New booklet from BCCPD: "Know about Keeping Your Body Safe"

The BC Coalition of People with Disabilities' Wellness & Disability Initiative/AIDS & Disability Action Program have published a new booklet in the Know about series. Developed specifically for people with cognitive disabilities, Know about Keeping Your Body Safe emphasizes the different levels of social connection and appropriate touching. It also provides opportunities to practice certain behaviours which are an important part of learning how to make better choices and “keep our bodies safe.”

The booklet comes with a Caregiver Companion Guide, which provides suggestions for using the booklet, a Relationship Ripples sheet (8.5 x 11 inches) with instructions for consumers using the booklet, and a Relationship Ripples poster (11 x 17 inches).

Other titles in the Know about series include:

• Know about HIV and AIDS
• Know about Condoms
• Know about Safer Sex
• Know about Seniors and HIV
• Know about Communicating with Your Doctor (uses sexual health examples)
• Also available: HIV/AIDS Prevention Resources for Educators: Reaching Students with Special Learning Needs (quarterly newsletter) and Tips for Living Well (quarterly newsletter).

To order free samples of any of our publications, please email wdi@bccpd.bc.ca or phone 604-875-0188. You may also fax your request to 604-875-9227.

New "Stretching @ Your Desk" Videos

New Stretching @ Your Desk videos have just been released bythe Alberta Centre for Active Living. The Stretching @ Your Desk and Yoga @ Your Desk (launched in June) videos are part of the Alberta Centre for Active Living's Physical Activity @ Work website (http://www.centre4activeliving.ca/workplace/).

Available both in English and French, each stretching video takes about as long as a coffee break. Certified fitness consultant, Lindsay Wright (Be Fit for Life Coordinator at Alberta's Provincial Fitness Unit), takes you through a series of stretches that give you a refreshing active break in the middle of your day.

The exercises in these videos are designed to counter the effects of sitting at your desk by focusing on stretches for your back, neck and shoulders. The exercises come in stages so that you can work on different parts of your body. Most of the exercises can be done right in front of your computer monitor. No need for special clothes or equipment.

The Alberta Centre for Active Living is affiliated with the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alberta.

Access the videos at http://www.centre4activeliving.ca/workplace/trr/tools.html.

Summer '07 "Tips for Living Well" newsletter is out!

The summer issue of Tips for Living Well newsletter from the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities' Wellness & Disability Initiative is hot off the press! If you subscribe to the paper copy, you'll be receiving your issue soon. If you access the PDF version from our website, you can start reading today.

In this issue ...

• Learning the Language of Feelings by Mark Linden O'Meara (an excerpt from his book, The Feeling Soul)
• Living with Hope--a video about hope and people with terminal illness
• How to Support a Family Caregiver--a new booklet about supporting caregivers from the UVIC Centre on Aging
• Watermelon Anyone?--more about watermelons than you could ever want to know!
• Pets & Wellness--a special two-page spread with pictures and pet news
• HIV/AIDS Reality Check column--this issue is information from Health Canada about condoms
• Top Tag Pet ID--a nifty flash drive containing all that important info about your pet... worn as an ID tag
• Access to Health Awards--it's not too soon to begin thinking about who you will nominate for the 2007 awards. Deadline for nominations is October 31st.
• Living a Health Life with Chronic Conditions--this program is now available throughout BC
• Cleaners and Pesticides Can Be Fatal--use them properly, or better yet, use alternatives
• Seven Myths about Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Tips for Living Well--headache tips, laughter, improving your memory, and volunteering
• Most People with Arthritis Don't Get Enough Exercise
• Sunscreen and Summer Sun Safety
• Online Book Helps Children Understand the Effects of Stroke
• Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs)--a personal account

Don't miss out. Subscriptions to the paper copy are free in Canada. Contact wdi@bccpd.bc.ca to subscribe or to order multiple copies for your office or organization.