden of dementia on future generations.

Strengthening Brain Health – Strategies
for Slowing the Progression of Disease

Many scientists are actively searching for effective methods of promoting positive changes in our brains. The hope is to find solutions for preventing or slowing the loss of brain tissue during aging and disease progression, or for minimizing the impact of such losses. Much of the research that has shown noteworthy promise is in healthy lifestyle choices like physical activity, nutrition, the exercise of mental activity, and choice of environment. According to the Alzheimer’s Society, promoting brain health through lifestyle choices may be the most effective way of reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and for slowing down its progression.

Through this blog series – Brain Health by Will Oud – I will take a critical look at contemporary research involving lifestyle choices and their potential effects on healthy brain aging and the prevention of disease. I’ll begin to sift through what advice is supported by valid research and what claims the literature just doesn’t back up. Follow-up four weeks from now for the next addition to the series.

When you work within the homecare business you become accustomed to the story of families or individuals facing a crisis – a loved one becoming ill or injuring themselves by a fall – and suddenly they don’t know where to turn for help when they need it most. Everyday our offices across Canada receive calls from families facing this precise situation.

It is not always easy to plan ahead for something you cannot anticipate. Even when you can see the need, planning ahead can be very difficult. Consider the example of deciding on whether to plan for moving into a long-term care home versus a retirement home, or to forget that altogether and plan to remain independent in your own home. Each option one has a unique set of advantages, disadvantages and decisions that must be made. An individual’s situation will change over time and thus their needs and preferences too. One of the purposes of the Premier Homecare Services blog is to provide you with information that can help your family and you anticipate and plan for these unforeseen circumstances.

Planning Ahead for Your Funeral

With the woman I have chosen to interview in this article, it is inevitable that we will all require the services of her line of work at one point in time. A licensed Funeral Director, Joanne Bunton will commonly refer to herself as a “Community Outreach Co-ordinator”. She works with Ward Funeral Homes, advocating in her community that you should look to planning your funeral arrangements now, lest more headaches arise in the future. Below, I asked her to shed some light on the topic:

Q: Why Advance Planning?

A: When you plan your funeral in advance, you spare your family from having to make complex decisions at an especially demanding time. As well, you give yourself the ability to make those important choices at your leisure, giving them the time and consideration they deserve – and your family will not have to “second guess” what you might have wanted. There are several options available to help you personalize the funeral service. We can show you how contemporary funeral services allow you to create an event that is most appropriate for both you and your loved ones.

Q: What details are you certain to cover when you sit down with someone?

A: The extent to which people plan in advance and the amount of detail they ask us to keep on file varies from one person to the next. We provide a wide range of options including service details, a comprehensive selection of caskets, cremation urns, burial vaults, stationery and monuments and markers. We’ll discuss the kind of funeral you think would be most appropriate, discuss your options related to burial, cremation or entombment, and guide you through the choice of merchandise. Once those things are known, we are able to explain the costs involved. We’ll also record the “Vital Statistics” information such as your name, address, date of birth, place of birth, Social Insurance Number, occupation and your parent’s names and places of birth.

Q: Does the advance planning incorporate pre-financing for the funeral?

A: Advance Planning does not necessarily mean you have to pre-finance. If you do choose to prepay your arrangements, you can protect yourself against future price increases and spare your family the possibility of unexpected expenses. In fact, effective July 1^st of this year, the tax on a funeral and related cemetery services will increase from 5% to 13%. As we make people aware of this, we’ve noted a marked increase in the number choosing to pre-finance their arrangements in order to avoid the additional 8% tax. The principal and all interest remain on deposit until the time of need to cover the increase in cost due to inflation. Any excess funds will be refunded to your estate and all money is guaranteed, safe and secure. Should you relocate, the pre-paid funds are transferrable to another funeral service provider. Pre-paying your funeral eases the financial burden that can surround unprepared families and friends at the time of loss.

Q: Beyond simply planning and financing the funeral service, what other related things should someone anticipate?

A: During the advance planning discussions, we are often asked about Powers of Attorney, Wills, Living Wills, Organ Donation, Memorial Donations, Estate Settlement, Canada Pension Plan Benefits and other matters unique to each individual situation. You should definitely anticipate leaving with a more secure and settled state of mind knowing that you have done a good thing not only for yourself, but for those you love and care for.

Ward Funeral Homes – http://www.wardfuneralhome.com/

Related Blog Articles about Planning Ahead:

• My Parents Need Help, Where do I Begin? (Feb. 12, 2009)
• Where do I Begin? – Homecare (Feb. 26, 2009)
• Homecare: Questions You Might Ask (Feb. 26, 2009)
• Where do I Begin? – Retirement Homes (Mar. 12, 2009)
• Where do I Begin? – Moving Solutions (Mar. 26, 2009)

Other Informative Blog Articles:

• Veterans Independence Program (May 7, 2009)
• Q&A with Dr. Michael Gordon (July 2, 2009)
• Anticipating the Flu Season & H1N1 (Sept. 1, 2009)
• Coming Home after Hospitalization: What to Expect (Dec. 3, 2009)
• A Palliative Care Story, by Jane Teasdale (Jan. 28, 2010)
• Regulatory Changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program (Mar. 25, 2010)

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Employers and Families to face Tougher Rules

The Live-in Caregiver Program dictates the rules of conduct for hiring foreign nationals as live-in caregivers for children, the elderly or persons with disabilities. The new changes introduce obligations like mandatory employer-paid benefits (health-care insurance, workplace safety insurance, travel costs and recruitment fees, where applicable) and mandatory employment contracts (including clauses like duration of contract, job duties, hours of work, accommodation arrangements, and terms of resignation and termination).

Agencies or families looking to hire a foreign national under the Live-in Caregiver Program will now face more obstacles and take on greater risk in doing so.

The following websites summarize the changes well:

Changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

Hiring a Live-in Caregiver
Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Live-in Caregivers and Premier Homecare Services

Premier Homecare Services is NOT affected by these changes.

Since its inception, Premier Homecare Services has provided live-in care to individuals across the care continuum – children, elderly, and persons with disabilities. In addition, where the Live-in Caregiver Program limits the employment of foreign nationals for care only to individuals with proven impairments or disabilities, Premier Homecare Services has been able to provide live-in care to any individual for any reason (e.g. companionship, light housekeeping, etc.).

Premier Homecare Services only hires individuals that are already eligible to work in Canada. This eliminates much of the risk involved in sponsoring a foreign caregiver and, most importantly, allows us to interview the candidate in-person too, to ensure that they are someone we feel comfortable sending into our clients’ homes.

A Full Range of Home Care Services

A Premier Homecare Services’ live-in caregiver can provide clients with a full range of home care supports like light housekeeping, errands and transportation, companionship, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, grooming assistance, medication reminders, meal preparation, post-surgery, respite and palliative care.

For more information regarding Premier Homecare Services’ live-in care and overnight care, please visit the Our Services page.

By: Joanne Smith,
Certified Nutritional Practitioner
FruitfulElements.com
(view her biography)

It seems everyone I talk to these days is either sick, or just recovering from a nasty bug. As individuals with special health conditions or disabilities, we need to take extra special care to ensure that our immune systems are working optimally. Decreased mobility and circulation, as well as altered and compromised digestive systems can often make our immune systems less efficient in protecting us from bacterial and viral infections.

Boost Your Immune System

So boost your immune system and help protect yourself from these dreadful invaders with a powerful herb called Astragalus. The medicinal benefits of herbs have been known for thousands of years. Many aromatic plants contain potent ingredients that can help strengthen and heal the body and don’t have any of the negative side effects associated with many over the counter medications.

For over 2000 years the Chinese herb Astragalus, also known as huang qi, has been known to help protect the immune system, promote healing, provide energy and fight fatigue.

If any of your co-workers, friends or family start sneezing, shield yourself with this herbal armour.

>> Another article taken from the Premier Homecare Services Quarterly Newsletter, written by Jennifer Watson. <<

Canada’s leading palliative care educator and spiritual activist Stephen Jenkinson is called the Angel of Death.

A recent PBS documentary titled “Griefwalker” is a friend’s tribute to the work of this Harvard trained theologian. Jenkinson reminds us that death is an integral part of life and that’s why we shouldn’t ignore or deny it but rather befriend it. It is a fear of death which is robbing us of an important and unavoidable transition in life. In the Canadian documentary, Jenkinson asks us to reflect on why life is so important to us, and that the answer lies in the very fact that it ends. “Grief is not a feeling. Grief is a skill,” he mentions. A skill of life is being able to love life while you are living it, being present and enjoying the life you have to live. Grief needs to be coupled with a praise of life, so that where you have one you also have the other.

Many cultures understand the importance of death in one’s life, not only for a spiritual exit but also for the benefit of those loved ones left behind. In the film, Jenkinson speaks to a mother who is in palliative care knowing she is leaving behind a husband and children. He plainly states it is ‘how she will die’ rather than ‘what she will die of’ which will leave the deepest impression on her family and influence their grieving.

Jenkinson offers his teachings to professional caregivers, those in the medical field, volunteers and administrators, and especially for dying people and their loved ones.

You can also read more from him in his book titled “How it all could be: A work book for dying people and those who love them.” His wisdom, humanistic approach and sensible approach to an often “off-topic” topic should not be missed by anyone. Stephen Jenkinson lectures across Canada. Tour stops can be found online at www.orphanwisdom.com . Purchase the “Griefwalker” DVD or look for screenings for the movie directed by Tim Wilson at films.nfb.ca/griefwalker.

Premier is here for you. You and your family are not alone in life’s transitions and challenges. Support, help and resources are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Personalized care for you or your loved one eases your burden and gives peace of mind.