Seniors Situation Room by Dawn Ford – Heart & Stroke Month FEB 5, 2017

Cornwall Ontario – February is Heart and Stroke month. It is a time of fund raising as well as bringing more awareness of heart and stroke problems, prevention and treatment to the public. On one of the web sites it states that 9 out of 10 Canadians have at least one risk factor for a stroke or heart attack. Risks include: an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, unhealthy weight, smoking, stress and excessive use of alcohol and drug abuse.

The word FAST can help us remember easily the signs of a stroke such as:

1) Face. Is it drooping?

2) Arms. Can you raise both?

3) Speech. Is it slurred or/and jumbled?

4) Time. Call 911 right away.

The brochure on stroke symptoms said that the quicker you act the more of the person you will save.

Early warnings signs of a heart attack include shortness of breath, chest discomfort, nausea and sweating, and may also include discomfort in other parts of the body such as back, neck, or jaw. Again, call 911 right away for help.

In Cornwall the Heart and Stoke Foundation office is located at 36 Second Street east and their phone number is 613-8933 for more information.

The sounds of music were heard at Beek Lindsay Seniors Residence recently thanks to the wonderful singing and guitar of Ed Lauzon. One tenant described the concert as ‘fabulous’ saying that she wished he would play every week. He played lots of old Country and Western and Rock and Roll songs and as well as hymns. The tenants knew a lot of the songs and sang along. Some tenants got up and danced including Edna Dorey who is 100 years old. I spoke with Edna and she said she loved dancing to the music. Everyone really enjoyed it. A big kudos to Ed for taking the time to give the tenants a very special and fun evening.

There has been a lot of discussion about school buses being cancelled in bad weather. When I was going to school there weren’t any buses. We walked everywhere in good weather and lots of bad. We walked back and forth to school which included going home for lunch. If it was a very big big bad storm and we couldn’t go to school, we were very happy to stay home but that didn’t happen often enough to suit us. We loved a snow day and would play outside shovelling, tobogganing and making snow men and snow forts if the snow was easy to pack. It was a great time for us.

Another wonderful Cornwall artist Diane Chambers hails from England. England’s loss, our gain. Diane is a natural artist. She said that she always liked sketching and when she quit working, she had time to try painting, with her husband’s encouragement. She has used pastels, oils, water colours and now has settled mostly on acrylics which she likes best. She prefers painting landscapes and wild life and her favourites to paint are wolves. She considers herself self taught by getting library books on how to paint and she says, has learned by trial and error. I saw some of her drawings and paintings which included a magnificent tiger, lab puppies and lovely landscapes. Presently she is painting an owl and has even captured that menacing look in its eye. We wish her many more years of enjoying her wonderful hobby and bringing so much beauty into our world.

Here is a photo of Diane holding her lovely landscape painting of the Eilean Donan Castle in the Scottish Highlands:

In the Disabled World newsletter (https://www.disabledworld.com/disability/publications/deafblind.php) recently is an article about a new book which has been released by Merrimack Media titled; “Walk In My shoes. It is a book written by 27 individuals who have Usher’s Disease and are experiencing or witnessing the challenges of losing both senses of hearing and sight. The writers are from the United States, Canada and Mexico. Usher Syndrome is a progressive disease which leads to blindness and deafness.

According to the web site (https://www.usher-syndrome.org/take-action/walk-in-my-shoes.html) Ramona Rice is the book creator and project manager and has Usher Syndrome, type 2. She wanted to raise awareness of deaf blindness in these very powerful, humorous and hopeful stories and to support researchers in the field. All proceeds from the book will be donated to the Usher Syndrome Coalition to help fund scholarships and raise money for a cure.

Go to www.facebook.com/Ushersyndrome123 or you can email Ramona Rice at rricetx@gmail.com or phone1-801-430-8833 for more information.

My friend Fran Irwin sent this adorable photo of her seven year old grandson, Justin, with her cat Sheba who is dressed in a Santa suit. Cute as they come.

Support your community and local content by advertising on CFN today!

Dial 855 444 1133 to advertise your organization.

And if you like Dawn Ford’s amazing column click the CFN donate button below and show her column some love!

Here is a cute and funny story from one of our readers:

Old folks are worth a fortune. With silver in their hair, gold in their teeth, stones in their kidneys, lead in their feet and gas in their stomachs. I have become a lot more social with the passing of the years; some might even call me a frivolous old gal. I’m seeing five gentlemen every day

.As soon as I wake up, Will Power helps me get out of bed. Then I go to see John. Then Charley Horse comes along and when he is there he takes up a lot of my time and attention. When he leaves Arthur Ritis shows up and stays the rest of the day. (He doesn’t like to stay in one place very long, so he takes me from joint to joint.) After such a busy day, I’m really tired and glad to go to bed – with Ben Gay. What a life!!

PS: The preacher came to call the other day. He said that at my age I should be thinking about the here-after. I told him I do – all the time. No matter where I am – in the parlour, in the kitchen or down in the basement – I ask myself, “Now, what am I here after?”

Have a good week, Dawn.