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• Losing a license to drive • Financial Planning • Exercise: The true medicine

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CAPITAL NEWS X3

More seniors going bankrupt than ever before Mike Straus Contributor BC’s bankruptcy rate among seniors is at 10.9 per cent, which is above the federal average of 10 per cent. BDO Senior VP Donna Mihalcheon says that several factors are making it harder for seniors to afford basic life necessities. Between 2010 and 2014, there was a 20 per cent jump in the number of retirement age bankruptcies in Canada. And with

10 per cent of Canadian seniors facing imminent bankruptcy, financial insolvency is an issue that no senior citizen can afford to ignore. “We’ve been seeing lots of seniors come in,” says Donna Mihalcheon, a Senior VP with BDO who manages financial recovery services throughout the Okanagan Valley. “(This problem is) big and getting bigger. If you’re 25 or 35 or 40, you have some time to regroup and get back into the game. But at 65, your income earning years are largely behind you, so it’s hard to regroup.” Mihalcheon says that seniors are going bankrupt for a variety of reasons—there’s no single cause. People today are living longer than ever before, she says, which means many seniors don’t have the funds to support themselves and pay for the unexpected health expenses that come with old age. And many seniors are still supporting their adult children. “We have this sandwich generation, aged in the 25 to 50 range, and seniors are helping them pay off student loans and buy houses. That’ the typical parent reaction—we don’t want to say no to our

children, no matter how old they are. But I always tell people that you have to look after yourself first.” The 25- to 50-year-old generation, Mihalcheon says, has several income-earning years left, while seniors don’t. She also notes that many seniors struggle with basic financial literacy skills, which leaves them without the tools they need to manage their money and makes them vulnerable to scams. “You’ll see one spouse die, for instance, and the other spouse doesn’t know how to write a cheque or do their own banking. They’ve never had a credit card. (It’s such a big problem that) the federal government now has a national strategy on financial literacy—November is Financial Literacy Month.” The government is also working hard to help seniors become more aware of financial scams. Mihalcheon cites a recent phone scam in which a caller would phone residents claiming to be from the CRA and demand payment. The root problem most seniors face, though, is that they delay taking action until it’s too late. Bankruptcy is meant to be a last resort, Mihalcheon says, but too many seniors ignore their debt issues until bankruptcy is the only option left. “Where seniors get into trouble is when they don’t have a plan— they spend without a plan. They use credit cards, spend more than they make, and don’t have a plan to repay what they owe. (Seniors need to) reach out before it’s a problem. Open your envelopes. Answer the phone when collectors call.” Mihalcheon says that reaching out sooner rather than later means seniors can access real solutions like debt settlement proposals. “Talk to a qualified professional. We’ll talk to people for free. And don’t take action until you’ve made sure it’s the right step.

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CAPITAL NEWS

Isolating the elderly is entirely wrong idea

Barry Gerding Managing Editor It is said there are only two certainties in life—death and taxes. Dealing with taxes amounts to the has of cutting a cheque to the government each year or seeking out tax deductions. It’s all about numbers. When it comes to death, that is an emotional issue that many seniors have difficulty facing, as do their families. And according to Kelowna Capital News seniors’ columnist Marjorie Horne, that absence of that emotional bridge to our elder years can lead to all kinds of social and physical issues for seniors.

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“Somebody may not be feeling physically well or motivated to be active, but it all starts from that emotional state,” Horne says. She says we often have a tendency to harbour those feelings inside, to not talk about the inevitable end of life we all are destined to meet, and how we want to live out that third stage of our life. It’s the difference between being despondent and miserable, or being active and contributing to themselves, their families and even their community. Horne believes that is exacerbated further by the North American ritual of seniors being isolated from their families, either being on their own living in veritable isolation or in a seniors’ home. “Look at the country of Okinawa, that has more people over the age of 100 than anywhere else in the world,” Horne notes. “When you see pictures of these people, the thing that strikes me is how happy and joyful they are. “I think the key for them is they are not being stuck in some place, made to feel they have nothing to contribute. Retirement for them is not about being told they can no longer look after themselves, being put somewhere, patted on the head and being told we’ll take care of you. “We all have the capacity to keep on giving to others, no matter how hold you are. “There is no better feeling than to be able to help someone else, and taking away that opportunity for seniors is robbing something important from their lives.” She says in North America, we have departed from many

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HORNE FROM X4 other cultures around the world where the elderly live in the family home, and remain a vibrant part of the family unit. “I think if we don’t start turning around the other way as a society, we are heading into trouble if we continue to isolate the elderly. By doing that, we are sacrificing something from ourselves…we have to get back to remaining connected rather than separated as a family.” Horne says the baby boomer generation often find themselves today dealing with their parents who are dealing with a deteriorating emotional state and physical limitations as they age, and their younger kids. “It’s a full-time job raising your kids, so when you add on the responsibilities of looking after your parents’ needs, that just adds to the toll it takes on you,” she says. “With our parents, I think the first instinct is to always want to solve or fix a problem, to do something to help,” she says. “When what you are doing is really not the solution, because the emotional side of what both you and your parents are going through is not being addressed. We always want to deal with logistics, but the first thing you need to face is the emotions that you feel. “And you have to have empathy and understanding for what

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X6 | JUST FOR SENIORS • September 25, 2015

Give up your denial HORNE FROM X5 the parent is experiencing, especially on the emotional side. Sometimes it’s more important to just listen rather than always trying to fix something.” Horne says for seniors to live in denial of death is to not be prepared to face transitions that come in life as you age past 60. “There is a sense of fear because we become so attached to what we have, how we look, what our role is at work and in life. As you get older in that third stage of life you realize that isn’t really what life is about at all,” she says. “And it’s also not about living in a small space with a kitchen and a living room. It’s more about the gifts we still have to share with others than can bring incredible satisfaction, it’s about what legacy you want to leave behind, it’s about how you deal with our emotions at that stage of life and what you can teach or pass on to those closest to you. “And when you talk about emotions, about how you feel, it’s really about opening up yourself to vulnerability. We tend to think it makes us weak, but when you open yourself up to vulnerability it becomes a source of enormous strength and compassion. “That’s one thing writing my column and talking about my feelings has taught me. People respond and appreciate that I’ve shared those feelings…they are feelings they have themselves but maybe have no one to talk to about them.”

CAPITAL NEWS

Somatics body therapy

Prime Somatics is a movement-based therapy that calls on individuals to observe where their body feels freedom of movement and areas where that movement is restricted by chronic tension. Working from the centre of the body, our core, the idea behind Somatics is to release our larger muscles from tension through a sequence of gentle movements. These movements are based on a series of patterns, strong reflexes that are “hard-wired” into our sensory-motor nervous system and have evolved over time. Somatics treats what is called sensory motor amnesia, a condition in which muscles have become chronically contracted and are not able to relax because the brain has surrendered control of the muscle to the subconscious mind. Not only have we forgotten how to release these muscles, often we are not even aware that our contractions exist. We are born with the inherent ability to control our muscles— to both relax and contract them. Circumstances, such as injury, surgery or stress, can cause us to surrender control of certain muscles to the subcortex or subconscious mind. We don’t notice this at first, as it usually becomes more apparent when pain appears and begins to interfere with our

SEE SOMATICS X7

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SOMATICS FROM X6 lifestyle activities. With pain often comes surgery to repair what may be seen as structural damage, but the idea behind Somatics is the pain is functional, caused by the way we use or don’t use our muscles. While it is difficult to change our body structure, Somatics promotes the idea of changing our body muscle function. This function change is done by voluntarily engaging the contracted muscle and then slowly releasing it. This is done with the full attention of our conscious mind or cortex, thus allowing to take back control of the muscle and deepen the sensory-motor pathway that lets us relax a muscle when it is not being used. The word Somatics comes from the Greek root soma which means “the living organism in its wholeness.” The word is meant to understand people as an integrated combination of social/ body/spirit as well as social and relational human beings. Traditional therapies often begin with strengthening, which layers tension over already contracted muscles, or stretching, which activates stretch reflex which results in

CAPITAL NEWS X7

Financial planning

For seniors, planning their financial affairs for the latter years of their lives can be a complicated and stressful process. Money or access to it can bring out the worst characteristics in families, and if seniors become incapacitated or their health generally deteriorates quickly without a financial plan in place, whatever intent that individual had for their estate will get lost in the legal shuffle. Power of attorney is one area that can lead to loss of control of one’s financial assets if not thought out carefully. Being in denial of its ultimate need, caused often by an inability to recognize that we all inevitably will die or that our general state of health can turn bad very quickly and unexpectedly, can turn any intended estate planning into a fiscal quagmire. Kelowna lawyer Nancy Ling, with FH&P firm in Kelowna, says most lawyers try to offer one basic rule of thumb to seniors confronted by the need to declare a power of attorney—don’t sign any legal document for power of attorney without consulting a lawyer. Ling acknowledges the temptation to not follow that advice can be tempting—the provincial government enacted power of attorney legislation in 2011, banks will offer power of attorney coverage related to your bank accounts or searching out information on Google. “With a power of attorney, every person’s situation is unique,” she says, citing such issues as family disharmony, broken marriages among siblings, the introduction of stepchildren into a family, drug addiction or mental health illness issues and general family tensions. “As a lawyer, we have to look at all those issues potentially in someone’s family and look at what the interests are of the

SEE PLANNING X8

heightened tension levels. Somatics offers other natural mechanisms of the central nervous system to voluntarily release muscles from within. Practioners believe it can help people suffering from a wide range of pain or discomfort issues, from chronic body pain, headaches and carpal tunnel syndrome, to waking up or going to bed feeling stiff and issues related to joint replacement. Local physiotherapist and chiropractor Christian Reinhard will present a workshop called The Myth of Aging Somatics on Saturday, Oct. 17, and Sunday, Oct. 18, 9 a.m, to 5 p.m. both days, at the Holiday Park Resort in Lake Country, 1-415 Commonwealth Rd. To register call 250-470-1240 or email creinhard@shaw.ca.

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PLANNING FROM X7 client, and how to make sure those interests for our client are protected,” Ling said. “It is the same thing with making out a will. You can spend $20 on a kit and make out your own will, but in the end you may be doing a lot more damage that you realize because you haven’t thought out all the legal implications of what you want to do.” Ling says another key point of advice is for people entering their elder years to think about their financial long-term interests and what they want done with their money and by who long before their health takes a turn for the worse. “You want to think about these things when you are not in a situation of having to react at a crisis point in your health situation,” she said.

CAPITAL NEWS

For couples, those financial issues include establishing a P legal will, power of attorney, signing authority for joint assets such as a home and bank accounts, possibility of establishing a legal trust. “What’s mine is mine doesn’t always work that way in the flow of assets when a husband or wife passes away,” Ling said. Such an example would be owning a house, where a couple has both their names on the title. If the husband becomes hospitalized and mentally incapacitated likely for a long-term, such as from dementia, the wife won’t be able to sell the house without the signing authority of her spouse. Unable to do so because of their general health situation, it forces the wife to face the possibility of seeking a court order to gain sole control of the home, to be able to use the fiscal assets of a sale to pay for long-term care both for the husband and ultimately perhaps for herself. Ling says a big trend today among many elderly parents with large bank accounts is to give lifetime or legacy to there children, and then find themselves running out of money to support themselves as they age. “The problem with that can be that money is not necessarily reciprocated if it is needed by the parent,” she said. “To follow that plan means you have to be prepared for the fact that if you give that money away, you will never get it back. You should put yourself in the position to enjoy what you have why you are still living, and put a plan in place have to disperse your estate after you’re SEE PLANNING X9

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SJUST FOR SENIORS • September 25, 2015

CAPITAL NEWS X9

PLANNING FROM X8 gone,” Ling says. The increase in bankruptcy proceedings against seniors over the last four to five years, speaks to the importance of financial planning as we all age. In 2014, 10.9 per cent of British Columbians who declared bankruptcy were 65 or older, according to the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy and Statistics Canada. There were an almost 20 per cent jump in retirement age bankruptcies between 2010 and 2014. While dementia is a common concern, Ling cautions that a single bad mishap, a bad accident or a brain injury from a fall, can be catastrophic financially if no one has been given authority to deal with your financial affairs and clear direction on what is to be done. “You may be incapacitated, but there are payments still to be made and bills to be paid. A bank may have your accounts or your mortgage, but foreclosures can still be imposed if no one is put in place to carry out your affairs,” she says. “Many of us don’t like to talk about death, to acknowledge that it will happen eventually to all of us. But you need to think about your financial future when you are younger, when you are of sound mind, not when you find yourself with the onset symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.” Ling and co-FH&P lawyer Erin Cram are leading a lecture series hosted by the Seniors Outreach and Resource Centre, 102-2055 Benvoulin Crt., on Tuesdays about financial planning and safety for seniors. The series began Sept. 15 and continues until Nov. 3, from 1 to 3 p.m. every Tuesday. Topics include representation and power of attorney, fraud, scams, online banking, elder abuse and self-neglect, and personal safety in and out of the home. Sessions are free but pre-registration is required by calling 250-861-6180 or emailing senior@telus.net.

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X10 | JUST FOR SENIORS • September 25, 2015

CAPITAL NEWS

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which only compounded their various side effects. When I joined 49 other heart disease patients in a one-year CHIP research project designed to reverse heart disease by making better lifestyle choices, I was barely able to pass the sixminute walk test to qualify for the experiment. But making simple lifestyle changes in my diet and exercise routines has made all the difference in my physical and emotional health. Allow me to share some of my clinical changes that came faster than I had expected. Within a week, my typical chest pains were gone, and I no longer needed my Metoprolol pills nor my nitro pills, which I had been taking several times a week. My blood had apparently become thinner in response to my leaner diet emphasizing more plant-based whole foods and I was now better able to perfuse my heart muscle with the needed oxygen. Shortly thereafter, as my blood sugar levels were dropping so consistently, my doctor incrementally had to reduce the amount of my insulin. I am now off all insulin, and I no longer have to take my four Glipizide pills. And my high blood pressure readings have come down in the range of teenagers, even though my physician discontinued my Lisinopril blood pressure medication. Since my blood cholesterol has dropped quite a bit as well, I will be discussing with my physician the need for continuing my Lipitor medication. I am now able to enjoy walking more than 30 minutes in a stretch without the chest pain and shortness of breath along with those severe pains in my calf muscles because of my intermittent claudication (peripheral vascular disease, sometimes described as “angina of the calf muscles”). Before CHIP, I would never go anywhere without my nitro pills to dilate my coronary arteries or without my cell phone to call for help in case of another heart attack or the cramping up of my leg muscles. All of this has changed. Perhaps at my next visit with my physician, he may take another close look at the need for my last remaining medication. And, to my amazement, with all the fruits and vegetables, and all the beans and whole grain

SEE LIFESTYLE X11

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CAPITAL NEWS X11

SJUST FOR SENIORS • September 25, 2015

Exercise: the true medicine

LIFESTYLE FROM X10 products that have become the staples of my new lifestyle, I have lost nearly 50 lbs without much effort. That’s exactly what they had told me: Eat more and weigh less! The foods that will heal your heart and diabetes, will also help you to lose weight because of the stomachfilling fibre, which is uncommon in engineered foods and in animal products. These fiberrich foods will give you good nutrition and satiety without loading you up with calories. I am so grateful for being in this reversalof-heart-disease lifestyle study, because CHIP has empowered me through education, motivation and inspiration provided in a supportive and caring environment to take charge of my life and health. My future looks bright and productive. I enjoy my new lifestyle. I can hardly wait for our final test results in another five months to see what happened to those narrowed coronary and carotid arteries. I know I feel so much better. My outlook is so much brighter. And now, I have a better understanding of my diseases. Now, I more clearly understand the part I can and must play. At last, I am feeling in charge of my health again. After all, health is largely a matter of choice based on a better understanding of the disease, its contributing causes and its remedies.

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SEE EXERCISE X12

X12 | JUST FOR SENIORS • September 25, 2015

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us a sense of wellbeing––including higher energy levels, reduced s anxiety and depression, improved self-esteem and reduce stress levels. Healthy eating and exercise are often the best medicine. b To help keep seniors on track, the YMCA of Okanagan offers a supportive, safe community and a multitude of programs designed i to help older adults and individuals with chronic conditions get and a stay active and healthy. i Seniors visit the Y to seek help with their recovery from injury, a to build up their strength pre- or post-surgery, to increase their p cardiovascular endurance and heart health to prevent or recover from a cardiac event, or simply to obtain better health over all and o meet new people. H One success story of many i is Shirley Frankie. At age g 75, the YMCA of Okanagan fl became the community she F found after over a year and F a half of being isolated in her a home. s “I feel so much better about myself now,” says Frankie. “I was homebound for a year and a half because of my arthritis and I wasn’t doing any good.” Frankie started coming to the Y to the Healthy Hips and Knees program to build up her strength prior to knee replacement surgery and before she knew it she was coming almost daily engaging in Aquafit four times a week and yoga every Monday and Friday. She built up a community of support and came to love her newfound

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CAPITAL NEWS X13

SJUST FOR SENIORS • September 25, 2015

EXERCISE FROM X12 social network. I had knee surgery four months ago and I feel great. You wouldn’t believe how I am walking,” says Frankie. “I am better.” Staying connected to social networks and maintaining interpersonal relationships is the key to remaining active, engaged and healthy. Studies show that those who have regular social interaction and a support network are happier, physically more active, and have fewer health conditions including lower blood pressure. For those looking to assess their health and learn more about opportunities that may fit their needs, the Y is hosting a Seniors Health Assessment on October 16 at 375 Hartman Road. It includes individual sessions, each 45 minutes in length, to assess blood glucose levels, cardiovascular endurance, blood pressure, balance, flexibility, strength and agility. To register call, 250-491-9622. Following the assessment programs such as Healthy Hips & Knees, Fit for 50+, Aqua Therapy, Breathe Well and Healthy Hearts are available at the Y providing seniors with the expertise and support systems they need to remain healthy for years to come. Learn more about what the Y has to offer at ymcaokanagan.ca.

Senior drivers need driving competence assessment

Nanny for Granny helps seniors remain independent at home or in their retirement community

Mike Straus Contributor B.C.’s current senior driving assessment is inaccurate, researchers say. New research at Candrive will produce a more accurate test to assess senior drivers’ risk level. For seniors all over British Columbia, losing their driver’s license is a life-altering event. Especially in rural areas, a lost driver’s license means a decreased quality of life and less social contact. That’s why researchers are working to develop tools that can accurately assess seniors’ driving abilities—to keep them safely on the road longer. Dr. Michel Bédard is the director of Lakehead University’s Center for Research on Safe Driving. He’s currently involved in a six-year study of more than 900 Canadian seniors that measures their health and their driving abilities. “We’re trying to see what things change and whether age has

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Our supportive services include housekeeping such as dusting, cleaning, laundry and meal preparation as well as companionship, transportation, shopping, errands, health care, medication reminders and more. Emergency respite relief can usually begin within 24 hours and all of our services can be arranged on a short-term or long-term basis.

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X14 | JUST FOR SENIORS • September 25, 2015

DRIVING FROM X13 an influence in crashes,” says Bédard. “We want to develop a tool that physicians can use to determine if someone is at risk of causing a crash.” Dr. Bédard says there are several reasons why a senior may no longer be fit to drive, but most relate to either a disease of the eyes or a mental disorder. For physicians, understanding these factors is critical—ultimately it’s doctors, not ICBC, who make the decision to take away a license. “Some of these diseases are treatable; some aren’t. Surgery can treat glaucoma. But Alzheimer’s disease gets worse over time, and it can’t be reversed.” Bédard suggests creating a seniors’ driver education refresher course that seniors take every five years. “We have to go back to the idea of optimizing safe driving,” he says. “In evaluations, we have to ask how we can solve issues. We need to be more supportive of seniors and help them become better drivers, instead of having a knee-jerk reaction and saying, ‘you can’t drive.’” Physicians don’t currently have one single tool to determine whether a senior is still fit to drive, Bédard says. His team has published studies about the B.C. assessment system in the past,

CAPITAL NEWS concluding that B.C.’s driver tests for seniors aren’t as accurate as they should be. The tests, he says, give a lot of false positives (mistakenly identifying safe drivers as unsafe), and most seniors perform better in a second round of testing. This is important, he says, because taking away a driver’s license is not a decision that should be made lightly. “When we take someone’s license, we see an increase in depression symptoms, a decrease in life satisfaction, and a decrease in out-of-home activities. There’s a lot of societal and economic cost. It’s not an easy situation.” That’s why Bédard and his team are developing a new risk stratification tool, one with several different tests involved. “We have reaction and vision tests. We have tests of physical strength. We’re not sure exactly what we’re going to end up with. But right now the magic test doesn’t exist yet, and that’s where the danger is.” Dr. Bédard notes that there have been a lot of concerns about seniors becoming a “tidal wave of unsafe drivers,” but that problem hasn’t yet arisen. “We don’t have to fear senior drivers. They’re generally quite safe. If they do get into a crash, they’re more likely to harm themselves than others.”

SJUST FOR SENIORS • September 25, 2015

CAPITAL NEWS X15

DIRECTORY OF SERVICES

Health • Medical • Important Numbers POLICING Emergency Calls Only ........................................................... 911 Block Watch (Kelowna RCMP) .............................. 250.470.6214 Community Policing Offices: Mission.................................................................... 250.764.5004 Rutland ................................................................... 250.765.6355 Peachland ............................................................... 250.767.2623 West Kelowna (RCMP) ........................................... 250.768.2880 Citizens Patrol: Lake Country .......................................................... 250.766.5400 West Kelowna ........................................................ 250.707.8022 Crime Stoppers/Tips ............................... 1.800.222.TIPS (8477) Kelowna Crime Prevention Association: Box 22033, Capri PO, Kelowna, V1Y 9N9 Royal Canadian Mounted Police: Kelowna .................................................................. 250.762.3300 Lake Country .......................................................... 250.766.2288 Peachland ............................................................... 250.767.2623 West Kelowna ........................................................ 250.768.2880 Whitefoot Lodge, Village of Big White................ 250.765.3549

HEALTH FACILITIES: Interior Health Authority www.interiorhealth.ca • Regional Administration Office ......................... 250.862.4200 • Capri Community Care Health Centre.............. 250.980.1400 • Kelowna Health Centre ...................................... 250.868.7700 • Kelowna General Hospital www.interiorhealth.ca 2268 Pandosy Street ....................................... 1.888.877.4442 Switchboard ....................................................... 250.862.4000 Emergency.......................................................... 250.862.4485 Foundation ......................................................... 250.862.4438 Patient Room Enquiries ..................................... 250.862.4099 Volunteer Services ............................................. 250.862.4497 • Prosthetic & Orthotic Services ........................... 250.862.4208 • May Bennett Wellness Centre ........................... 250.980.1400 • Patient Care Quality Office, IHA ..................... 1.877.442.2001 • Rutland Health Centre........................................ 250.980.4825 • West Kelowna Health Centre............................. 250.980.1400

MEDICAL ORGANIZATIONS & SERVICES Alcohol & Drug Information & Referral Service1.800.663.1441 Kelowna Alcohol & Drugs Services ....................250.870.5777 Allergy/Asthma Information Assn. .....................250.764.7507 ............................................................................1.877.500.2242 ALS Society of BC .............................................1.800.708.3228 Alzheimer Society of BC .....................................250.860.0305 ............................................................................1.800.634.3399 Dementia Helpline ...........................................1.800.936.6033 Arthritis Society Answers Line .........................1.800.321.1433 Interior Regional Office (Trudy)...........................250.868.8643 BC Brain Injury Association ..............................1.877.858.1788 BC Cancer Agency Sindi Ahulwalia Hawkins Centre for Southern Interior ...............................250.712.3900

Screening Mammography Program ...................250.861.7560 Book your screening .........................................1.800.663.9203 BC Epilepsy Society..........................................1.866.374.5377 Centre for Elipepsy & Seizure Education in BC ............1.866. EPILEPSY BC Lung Association ........................................1.800.665.5864 BC Lupus Society ..............................................1.866.585.8787 Kelowna Support Group (Janet) .........................250.764.1640 BC Schizophrenia Society ...................................250.868.3119 BC Spinal Cord Injury .................... 1.877.324.3611 Vancouver ...............................................1.800.689.2477 SCIU BC Infoline BrainTrust Canada ...............................................250.762.3233 CNIB .....................................................................250.763.1191 Canadian Cancer Society ....................................250.762.6381 ............................................................................1.800.403.8222 Cancer Information Service .............................1.888.939.3333 Canadian Cancer Society Southern Interior Rotary Lodge ..........................250.712.2203 Freemason Volunteer Driver Program ............1.800.299.0188 Canadian Diabetes Association .........................250.762.9447 Information Line ................................................1.800.226.8464 Canadian Institute for Health Information (Victoria) ...........................................250.220.4100 Canadian Liver Foundation..............................1.800.856.7266 Canadian Mental Health Association.................250.861.3644 BC Division ........................................................1.800.555.8222 24 Hour Info Line ..............................................1.800.661.2121 Canadian Red Cross Health Equipment Loan Program.......................................................250.765.3465 Cardiac Health Foundation of Canada Central Okanagan Association for Cardiac Health ................. 250.763.3433 Cerebral Palsy Association of BC ....................1.800.663.0004 Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation ...........................1.800.513.8202 Denturist Association of BC ................................604.582.6823 Dietitian Services .......................................................Dial 8-1-1 TTY ..............................................................................Dial 7-1-1 HealthLink BC ............................................................Dial 8-1-1 TTY ..............................................................................Dial 7-1-1 Healthy Eating for Seniors ........................................Dial 8-1-1 TTY ..............................................................................Dial 7-1-1 Heart & Stroke Foundation BC/Yukon ...............250.860.6275 ............................................................................1.866.432.7833 Interior Health Lifeline Program .........................250.762.0200 Kidney Foundation of Canada.........................1.800.567.8112 Lake Country Health Planning Society...............250.766.5437 Medic Alert Foundation ...................................1.800.668.1507 Medical Services Plan .......................................1.800.663.7100 Multiple Sclerosis Society ...................................250.762.5850 Muscular Dystrophy Canada............................1.800.366.8166 Okanagan Mental Health Services Society Assisted Living Program......................................250.717.3368 Therapeutic Work Program.................................250.717.3007 Osteoporosis Canada (Trish Gunning) ...............250.861.6880 Pacific Blue Cross..............................................1.800.873.2583 Parkinson Society British Columbia ................1.800.668.3330 PharmaCare.......................................................1.800.663.7100 Prostate Cancer Canada Network ...................1.888.255.0333 Westside Health Network Society ......................250.768.3305

Own ow r O teN Ren n Hom ... How r Ow You nd Out Fi

The life you know. A home you’ll love.

Your Home. Your Life. Your Way. Mission Villas is a retirement community like non-other! Offering private townhomes each with their own full kitchens, in-suite laundry and your own front door; plus supportive services available on site. The Estate House offers a dining room, outdoor café, library, exercise gym, guest suite and transportation service with a sense of community, ongoing social activities and 24 hour emergency response. Mission Villas recognizes that for some seniors, 4433 Gordon Drive, Kelowna, BC • 250-764-8088 www.missionvillas.ca

retirement is about what you keep in life, not what you leave behind. For this reason all aspects of our community and service design have been carefully considered to recognize your need for personal choice as you age in place.

Our senior’s real estate specialist can help you plan your entire move start to finish!

Call us to book your private tour!

Saffron Quist REALTOR® ABR®SRES® Sales & Marketing Director - Senior’s Real Estate Specialist