Yearly Archives: 2016

Your health is the focus in a medical home

by Rhonda PhilipenkoHealthy Aging Nurse “Home” brings the hope of being taken care of. Your “medical home” offers the same hope. The people in your medical home are your family doctor, as well as the other healthcare workers in the clinic. The other healthcare workers may include a nurse, dietitian, social worker, respiratory therapist, or…

Workshop boosts brain health

Moving for Memory taught Carole and Archie Landals how important the relationship is between physical health and brain health. The eight-week group workshop, offered by Edmonton Southside Primary Care Network, focuses on physical activity and steps towards a healthier brain. Carole discovered the class through her family doctor, Dr. Tarini Siva, at the Summers Medical…

Use our healthy aging staff as your navigator

by Brittany FauxHealthy Aging Social Worker In World War 2, my grandfather, David, served as a navigator for the Royal Canadian Air Force. In this role, he instructed the pilots where to fly their planes and which targets to strike. While he interpreted the maps, the pilots were able to direct all of their focus…

Relationship with a family doctor is crucial for healthy aging

By Phyllis FootzHealthy Aging Nurse There are over 76 million baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) who will soon be known as senior citizens. The perception of old age has changed because of this generation who believe 61 years is considered middle age. On average, Albertans today say that 71 years of age…

Why I teach relaxation

By Luc TherrienBehavioural Health Consultant What has convinced me to teach relaxation to everyone? I could tell you that relaxation and meditation have been studied extensively over the past 40 years and that we’ve even observed a change at the genes’ level after only one session of relaxation, but that may seem abstract. Instead, I…

Clinic staff feel like a family

Mercy Odusote considers herself as part of the Good Samaritan Seniors’ Clinic family. Since seeing Dr. Bing Li as her family doctor for the last five years, she feels she can turn to any member of the clinic team for help. Mercy was referred to Dr. Li after having her second stroke and was rehabilitating…

Minimizing stress is key to a healthier life

At 97, Henry Schroder isn’t worried about his health. He still lives at home, shovels his own driveway and builds his own airplanes. Henry still remembers growing up during the Russia Revolution and can outline specific details of his childhood and his time in the Canadian Air Force during World War II. He was married…

COPD patient becomes stronger with exercise

Sabine Brouillette credits her health team at Edmonton Southside PCN for saving her life. The 67-year-old COPD patient’s breathing was becoming worse. When she was refused treatment at her dentist because of her breathing, she went to see her family doctor, Dr. Colleen Johnston, at Town Centre Family Clinic. Dr. Johnston referred Sabine to a…

Health scare forces patient to start moving

A hospital scare forced Lorraine Henry into a wakeup call about quitting smoking. In June, Lorraine was feeling extremely tired and had tightness in her chest. She visited her family doctor, Dr. Dennis Wong, had told him she thought she had a sinus infection. She was given antibiotics but her feet and ankles started to…