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.

New Canadian health website: What Older Women Want

A Canadian study of older women's health needs and concerns published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in July 2005, and reported widely in the media, has sparked a new website directed at both patients and health practitioners: http://www.wowhealth.ca/

Known widely as 'WOW' or the 'What Older Women Want' study, conducted by Drs. Cara Tannenbaum, Nancy Mayo and Francine Ducharme, the study asked 5000 older women across Canada which of their health needs they felt were not being met or addressed adequately by their health practitioners.

Among the top unmet concerns Canadian senior women mentioned were: screening and treating urinary incontinence; counselling about memory loss (or perceived memory loss); and exercise strategies to address falls and functional decline.

"Women were very satisfied with the care they were receiving to treat their blood pressure and prevent heart attacks and stroke, but emphasized gaps in care surrounding more 'taboo' issues, such as discussing urine or memory loss," says Dr. Tannenbaum, a Geriatrician at the Institut universitaire de gériatre de Montréal, and lead author of the WOW study. "It may be that women are uncomfortable talking about these issues with their physicians because it is embasrassing, because they believe it is a part of normal aging or because they are unaware that treatments exist."

In order to address this gap in primary health provision and give older women what they want, Dr. Tannenbaum teamed up with the Canadian Women's Health Network and the Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal to create the WOW website: http://www.wowhealth.ca/

The website contains a portal for health consumers that provides health information on the three unmet health needs of older Canadian women: urinary incontinence, memory loss and exercise. The information is clear, straight-forward and easy-to-read, with engaging illustrations and diagrams. The focus is on prevention, with tips on diet, lifestyle changes and exercise; treatment options are also provided.

The WOW website also has a portal for health practitioners, outlining the kinds of questions that practitioners should be asking their older female patients routinely, and the ways in which they can provide prevention and improvement strategies to their patients for urinary incontinence, memory loss, as well as the particular exercise needs of older women.

For full study details on the What Older Women Want study, visit: http://www.wowhealth.ca/pdf/wowCMAJ.pdf

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.

"Shared Voices" MS Society Newsletter great source of tips

Shared Voices is an excellent newsletter published by the MS Society of Canada's Lower Mainland chapter. The Summer 2007 issue is packed with terrific information for people living with MS—much of it of interest to people with other types of disabilities or health conditions as well. Copies are available at the website. Check out this issue for the following items and more:

• tips for keeping cool during the summer heat (p. 1-2)
• a report on a Nordic Pole Walking Workshop at the WestEnd MS Support Group (p.3)
• Lower Mainland Chapter educational workshop September 22nd 2007 (p. 4)
• A Light-hearted Parody of Your Summer Horoscope (p. 6-7)
• information about accessible pools, beaches, and musical events in the Lower Mainland
• Massage and more ... information about the West Coast College of Massage Therapy's Inreach Program for people living with MS. Over a 14-week term, massage therapy students provide weekly 60 minute massages (under supervision). "Besides the many benefits of massage, a mini support group usually develops. Some have found their fear of becoming less mobile lessens when they see those who use various aids—canes, walkers, wheelchairs and scooters—living successfully." (p. 5)
• Therapeutic and Research Issues: Mitoxantrone (might-oh-zan-trone) (p. 4)

Note: The West Coast College of Massage Therapy is located in New Westminster. Each massage is $10.00. The program is currently full, but if you're interested, call Brenda at 604-451-8616 to be placed on a cancellation list.

Participants Wanted: Osteoporosis & Physical Activity Research Study

"Drs. Philip M. Wilson and Diane E. Mack are requesting your assistance in regards to their federally funded research study entitled Osteoporosis and Physical Activity. The purpose of this study is to examine the measurement of lifestyle physical activity in those diagnosed with osteoporosis. "—From The Ontario Health Promotion E-bulletin (OHPE) June 21, 2007. Click on the link to read the full post.

Consider subscribing to the weekly OHPE, produced by the Ontario Prevention Clearinghouse and The Health Communication Unit.