Seniors looking to stay healthy should put nutrition first

A favourite spot in the grocery store

        Back to regularly scheduled weekly physiotherapy sessions, life at Chez Rockwell continues to focus on health and wellness. I’ve been reading about folks anxious to return to the gym but question how impractical that may be in these COVID times; it would be difficult to maintain social distancing and wearing a mask while working out may prove to be problematic for those with breathing problems like asthma. 

  An at-home workout regimen is doable but it requires a commitment of time each and every day in order to reap and maintain long-term benefits. As minimalist as my own exercise routine is, it has ensured my strength and stamina hold up in support of my continued safe ambulation. The fact that I was not injured when I fell is testament to that.

Calcium, Vitamin D and Omega-3 supplements have all been shown to improve bone strength and for me, maintaining density is key to guaranteeing that I can continue putting one foot in front of the other with confidence and security.  For close to 40 years, I’ve taken several supplements, morning and night, with only one prescription medication  — Synthyroid. All taken with lots of water. Be sure to check with your doctor to determine if any supplements you take might negatively impact prescription medications.

Sufficient hydration is critical to bone integrity and I do enjoy thrice daily mugs of hot lemon water with clove and honey. We absolutely must ensure that we drink enough water each and every day, especially during these isolating times. Also, ensure that seniors in your world are sufficiently hydrating with water. That daily practice contributes to mental acuity; a dry brain is a confused brain.

Trying new recipes ensures that I consume a wide range of fruit and vegetables every day. Veggies are high in Vitamin C which stimulate production of  bone-forming cells. As well, that extra C load through nutrition, provides an antioxidant effect which protects bone cells from damage. Bone density is boosted through daily servings of  vegetables. To inspire eating more of them, try roasting on a sheet pan. I often prepare a blend of  veggies, shake in a bag with a bit of olive oil and seasoning spice like roasted pepper and garlic.  The toaster oven is perfect for cooking 1-2 serving meals, and a great way for the home alone senior to maintain the daily recommended nutrition load. 

Fruits and vegetables have been a significant part of my diet all of my life; important for person with challenges to health and wellness. Many studies on health and nutrition illustrate that daily consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables is a boon to women’s health; interestingly, consumption of onions has been found to lower the risk of osteoporosis. If you haven’t tried a baked onion, you must — they’re really good. Then there’s roasted cabbage, broccoli and carrots. All  contribute to strong bones. If you’re going to supplement, consult with  your doctor about how much and how often, but the best sources are found in food.

A good balance of protein and calcium is important for maintaining bone density, which allow us to have a healthier and happier quality of life.  Again, I say — if you’re on a fixed income and find healthy eating is taking too big a bite out of your budget, consider sharing the cost with a few COVID-clear friends with whom you can enjoy frequent meals. Such social networking  contributes to mental/emotional health which has been put a risk, particularly within certain segments of the population.

Smoothies are a daily feature of my health and wellness plan given that calcium is the most important mineral for bone health. Because old bone cells are constantly broken down and replaced by new ones, it’s important to consume calcium daily to protect bone structure and strength; daily recommended is 1,000mg/day. Consult with your physician about what is right for you.

Eating to live and living to eat is the way I roll. I love to experiment with different cooking methods to ensure variety. Variety allows us to more easily stick to a nutrition plan that will keep us healthy. Ensure that Vitamin D load is sufficient to accommodate your aging body. Diseases such as osteoporosis are implicated in many falling fractures and breaks. If there’s a family history of disease, it’s vital that one top up the D through nutrition and supplementing. A bone break can disconnect you from family and friends with hospital stays, rehab, followed by at home rest. All of that compounds inherent stress.

So for me, my days begin and end in the same way; spine stretching and bone strengtening flexes at my bedside. Yours can, too. Get moving! Stay safe.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell

When it comes to maintaining mobility, seniors must move it or lose it

Fridge door handle replaced. My very mild OCD is triggered.

They don't match!

Anyone of any age can fall and be unhurt, sustain a minor injury or even a serious one. We can’t predict outcomes. What we can do, as we age, is ensure that we keep our body as ‘fine tuned’ as possible, especially if we live with any sort of pre-existing condition or comorbidity. ‘Aging in place’ in the golden years can be a challenge for so many, especially those with limited resources to modify living spaces to accommodate changes to movement and mobility.

When I fell 3 times in a single day, something that has never happened in my entire life, I attribute the entire course of events and my responses to them to the absence of a  ‘touch spot’ in my kitchen; something I’ve relied upon in the thirty years I’ve lived in my home — a fridge door handle. We don’t realize how important something is until it’s gone. For me, that  fridge door handle was a transition point as I made my way around the hub of my home, touching counters as I moved along, often carrying a pot or a bowl in my other hand. I cannot carry things using both hands; never could. As a consequence, I have a very strong forearm and grip strength. We don’t often think about how important our hands are until one of them is unavailable. For me and others with mobility challenges who do walk, hands are our connection to our spaces, to  touch surfaces so we can safely move about, to live independent lives, or to function as an equal partner in a marriage or other relationship, contributing our fair share to chores. Two hands  contribute to our effective parenting, but they don’t define the success or failure of our parenting role.

Getting a handle on the fridge after the triple falls was absolutely critical. My attachment to fridge door handles began in childhood, when I was small and going through rehab at the polio clinic attached to the old Victoria Public Hospital and then as the first child patient at the Forest Hill Center for Rehabilitation. Early on, I was taught how to fall, with activities that were initially started by my father when I was a toddler. He’d stand me in front of him and push on my shoulder; front, back, left shoulder, right shoulder. The goal was for me not to topple over.  The balance testing went on for several years. If I was going down and there was no saving myself, I was conditioned to go limp, like a rag doll. It’s the twisting in effort to save oneself that a fracture often occurs. Dad  told me that bone is often broken before one hits the solid surface of floor or ground.

At 66 years of age, I still have remnants of the ‘startle reflex’ of babies, common in  those with cerebral palsy. I’m able to control it as I’ve developed the ability to filter many sounds that would normally trigger a startle. causing me to lose balance or fall. 

As example, turning the phone ringer off contributes to my upright mobility. As well, I have a ‘touch spot’ grab bar in the shower, and on either side of the therapy tub enclosure that occupies a space formerly used as a closet in my bedroom. My basement stairs have a railing on one side, with a medical grade grab bar mounted on the wall above; another bar is mounted on the opposite wall above the open space where there is no railing, positioned further along, to allow me to descend the last few steps to the den floor with that physical support. Safety always!

Stair climbing has always been a challenge,  moreso as I get older; thus, the reason for the weekly physiotherapist visits. I have very good range of motion in my legs, all things considered, attributing this to my decades-long practice of adhering to healthy eating, focusing on nutrition that contributes to maintenance of bone density. Also, purposeful stretches throughout the day allow me to continue to do things so many do with ease. I know my limitations and don’t tempt fate by going beyond my body’s range. The ‘fridge thing’ was a total fluke. I’m not a faller.

My message to seniors, whether home alone or living with others:  move/use it or lose it. Physiotherapists are like Santa. They know when you’ve been naughty or nice.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell

After three falls in one day, a lucky escape from injury

A 'touch spot' handle fell off the fridge causing 3 potentially serious falls in one day.

For those with mobility challenges, vigilance to at-home safety is critical

Several days ago, I fell, and I fell, and I fell again! Any one of those falls could have thrown me into major medical crisis; three falls in a single day is a record and one I hope not to repeat. Ever!

The last time I fell, sustaining an injury, a very serious injury, was in 1985. In a darkened hallway in my Charlotte Street apartment, I tripped over my black cat, who was lounging in the doorway to my bedroom. Down I went, part way into the room, just inches away from the edge of an antique spool bed. I was unconscious only briefly and upon coming around, recognized my predicament immediately. I was later found to have sustained a dislocation of my left/dominant elbow. Rescued by a neighbour, I was in the DECH overnight before being ensconced in the then Northern Carleton Hospital in Bath where my Dad did his doctoring thing. 

For safety and recovery, I stayed for a month. Without a sound elbow, I could neither use crutches or propel the hospital issue wheelchair. My mother was also a patient at the time and Dad was enjoying this turn of events, asking her if she wanted a roomie. Yeah, right! While trapped in the ‘germ factory’, as I called hospitals, I got pneumonia and required antibiotics. The great escape couldn’t come fast enough.

It took almost a year of weekly range of motion therapy to get full elbow function back. From that point to this, when I sustained the triple falls, I had taken a few tumbles, but was never hurt. Jarred and shaken but nothing broken or even bruised. You might be wondering how I managed to land on the floor 3 times in one day.

My home is well organized, with ‘touch spots’ available for hands to land as I move about. One such touch spot was the fridge door handle. Some time ago, the top part of the handle developed a hairline crack, which had spread. Then, it finally happened. On the day of my great falls, the first was when I touched the handle for balance and it spun forward and was no longer attached to the door. I fell, hands outstretched, head thrust back to avoid a floor strike. Both knees hit the floor - hard! I crawled to the dining room table and hoisted myself up and carried on with my walk back to the TV room to my desk; too shaky to make my coffee.. I was not hurt.  Hours later, I returned to the kitchen to make the coffee. I forgot that the handle was no longer securely attached, and when my hand automatically reached for the decades long used touch spot, I fell — again! That time, I fell to the right, wrenching my neck and right shoulder and doing a number on my full spine. Ouch! Again, I hoisted myself up. Nothing broken. No bruises forming. Mr. Malcolm, service dog in training, stayed out of the way. Good boy! I carried on with making the coffee, focusing my gaze on the handle on the freezer. That would be my touch spot. I kept looking at it until my brain set the pattern of movement. Success! 

Alas, I was a bit premature. On a third trek to the kitchen, I had the most serious of the 3 falls the day. Reaching out for the now gone fridge door handle, I landed to the left, again slamming both knees on the floor. The elbow I had dislocated decades earlier took a solid strike. Pain shot through my arm, so I was a bit slower getting up, but I did it. Over the course of the day I experienced only slight pain in the chest; muscle strain. Nothing serious.

It’s important for old gals such as I to ensure that oft-used spaces in the home are safe and free of obstacles that may cause a fall. Falls with subsequent hospitalization due to fracture is common after the age of 60, though those of us with  ongoing challenges to mobility have to be extra vigilant far earlier on. It’s said that falling once doubles the chances of falling again. Be careful out there.

Vertically mounted decorative towel bars on inside and outside walls of bathroom, bedroom or other room that are often frequented offers another layer of security. If challenges to mobility are more pronounced, medical-grade grab bars would be indicated.

Within the next few days, via an Amazon delivery, I hope to get a handle on things so that a consistent pattern of upright mobility will rule my days going forward. So far, brain training to redirect my eye and hand has been working. I know that I cannot afford another fall as it may not end well.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell

Pets and shelters are under pandemic pressure — but we all can help

Photo: Flickr/Mike Mozart

Adopting a pet during COVID, can be challenging. The isolation felt by those who are on their own each and every day, with no children or no spouse/partner, can impact ones mental/emotional health, elevating anxieties about things that previously were of no real consequence. A pet companion is often just the prescription necessary to restore a sense of balance, a sense of normal to the day-to-day of navigating the COVID life.

I  had to say good-bye to a geriatric dog during the pandemic; I then went on to bring  a new puppy into my home during a pandemic. I must have lost my mind!  The challenge of pet loss during COVID was stressful because I didn’t know if I could be with Mr. Digby, the 17 year old Australian Silky  Terrier who crossed Rainbow Bridge on 5 June 2020. Thankfully, I was able to attend as he drew his last breath.

Mr. Malcolm, the now 8 month old Havanese terrier, took over at Chez Rockwell at 8 weeks. Life as I knew it would change forever. He was introduced to the crate his very first night  and so began his routine of learning the way of things with a geriatric Maltese showing him how it’s to be done. During COVID, he received all required vaccinations, was neutered and had a dewclaw removed. We both survived and thrive.

I’ve always stuck closely to a daily routine so have not been particularly impacted COVID isolation though I do empathize with those who are struggling with a severely curtailed social connection. That has to be frustrating beyond measure. Work at home has become the norm for so many and the adjustment to change of place to do the business required to earn their daily bread demands a commitment to changing course and sticking to it — at least for the foreseeable future. That’s the way of the world in these COVID times.  Many work-at-home men and women, both young and old, have made or are making the decision to adopt a pet. Strict adherence to routine is critical to house training. Mr. Malcolm is 99% reliable.

Sadly, some people who are really struggling with  significant change in circumstance are finding themselves having to make decisions about pets they already have. Diminished financial health alters how one may view status of pets and their own happiness. Many are anxious about ability to properly care for pets with less funds, sometimes believing, often erroneously, that surrendering is what’s best for the dog or cat. Sadly, what that does is increase the burden on animal shelters, many of which will not euthanize healthy animals, given their goal is to  place them in safe, permanent homes. Key concern is food — kibble and canned food that covers all age ranges of cats and dogs, rabbits, and other small, caged pets.

Animal shelters are struggling to meet the demands of costs associated with food, supplies and regular vet care, relying on donations of goods and cash. Their needs don’t suddenly stop because of COVID — animals still need to be fed and kept safe. As we are able, it’s important for us to do our part to ensure that local shelters are kept up and running and those creatures in their care will have their daily needs met. Many who have lost jobs or are living on considerably reduced incomes are burdened on several fronts and it’s  important as part of our compassionate care of community that we contribute what we can, when we can. 

As we learned about COVID and its impact on our daily lives there were reports that dogs could transmit the virus. That finding turned out to be inconclusive but people were afraid, surrendering pets and burdening shelters. Some were simply dumping their pets, left to free roam, posing community risk and increasing costs associated to rounding them up and ‘doing’ something about them. Once animals with loving homes, they were street prey or predator. Sad.

One way people are demonstrating their compassionate care is the number of pet food banks that are  cropping up across the country, often located in supermarkets. Perhaps there is need for one in your area. A group of like minded friends, in consultation with local shelters and vets would do much to alleviate pet care concerns for so many, especially seniors who have relied for years on the companionship of their Fluffy or Scamp. It might be worth a call to your local supermarket to see if you and a group of friends could set up a pet food collections and donation kiosk. 

So, sit. Stay. Call some friends to organize a pet food drive. 

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell

Take a stand against COVID skeptics

 

Photo: David Koch/Times Transcript

With each passing day, after months of COVID rules, being told what to do and how to do it, we’re exhausted by all of it. So agitated are some that they ‘act out’ online with outlandish views about the virus. I often wonder if some of the verbose virus deniers are doing it deliberately to see how far they can go with their envelope pushing before they’re kicked off whatever social platform they’re using.

On the other side are those men and women who are functioning in ways that are dangerous, with some taking their vile rhetoric to such extremes that their behaviour has become threatening. Policing authorities are stepping up presence at know targets as COVID deniers threatening hospital workers in on the rise — truly scary. Scarier still is that they’re showing up at hospitals and endangering those who are seeking care and comfort. That must not be tolerated and people need to speak up when they see it. To say nothing is to go along with the behaviour.

We want health care workers to be kept safe and to feel safe so that they can do what they’re trained to do as they protect and serve their communities. It defies logic that there is so much rage when compassion and empathy should be at the forefront of our interactions, both at home, in our circle, our bubble, and also when we’re out and about conducting the business of our daily lives.

Domestic violence is on the rise, child abuse is on the rise and animal abuse cases are increasing. Pet surrender has increased as owners, especially the elderly, are finding they can no longer afford to care for their companions. COVID isolation has triggered behaviours in so many people who are taxed beyond their emotional endurance, driving them to behave in ways that they wouldn’t have previously considered. Are their minds so disturbed that they will, day after day, spew venom  at total strangers, both on and offline? They have to know that what they are doing is potentially criminal in nature. Why can’t that reality be enough to stop them? To me, their own fear is palpable and they’d benefit from seeking help.

Here in Canada, the influence of American television programing and press is pervasive, with many Americans being perceived as arrogant and unbending with no regard for the down trodden. How can that be in times such as these when everyone is in the same proverbial boat? COVID has become the great equalizer; it doesn’t discriminate. Why then, are we so intent on being negative, oppositional, obstructionist. When we don’t act for the public good, we ultimately diminish ourselves. Few people give thought to that byproduct of negative behaviour.

Being a bit selfish for moment — for quite some time, I’ve been the beneficiary of weekly physiotherapy sessions through the New Brunswick Extra-Mural program. I registered with them when my husband died in 2007 and their presence, even on a sporadic basis kept me connected to the world beyond my four walls as they could report my progress to those on my care team who monitor my health and wellness. Though I’ve had only one situation that included one of their nurses, my ongoing need is related to aging with cerebral palsy and maintenance of mobility given I am home alone, without benefit of any other human being at Chez Rockwell. So far, COVID has not interrupted visits. During recent calls, my physiotherapist has worn a gown and shoe covers along with the usual gloves and mask. He and his colleagues are essential workers and the services they provide go well beyond just improving mobility or changing dressings of those house-bound persons who are recovering from any number of health situations that impact wellness. They have opportunity to do fuller assessment via well chosen lifestyle questions given senior isolation is a huge concern across the health care community.

Those who continue to be mask-defiant, dismissive of the rules or combative when someone is trying to enforce the  rules of COVID are being selfish. Whether they realize it or not, their behaviour sends a message to all - that they don’t care about anyone beyond themselves —  even their elderly grandmother who relies in visiting nurses to monitor cardiac function, or their uncle who needs wound care or the young nephew new to a disability that is permanent. Such thoughtlessness keeps all of us locked in the COVID spin cycle while those essentially having an attention-seeking temper tantrum are heard.  To them, I say - “grow up!”. To defeat COVID, communities must care more. About everyone!

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell

Stopping this pandemic is up to all of us

 

 

    A few weeks ago, while Mr. Malcolm was having his very first spa day with Miss Lexie, I was wandering hither and yon doing errands. One such stop n shop brought me to Walmart Northside. I was dismayed! Yes, I was! Outside the interior set of doors was a hand sanitizing station. Only one problem. It was a bottle of sanitizer on a pole with a tube that ran down to the base, affixed to a foot pedal. A little foot action was required to dispense the sanitizer. Clearly, Walmart management didn’t think things through.

    

    Folks in wheelchairs or on crutches, or using walkers or canes would  be challenged by such lack of accessibility; the very people who need extra protections against COVID by virtue of their pre-existing challenges to daily living when it’s obvious disability or the implications of aging. Seniors are at particular risk of the impact of COVID.

I asked my friend if I could borrow her foot. Glad she decided not to kick me in the pants, as has been her silent wish for years. I’m a bit of a challenge with my off-the-cuff remarks; a pot stirrer from way back. There was a couple beside me, the woman in a wheelchair. Neither had interest in hand sanitizing. I thought that not only odd but unfortunate.

It saddens me that so many folks don’t seem to take COVID seriously and are actively contributing to the spread of the virus, invariably bringing it into their homes to sicken or kill their most vulnerable family members. People like me, who live with  comorbidities, cannot afford to get complacent. The stress borne by  parents of since birth disabled children is palpable. Their lives are isolated enough by virtue of the demands of caregiving. Extreme caution must be exercised when bringing in outside care help and to have to wonder where that person has been on any given day add to the stress.  Children with conditions such as that with which I live are often prone to issues of the lungs, and in these COVID times, anxiety for parents is off the charts.

What is going to take for people to accept that they are part of the COVID solution in terms of dialing it back and loosening its grip on our daily lives? Are people so callous that they can’t allow themselves to think, feel and do outside themselves and their own little world to look after their neighbour, known or unknown. COVID life has laid bare the disparities amongst rich and not so rich, the poor and the very poor. Economies have taken a hit and many families are struggling in ways that most of us cannot begin to imagine. It’s time we stopped being so selfish and stopped  believing the lie that COVID is not real and that thousands/day are not dying. They are and they’re not coming back. A small piece of fabric covering the nose and mouth could possibly have saved them.

From age 1 to 8, I wore heavy metal, waist high braces, stepping along with crutches. Think FDR. From age 8 to 12, I wore below the knee orthotics, still using crutches. I wore glasses, as I do today. 

Today, there are no orthotics, but I still use crutches and still wear glasses, with increasing power with every eye exam. I also use a wheelchair at the mall, scooter for out and about along the road where I live and a walker for the largest room in my home that requires it for safety due to my balance issues. I’m dumbfounded that so many people are challenged by covering their nose and mouth for a few hours/day when they’re out and about and can’t socially distance. Imagine being a child having to drag around in ‘leg irons’ that weighed more than you did. That was me as a youngster. Today, I see grown men and women moaning about wearing a mask, knowing that the virus is real and that it is not a hoax and that millions across the globe have DIED. Many of those deaths could have been prevented if people hadn’t been so selfish. That’s the reality of things, people. Now, you have decide if you want to be part of the ‘correct course’ or do you want to carry on, ignoring that your behaviour negatively impacts everyone else around you. Decision time.

People in the workplace are to be commended for adjusting to how they conduct their business so that communities may continue to thrive in  spite of the economic impact of  COVID. The  colourful masks on the faces of folks whose eyes still smile is a reminder for us all. We CAN do this. It’s a CHOICE.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at  Carla MacInnis Rockwell

It's 2021. Self-care is critical

New Year’s resolutions. Not a fan! It’s not that I am so perfect that I don’t need to make changes to be better, to do better; I work on that daily. Most resolutions tend to revolve around addressing lifestyle and health issues.  Frankly, for one to say s/he’s going to go on a diet, eating healthily every day is a recipe for disaster; a set-up to fail by virtue of putting too much pressure on oneself to make ‘quick changes’ on the spur of the moment — “it’s a New Year, I can do this!”

Sadly,  people frustrate their efforts by not having a well thought out plan in place that contributes to ensuring success large or small. That being so, resolution makers would be better served taking stock of what’s going on in their life that is causing them stress. What’s happening that is uplifting and has contributed to them feeling good about how things are going generally. To that end, journaling may be a tool which would be a great complement to a few daily lifestyle changes. It’s a way to keep track of progress; a record of the ups and downs, hits and misses. Key is not to beat ourselves up if we didn’t quite get there on any given day. There are still lots of days left to do better.

Working around the impact COVID-19 has imposed challenges. Many people find themselves over-eating by virtue of being home alone with the fridge and then get into a panic about their mindless hand to mouth action, which doesn’t help. Take a breath. Relax. Have a glass of water.   Actually, that’s not a bad idea! Most of us don’t drink enough water and that deficiency alone contributes to the body confusing thirst with hunger. So we overeat, but never drink the glass of water. Think! Smoking cessation also benefits from boosting water intake. Coffee and colas do not count; both actually dehydrate. 

As we settle in to the early days and weeks of 2021, there’s one thing we can control. Watering the body boosts performance. Back in the 70s while attending  university, I was able to successfully avoid colds and flu by keeping myself well hydrated;  as well, room humidification was critical to dorm survival amongst all those other young women. My late Dad, the doctor, gave me a tip that  would contribute to reduction of incidence of flu or colds — hosing the nose, as I came to call it; a tip I shared with many of the gals on my floor at STU’s Vanier Hall. Swish a clean cloth in a bowl of lightly salted boiled water. Wring out the cloth and place it over the nose with head tilted back. Once you feel water droplets go to the back of the throat, raise your head and gently blow the nose. Through winter months, repeat a few times daily. Try it. It does work! Those devices advertised on television pose certain risk; they absolutely must be sterilized between uses otherwise the user is drawing up bacteria-laden steam into the sinuses. In some cases, that has proven fatal.

In the age of COVID, keeping the air sufficiently humidified is critical to ensuring that germs can’t attach to nasal passages. Bugs love dry spaces to snuggle into and breed, so make drinking 2 full glasses of water each morning a resolution. Water that resolution again with an investment in a good humidifier to keep the air you breathe healthier. I recently purchased  an easy to maintain  table-top humidifier with remote control. Every time I get up to do a walk about or a spine stretch, I stop at the sink to get a pitcher of water to  top up the humidifier.  Morning and evening, I hose my nose — there is no way I’m going to risk a ‘bug invasion’ when I can do something so simple to prevent it. Flu shots and COVID vaccines are critical adjuncts to appropriate care but what we do day to day is of utmost importance.

Though I never make specific NYs resolutions, I am committed to looking after myself, going a bit OCD with the various protocols I have in place to remain healthy. Living on my own, with no daily help, compels me to be purposeful about self-care. Top notch nutrition, walk abouts, spine stretching and several times daily mug of hot lemon water with clove and honey are staples. The other day, I sliced several lemons, froze them on a baking sheet and then bagged. Two slices in the cup with a few cloves and a few teaspoons of honey is just the ticket. A splash of spirits in the drink at last call is a perfect end to the day to promote restful sleep. 

Bottoms up!

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, the boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell