In recognition of Emergency Preparedness Week, the Ontario Government has launched a new resource page for older Ontarians to ensure that they are prepared for emergency situations. To learn more, please see the link below.
Blog
Posted by Beth on Tuesday, May 7, 2013 - 12:56
Merrill Lynch, in partnership with Age Wave, just released a survey about individuals' perspectives about the new realities of retirement. The survey found that peace of mind,health and living arrangements are top concerns.
Posted by Beth on Sunday, March 24, 2013 - 10:02
I love Sunday afternoons.
Feeling ambitious, I thumb through cookbooks to find a new dish. I always look for the same type –delicious and fairly simple to make. When I find a good one, I jump right in.
For some reason though, the suggested prep time at the bottom of the recipe is hardly ever accurate. I can’t count the number of times I’ve started a “takes 30 minutes to make” dish to still be prepping and chopping an hour and a half later.
I know I’m not alone.
Posted by Beth on Thursday, February 14, 2013 - 08:06
It was a scary start to Valentine’s Day this morning.
Having hit the snooze button to enjoy a few last minutes of sleep, I was jolted awake by two loud thuds and then a crash. As I leapt out of bed and rushed to find out what happened, I noticed my husband lying on the floor. He had just fallen down the stairs.
Posted by Beth on Friday, February 8, 2013 - 11:43
Sometimes I wish I wore a pedometer. My husband and I live in a three-storey row-house and I cannot count the number of times I go up and down the stairs everyday to get myself ready to go out or do things around the house. It is quite the workout!
Stairs become much harder as we grow older. Hypertension, arthritis, balance and hand grip all play a role in how comfortable we feel navigating them. In a recent study of older adults, almost 50% reported some difficultly going up and down the stairs. And this is understandable; of the 1 in 3 people that suffer a fall each year, the most common cause of severe injuries was from a fall on stairs. So, stairs are not just difficult; they are also pretty scary.
But having stairs in your home doesn’t mean you have to stop doing the things you love in your home.
Posted by Beth on Friday, January 25, 2013 - 00:00
The Toronto Sun published the below article to highlight Ontario's new and important healthy home renovation tax credit. THRIVE was pleased to have been interviewed for the article.
Posted by Beth on Wednesday, December 5, 2012 - 14:45
Thrilled to have been featured in the National Post discussing the benefits of Aging In Place and THRIVE By Design.
Many thanks to Martha Uniacke Breen and the National Post for helping to highlight the benefits of mature individuals living independently in their homes for the long-term and for outlining some techniques to help.
Please click on the link below to read the article.
Posted by Beth on Monday, October 15, 2012 - 00:57
In anticipation of a hosting and devouring a hearty Thanksgiving dinner, I went to the gym this past weekend. I will admit that it had been a while since my visit so my body was not ready for the intense workout. Needless to say, I felt the aftermath the next morning. My legs and arms were so sore that I could hardly move them. As a result, sitting down at the Thanksgiving table, carrying dinner plates back and forth to the kitchen, even general movements, were difficult.
Although the pain has subsided over the past few days, many people don’t have the luxury of waiting for body pain to dissipate. Arthritis, for example, is a chronic condition that affects many of us, especially as we age, with approximately one third of senior men and one half of senior women affected. Arthritis makes mobility and movement more challenging and can impact the way we enjoy and use our homes.
But arthritis doesn’t have to stop you from hosting Thanksgiving dinners or cooking for your family and friends. A few changes in the kitchen can make the difference between you feeling charred or delicious.
Posted by Beth on Tuesday, September 4, 2012 - 14:23
The Toronto Star Special Investigation Unit's QP Briefing recently reported on THRIVE By Design and the importance of Aging In Place. You can read the article below. Many thanks to Greg Crone and QP Briefing for their keen interest in the benefits of home re-design for seniors and our communities!
FORMER ADVISOR HELPS SENIORS STAY AT HOME
August 31, 2012
By Greg Crone
Beth Hirshfeld is practising what she learned – and preached – when she worked for the Ontario government.
Hirshfeld was a senior advisor to Finance Minister Dwight Duncan in 2008 when she began to understand the importance of seniors living longer in their own homes.
“I was quite surprised on the research about seniors and how much better it was for them to remain in their homes rather than move into some kind of institutionalized setting,” she said.
“It struck me that it was not only a benefit to the seniors but a benefit to the taxpayers as well.”
Posted by Beth on Tuesday, August 21, 2012 - 14:04
Bedding. Towels. Clothing. I undertook a “laundry marathon” this past weekend. I cannot even remember how many loads of laundry I did; there were too many to count!
When all the loads were finished and everything had been put away, I was surprised by how exhausted I felt.
Although we don’t think much about it, doing laundry can be hard on our bodies – it requires frequent leaning and bending to load and unload a machine, long periods of standing to fold everything, and then lots of carrying, potentially up flights of stairs, to transport the clean laundry back to the closets.
And we repeat this cycle several times a week.
