North York Seniors Centre – The Gem of North York
After a long delay creating Mosaic’s latest newsletter and participating in community events, Mosaic’s Kevin Lopes has finished this blog featuring our wonderful friends at North York Seniors Centre.
Mosaic’s Jane Teasdale has always referred to North York Seniors Centre as the gem of North York for the incredible contributions the Centre makes for the older adult community in the North York area.
This past January 15th 2018, Mosaic’s Kevin Lopes was taken on a guided tour of North York Seniors Centre with Arlene de Vera including meeting with staff members Kate Kukor, Rose Gyasi, and Liza Frances to learn more about the Centre, the programs and services that are available. Kevin was also able to sit down and interview volunteer Josephine Harauz about her experience volunteering at the centre.
It was an informative day that gave Kevin insight into the incredible work, programs and services that North York Seniors Centre offers to the community. With day programs, caregiver support groups, transportation services, and a community hub at the Active Living Centre, North York Seniors Centre provides a variety of incredible services to older adults in the community. For older adults looking to be active members of their community, North York Seniors Centre is a fantastic place!
On a snowy day in January, Kevin began his day learning about some of the services that North York Senior Centre offers to the community through speaking with Kate Kukor and Rose Gyasi which include:
Aromatherapy: A complementary treatment for Chronic Pain by Tara Johnston
Unfortunately, pain is something we have all faced or will face in our lifetime; anything from a tooth ache or cold to a severe injury or chronic conditions which may have limited treatments. But symptoms don’t necessarily present with just physical pain as I have discovered with my own health journey.
Anxiety, insomnia, stress, isolated, depression, digestive issues, fatigue as well as side effects from countless medications have all affected me in the last four years alongside chronic pain in my back, hips & legs. I have seen nearly every holistic & medical specialist available to me, changed my diet numerous times, meditated, exercised and tried a pile of medications & supplements purported to treat all of my symptoms. These things helped marginally in one way or another but they couldn’t address the big picture nor could I feasibly do some of these things every day for one reason or another.
Fast forward to about a year ago when I was introduced to aromatherapy. I was hooked in a serious way. After doing some initial research on my own, I went to a workshop and walked away with a small collection of oils which I could use for various things. Most importantly, I had something for everything and I felt empowered to go home and start diffusing right away!
Lavender was the first bottle I went through. I diffused it & topically applied it to help relax me. It helped to calm me before bed; relaxed my mind when I had anxiety along with my pain & eased my headaches. Gradually, coping with my pain was not so overwhelming if I was using Lavender essential oil along with my prescribed treatment.
I soon became so intrigued with the inherit benefits of using Lavender to relax me that I branched out to some more uplifting oils such as Lemon to brighten my mood, Digize blend for digestive discomfort; Peppermint for my joint & muscle pain; and diffused R.C. blend when I came down with a cold to help ease my symptoms.
I since have been educating others around me how to safely use oils, make all-natural cleaning & personal care products, and identify oils that fit in with their personal self-care journey.
So how can Essential Oils help you?
· Headaches
· Acne
· Cough or Cold
· Eczema & Dermatitis
· Rheumatoid Arthritis, Strains, or Sprains
· Digestive Discomfort
· Burns, Cuts, Bruises, & other minor skin irritations
· Stressed & uptight
Not all Essential Oils are created equally. To find out more about using oils, I’m excited to announce that I’ll be hosting a workshop at Mosaic Home Care Services Resource Centre located at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) on Friday, Feb. 23rd/18 @ 1:30pm. Located at 1929 Bayview Avenue, Suite 215H. For more information contact Mosaic at 416-322-7002 or visit our website at www.mosaichomecare.com
* The information provided is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult with the appropriate healthcare providers before making any health decision.
Rani Glick’s Bon Appetit!
10 Essential Tips to save you time and money for meal prep and meal planning!
Rani Glick is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, (CNP) and Registered Orthomolecular Health Practitioner (ROHP, RNCP).
Today, we live in a society of extreme planning. Everything is broken down into lists for self-help goals, career development, children and family events or managing our own health care. But one thing we don’t do is plan for the food we eat!
Meal planning can save you time, money and energy!
When I plan about what I’m going to make each week, I find it is more cost effective and I purchase less stuff. Besides, home cooking has much more nutritional value than restaurant or prepared meals. It’s also less stressful!
In a study by the Food Marketing Institute, the average household wastes 14% of the food they buy due to poor planning and wastage. If you spend $100 a week on groceries, 14% is the equivalent of three homemade gourmet meals.
The question is how do you figure out what meals to make each day?
Do you plan for each day or for the week?
You can begin planning your meals anytime throughout the year! Just because your kids are out of the house or that you live on your own, it doesn’t mean you can’t think about menu planning.
Here are 10 tips for setting up an easy menu plan for the week:
Restocking your Kitchen by Rani Glick
Rani Glick is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, (CNP) and Registered Orthomolecular Health Practitioner (ROHP, RNCP).
Good healthy living is all about adding variety into your diet! Restock your kitchen with a variety of ingredients that are tasty, delicious and nutritious to enjoy.
This is a recommended list that you can buy in advance or purchase as needed. You may have some of these ingredients already in your kitchen.
LEGUMES/BEANS:
black beans, white northern beans, kidney beans, chick peas, adzuki beans, lentils (black, green, red), green peas, yellow peas, mung beans, edamame, tempeh, miso, tofu.
Recommended to buy cumin powder and seeds and coriander powder and seeds*
Grains selected here are gluten free recommendations. Recipes will indicate substituting gluten free grains from wheat based grains. If you wish to use white rice, spelt and others no problem.
Many of these products can be purchased in larger supermarkets. Some sweeteners, oils and grains are available at health food stores.
Rani Glick is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, (CNP) and Registered Orthomolecular Health Practitioner (ROHP, RNCP). She has followed her love of food and cooking to nutrition and applying its healing properties towards living with better health. Her health coaching practice is dedicated to educating active ageing adults about living well through food, fitness and mindfulness. For more information visit:
www.thewellnesswagon.ca or by email at rani@thewellnesswagon.ca
Rani Glick’s Menu Planning and Shopping List Templates
Menu Template:
Shopping List:
Rani Glick is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, (CNP) and Registered Orthomolecular Health Practitioner (ROHP, RNCP). She has followed her love of food and cooking to nutrition and applying its healing properties towards living with better health. Her health coaching practice is dedicated to educating active ageing adults about living well through food, fitness and mindfulness. For more information visit:
www.thewellnesswagon.ca or by email at rani@thewellnesswagon.ca
The Information Sheet on our recent award from the European Society For Person Centered Healthcare
Mosaic Home Care & Community Resource Centres: AWARDED THE GOLD MEDAL OF THE European Society For Person Centred Healthcare for its Person Centered, Community Focused Model of Care:
Mosaic is pleased to announce that it has recently been awarded the Gold Medal of the European Society for Person Centered Healthcare at the Society’s Annual Conference and awards held in London, the UK, in October of this year:
From the ESPCH: “The Gold Medal and its associated Certificate are awarded in recognition of your substantial contribution to the development of home and health care issues in the community and thus to a development of the person-centeredness of care when developing relations between healthcare professionals, home care providers, not-for-profit agencies and other important services providers that are needed to provide the wider levels of support often required by those in need in the community.”
At the conference Mosaic presented on its unique person centered care service in a talk titled ““The Meaning of Me®”: a Canadian blue print for addressing the complex whole that is the person at the centre of the community based homecare services model.”
From Jane Teasdale:“Mosaic’s blue print for Person Centred Care extends the notion that care based services should be implemented collaboratively with the individual and their families to one that also embraces the voice and the rich habitat of the mind and the being of the person being cared for. It is one that is also especially sensitive to the importance of community, the person’s place in the community and the wider dynamic that encompasses a person’s many dimensions of being. ”
Mosaic’s model of care looks to integrate for profit and not for profit community services and supports for home health care and to encourage a wider community involvement:
Mosaic has set up and funded community resource centres that combine both educational and fun events for individuals in need of care and their families with information on the many supports and services available in the community. It operates two resource centres across the GTA. Its resource centres provide socialisation opportunities for individuals, help for families and family caregivers, social integration of seniors within the wider community and the building of relationships with many service providers and businesses in the community.
“The Meaning of Me®”
Drawing inspiration from the Joseph Rowntree Report “A Better Life – What older people with high support needs value”, “The Meaning of Me” addresses the needs of the individual outside of the medical and support lens of the homecare model and develops a framework in which caregiver and client, family and client and ultimately the wider community and client can establish a richer set of conversations, relationships and connections. The Meaning of Me® is a journey of potential for the individual to reconnect with themselves, their interests and where possible their communities.
“The Meaning of Me®” closed the loop that Mosaic started with its community resource centres. It reached out to the community and drew it in and then reached out to the people in need of care and drew them in.
Mosaic has set standards and promoted the importance of community, person centred care and the importance of addressing the individual at the centre of care to individuals and families and the wider service and professional community. In so doing it is introducing new models and benchmarks of care.
Recognised as a best practise leader at home and abroad
Mosaic is recognized as a best practice leader in homecare services, and especially so in the way it addresses human values and social and community interaction..
Some Mosaic quotes regarding the importance of person centered health care in the home care model
“Looking more deeply at person centered care has allowed us to look beyond standard models of care, and their assessment processes, to areas that may also have impact with respect to the client’s physical and mental well being to greater extent; addressing typically “non care” areas, for older adults where complex care needs impact being, may well be of critical importance to the person in raising the quality of life otherwise achieved from outcomes limited to nursing and personal supports. “
“As providers of longer term home care service based relationships, that include a great many older adults with complex care needs, we also believe we have a responsibility, as gatekeepers of our specific environ, to address the importance of the person, outside of the typically defined care relationship, as a being rich in meaning, history and creative potential. We are especially aware of the gaps in care that relate to the person as a being of meaning and as a person existing within a wider community“
“To address the impact of gaps, especially those associated with loss of social interaction and reduced engagement in interests, activities and communities, we may have to be creative. “The Meaning of Me®”.”
“We know that loneliness and isolation can have quite dramatic impacts on health, for older adults, yet a healthcare system that does not address these issues somewhere along the chain of care does risk impaired health care outcomes.“
“Home care is one of the furthest points along chain of care that you can get for the older adult and occupies an important space in the care continuum, dominating essentially large parts of the person’s space and time.”
“Importantly the home is especially relevant to aging in place dynamics and community interaction and is therefore much closer to the personal centered care dimensions of the mind and community. It was this proximity to community and place, engendered by our long standing belief in the importance of community towards aging in place and age friendly communities, that helped gather our minds’ eye on “The Meaning of Me®” as an important interface to the person that we care for.”