The Assessing and Taking Action on Oral Health for Older Adults in Canada symposium report can be accessed by going here. The symposium was held in Edmonton on Nov. 29 and 30, 2012. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research are “presenting aspects from the symposium at the 20^th IAGG World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics (June 23 to 27) in Seoul, Korea and also at the International Federation of Dental Hygienists meeting (Aug. 14 to 17) in South Africa”.

An indication that Edmonton still has a ways to go in becoming more age-friendly is provided by a MoneySense magazine rating of the Top Cities to Retire in Canada 2013. Edmonton is not on that list. To find out the cities that are, go here.

Pets provide a “comfort system and actually produce a chemical reaction in the brain that helps to lower levels of the stress-inducing hormone, cortisol, and increase the production of the feel-good hormone, serotonin. In fact, pets have been shown to reduce heart rate, blood pressure and stress levels in humans and can actually help lower cholesterol, fight depression and help protect against heart conditions.” To read more, go here but particularly here.

As a result of one of the Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council’s ongoing projects, carried out with the support of its member organizations, of course, seniors will be able to begin calling one telephone number later this year to get senior-specific information and referrals. They will be able to talk to a real person and they won’t get frustrated by being asked to call a bunch of different places because the operator will do that for them while they remain on the line. The ESCC is asking that agencies place an update article on this and other Age-Friendly Edmonton initiatives in their newsletters. To access the article, go here. Feel free to edit and format the article to fit your space and requirements.

“Funders are now seeking proposals from collaborating groups who can work together to provide a full and complete set of resources to a community. Depending upon the form of collaboration you choose, you may be able to draw on another organization’s strengths to fill your gaps – and vice versa. That means you may not need a full-fledged finance department or a strong human resources department if your collaborator can provide those services.” To read more of the Sumac Research article Funding Bodies Give to Non-profits Who Don’t Compete But Collaborate, go here.

“The less confident seniors are on the road, the less they drive, and the more their skills deteriorate from lack of use. The key to keeping seniors driving longer may be boosting their confidence through some encouragement and retraining.” To read more of the CBC News article Driving study could keep seniors on the road longer, go here.

“Walk to decrease tension, improve your mood, keep you energized and boost your self-confidence. Developed by the University of Alberta's Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, and funded by Alberta Health, UWALK is an initiative that encourages more Albertans to get walking. One of UWALK's first exciting steps is a pilot pedometer loan program, offered through the Edmonton Public Library's downtown Stanley A. Milner branch.” For more information, go here.

Edmonton West Primary Care Network now lists program information for patients on its website. Service providers who would like their programs listed are asked to send information to resources@edmontonwestpcn.com. “We also have lots of free workshops that our multidisciplinary staff put on that anyone in the community can register for” here. To check out the resources already listed, go here.

“The importance of physical activity for older adults is now undisputed, including the physiological, psychological, and social benefits and its impact on maintaining mobility and independence. Given the innumerable benefits of physical activity for the adult population, significant emphasis should be focused on physical activity promotion for this population.” To read more of Physical Activity Promotion for Older Adults: A Step-by-Step Guide, go here.

 The City of Edmonton’s Seniors Team has announced that the municipal Seniors Centre Operating Grant has been increased by $200,000 in ongoing funding. “Northgate and Central Lions are moving towards a new operating model to be more closely aligned with how other seniors centres operate. Their many excellent seniors programs and services will continue to be offered and this new model will not result in reduced Seniors Centre Operating Grant funding for other seniors centres.” For more information, email seniors@edmonton.ca or call 780-495-1963.

“The potential that social media and online communication hold for seniors extends beyond communication. We know from research that keeping socially active can be very beneficial for wellness. Social activity helps to elevate mood and to help to actually impact healing, and it can keep cognitive function ongoing as well, as one ages." To read more of the CBC News article on Seniors and Social Media: More than Keeping up with the Grandkids, go here.

Researchers connected with the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging found that older adults who “engaged in any amount of computer use were 44 per cent less likely to have mild cognitive impairment than people who did not use the computer”. For more on the “growing body of research showing that the Internet brings happiness and health into the lives of older adults”, go here.

Fujitsu has developed a Next Generation Cane that monitors health vitals, will immediately know when and where someone falls, will alert paramedics during medical events such as an irregular heartbeat, has an LCD display that can give simple walking directions, contains a built-in vibration system that will alert the user when he or she is headed in the wrong direction, and can send e-mails to concerned relatives or caretakers if it determines that an incident such as a fall or other emergency has occurred. To find out more, go here.

VitAlert is an Edmonton company that links seniors with their doctor and trusted family members and friends through an iPad, iPod or iPhone. Its devices and services enable children to check their parents’ vitals from “across the street or across the country”, enable caregivers to get early warnings that there may be a problem, and provide “consistent professional analysis of (the client’s) blood pressure, activity, heart rate, percentage of body fat, and blood sugar,” the company’s brochure states. For more information, go here.

Robots are already making senior living more efficient and will profoundly impact the senior housing industry. To find out more, go here.

The sleeping problems of persons with dementia are often unrecognized and under-treated, despite the realization that “disordered sleep may contribute to the onset of dementia and a lack of restorative sleep can negatively impact the health and functioning of both the person living with dementia and their family caregivers. Early identification and appropriate intervention for sleep problems can help reduce the risk of dementia onset and/or slow the acceleration of the illness.” To read more of the results of a cross-Canada survey of healthcare providers' practice in relation to sleep problems and persons with dementia, go here.

“In just the past three years, a slew of scientific journals have published research on the benefits of technology-based ‘exergames’ for physical rehabilitation, especially for those with strokes, joint replacements, traumatic brain injury, motion limitations and imbalance. Many studies have connected body and brain, noting that exercise not only improves muscular and cardiovascular systems, but also improves cognitive function and mood.” To read more of Senior Care Technology Roundup: Video Chat, Social Media, GPS Shoes and More, go here.

A report by Statistics Canada notes that “in 2000, less than 10 per cent of seniors had been online in the month prior to being surveyed, whereas by 2010, fully 60 per cent of Canadians 65 to 74, and 29 per cent of those 75 and older, had done so. The bad news is that seniors’ online cultural consumption – think digital downloads of music, TV and movies – is dismally lagging. And as more and more services go digital, the risk of alienation is significant.” To read Misty Harris’ Rise of the silver surfers: More seniors online, but barriers to culture persist Postmedia News article, go here. To read the StatsCan report, go here.

The same brain plasticity that allows you to master simple skills or sports, allows you to train yourself to be more positive. “We can retrain the brain to scan for the good things in life — to help us see more possibility, to feel more energy, and to succeed at higher levels.” To find out more about “four very simple interventions that can, over time, actually rewire your brain to see things more positively,” go here.

“Volunteering may pay special dividends for seniors who have chronic health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Three-fourths of these seniors in the U.S. (75 per cent), and even more in Canada (86 per cent) say that staying active through volunteering helps them manage these conditions.” To read more about the benefits of volunteering for seniors generally, go here.

A study conducted by Johns Hopkins University found that untreated hearing loss led to a three times greater likelihood of falls and that this likelihood continued to increase dramatically with greater levels of hearing loss. Untreated hearing loss has also been linked to cognitive difficulties such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, as well as an increased risk for social and emotional problems. To read more, go here.

A new study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science found that 40 to 50 per cent of older adults with visually impairing eye disease limit their activities due to a fear of falling. Vision scientists warn that this protective strategy puts seniors at risk for social isolation and disability. To read more, go here.

“Many aging adults avoid exercise because they are afraid of being injured. Little do they realize that the actual danger lies in becoming too sedentary. The only way to combat the aging process is by exercising, which encourages the body to produce new cells and increase muscle and bone density.” To read more of the Inside Elder Care article Misconceptions about Seniors and Exercise, go here.

To view a “powerful video about art, depression and seniors” in Ontario, go here.

“Many thought leaders now believe that the communities that fare best in the 21st century will be those that both tackle the challenges and embrace the positive possibilities that an aging population creates. The burgeoning movement to create age-friendly communities offers an ideal framework for this effort.” To catch up with what’s happening in the U.S., read Age-Friendly Communities: The Movement to Create Great Places to Grow Up and Grow Old in America by goinghere.

An Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health found that women in the eighties who began playing a musical instrument or painting experienced improvements in activities of daily living and fewer limitations due to emotional factors, such as feeling depressed or anxious. However, women who stopped playing an instrument or painting experienced a decline in mental health-related quality of life. The results were written up in the December issue of the Australasian Journal on Ageing. For more information, go here.

Imagine Canada's Grant Connect is a “searchable database with detailed information on all Canadian grant-making foundations, hundreds of corporate community investment programs, government funding programs as well as American foundations that fund Canadian charities.” This is not a free service. To find out more, go here.

The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology enables you to download a free copy of its Canadian Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines Handbook by going here. If you don’t want the entire handbook, you can choose to download only the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for Older Adults 65 years and Older.

“To inspire performance, we must change how we lead. We need to shift from hero to host.” To learn more about Margaret Wheatley’s views on leadership, go here. This will get you to a series of eight videos that break down her Let Go and Lead conversation into manageable segments. To access a blizzard of other conversations about leadership, go here. Each conversation is presented using the same format and each provides access to a facilitation guide.