Fresh Outlook Foundation

LAUGHTER: Truly the Best Medicine for Seniors of all Ages

Stock Photo By Carole Fawcett I’m 75, and humour, laughter, giggles, and guffaws are interwoven in almost everything I do. When I had repeat surgery on my legs/hips, I taped a note along the original incision line before going into the operating room. It read, ‘Please cut along dotted line’. I was not awake to […]

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Fresh Outlook Foundation

COMPLEX CHRONIC DISEASES: A Senior Finds Beauty in Brokenness

  Stock Photo By Cara Brady “I didn’t want to be a bother to anyone.” Sarah knew ‘complex chronic illness’ (also called complex chronic diseases) before she knew it had a name. There has been despair at living with no diagnosis, fear that it might somehow be her own fault, and disappointment with various treatments. […]

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Fresh Outlook Foundation

ELDER ABUSE: The Crushing Costs of Financial Exploitation

By Melissa Mortimer *All names have been changed When Mark’s widowed father, Tony, was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he wanted to do all he could to help. With 80-year-old Tony in Toronto, and him in Calgary, Mark relied on his sister to be the point of contact. Until then, Tony had been spending winters in […]

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Fresh Outlook Foundation

MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH: The Men’s Shed Way

By Kevin Mitchell Upon entry, you find a slick-looking lounge and a big-screen TV, followed by the gateway to a 3,200-square-foot workshop containing an array of wood and metal working “drool tools.” And that’s just the hands-on part of Men’s Shed Vernon’s passion for building meaning and well-being into men’s lives by engaging hands, hearts, […]

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Fresh Outlook Foundation

THE JOY OF MENTORING: Seniors Giving Back in a Big Way

by Melissa Mortimer  *Check out discussion questions after article  At the age of 60, with more than 30 years as a sustainability outreach and engagement specialist behind her, Jo de Vries sometimes felt old, irrelevant, and invisible. “Many of my colleagues were in their 20s and 30s, and some seemed uninterested in listening to my […]

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Heads Up! Community Mental Health Podcast

‘MIND’ING NATURE: Cultivating Childhood Wellness Outdoors

SUMMARY People have become less connected to nature, particularly with increasing urbanization. However, many studies are now clearly demonstrating that nature connectedness is crucial to our physical and mental health, and to the future of our communities’ social, cultural, environmental, and economic well-being. Audrey Hystad, farm manager for the Clubhouse Farm in Kelowna, BC and […]

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Fresh Outlook Foundation

PERFECTIONISM: It’s not Always the Villain

It’s 10:00 pm and Angela’s eyelids are drooping, but she’s still at the office working on a presentation for the following morning. Back at home, Caleb protests as his dad closes his son’s computer and tells him his project is good enough. It’s time for bed. Whether you’re a professional or a student, you’ve been […]

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Heads Up! Community Mental Health Podcast

JO’S JOURNEY: A Personal Story of Healing From Fear & Anxiety

SUMMARY HEADS UP producer Jo de Vries shares her personal story of healing from acute anxiety attacks that started when she was 12 years old. Now in her sixties, and after 20 years of taking two psychotrophic medications, she is in the process of healing with the help of two medical professionals. Family physician/psychotherapist Dr. […]

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Fresh Outlook Foundation

A Parents’ Guide to Social Media & Youth Mental Health

Without a doubt, social media is a culturally ingrained digital platform among the younger generation. A powerful means to connect and share with others, social media is a part of everyday life even for young children. In fact, a PubMed Central study on social media use reveals that Canadians as young as six years old […]

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Fresh Outlook Foundation

JO’S JOURNEY: Finding Freedom from Fear & Anxiety

Please note that I shared my story for informational purposes only to help others. If you’re experiencing mental health challenges or want to taper off medication, please seek advice from your doctor and/or a mental health professional. Imagine you’re lying down… tied to a railway track. You start to feel vibrations in the ties and […]

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Heads Up! Community Mental Health Podcast

SENIORS’ MENTAL HEALTH: Part 2 – Social Influences, Life Circumstances, Personal Choices & Better Care

SUMMARY Senior’s mental health is affected by social threats such as stigma, ageism, and racism, and impacted by individual circumstances such as isolation, loneliness, poverty, poor physical health, lack of independence, and abuse. In Part 2 of this podcast, Marjorie Horne (seniors’ advocate and founder of CareSmart Seniors Consulting), Naomi Mison (caregiver and founder of […]

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