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2 Wednesday, October 19, 2011 THE GOOD LIFE COMOX VALLEY RECORD

RAY VIX opened Alex & Ray’s Barber Shop this year near the corner of Fifth and Cliffe in

Courtenay. SCOTT STANFIELD PHOTO

Standing behind his workScott Stanfield Record Staff

Ray Vix tried retiring but found he had too much time on his hands.

Thumb-twiddling and daytime TV didn’t cut it.

So he opened a barber shop and went back to work.

“I tried retiring,” the 68-year-old said. “It was so boring, because this is such a social job. I couldn’t sit at home and just talk to myself. So here I am. Back to work.”

Which he does at Alex & Ray’s Barber Shop at 441 Cliffe Ave., which opened four months ago across from the Sid Williams Theatre. His business part-ner, Alex Devlin, 77, works part-time. Their motto is We Stand Behind Our Work.

The Vancouver-bred Vix left his hometown at age 16 to work at a logging camp before entering the barber-ing profession. He learned his trade at the Vancouver Vocational Institute.

“This business has gone full circle several times,” said Vix, who has been cut-ting hair since 1963. “Fortu-nately I managed to survive through it all.”

When he started, he recalls customers typically walked through the doors every 10 days or two weeks looking for the ‘slick look,’ cut neat and tidy around the ears. But then things dried up in the hippy era when long hair became stylish, though the older diehards kept getting cut.

“We weren’t getting any

young people at all,” said Vix, recalling the long hair era started with the Beatles.

The next trend was hair design when everyone, Vix included, needed to be a stylist rather than a barber. Combining the two trades, he ran a business and taught hairdressers the art of fine tapering for barber-ing purposes. In turn, they taught him colouring and perming.

These days, crewcuts, flattops and other styles of short hair have come back to the forefront.

In the early-70s, Vix ran a salon called the Scissors Edge at the corner of 14th and Cliffe in Courtenay. He then plied his trade in Dawson Creek and Prince George, worked 15 years in Chilliwack, and slowly worked his way back to Vancouver Island, with the intention of retiring.

Vix tried out carpentry during his brief retirement but wasn’t thrilled to be climbing roofs at his age.

“I said to myself, if I’m going to be working I might as well be back in my own trade,” said Vix, who works full-time.

Vix figures a lot of local barbers are “going to go by the wayside.”

“There’s a lot of barbers in this town, probably too many,” he said. “But every-body wants to move to a place like this to retire. Consequently, you get an overabundance of people in this trade, and there’s a lot of people doing it out of their home. That keeps things down a bit, too.

“It would be nice to see a bunch of young people come back into the business — start up another trend.”

❝ There’s a lot of barbers in this town, probably too many. But everybody wants to move to a place like this to retire. Con-sequently, you get an overabun-dance of people in this trade. ❞— Ray Vix

COMOX VALLEY RECORD THE GOOD LIFE Wednesday, October 19, 2011 3

ALICE EDGE, co-chair of the BC Health Coalition, speaks (left) about fall prevention during a monthly meeting of Support Our Seniors Comox Valley. At right she joins SOS executive

members (from left) Janet Horn, Cliff Boldt, Gwyn Frayne and Zoë Levitsky at their monthly meeting. PHOTOS BY LINDSAY CHUNG

SOS working hard to really support our seniorsLindsay ChungRecord Staff

Falls are the main cause of injuries to seniors.

During a presentation to the Support Our Seniors (SOS) Comox Valley monthly meeting in early October, Alice Edge, co-chair of the BC Health Coalition, shared information about how to prevent falls, which she told the group are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among older Cana-dians.

Half of residential care admissions are fall-related, according to Edge.

Edge told the group that 84 per cent of injury-related hospitalizations are because of falls, while 90 per cent of hip fractures are a result of a fall.

The good news?“Falls are the most pre-

ventable risk to seniors’ health, well-being and inde-pendence,” said Edge.

Presentations like these are part of SOS efforts to

provide education to seniors and their family members.

The group’s roots began about four years ago when current executive member Gwyn Frayne and current chair Jennifer Pass were members of the family coun-cil at Casa Loma Seniors’ Village.

Executive members Janet Horn and Zoë Levitsky also became involved, but the council was dissolved when management decided the council was not necessary and told them they could no longer meet in the facility, explained Levitsky.

“Family councils are not mandatory, except in com-plex care,” she said.

SOS Comox Valley was officially formed June 17, 2009, by 10 individuals who had been part of a family council for Casa Loma.

SOS receives no funding and relies on donations.

“We are funded by dona-tions at the meetings only,” said Levitsky. “We’re an informal group of people

who were concerned about seniors’ care and living stan-dards.”

The non-partisan group advocates for the provision of support that seniors, liv-ing either in a facility or with independence chal-

lenges in their own home, need to have a good quality of life.

“I think some of us on the executive have had parents who’ve gone through the whole system,” said Horn. “They’ve gone from living in their own home to inde-pendent living at a seniors complex or assisted living, then the hospital transition ward and complex care. The system is very difficult to deal with.”

There are no longer

seniors’ counsellors in the Comox Valley, and there is no intermediate care anymore so assisted liv-ing is meant to cover that level of care but it doesn’t always meet people’s needs, explained the three execu-

tive members.“One of the huge changes

is there’s very little non-profit care for assisted liv-ing; mostly they are private,” added Frayne.

SOS is not only for seniors or people with elderly family members in care — they have a regular member who is younger who has a disability as well.

“It’s for anybody who’s in care and might require assistance,” said Levitsky.

SOS’s short-term plan-

ning includes monitoring seniors’ facilities; investi-gating issues of concern in light of legislative standards and policies; writing letters to highlight concerns and encourage positive change; advocacy on behalf of indi-viduals in relation to issues of home care or facility care; continuing to support the formation and opera-tion of tenant, resident and family councils; learning about and advocating for improvements in home care and facility care for seniors; outreach to other agencies to build networks and form coalitions; sharing concerns about senior care issues; and increasing awareness throughout the community of SOS.

The group’s long-term goals include hope for a new model of health care that would be reasonably priced, involve links of friendship, have employees who are respected and feel like part of the organization, and be based on public-public part-

nerships.SOS works to help people

find the answers they are looking for.

“Our group tries to direct people to the proper places to get their questions answered because it is quite difficult to navigate the sys-tem when you have a family member needing care,” said Horn.

“Although we were work-ing first as a support group and education group, we’re working now more as a lobby group and education,” noted Frayne.

“Because we can’t sup-port everyone, it’s obvious we need a system change. Some of the resources should be reinstated.”

SOS Comox Valley meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Rotary Room in the Florence Filberg Centre.

For more information visit www.supportourseniorsco-moxvalley.com or call Gwyn Frayne at 250-338-6265.

[email protected]

❝ Although we were working first as a support group and education group, we’re working now more as a lobby group and edu-cation. Because we can’t support everyone, it’s obvious we need a system change. ❞— Gwyn Frayne

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Scott Stanfield Record Staff

Fred Bates will step down from his post as mayor of Cumberland after the Nov. 19 municipal elections, embarking on the next phase of what has thus far been a rich and varied life.

Besides spending more time with family, the 67-year-old father of four is considering a trip to Cumberland’s sister city in Putian, China, where he has been invited to assist with restructuring the city’s ambulance service.

He has already made three trips to China — which forged the relation-ship with Putian — and has hosted various delega-tions, including three China Consul Generals and their entourages.

“When we re-established our Chinese and Japanese history in Cumberland, none of us I think were prepared for the reaction we got from the Japanese and Chinese people,” Bates said. “They were so thrilled that a com-munity would open up to its

history — good and bad — because it was definitely not all good.”

When a committee formed to revisit Coal Creek Park, the Chinese Consul General of the day told Bates it was likely the first time Chinese and Japanese people sat together on a committee to discuss heritage.

In 2009, Bates was invit-ed to speak at the Chinese mayor’s school in Beijing. Such a school is mandatory in China.

“They’d never had a for-eigner talk to their school.”

In the early-1960s, the Cumberland-born Bates was a first aid attendant at log-ging camps and was a vol-unteer firefighter. He left his hometown in 1969 to pursue a career in emergency medi-cal services. He worked as a first aid attendant at a North Island camp, then became an ambulance attendant in Vancouver and Kamloops with the newly formed BC Ambulance Ser-vice in 1974. He later went into management with the ambulance service, where he became executive director,

based out of Victoria. “It was a fascinating

career,” he said. “In those years it was in its growth. We were going from the old ‘scoop-and-run meat wagon’ as people used to call them to actually taking sophis-ticated care to a patient and stabilizing them at the scene.”

Bates, who returned to the Valley in the early-’90s, credits his late wife Barb for carrying the load throughout his career in the ambulance service.

His interest in politics was first sparked on the ball diamond after he moved back from Victoria. He coached a fastpitch team,

the Homestore Hit Men. The team had discipline issues but a year later earned the umps award for most sports-manlike team.

When a game was rained out during a Hit Men-hosted tournament, Bates chal-lenged the team to organize work parties to fix the field. The challenge worked.

His players garnered $250,000 worth of donated materials, which they used to construct a pair of lit ball diamonds at Village Park. The squad then suggested he run for council, which Bates did, triggered as well

by the ‘it’s-just-Cumberland’ attitude that he considered unacceptable.

“I felt Cumberland was well situated to becoming an integral part of the Comox Valley future,” said Bates, who based his council cam-paign on the blasé attitude. “I thought we, as a group, could turn things. Frankly, I think we have. To have pride you have to have a future.”

Bates has spent 15 years on Cumberland council, nine as mayor. He also served two years as regional district chair.

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MAYOR FRED BATES will give up his Village of Cumberland office after the municipal elections next month.

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❝ I felt Cumberland was well situated to becoming an integral part of the Comox Val-ley future. I thought we, as a group, could turn things. Frankly, I think we have. To have pride you have to have a future. ❞— Fred Bates

Erin HaluschakRecord Staff

For more than 40 years, Charlie Massey has been helping RCMP members and their families through tough times and celebrating with them during the good times.

Massey has been a chap-lain for 42 years, beginning in Ontario where he said many of his high school friends were Ontario Provin-cial Police members.

He worked in Newfound-land for the OPP and the military before coming to the Comox Valley RCMP detachment 19 years ago.

Massey added he works with a variety of denomina-tions because he wants to be able “to serve everybody.”

He said working for the RCMP is similar to work-ing for the military because there are many members dealing with separation from their families for long periods.

“It’s much different than a municipal force.”

He admits one of the most difficult parts of his job is when he is dealing with a death, and carries a pager with him at all times.

For his dedication to the service, Massey has received much recognition and

awards, most notably from the International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC) and the John A. Price Award for Excellence in Police Chaplaincy.

The organization granted Massey their highest creden-tial by making him a fellow of the ICPC in July 2008.

Nearly a year later, Massey received the John A. Price Award for Excellence

in Police Chaplaincy at an international conference in Knoxville, Tenn.

“To have that support there, especially in the event of a fallen member ... it’s really nice to have somebody there to give us some spiri-tual guidance. Charlie’s done a lot with us at the detach-ment here,” Const. Tammy Douglas told the Record.

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WORKING After Retirement

There’s no longer a magic number for retirement. Some people find that they want to work past the traditional retirement age, while others discoverthey need to. In addition, some retirees dis-cover that they actually liked working and want to return to work rather than settle into retirement.

Sixty-five is no longer the required ageto stop working. In fact, many people are foregoing retirement and staying withthe workforce. Why? No single reason applies to everyone, but finances often come into play.

Thanks to a troubled economy that has carried over into the workplace, pensions and severance packages are no longer the norm for retiring workers. When faced with the prospect of reduced funds and dwindling Can-ada Pension Plan benefits, many choose to simply keep on working.

Furthermore, individu-als who retire before 65 are often faced with finding their own pri-vate health insurance plans. Even still, high prescription costs for chronic conditions can exceed the allowance of plans. Employee insurance plans tend to have better options, and that often factors into an employee’s retirement decision.

There are many people who continue working because they actually enjoy it, and not because of some financial necessity.

Working tends to keep the mind sharp and helps seniors feel like contributing members of society. According to a study conducted by the American Psychiatric Asso-ciation, retirees who continued to work in a bridge job (meaning part time or temporary

employment) experienced fewer major dis-eases and fewer functional limitations than those who fully retired. Researchers consid-ered only physician-diagnosed health prob-lems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, lung disease, heart disease, stroke and psychiatric problems.

Those thinking of remaining in the work force can check with employers to see if retirement is mandatory or voluntary.

Seniors re-entering the work force may want to brush up on some skills and reconnect with former employers or colleagues to make the transition easier.

Here are some other strategies to consider:

• Refurbish your resume. Focus on what things you can do rather than what you did in the past. You may be up against younger appli-cants and will have to make a case for your hire.

• Be flexible. You may need health benefits more so than a high salary.

You can work with an employer to develop a compensation package that is mutually beneficial.

• Develop computer skills. Today’s work environment relies heavily on computer skills. It is unwise for you to think you’ll get by on experience alone. Obtain a rudi-mentary education in computer usage and common office programs, which can set you apart from other older applicants.

Know there’s nothing to prove. Retirees have the benefit of taking their time and finding the right fit in a post-retirement job. Unless money is an issue, shop around until you find the job that appeals to you, even if it’s part-time or lower salary.

❝ Working tends to keep the mind sharp and helps seniors feel like contributing members of society. … retirees who continued to work in a bridge job (meaning part time or temporary employment) experienced fewer major diseases and fewer functional limita-tions than those who fully retired. ❞

Brushing up on computer skills and drafting a new resume can help older adults successfully re-enter the work force after retirement.

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Benefits of ExerciseThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report

that 28 to 44 percent of seniors ages 65 to 75 are inactive, meaning they don’t get enough daily exercise for optimal health. Studies indicate that there are many reasons that seniors should engage in regular exercise.

• It can help stave off illness and chronic conditions by keeping the immune system healthy.

• It paves the way for better sleep, including falling asleep easier and sleeping more deeply.

• Exercise releases natural endorphins, which help a per-son feel good about him or herself and can boost mood.

• Regular exercise can promote weight loss, especially when done in conjunction with a healthy diet.

• Improved muscle tone can take pressure off of joints and help with mobility.

• Research indicates that exercise can boost brain func-tion and keep dementia at bay.

• When participating in social exercise, seniors realize companionship and stress relief.

• Exercise can keep systems of the body in check, reduc-ing constipation and helping circulatory issues.

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Once a doctor gives the go-ahead, here are some exercises many 50+ people can try.

Walking: Walking remains one of the best exercises for people of any age. The pace and resistance can be set by each individual by walking faster or slower, uphill or downhill. Adding light weights can make the workout even more effective. Walking is also easier on the legs and knees than jogging, but can be just as effective a cardiovascular workout.

Leg extensions: Rep-etitions of leg extensions

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Swimming: Enrolling in a local gym or YMCA that has a pool can be a boon to seniors. Swimming is a low-impact workout that targets most areas of the body as well as providing a cardiovascular workout. Plus, since swim-ming can be relaxing and enjoyable, it’s an exer-cise that many people don’t mind doing.

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Th e human body needs exercise to operate at full capacity. Exercise is important at any age, but can be particularly benefi cial for individuals in their golden years. Th e key is fi nding exercises that are both safe and eff ective.

BESTEXERCISESfor the Over-50 Crowd

Leslie CoxSpecial to the Record

Fall has descended, which means there is precious little time left for sitting in your favourite garden chair for this year.

Fall means the number of garden chores increases.

Not such a big deal for the younger gardeners amongst us…they seem to run on pure adrenaline. But for those of us who are looking at 50 from the other side, facing an onslaught of chores that are clamouring to be finished well before the snow flies can seem daunt-ing. Advancing cooler weather, accompanied so often by rain, raises protests in more joints than we wish to count.

The key is to pace your-self. Don’t go all out at any one chore. Do a bit of leaf raking then switch to dead-heading or pruning.

Mix up turning the com-post pile with staking and securing young trees and rose shrubs against winter storms. Be kind to all parts of your body…listen to what they are telling you.

And lighten up. Perfection in the garden would be nice but really…how attainable is it?

Raking the leaves into the garden beds not only saves all the bending in transfer-ring them to the wheelbar-row or bags but it provides the plants with an insulat-ing blanket against the cold,

restricts erosion and puts nutrients back into the soil.

Who cares…other than you…if all the dead-heading gets done. Certainly the birds will thank you for leaving some seed behind for them.

And save any burning for the spring. Those hollow plant stems are likely har-bouring overwintering insect larvae… swallowtail but-terflies for one. These but-terflies have at least three cycles per year with the late cycle overwintering as pupae inside of such stems as fen-nel.

Now, after having told you to slow down in the garden and not be too meticulous, doing gardening chores is really beneficial…especially to us older gardeners. The very acts of digging, plant-

ing and rak-ing provide a complete workout for all the major muscle groups.

Of special note, a study at the Univer-sity of Arkan-sas found that combining weight train-

ing with working in the garden maintained bone density significantly more than bicycling, dancing or aerobics. (Sorry, guys…the study was conducted only on women over 50.)

Gardening is good for the figure, too. It burns calories.

Realistically, everyone moves a little differently…some faster than others. Taking that into account, 30 minutes of raking will burn off roughly 165 calories. Turning the compost pile for the same length of time nets you a calorie burn of about 250…weeding about 180.

Fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs. It is also a good time to move any perennials that are upset-ting your landscape design.

There is usually adequate rainfall at this time of year to keep the transplants from drying out. And their roots will continue to grow as long as the soil temperature is above 4.5C.

Now the actual task of digging and manhandling large plants may seem over-whelmingly daunting but think of those 200 calories just sloughing off of your hips or midriff after only 30 minutes.

All these gardening chores — why not make them a little easier on your-self? Swap the regular tools for some ergonomic ones.

Leslie Cox co-owns Grow-ing Concern Cottage Garden in Black Creek.

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A NIA CLASS is only one of the numerous programs being run out of d’Esterre House in Comox.

It’s not an ‘old folks’ clubArabella Benson, Fraser McAllanSpecial to the Record

At d’Esterre House, over 50 activities hap-pen every week — including Nia, Yoga, Ball-room, Latin, Line and Belly Dancing, Fitness Exercises, Bridge, Cribbage, Whist, Carpet Bowling, Woodworking, Soapstone Carving, Euchre, Table Tennis, Tai Chi Gong, Paint-ing, Craft, Quilters, Ceramics, Stained Glass, Golf, Singing for the fun of it, Scrabble, Mah Jong, Table Tennis and more.

Then there are special dinners, pancake breakfasts, Sunday dances and special presentations. If there’s an activity you like and don’t find, start one.

This is not an “old folks’ club” — it’s a vibrant activ-ity centre for you who have an open mind and are young at heart.

Now is the best time to join — with the new member fee at $12.50 until year end, or $25 until the end of 2012.

In addition to activities that are open only to members, Brain Boosters’ varied special presentations and six regular classes are open to guests, but members pay $10 less monthly for each one.

It’s a no-brainer — if you’re 55 and over, join the Comox Seniors Association, not only for its regular programs but also for inter-esting, body/brain-enhancing sessions.

Past programs included Clear your Clut-ter, Clear Your Mind, Alexander Technique, Qigong, Self-Healing Massage and The Work by Byron Katie. These may be repeated,

along with future scheduled programs including Energy Medicine, Living Foods and Vibrant Moves and Build Your Bones.

Discover the Comox Valley’s best-kept secret: You can rent this beautifully reno-vated, sunlit ballroom and adjacent dining room on the weekends, except for regularly scheduled activities like two Sunday after-noon dances monthly.

In addition to breathtaking views of the ocean and Marina Park, the d’Esterre House ballroom has excellent facilities, a state-of-the-art sound system and gleaming hard-

wood floor that is truly elegant. This is the perfect venue for your event.

Visit www.comox-seniors.ca to find the myriad activities you can join. Check out the latest newsletter for monthly events,

special programs and announcements plus weekly schedules. For Brain Booster pro-grams including dance lessons and Sunday dances, e-mail [email protected].

Better still, visit d’Esterre House dur-ing office hours from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Monday to Friday at 1801 Beaufort Ave. Telephone is 250-339-5133. Pick up the lat-est newsletter.

The lunch room is warm and welcoming, the library well-stocked with books, videos, DVDs, games and two computers for mem-bers’ use.

Though you don’t know them yet, there are friends and kindred spirits there. New friendships to last a lifetime are waiting for you at d’Esterre. Take time to make wonder-ful memories. — d’Esterre House

❝ You can rent this beautifully renovated, sunlit ballroom and adjacent dining room on the week-ends, except for regularly sched-uled activities like two Sunday afternoon dances monthly. ❞

If you have a condition that prevents you from being able to come to one of our stores to shop, you may be a candidate for our Sendial service.

We have organized a special group of volunteers who will phone you and take your order and then Thrifty Foods will deliver your groceries the very next day.

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THERE’S NO END to the activities and diversions available to residents of Casa Loma and Comox Valley Seniors Village.

Three levels of lifestylesWith fall in the air, things are busy at

Comox Valley Seniors Villageand Casa Loma.The location, amenities and staff at

Comox Valley Seniors Village and Casa Loma provide a relaxed and unencum-bered lifestyle that enables and encourages residents to pursue life’s many pleasures. Whether that means socializing with new or old friends, taking part in activities, soaking in the beauty of this island locale or simply enjoying a meal prepared in the on-site kitchen, the choices are many, varied and inspiring.

These three levels of living arrangements at CV Seniors Village and Casa Loma are:

Independent LivingThis option offers an option to bridge the

gap between living home alone, assisted liv-ing and residential/complex care. It is for those who need some assistance, but don’t want or need ‘personal care’ assistance or 24-hour professional nursing care.

You get:• Accommodation;• Hospitality services such as meals,

housekeeping, laundry, and recreational opportunities;

• A 24-hour response system (no profes-sional nursing service).

Assisted LivingAssisted living offers the same as Inde-

pendent living plus: • Personal assistance services (may

include assistance with tasks like bathing, grooming, hygiene and dressing).

This option is for only those people who are able to make decisions on their own behalf and can:

• Function safely with the supports avail-able in the residence;

• Recognize the consequences of taking risks;

• Find their way within the residence;• Find their way back to the residence;• Communicate effectively (verbally or

non-verbally) so they are understood by oth-ers;

• Participate in the development and reg-ular review of their care plan, or make their needs known to the person they live with who then participates in the development of the care plan;

• Recognize an emergency, use an emer-gency response system or summon help, and be able to take direction in an emergency situation;

• Be able to self transition and propel.Other services such as assistance with

medication may be done upon family, or health authority request and agreement.

Complex Care/Residential Care Complex care facilities provide 24-hour

professional nursing care and supervision in a protective, supportive environment for people who have complex care needs and can no longer be cared for in their own homes.

Complex care services include: • An assisted meal service;• Medication supervision;• Personal assistance with daily activities,

such as bathing, dressing or grooming;• A planned program of social and recre-

ational activities.Be sure to be a part in the fun at Comox

Valley Seniors Village and Casa Loma by marking your calendars to remember to visit Comox Valley Seniors Village on Oct. 22 and 23 from 1:30 to 4 p.m. for the craft sale at 4640 Headquarters Rd. in Courtenay.

— Comox Valley Seniors Village and Casa Loma

Anne DelaneySpecial to the Record

Are you getting tired of cutting the grass and shovel-ling snow?

Are you uncomfortable lugging laundry baskets and groceries up and down-stairs?

Perhaps the thought of moving sounds good, but the thought of selling your home and moving to a smaller place overwhelms you. If so, you are not alone!

Making the decision to move to a smaller place is extremely difficult for many older adults.

If you’ve lived in your home for several decades, then leaving it may feel like an enormous loss. If your children have moved on, it may feel like your house is all you have left.

Share with your family and friends cherished items and heirlooms and take com-fort in knowing that these possessions will be appreci-ated.

Get a floor plan of the new house and decide which furniture and accessories will fit into the new space. Select items that hold the most memories such as photographs and favorite

treasures. The following checklist

might help you decide if it is time to move on:

1. What is your neighbor-hood like, do you feel safe?

2. Can you get to places like the bank and shops eas-ily?

3. Do you feel isolated?4. Can you keep up the

basic maintenance of your home?

5. Do you have to use stairs to reach your bedroom or bathroom?

6. Are your memory and vision still good?

7. Can you still prepare meals?

8. Do you remember to take your medications?

Moving is a great time for personal growth and heal-ing, when a person settles into their new home, they can have sense of satisfac-tion about the past and hope for the future.

Anne Delaney owns Dela-ney Relocation Services. Call her at 250-338-3359.

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Do you have a current will?Kevin DobbelsteynSpecial to the Record

Good financial planning must include pro-viding for your loved ones and ensuring they are taken care of after your death.

It should also include taking the right steps to ensure that your wishes for your finances and medical treatment will be respected even if you become incapacitated.

The essential basis for all this is a valid, up-to-date Will that:

• Names your executor (sometimes called a Personal Represen-tative or in Québec, a liquidator) to take charge of your estate.

• Ensures your legacy is passed on according to your wishes — if you die without a Will (i.e. intestate) your estate will be distributed according to provincial legislation, which may not be consistent with your intentions.

• Makes suitable arrangements for minor children and other dependants, and in par-ticular, name guardians for them.

• Minimizes delays, costs and the com-plexities of passing on your estate.

• Reduces taxes to the extent possible, in some cases by creating testamentary trusts for beneficiaries who are in higher tax brackets.

It is not absolutely necessary to have a lawyer or notary public prepare your will — but it is certainly recommended. You should also create a Living Will and a Power of Attorney that designates person(s) of your choice to make financial and/or health-

related decisions on your behalf should you become too ill to do so on your own.

Generally speaking, the purchase of will kits and power of attorney kits at various retail stores or on line is not recommended, as it’s easy to make mistakes. A holograph Will is one prepared by you in your own handwriting and signed by you, without wit-nesses. Such a Will can raise many problems and should be avoided except in an emergen-cy. The bottom line: when it comes to Wills, professional advice is well worth the cost.

You should review and revise your Will when:

• there has been a major tax change;

• your marital sta-tus has changed;

• the marital status of your beneficiaries has changed;

• you are expecting a child or have just had one;

• a beneficiary dies or becomes disabled; • your business succession plan has

changed; • you sell a legacy with a significant

value or wish to substitute another legacy; • you move to a different province, terri-

tory or country; • your financial position changes signifi-

cantly; • you want to change your Executor(s) or

Guardian(s) It makes good sense to speak to your

financial adviser about the best way to pass on your legacy.

J. Kevin Dobbelsteyn is a certified finan-cial planner with Investors Group Financial Services Inc.

❝ Wills become more com-plex if you own a business, are in a blended family, want to set up a trust, have specific bequest objectives, or want to structure your assets to minimize estate taxes and probate fees. ❞

Carol SullivanSpecial to the Record

Are you having trouble looking after your toenails, corns or cal-luses? Are you a diabetic?

Most of us take our feet for granted but they are vital to our

health and mobility. Feet influence our physical, psychological, and social well-being.

A foot care nurse can help you with all of these.

What are foot care nurses?They are regulated professionals

who have received additional edu-cation specific to the foot and lower limbs and practices according to their scope of practice.

A foot care nurse can be either a Registered Nurse or a Licensed Practical Nurse. Both practise according to their scope of practice and are regulated professionals who hold a current registration with either the BC College of RNs or BC College of LPNs.

A foot care nurse is knowledge-able and understands diabetes,

poor circulation, hip and knee replacements and how they can affect the feet. They follow strict infection control standards for cleaning and sterilizing of instru-ments.

They also work closely with other health care professionals and makes appropriate referrals, participate in educational oppor-tunities to maintain and enhance competencies and are aware of health and safety while providing foot care.

Why is foot care important?Most people are born with

healthy feet. As we grow older, foot problems can develop as a result of aging, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, weight problems, hip and or knee replacement, arthritis, or

any debilitating disease or condi-tion which may result in the loss of mobility.

It also can result in the loss of your ability to cut your thick toe-nails that may have fungus or car-ing for corns and calluses.

A usual visit involves:• A short medical assessment

for new clients, which includes discussion and client identified problems;

• Soothing foot soak as appro-priate;

• A visual assessment and inspection of the feet; top, bot-tom, sides, between toes and pedal pulses felt;

• Testing with a filament for feeling on the bottom of diabetic feet;

• Cleaning out under the nails, cutting and filing of nails;

• Management and care of corns, calluses and ingrown toe-nails as appropriate;

• Educating and working with the client to formulate preventive measures for safe care;

• Identifying the need for more specialized treatments and refer-ring to the proper professional i.e. medical doctor, podiatrist or orthotist;

• Six- to eight-week followup maintenance appointments to keep the toenails and feet in good shape.

Carol Sullivan is a licensed practical nurse who operates River City Foot Care in Comox at Senior Services Under One Roof. Call 250-339-1188 or (cell) 1-250-202-4398.

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Successfully Transition To Your Second Career

Many men and women reach their 50s and 60s and decide the adventure of a new challenge is simply too hard to resist. Oftentimes, this new challenge comes in the form of a second career.

Though the United States Department of Labor notes it’s difficult to pinpoint how many career changes the average worker undergoes during his or lifetime, career coaches typically say men and women will undergo between three and seven career changes during their lifetime. Of course, such estimates no doubt include career changes at the onset of a one’s professional life, when many people are not precisely sure what they want to do for a living.

For older workers, the uncertainty lies less in what they want to do and more in if they can pull it off. For those who have already decided what they want to do, consider the following tips to help ensure that dream becomes a reality.

Be patient. Aside from being qualified, the most important thing a person changing careers can be is patient. A successful career change does not happen overnight. Some career changes might require returning to school. Others might not require a new degree, but might require an established professional start from the bottom up. Whatever the situation, it’s best to remain patient. If your new career is worth pursuing, be patient enough to see it through.

Network. Networking is often seen as an opportunity to advance within your own industry. However, network-ing can be just as valuable when changing careers. People within your network might be able to introduce you to new contacts outside of your industry. These contacts, even if they don’t have a job to offer, can often provide valuable insight into the industry you’re attempt-ing to enter.

Volunteer. If your sec-ond career is going to be a complete 180 from your current field, it might help to volunteer and gain some experience before beginning a job search. Volunteering can prove beneficial in many ways. First and foremost, it provides potentially valu-able experience you likely don’t have, and that experi-ence may help down the road when you begin looking for a full-time position.

Another benefit to vol-unteering is it can provide a genuine look into the industry.

Finally, volunteering can be a great way to get your foot in the door. Should a position open up, a company is much more likely to con-sider the man or woman who has been volunteering at the firm than someone they don’t know.

Be flexible. In today’s job market, the flexible can-didates are more likely to be successful.

Changing careers is common for men and women over the age of 50.

Take care of your

feet

Wendy JohnstoneSpecial to the Record

“I love the winning, I can take the losing. But most of all, I love to play.” — Boris Becker.

Being a volunteer at the BC Seniors Games in Sep-tember 2010, it was hard not to get swept away by the wave of enthusiasm and excitement generated by 3,300 athletes. As a former national-calibre athlete and soon-to-be-masters athlete, I truly appreciated the level of competition as well as seeing the continued drive or pursuit in achieving a personal best regardless of one’s age.

I learned one of the main reasons for life-long compet-ing was despite decreased performance with age, many of the athletes felt staying active far outweighed the risk of a decline in health that often comes with a sed-entary life.

Also, none of these ath-letes could deny the positive

social and psychological benefits of competing in sport past their prime. The research agrees. Masters athletes tend to focus less on winning and more on cama-raderie, continued participa-tion and fun.

As baby boomers hit their stride, competitive participa-tion by masters athletes will continue to rise in the com-ing years.

Despite changes that come with normal aging, many of us older competi-tors will continue to push ourselves in our sport of choice. As we engage in our athletic endeavours, we should be mindful of the physical changes with age, some of which include per-formance, goal-setting and injuries.

Despite the incredible stories about older ath-letes’ extraordinary feats, performance declines with age. Yes, we can slow it down but changes in our muscles, heart and lungs affect our ability to maintain

athletic performance.For example, as we age,

regardless of our train-ing program, the maximal amount of oxygen that the heart can pump to the mus-cles and that the muscles can then use to produce energy declines. Also, mus-cular strength is maintained until we hit the big 6-0, at which point a rapid decline takes place as muscle fibres atrophy, or shrink.

Other factor such as eyesight, hearing, body awareness and balance all typically decline with each additional decade. The silver lining? Studies show that continuing to engage in a training program including cardiovascular and strength training, helps slow the downward trend.

Healthy active athletes have been known to for-get about their biological age and perhaps deny any normal age-related chang-es. They, on occasion, have been known to set goals that are difficult to attain.

This often leads to injuries (surprise, surprise) or disap-pointment in performance.

Fortunately, the Comox Valley is home to several excellent personal train-ers that can help set up a proper training program for older athletes to avoid inju-ries and other setbacks.

Although it can be an uphill battle for aging ath-letes to train and remain competitive, it’s also not all downhill. Research shows that the most important elements in training are

recovery time and strength training.

Recovery time needs to be longer for aging athletes. It’s wise to wait 48 to 72 hours between the same type of workout. Strength training is equally important for per-formance and a decreased risk for injury.

If you are still listening to the advice in this column, throw in a sufficient warm up and appropriate stretch-ing and you are by far ahead of the rest of us aging ath-letes. • • •

Thank you to Jill Nel-son for contributing her expertise to this article. Jill is a masters soccer player, registered trainer of fit-ness leaders with BCRPA, a medical exercise specialist with AAHRFP and currently teaches the 55 years + post-rehab exercise circuit for Comox Recreation.

Wendy Johnstone is a ger-ontologist and is the founder of Keystone Eldercare Solu-tions in Comox. Her column runs in the Comox Valley Record every second Friday.

Christopher Kelsey • Azim Datoo Q.C. • David McVea • Aniel K. DatooBeth Regehr • Andrea Rowe

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Retirees have a lot to be concerned about. In addition to their investment decisions, they are often helping their adult children and perhaps an aging parent. They are working hard at enjoying the retirement lifestyle that they envisioned, perhaps not so hard to manage on Vancouver Island. Typi-cally last on their mind is what happens if they become incapable.

Imagine that today your health took a turn for the worst and for either a tempo-rary or permanent period of time you had to hand over your affairs to someone else.

Who pays your elec-tric bill?

Who accesses your bank or safety deposit box?

Who tells your doc-tor what treatment you would prefer?

Who decides when to sell your house to pay for long term care?

Lara D. Austin, investment advisor, RBC Dominion Securities believes that being an informed investor helps you make better choices. In addition to helping clients clarify their situation on a day to day basis, Austin is hosting a series of presentations this fall inviting a number of specialists to speak on topics relevant to the experience of the newly retired.

On Oct. 20, local lawyer Catherine Miller from Allen and Company will provide some insights on a powerful document called a Power of Attorney (PA). The presentation will include the basics of what you should consider for compiling the document, com-mon issues or mistakes she often sees, and

the new rules that came into effect on Sept. 1, 2011 for PA’s created in British Columbia.

On Oct 27, Susan Benesh, estate and trust advisor from Royal Trust will be pre-senting on the general topic of Estate Plan-ning and use of Executor Services. Many executors feel overwhelmed by the paper-work, time and effort involved in winding up an estate.

In addition, some folks have named executors for their will that live far away, in another country, or are just too busy to take

on the task. Benesh will provide some clar-ity around common issues with estate planning and the Royal Trust resources for our community.

Back by popular demand…

On Nov. 3, a repre-sentative from Service Canada will be in the office to discuss CPP and OAS. In 2011, new rules came into effect that will be phased in from 2012 through to 2016. Our representa-tive will be available for individual ques-tions as the rules can be difficult to interpret depending on your situation. All Canadian workers who have contributed to CPP are eligible for a monthly income, OAS is based on residency.

All presentations are held at the office of RBC Dominion Securities, 777A Fitzgerald Ave.

Registration two days before the presen-tation is required.

You can call our office 250-334-5600 Mon-day to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or e-mail Aus-tin at [email protected]

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Individuals on fixed incomes, such as couples just starting out in life, students and seniors often find that cruising is the ideal vacation for many reasons. Cost is often one of the top reasons for taking a cruise.

Although the average cruise may be roughly $2,000 per couple, that cost encompasses most activities, accom-

modations, food and beverages (outside of alcohol), and plenty of onboard entertainment. It may be

difficult to find a similar scope of activities for that price in another vacation.

Vacation trends indicate that roughly 34 million passen-

gers take a cruise holiday each year, spending

upwards of $60 billion annu-

ally. A

large number of cruise vacationers are seniors. Why do seniors find cruising so enticing? Here are a number of reasons.

Costs known in advance: Unlike other vacations that require pay-as-you-go, cruisers typically know about all costs in advance of their trip. This means they can budget exactly what is needed for the cruise.

Flexible pricing: Individuals have a wide selections of rooms to choose from, which can vary greatly in cost. Staterooms with balconies or suites may be at the top of the budget, while interior rooms that don’t offer an out-side view will be the cheapest.

Convenience: Unlike some vacations, cruising only requires packing and unpacking twice with the possibili-ties of visiting multiple ports of call. Plus, it’s less likely luggage will be lost on a cruise than it is when travelling by air.

Safety: Everything is self-contained on a cruise — it’s a floating mini-city. Medical care, security, food,

shopping, dining, and the like are available in safe locations. For travelers who are

wary of venturing into strange areas, cruising offers peace of mind.

Known itinerary: For vacationers who just

want to unpack and relax without having to plan their entire vaca-tion, cruising is ideal. Cruise directors can help vacations pack their sched-ule or fly by the seat of their pants.

Variety of food: Instead of having to choose among res-taurants or facing unfamiliar flavors when vacationing, cruisers can simply take their pick from an abundance of popular foods — many of which are all-you-can-eat.

Easier travel: Depending on country regulations, some international cruisers are not required to carry a pass-port, which saves on additional travel costs. Plus, travel-ers simply arrive at the terminal and set sail instead of having to catch taxis, buses, and the like to make a flight.

Social experience: Because many cruisers are thrown together at dinnertime or come upon each other poolside, it’s easy to strike up friendships with like-minded travel-ers.

Cruising remains one of the more popular vacation options for seniors and many others. With cruises occur-ring all around the world most of the year, it’s possible to visit a port of call that interests just aboutanyone.

What’s an all-inclusive vacation that enables individuals to see many sights without having to step too far from their comfortable quarters? Cruising, of course.

CRUISINGRemains an Aff ordable Vacation

BERWICK COMOX VALLEYBERWICK COMOX VALLEY1700 Comox Avenue, Comox V9M 4H4

www.berwickretirement.com

250-339-1690

Retirement living at Berwick Comox Valleyoffers you all the privacy and independence youenjoy in your own home, and the opportunity to

embrace the luxury and convenience of exceptionalservices from friendly, dedicated staff.

Come for a tour and see why living at Berwickoffers you the best of both worlds.

THE BEST of BOTH WORLDS...


Documents

Wed., October 19, 2011 Comox Valley Record The Good Life