Gratitude & Remembrance Day by Dina Campeis
This year is the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, known as Remembrance Day in Canada.
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. This year is the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, known as Remembrance Day in Canada. Every year on this date, we remember. And we will continue to do so as time marches forward. But how we do this changes as the soldiers and family members of the Great World Wars pass away. Many have left memoires, photos, stories. Students learn about Wars in school from an early age through the Canada Remembers Program. Numerous university courses are available. Motion pictures and miniseries have been written and viewed by millions. Not just on these wars, but others as well that Canada has been involved.
So, let’s remember how the past influences today. Take a moment to think about this.
If you wear a Poppy, why? To remember past loved ones? Or to provide funds for current and future Veterans?
How do you feel when you wear it? Proud? Grateful?
Like many, my experience with Poppies is that I tend to lose them. Every year, I donate to the Legion’s Poppy campaign for the opportunity to wear a Poppy. It’s like a contest to see how long I can wear it before it disappears. One hour, one day, wow – a whole week! But it doesn’t matter. I just get another one. And another. And another. Every donation is what helps to ensure that the Legion will continue to support our Veterans and their Families. And this is how we will Remember.
http://www.legion.ca/remembrance/the-poppy
‘The healthiest of all human emotions is gratefulness’ Hans Selye (Hungarian-Canadian scientist).
There are many quotes and studies on gratefulness, and they seem to boil down to a character trait that people have that is different from being thankful. Being grateful is a much deeper feeling of appreciation. For example, one university student may be thankful that his/her parents are paying for higher education but may have felt they were entitled to this. Another university student may be aware that his/her parents are working longer or perhaps dipping in to their retirement funds in order to fund this education. In this case, the student is grateful as they understand the implications and sacrifice of the parents.
If you have never practiced Gratefulness, this is the perfect month to try it. Discuss what it means to you and your family and friends to have your freedom and a peaceful life here in Canada. This will be sure to be an interesting discussion.
To show gratefulness in this month of Remembrance you can wear a Poppy, write a letter to a Veteran or donate a guitar to the Guitars for Vets Canada program. What a lovely way for the memory of a musical family member to be passed on through this program. There are so many ways to help and in so doing show how grateful you are for the way we live today.
On November 10th there will be a Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Shops on Steeles and 404, hosted by Mosaic Home Care & Community Resource Centres. We are honoured to have a few guests
from the Canadian Armed Forces for this event. For more information call 905.597.7000 or email us at info@mosaichomecare.com.
Also, Kimberly Davies of Client Services is running an 11 days of posts on Remembrance day that are worthwhile reading, thinking about and remembering.
For more information about
http://www.legion.ca/remembrance/the-poppy
https://vetscanada.org/guitars-for-vets.php
https://mosaichomecare.com
Community Café, 22 October–Update!
Our community café is a space for everyone, whether you want to sit and listen, talk and take part or lead and grow the community and its connections. There will be activities and events as well as discussion and development of ideas as to how our communities could be better run and more deeply connected. Stay engaged, active and involved!
Monday’s Café was held at Mosaic’s Community Resource Centre at The Shops on Steeles & 404, 2900 Steeles Avenue East, Markham (Lower Level by Centre Court).
Here is an update from Beth Eshete, our new Community Resource & Social Engagement Coordinator (COSEC):
The October Community Café at the Steeles Community Resource Centre was a success!
With competitive games of virtual tennis and bowling, light refreshments and an interesting discussion on isolation, this community café was both insightful and engaging.
After watching a short TEDx Talk by Elissa Altman called “Healing the Epidemic of Isolation for Senior Citizens”, the group discussed the importance of having a tribe that you connect with.
One of our members highlighted the physical and mental health benefits of human connection. The subject of responsibility was also brought up in discussion, where does the responsibility lie in ensuring social connection is made? Is it entirely up to the individual? Or does the obligation lie on family and friends? Or maybe the government by ensuring programs are affordable and accessible to everyone in order to combat isolation?
The wonderful thing about the Community Café is that it provides a setting where we are all able to freely express our ideas, concerns and bring our ideas to the table in a healthy judgement free zone.
If you are interested in joining us for our next Community Café or have any questions, please give us a call at 905-597-7000 or email us at info@mosaichomecare.com. We would love to have you! –
Beth Eshete
Our next Community Café event will be at our Mid Town office 29 October:
THOUGHTS ON GIVING THANKS at Thanksgiving (By Dina Campeis)
Every year around this time, we start to think about Thanksgiving. For those working or in school, it’s a much-appreciated long weekend. For many, it’s a time to gather friends and family together and share in a feast of turkey, gravy, roasted vegetables and, of course, pumpkin pie! And, for others, it’s a reminder of family traditions that may no longer occur but are fondly remembered.
It is a time to Give Thanks. Thanks for all of the small things in your life that happen daily as well as the big things. Thanks for the sunshine and warm breeze on a fall day. Thanks for the transit system that gets us around safely every day. Thanks for the 3pm cup of coffee that keeps us going! Thanks for a charged cell phone that lets you connect to people 24/7. And, thanks for the (traditional) end of work day at 5pm. Not many would think to give thanks for these small things. We tend to think bigger – good health, good friends, positive family relationships, a roof over our heads and financial stability.
Maybe it’s time to rethink what it is that we are thankful for. Let’s go back in time to when our parents and grandparents were young. Did they have an indoor bathroom? Running (safe) water? Electricity? What about a fridge? A TV? A car to get you to the grocery store and back? A computer with internet, and email? And ATM machines! It was not so long ago that people did not have these. Now, we can’t imagine life without them. When you give thanks about these modern conveniences, think also about our elders who may not use them and offer assistance when they may need help. For them, writing a cheque is easy, online banking, not so much.
Many years ago, the Salvation Army, was one of the few agencies that provided much needed help to those in need. They had Thrift Stores and food boxes for families in need. My grandmother was a recipient after her husband died at age 41, leaving her with 4 children to feed and clothe. So I am thankful for the Salvation Army and all of the other agencies of today that provide services to those in need. You can never know what kind of help you will require, be it financial, medical or otherwise.
As a home care agency, Mosaic provides help in many ways to those in need. In addition to providing health and homemaking supports in the home, Mosaic also provides free social programs for seniors at two Community Resource Centres. We are currently knitting Twiddlemuffs to donate at our knitting groups. But there are all kinds of programs to be able to participate in the community and meet new friends.
In keeping with the theme of Thankfulness at this time of year, consider donating (supplies, time, money) to an organization that offers programs that are close to your heart. If looking for a way to help those in your community or look for services in Toronto, here are a few organizations that may be of interest:
https://www.volunteertoronto.ca/default.aspx
Call Mosaic Home Care at 905.597.7000 to inquire in to programs and services.
CALLING ALL KNITTERS! By Dina Campeis
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A big shout out goes out to our Wednesday afternoon Mosaic Knitting Group who volunteered time making Tweedlemuffs for some of our clients living with Alzheimer’s Dementia. They also contributed to Mosaic’s Window at our Shops on Steeles & 404 resource centre |
Knitting is one of those things I wish I could do but not so much that I take the time to learn. Yet!
Remember the Blossom Street series of books written by Debbie Macomber about a knitting store with characters of various ages and stories to tell? I was ‘hooked’ and read the entire series! Yet I still haven’t taken up knitting. I have however, been lucky enough to attend a weekly knitting group held at Mosaic Home Care. I can’t say that I’ve learned anything about knitting, but I have heard many stories and laughed along with the ladies who have now become friends. It’s Mosaic’s own version of the Blossom Street books.
Knitting and crocheting has become popular once again with the younger generation which is nice to see. They may not knit the shawls and sweaters that we remember, but they are ‘in to’ fingerless gloves, wrist warmers and boot cuffs. And, what about those knit coffee cozies? So cute!
There have been studies suggesting health benefits to knitting. Some, such as the 2011 study by The Mayo Clinic, indicate that knitting engages the brain in ways that can lead to improved brain function similar to other cognitive exercises such as reading books, using computers and playing games, and that these may reduce the development of mild cognitive impairment by 30-50%! Others are based on personal perceptions, and these are the ones that likely resonate with most of us who like to use our hands to create.
The benefits include:
– Feelings of accomplishment/purpose
– Reduced stress (at least for those not still learning!)
– Improved mood
– Sense of confidence
And when in a group setting, these benefits expand to include being social, making new friends, giving and sharing (of knowledge) even to the point of being a support group of sorts.
Interestingly, for younger people, they find knitting to be a good way to reduce stress, whereas for older people, a feeling of accomplishment is more important.
Whatever the reason, knowing that the above is important for knitters, Mosaic has started a project-based program for those who would like to either join a group of like-minded people, or work on a specific project. And the first of these is making a Twiddlemuff. Have you heard of Twiddlemuffs?
These are muffs that have embellishments on them so that those living with dementia have something not only to warm their hands, but also have bits and bobs to keep their hands busy. Since September is World Alzheimer Month, we are hoping to gather people together to learn to make Twiddlemuffs.
If you don’t knit but have bags of wool to donate (or buttons, ribbon etc), please feel free to drop off. We could use the yarn either for the Twiddlemuffs or perhaps for the next project – cat blankets!
Mosaic hosts knitting every Wednesday at Shops on Steeles and 404 and once/monthly on Mondays in mid-Toronto in the CNIB building. If you would like to learn more about this, please email: info@mosaichomecare.com or call us at 905.597.7000.
If you are looking for knitting clubs in your area, contact your local yarn store, or contact https://torontoknittersguild.ca/.
By:
Dina Campeis
Community Relations Manager
Mosaic Home Care & Community Resource Centres
905.597.7000
Towards a Decade of Healthy Ageing – From Evidence to Action: International Federation on Ageing, 14th Global Conference, 7th to 10th August 2018
Mosaic (Nathalie Anderson and I) attended this major global conference where I was also a presenter and a session chair. I also attended one of the Master Classes, on Ageism, on the Tuesday, before the conference and was invited by AARP to an evening event at the Berkeley Bicycle Club, on Wednesday, where I had the opportunity to speak to many of the leading lights of age friendly cities and healthy aging. This post provides more detail on the conference and its content.
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Our 6th July North York Seniors Centre Tour
Toronto has a great many community centres, recreation centres and senior centres. They and their volunteers do amazing work. We thought how about visiting them with some of the many people who come to Mosaic’s Community Resource Centres. To educate people, to connect people across our communities and to let people know what resources and activities there are available across the GTA.
Our first organised trip was to one of our favourite local community centres, North York Seniors Centre. We call it the Gem of North York. For over 40 years, this organization (started by seniors) has provided a great many seniors with programs and services in the Yonge/Finch area. It currently runs over 80 programs in 4 languages!!!
On Friday July 6th, Mosaic Home Care organized an outing to NYSC for a tour followed by lunch. After an initial presentation, 15 guests were given the opportunity to view a line dancing class. The music was great and 1 of our guests gave it a shot. The rest just watched… We checked out the art work done by the members hung throughout the building which were just amazing. And then we enjoyed a BBQ chicken lunch.
Because this is a public building, the cafeteria is open to the public. Many people from the office building next door stop in to pick up lunch as the lunch special (soup, salad, main course and dessert or coffee) is only $4.00!!! And Friday’s throughout the summer is BBQ day. Can’t beat this price. I took a picture just because I couldn’t believe the size of the chicken leg!
Mosaic will be organizing another tour and lunch in the winter. If this is something you are interested in, please give us a call or visit our send us an email to info@mosaichomecare.com.
For more information on North York Seniors Centre, call 416-733-4111, or visit them at www.nyseniors.org
Looking for an Active Living Centre in your area? Visit the Ontario website which lists all locations: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-seniors-active-living-centre-near-you
We will also be looking to arrange trips to other community resources over the next year, so stay tuned as we explore the GTA’s many community resources and attractions.
Mosaic Activity Booklet – A Tour of our Wonderful City
Download here > for our July 2018 Edition and for up to date information on events in and around the GTA please go to our community twitter handle @MosaicGTALinks
A Guide for Members, Families and Caregivers
Take a tour of our wonderful city of Toronto with Mosaic’s Activity Booklet. Every month Mosaic compiles a list of festivals, shows, classes and more events that are happening in Toronto and the surrounding areas. Our Activity Booklet looks to provide the community with a number of events that are available to them every month to encourage socialization and participation in a number of fun events.
Our Activity Booklet is designed for older adults, their families, friends, personal support workers and caregivers in providing a number of options for fun outings in the community. Use our Activity Booklet to plan a fun outing with the family, or to catch your favourite artist when they are in town. With socialization being an important part to our overall health, our Activity Booklet will help people get out and provide them with options to remain social in the community. You can also find all of Mosaic’s events at our events page for both our Markham and Toronto locations, and sign-up for Mosaic’s quarterly newsletter to receive news about Mosaic and our upcoming events.
Mosaic’s commitment to lifestyle and socialization extends with our Activity Booklet. Use our activity booklet to help you discover all the wonderful events and activities that are available to you in our wonderful city of Toronto. Come back every month to find out what wonderful activities are happening in the community for you to attend!
For more up to date information on events in and around the GTA please go to our community twitter handle @MosaicGTALinks
Mosaic’s Sit & Knit Day Saturday June 9th, 2018 (By Dina Campeis)
On Saturday June 9, 2018, Mosaic participated in the World Wide Knit in Public Day and held our first ever Sit & Knit at Centre Court in the Shops on Steeles and 404.
We had 4 tables filled with women of varying skills and even had 1 gentleman amongst the crowd who used a loom to do some knitting. We spent a few hours knitting, crocheting, checking out each other’s projects and best of all, laughing! As always at a Mosaic event, beverages and snacks were enjoyed by all!
Back when I announced this event, I admitted my lack of skill and the fact that I had a 2– year old almost-finished knitted dish cloth just waiting to be completed. Lucky for me there were a few ladies who helped me in this regard. Ok, let’s just be honest and say that one did the final few rows and another did the casting off. Apparently, my skills lie in delegation!
Jane Teasdale (my boss!) also attended and her skills lie in being a great hostess.
She tried the knitting, but was much more interested in meeting and getting to know those attending.
I am always amazed at the speed at which some can knit or crochet. Some of the patterns were very difficult and others quite easy. And the yarn! My goodness, so many different colours and texture. Who knew you could by yarn to make your own Srubbie!
We had one lady bring a Twiddlemuff she had almost completed! The knitting was done, just the embellishments needed to be added. We were all so intrigued by the loom used for the Twiddlemuff – made it such an easy project – that many indicated they would like to learn how to use the loom too!
And others wanted to contribute to a twiddlemuff project.
As a result, we will be hosting a special event to make Twiddlemuffs and Mosaic will then donate these to some of our clients living with dementia. By offering this program, we fulfil our commitment to education, offering a new program to seniors (and people of any age) to provide opportunities for meaningful social interaction and to give those who want to be a part of a volunteer group, a project that will make a difference to those living with dementia.
My next big decision will be whether to try a Twiddlemuff or a Srubbie! I think the Srubbie is more to my skill level, but we will see…
If you or anyone you know would like to know more about this project or to receive an invitation to attend the Twiddlemuff Event, please call our office at 905.597.7000 and speak to Dina Campeis or click on the link underneath to sign up for our online newsletter which will have more information.
https://www.mosaichomecare.com/news-events/newsletter/
A special thanks goes to The Shops on Steeles and 404 who graciously donated space in the mall for this event. They are always open to having Mosaic host parties and such, and we so appreciate this!
Submitted by:
Dina Campeis
Marketing Manager
Mosaic’s submission to the Toronto Senior’s Strategy
Regarding – EX34.2, Toronto Seniors Strategy Version 2.0
Mosaic Homecare & Community Resource Centres would like to formally extend its support to the recommendations made in Toronto Seniors Strategy Version 2.0.
Mosaic is a private homecare company with a strong history of community outreach and has been providing community resources, space, fun and educational events throughout the Greater Toronto Area for the last eight years since its incorporation. It is committed to reducing social vulnerability through community interaction, education and outreach and has a strong history of non profit community engagement and focus.
For the last eight years Mosaic has been promoting the importance of collaboration between for profit, not for profit and public sector entities in addressing the need to make our cities age friendly, inclusive and accessible and fully supports the World Health Organisation’s plans and directives for healthy aging and age friendly communities.
Addressing social vulnerability, especially the social and emotional aspects impacting isolation and loneliness shapes both our service delivery and our non profit community interaction. As an entity operating in the private sector we are one of the very few firms operating in accordance with what we believe to be the evolution of the firm with primarily for profit objectives to one that incorporates a theory of the community at its operational core. We believe that successfully implanting an age and community friendly strategy across our cities will rely on much higher levels of private, not for profit and public sector engagement.
Mosaic has received global recognition for its person centered community integrated model of care in the community and has received Gold Medal Award recognition from the European Society for Person Centered Healthcare. It has been asked to speak at a number important conferences with respect to healthy aging in the community and will be speaking at the upcoming IFA Global Conference in Toronto In August, where Jane Teasdale our business development and community relations director will also be a session chair.
We are actively developing a model of care in the community that we feel provides a blueprint for much wider public sector engagement, especially in the realms of linking the socially vulnerable older adult to meaningful engagement with their communities. We see many gaps and opportunities to link people and their communities and would recommend that age friendly initiatives look at persons in general as beings of meaning and community. Age friendly communities are essentially person friendly communities and, as such, any community friendly initiative needs to develop a multifaceted concept of personhood that all ages and cultures and communities can recognise and closely associate with. We all differ in some respects, but what unites each and every one of us is our personhood, our drive for meaning and being and our engagement with others.
With respect to the Toronto Seniors Strategy Report 2.0 we make the following comments:
CALLING ALL KNITTERS! By our roving knitting reporter Dina Campeis
MOSAIC’S first SIT & KNIT
We are excited to be a host site for the World Wide Knit in Public (WWKIP) Day on June 9th!
Let it be said right from the start that I don’t knit. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I find it difficult to count stitches and relax at the same time and that stresses me out! I did knit a baby blanket for my best friend’s first child. Thankfully, babies don’t know when a square blanket isn’t really a square and when there are dropped stitches. That was 25 years ago.
More recently, I tried to knit a dish cloth. Much easier than a blanket as there were not so many stitches to count and again, the final shape doesn’t really matter. The unfinished dish cloth is in a bag in the back of my closet where it has sat for almost two years. I only have a few rows left. I’m hoping someone will show me how to cast off when we meet for – wait for it…
MOSAIC’S first SIT & KNIT
We are excited to be a host site for the World Wide Knit in Public (WWKIP) Day on June 9th!
This is a worldwide event that started in 2005 and has grown to cover all continents! Just looking at all the 2018 knit in public locations and names is interesting. Mosaic’s Sit & Knit name pales in comparison to Newfoundland’s Purl with Pints and South Africa’s Chicks with Sticks, but I’m sure ours will be a great party!
WWKIP Day started as a way to get knitters together to meet and socialize. Knitting, like other forms of needlework and art are often done on one’s own. There are many knitters who create and donate their projects to various agencies but never have the chance to meet each other.
What a great opportunity to start a new project! Or, better yet, pull out that bag with your half-finished project and bring that with you. If you need an idea, how about knitting a square for the kittens at the local Humane Society or try a Twiddlemuff to donate to those living with dementia. Neither of these projects require a lot of skill and the recipients would be most appreciative.
Perhaps I will try one of these. Because, really, do I need another dish cloth?
If you know an older adult who used to knit or crochet and has stopped because they have no one to knit for, this would be the perfect outing for a few hours. A chance to look at what others are doing, and maybe get an idea for a new project. While we won’t have any instructors, I am confident that there will be many who will offer to ‘teach’ those who need help. A chance to learn, teach, share, enjoy and laugh. Who wouldn’t want all of this in one event?
We are inviting people of all ages and abilities to join us for a fun filled event and a chance to get to know fellow needleworkers. This event supports our belief that being active in the community contributes to staying healthy.
The Shops on Steeles and 404 has generously offered space in the mall for this indoor event. Mosaic will be providing refreshments in our Community Resource Centre and will be on hand to offer help to those looking for community information.
RSVP now to help us meet our goal of 100 knitters!
Saturday, June 9th
10:30am – 1:00pm
Shops on Steeles and 404 (2900 Steeles Avenue East)
For more information:
www.mosaichomecare.com/events/mosaics-sit-knit/
www.wwkipday.com/mosaics-sit-knit
RSVP – 905.597.7000 or info@mosaichomecare.com
Toronto Knitters Guild – a resource for yarn stores, events and programs: http://torontoknittersguild.ca
