Why mindful eating contributes to better health

Cabbage and kidney bean soup to be served with toasted herb bread

A winter staple at Chez Rockwell

Where did the notion of mindful eating come from? It was defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn, the original developer and leader of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School  as “paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”  His book 1990 book Full Catastrophe Living offered guidance on living mindfully based on his experiences with this program since 1979.

In my world, mindful eating is also related to mindful grocery shopping, meal preparation and cooking, using two old broad-friendly appliances — the slow cooker and the toaster oven. How food is prepared and how it’s presented contributes to an awareness of what we are putting into our mouths. Are we eating to live, living to eat, or comforting ourselves with food to combat stress? Stress eating can easily get out of control and requires effort to address. No doubt there are many among us who would benefit from having a meal buddy, someone with whom to interact while mindfully dining; eating slowly, chewing well, and drinking enough water with the meal to ensure healthy digestion. 

Here at Chez Rockwell, mindful eating is only one component of my daily living as I safely and healthily age with cerebral palsy. That journey began in toddlerhood when it was clear that I’d require a lot of nutritional input each and every day, to accommodate carrying my tiny body around wearing waist high metal braces and using forearm crutches. I learned all about the importance of the grocery list back then, too. A grocery list is critical to nutrition awareness as it helps one to ‘colour within the lines’ if items are organized by grocery aisle or a relationship to each other, as a menu is planned. It also ensure less wasted food and money. 

I rely on ‘the list’, to organise daily menus to include 3 meals/day plus snacks, preparing main dishes that are nutritious and accommodate 3-4 frozen servings which makes them both cost and energy efficient. This is especially important for those among us on fixed incomes who find healthy eating financially challenging. 

Being on my own, it’s critical that food preparation be energy efficient, as I cannot know from one minute to the next when my heart is going to hurt and I go into a fatigue slump, or I’m going to feel nauseated, or my eyes are going to go blurry. I still have to eat well. In that regard, I’m very disciplined, choosing foods that contribute to my continued wellness.

Because I drink a lot of water through the day, I don’t always have it with a meal, but hydration before a meal will ensure mindful eating of what’s on your plate and reduce the risk of over-eating. Insufficient hydration continues to be a major concern amongst the senior set. A few glasses throughout the day improves physical performance as well as mental acuity — win-win. So drink up and do the crossword puzzle.

Easy access to information has acquainted us with the Mediterranean diet, which is fruit, vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts and vegetable oils. In essence, it’s also about mindful eating.  A key feature of mindful eating that cannot be ignored — improved nutrition concurrently reduces dependence on a range of medications used to treat various conditions and diseases. The internet is great for gathering information about vitamins, minerals, benefits of certain foods, and how to incorporate healthy eating into your day, but equally important is having conversations with your doctor and other caregivers about how you can improve nutrition with the goal being to reduce dependence on medications.

I’m fortunate to have a lot of help with meeting my nutritional needs. The bulk of my food is purchased at Victory Meat Market where I’ve shopped since the 70s; they provide me with a helping hand by doing the shopping for me, based on a list I email to them. The fatigue factor associated with aging with cerebral palsy doesn’t allow me to do a big shopping on my own. I have to really think about what I need and what I’m going to prepare as the list is developed, though sometimes I miss a few things. That shopping trip takes care of almost 2 months worth of shopping. Then the batch baking and cooking begins, filling up the chest freezer as previously prepared meals in stackable containers are moved to the fridge freezer. 

Mindful eating, with its various components, has served me well for decades and I am confident that I will continue to do well, home alone, with many years of fine dining ahead.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her geriatric Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca

On demand hospital food a great idea

From the Chez Rockwell kitchen - sweet n sour beef and veggie stir fry

My relationship with hospital food is limited, as my last extended stay was in the early  80s at the then Northern Carleton Hospital in Bath, NB; incarcerated, trapped for a full month recovering from a dislocated elbow thanks to tripping over a black cat in a darkened hallway in my apartment. Hospitalization was the only viable solution as I could not safely be on my own during recovery; having an out of commission arm compromised my upright mobility within the parameters of living with cerebral palsy. During hospitalized recovery, I would require the same intake of food as I would at home. 

The food wasn’t all that bad, but times are different now, with far too much prepackaged and heat `n’ eat fare that is not terribly appetizing, negatively impacting the hospitalized patient experience.

Before modern medicine, at-home prepared food was the only tool to promote healing or provide comfort. As time passed, there was a separation of food and medicine and food AS medicine.  Modern wellness trends embrace pharmacology and various therapies to enhance the body’s ability to move (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and so on). What if we came to realize that improved nutrition would reduce pain, improve mood and enhance sleep quality? No miracle drugs required and with proper planning through investigation, eating well isn’t going to break the bank, especially if one breaks bread with others or several others  —friends and cost-shared food is a great prescription for improved health all around.

My own mother took a page from those 19th century notions, filling me up with soups, custards, rice puddings, bread puddings, milkshakes with bananas; the goal was weight gain, as I was diagnosed with ‘failure to thrive’ — one of the many labels attached to infants, toddlers and youngsters growing up with cerebral palsy. Today, I love to cook and bake and I love to eat. My latest thing is a fabulous cabbage and kidney bean soup laden with other healthy veggies. Want the recipe? Get in touch! 

If flavourful soups instead of ‘foods’ that are barely identifiable, were served in hospitals, patients would be more inspired to eat them. There’d be less waste. Think about how much food tray waste there is in hospitals across the province, across the country. Then assign a ballpark dollar value to that waste.  It's no wonder on-demand food service is gaining traction in many provinces across the country. Hospital management in this province has a duty to embrace a better, more palatable model that demonstrates that they really do care about patient health and wellness.

What is food? In my world,  a smoothie is food. In the hospital setting, a veggie and fruit laden smoothie would significantly contribute to stepped up nutrition, particularly for the malnourished senior, who often goes into hospital with compromised nutrition and leaves after ‘recovery’ still malnourished because they just couldn’t eat ‘that horrible hospital food’. When my late husband was a patient at the Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton in 2007, Dr. Sydney Grant asked me to provide them with smoothie recipes, so the staff could introduce them to pique the interest and taste buds of  patients who were struggling to eat.

Food offerings need not be constrained by time of day. In the absence of dietary restrictions, if Mr. Jones wants a salad and smoothie for breakfast, that’s what he should have. If Mrs. Brown wants a bowl of oatmeal and a side of toast and peanut butter for dinner, she should have it, no questions asked. She might even enjoy apple slices with a few pieces of chocolate on the side. Making real, palatable, fresh foods available will reduce the numbers of the malnourished. Rule of thumb: fresh is best. On-demand food service WILL cut costs and improve patient outcomes. The number of malnourished will decrease. Education about nutrition can be structured so patients can take home with them tricks and tips for healthy eating post-hospitalization. That practice alone would contribute to reducing repeat admissions, therefore reducing costs.

It’s time for the powers that be to look to better ways to DO good medicine and that includes food offerings. Healthy eating is part of recovery from trauma to the body, whether through illness or during post-op healing, so we really are what we eat. If we don’t like what we ate at our local hospital, we must communicate our concerns to effect change. After all, our money helps pay the bills.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her geriatric Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca

A home of many brothers, and sisters, too

Yes, this is a family

A few years ago, I read an article that caught my attention with the opening comment by Maureen MacEwen, Provincial Co-ordinator for P.E.I. Child Protective Services — “Canada is having a foster care crisis, with so few people willing to serve that one province is preparing to house infants in group homes if necessary.”A sad commentary on how significantly this ‘social program’ has deteriorated, but it’s been simmering dry for years. It was inevitable.

In the 70s, ‘group home’ was a label, a name assigned to a home where the ‘mentally retarded’ lived. Over time, terminology changed but the prevailing attitudes still existed. So while it’s all well and good for the government to consider placing infants who are in foster care into ‘group homes’, there should be serious thought given to a long-term plan. Children, no matter the age, cycling around the foster care system from one ‘home’ to another, weeks at a time, months at a time, a few years at a time, has never been the ideal. Lack of continuity of care does cause emotional trauma as has been demonstrated. There is no need to throw money at more studies to prove the proven. Put the money where it’s needed - into HOMES; not just structures to ‘house’ children in need, children in crisis.

Children go into care for many reasons — it’s a sad reality that many cannot go back to the house where the biological parent(s) live, but the system sometimes seems to miss the mark when stepping in to remove a child or children from the biological family. Certainly, the child’s welfare is critical, but there needs to be a stronger emphasis on correcting what has gone wrong with the parenting/caregiving. Do the parents want help? Will they accept help that’s offered and follow through and not just go through the motions to ‘get the kid back’? A child is not a piece of property to be passed around like an ugly piece of furniture no one really wants, but someone will take it, even if only to fill that corner of the living room until something better comes along. Again, a sad commentary on our ‘throw away’ society. 

If parents in crisis were buoyed up to the point where they could stand on their own, moving forward, there’d in all likelihood be fewer children ‘in care’. If, without judgment, they were shown how to guide their children with less stress and less mess, the entire family dynamic has potential to change and self-correct. Not unlike many families outside the view of government scrutiny. Lives of families all across Canada go on, day after day as Moms, Dads, brothers and sisters live, work and play and parenting styles and welfare of children are not questioned. That’s the way life has rolled along for centuries.

For some families, something gets fractured and outside help is needed, sometimes court sanctioned. Given that children learn what they live, parents with proper tools have a chance to break a cycle and with that the notion of the ‘bad kid’ label fades. When parents who want to learn and grow see the fruits of their labour manifesting in the forward-moving behaviour of their children, all are winners. Instead of the ‘system’ patting themselves on the back, social workers and others need to respectfully acknowledge the efforts of parents and children in crisis. There’s too much focus on what’s wrong and not enough on what’s right and good.

If the parental unit is irrevocably broken, then a long-term ‘forever home’ elsewhere would be pot of gold for children in need. We hear so much about animal shelters wanting ‘forever homes’ for dogs and cats available for adoption. If children cannot be adopted, for whatever reason, would they not be better served in long-term home life situations, rather than short-term ‘foster’ care? Would studies to look into repurposing vacant buildings/heritage properties across the country have merit? 

Imagine being in a foster home and 3 days before Christmas, you’re moved. No explanation. Then April rolls around and you’re moved again, out of the district, with a different school Starting over. Then again in July! Multiply that scenario by thousands of kids every year, and we see a very serious problem. No wonder foster kids have a difficulty with trust and can’t settle in to ‘good’ behaviour, often falling onto the path of drug addiction, promiscuity, unwanted pregnancies, as history repeats itself. It’s time to change the care plan and explore the potential for success of a home for ‘a group’ - a group of youngsters that can, with supports become a family. “He doesn’t look like me, but he’s my brother!” Homes such as this would be not unlike the L’Arche community of group homes, but tailored for children from the very young to late teen who need long-term ‘Mom and Dad’ guidance. Think of the possibilities. 

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her geriatric Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca

Caregivers need care, too. They're exhausted.

“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” These words of E.M. Forster resonated as I watched the documentary about Linda Rondstadt, whose music I continue enjoy decades after she came on the scene.

Ronstadt made the decision not to take the medication used to treat the Parkinson’s disease with which she was diagnosed in 2013, though she’d been symptomatic for several years, noticing changes in her voice as far back as 2000. The drugs she was prescribed caused nausea and vertigo, which is a risk one takes in trying to to tailor a regimen of currently popular medications to treat conditions that alter physical, emotional and mental health. 

Unfortunately, drugs used to Parkinson’s and cerebral palsy often have side effects that significantly impact daily life, setting the stage for a life that is not as enjoyable as it could and would be without being too sedated/medicated. Like Ms. Rondstadt, I am not a shut-in. I prefer to think of myself as ‘snuggled in’, particularly in winter months, when mobility is hampered by ice and snow.

Ms. Rondstadt and I also have another thing in common — we have to pick our battles, deciding what we want to accomplish on any given day. Living in our worlds is exhausting. Make no mistake about that. She’s advantaged by having access to lots of hands on help with the day to day, while here at Chez Rockwell, I do most on my own, under the watchful eyes of two aging canines. If I fall down and go boom, who are they gonna call?

The diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy, a severe form of Parkinsonism with brain wasting, ultimately found its way into Ms. Rondstadt’s medical profile. My eldest sister, who passed away in 2012, lived with PSP during the last several years of her life and cost of her care was significant. PSP is a cruel disease. In many respects, she was far more disabled than I ever was. Thankfully, my healthy lifestyle has contributed to my continued independent living.

As we chart a course for what’s to come in 2020, it is my hope that the medical community, from doctors and nurses to providers of at home care adjust their vision to include the critical need of support for caregivers who happen to be related to the person requiring extra attention and assistance. It’s no easy task being the spouse, partner or parent of a person living with disability, particularly for parents raising children with special needs. It’s expensive. Very often, the costs associated with caregiving come out of the ‘family pot’, compromising the financial health of the rest of the household. When children age out of systems of care that were subsidized, it falls upon parents and families to pick up the slack, so they often have to cut back in other areas of daily living. If there are other children in the home, their accustomed lifestyle is often the first to get cut. Not fair.

Our government needs to rethink what caregiving really is and that paying family members who provide care is one very significant way they can let its citizens know that they are of value and their lives matter. The physicial, emotional, mental and financial cost of caregiving is significant and in the end it’s counter-productive when what a family member is doing to help another is actually hurting themselves. No winners. A monthly allowance provided to each family who currently provides home care to a family member who cannot look after his own needs due to illness, condition or disease, would go a long way to reducing the overall burden on systems across the board. Think about it. Do the math. Many countries around the world have developed schemes that provide familial caregiver allowances.

As well, the government must be mindful of one key point. In reality, there’s no such thing as government funded; it’s tax payer funded. People are only asking for what they rightfully deserve as contributors to the government pot that assists everyone. You’re seeing the logic, right?

Caregivers are exhausted and they don’t often reach out, isolating themselves to the point where no one outside their daily world has a full appreciation for what’s really going on behind closed doors. The daily routine of caregiving, day in and day out for years, for decades, takes a toll. Financial packages available to families in need is the right thing to do if our society hopes to flourish into this coming decade and beyond.

As the days of 2020 start rolling out, perhaps all those local, provincial and national programs of health and wellness support will stand on common ground and finally DO the right thing for those who need a hand up. It’s time.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her geriatric Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca

A clear vision ahead for happiness in 2020

Photo: Andrew Seaman/Upsplash

As we approach this new year, 2020, full of hope and promise, I find myself reminded of what a major effort it is for so many of us to ‘just keep on going’; to be happy. Persons with orthopaedic disability, who are able to function with some degree of mobility, exhaust themselves physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually each and every day, perhaps questioning the ‘why’ of their existence. Caregivers are struggling with their own demons of fatigue, frustration, fear, anger, and even resentment. They can’t give up. They can’t give in. In their minds, failure means defeat. How wrong they are!

Government systems of support must take a closer look at what the long term, real needs are for both those who require in-home help on a daily basis and those who provide it — doctors, nurses, health professionals generally, teachers, pastoral care workers. Respite for caregivers, often a parent or sibling, is paramount. They are the often ‘tapped out’ resource that never get enough acknowledgement or ongoing support.

From early on, if I was to be a happy person, accepting myself as I was would be necessary so that I could develop the gifts I may not otherwise possess had I not acknowledged that my ‘different’ness was nothing to be ashamed of, to wish away, or to ignore. In reality, ignoring it was never an option. I liken my differentness to a companion who will be with me forever; a part of everything I did, from rising in the morning to going to bed at night. My companion’s name is cerebral palsy Perhaps, in large measure, my companion would define my character, shaping the stuff of me that would ultimately be the best of me. 

I had to accept that my life was going to be different --- not in a negative way, not special — just different. I certainly never wished to be someone else, though I did wish that I was more able in terms of mobility, as in being so, I’d have possibly been more readily included, particularly in the formative years when children are establishing bonds and social networks.  In being more physically able, my career choices would have been expanded, but would things have gone differently? Who knows? There were and are always going to be things that I will never do by virtue of living with cerebral palsy. I don’t use the term ‘have’ when speaking of my ‘companion’. 

Too often, people define happiness based on what others bring to them or share with them, whether it be the tangible or the intangible. Sitting back and waiting for happiness to come to us is wasteful of time and energy which could be better spent creating our own happiness and simultaneously spreading that  happiness around us, to siblings, to friends, to colleagues, to a spouse/partner. Happiness flows out, flows around, then flows back after bumping about to touch others; a complete circle. 

We who live with limitations to full participation in daily life learn ways to participate and create a unique happiness; this is, of course, contingent upon whether our intellect is intact and if we have even a limited awareness of our surroundings. It’s long been acknowledged that even the most profoundly disabled, in the absence of full cognition, can still experience happiness. Happiness is not something that should be weighed or measured, as what makes me happy may not make another happy. It should not be our job to ‘make’ another person happy – to position ourselves as a ‘happy maker’ has potential to be exhausting; ultimately, it may well destroy relationships. 

Frequently, I have heard people say that they wish they were happier, which begs the question – what do they believe could or would make them happy, happier? Sadly, in this ‘stuff’ driven age, people assign a happiness quotient to the quantity of their accumulated ‘stuff’ – I was almost a victim of that thinking until I abandoned it years ago. Certainly, I enjoy an array of creature comforts, some by necessity to make my life easier as I age with a number of disabling conditions. I also enjoy a number of things that don’t fall within the necessities of life purview – fine scotch, fine foods, my books and music, pleasant décor; as with all things, never anything to excess. To coin an oft-used phrase – all good things in moderation. That has defined my life from the outset with regard to establishing my selfhood, my personhood – moderation. 

As you chart your own course going into this new year and beyond, keep your eye on your own prize. Your happiness is inside you — take some time to find it and help it grow! 

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her geriatric Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca

Making the case for automated external defibrillators

“Retired doc questions lack of defibrillator in seniors’ home,” was a headline that caught my attention.

The more I read, the more incensed I became, especially with the comment about the facility being a “social institution and not a medical institution”. Though neither a nursing home or a special care home, it does provide a measure of nursing care. By definition, nursing is “the profession or practice of providing care for the sick and infirm”

Are there nurses or nurses’ aides on the premises at Ste. Anne Court, the facility referenced in the story? If so, then the facility is, in reality, a social institution catering to medical/health and wellness needs of its guests.  It reasons, then, that as a retirement residence providing such care, it should have an automated external defibrillator (AED) on the premises. Amongst management, there should be no protracted discussion about it. Just do it.

In retirement settings such as that where retired doctor Sydney Grant lives, it would be reasonable to expect that a defibrillator, whether used one, twice, or never, be available. Most residents would still be looking after their own daily care needs, illustrative of the fact that they may, in theory, based on personal health profiles, have several ‘good’ years left. Should they suffer a ‘cardiac event’, a device to shock them back to rhythm would allow their life to continue. In the advanced geriatric or those with health issues requiring daily nursing care, I can understand the position with regard to administration not feeling they’re necessary or even appropriate given that advanced directives may be in place that preclude resuscitation. But that's not the whole story.

Dr. Sydney Grant, one  of 120 plus residents of Ste. Anne’s Court, is perfectly within his rights to expect that appropriate equipment will be made available for the care and comfort and dare I say survival of the residents, many of whom have probably been diagnosed with heart disease or defect. When minutes matter, access to appropriate equipment is critical and personnel trained to use it would be a matter of exercising a sound duty of care. To do otherwise is a dereliction of that duty. It’s not unrealistic to suggest that waiting for a timely response from outside the facility may be too late and the person in crisis could expire without defibrillation. Then there’s the matter of staff or visitor in cardiac crisis who would be at considerable risk without timely response/treatment that a defibrillator would provide. 

It defies logic that such a life saving piece of equipment is not standard where seniors reside, yet they’re becoming readily available at skating rinks, various sports facilities and schools. That tells me that those of a certain age are not being treated with the same level of care and concern as younger individuals. Oops! Is that  discrimination?

Most malls, fitness centers, and major transportation terminals like train stations and airports will have AEDS nearby as well. These are often located near water fountains or restroom areas. Knowing location is extremely important during a sudden cardiac arrest. 

From my perspective, in an effort to reduce wait time to defibrillation and to improve cardiac arrest survival, it makes perfect sense that more units be in place in settings that are densely populated. Perhaps, administration of facilities such as Ste. Anne’s Court don’t consider themselves ‘densely populated’; regardless, there is sufficient traffic on a daily basis for them to rethink their position. The life of ‘one of their own’ may depend on it.

The fact that Dr. Grant was prepared to support the cost of the device suggests that he feels that it IS necessary and that he, in being proactive on behalf of his ‘house mates’ was making the case for life saving devices to be available to all. Besides, it’s the right thing to do. To have dismissed his generosity out of hand makes one wonder why they’re so opposed to a device such as an automated external defibrillator. Training staff or even residents to use it wouldn’t be difficult and having several available should the need arise adds another layer of care and comfort to the retirement residence experience.

Given that I live with the heart condition of aortic insufficiency, I’m pleased to know that should I need immediate cardiac care intervention while out and about in the city, it is likely to be readily available in advance of an ambulance ride to the hospital. Why then, can it not be in the very place where it would be likely to do the most good? Administration at Ste. Anne’s Court and other such accommodations for seniors need to step up their game. 

Christmas is coming. Give the gift that could save a life.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her geriatric Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca

Communicating compassion is easier than you think

Photo: Chris McCorkle

“Some people need to be told that they’re worthy, that they are loved,  not because nobody ever told them before, but because someone told them they weren’t.” [Eliot Knight]

With the holidays soon upon us, we must be mindful that not everyone will have the warm and fuzzies, convinced they’ve got nothing to celebrate. They’re stressed, physically, emotionally and often, financially, stuck in the rut of believing that the celebration of holidays requires a lot of money, a lot of presents, a lot of stuff. 

A group of friends in like circumstance getting together for a pot luck comprised of favourite recipes with a few special, festive treats added to the table can a memorable holiday party make. Cost sharing to create a delicious meal is a popular way for those who would otherwise be alone to ‘make the day’ for themselves. Small gatherings such as these are great ways to spread the word — that people are worthy and that they are loved, making meaningful conversation easier. What flows out of those meal time exchanges may be the foundation for other  interactions over a sustained period. Lots and lots of words. Words connect us in ways that we don’t often think about. As we become more comfortable with words coming and going, we become more open to include more people and more words into our sphere. Our worth bank grows.

There are many among us, both young and old, who, for whatever reasons have received messages that defeat them, deflate them, demoralize them. Heard often enough, one grows to believe them.

We need to always remember that words matter, especially when engaged with children, who often lack the filters adults rely on to sift out the noise. Children have no appreciation for the subtle nuances of language so we must be short, sweet and to the point when answering a question or when asking something of them.

This time of year, children understandably get an acute case of ‘I want’ without an awareness that what they want may be out of financial reach of their parents. It is often difficult to explain to a child who has no comprehension of the value of a dollar that the what they want Mom and Dad just can’t afford. We can’t risk saying that Santa can’t get it for them.

What we can do instead is encourage them to explore the value of giving to someone else. Children learning what they live, with a daily dose of positive regard from parents and others, are well equipped to go out into the world and instill that belief in other children who may not always hear those affirming messages that they are valued.

Educating children about services like the Out of the Cold Shelter, for example, is a perfect way to bring them to an awareness about the value of being thoughtful with their words. It’s never to early to have those conversations.

Lots of children who live on the fringes because their parents are no frills, surviving hand to mouth, are not immune to having a long wish list — they’re children after all. It’s important to ensure that we are uplifting with our words, not putting so much attention on what one doesn’t have. Children being drawn in to a case of ‘I want” can actually relate to the homeless person because they know what it is to want but not always get. Explaining to them in relaxed language about what being homeless means will allow them to understand that it is something that we all should care about. Whatever we can do to provide care and comfort means a lot, with a kind word going a long way. It’s important for us to realize that the words we use to describe the homeless or any other disenfranchized group, has a lasting impact. Children need to know that there are many reasons that one is homeless and the words we use to convey our feelings about it will very often determine outcomes, especially if we take the time to have conversations with those affected by lack of an address.

Teachers in our primary and elementary schools can open dialogue about words and feelings and give children an opportunity to share what’s on their mind. As children learn more about what goes on in the world around them, in their community, they are able to formulate ideas about what their future will look like. Raising and educating community minded young people sends a powerful message that doesn’t always require words.  Actions speak louder.

Children will learn that time and attention is a two-way exchange and that we show we are worthy through our words and deeds. So, grab the kids and grandkids and get out there and show your community what you’re made of.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her geriatric Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca