Welcome to the August edition of the Community Care newsletter! In this issue we share the opening of two new Diners Club locations, introduce a giving family of Meals on Wheels volunteers, and much more!



View the newsletter on our website

We are excited to announce that our Diners Club will reopen in Coboconk on September 26! The Coboconk Service Centre at 9 Grandy Road was previously closed for renovations, but now the work is complete and we are able to resume Diners Club service in Coboconk starting in September.

We will also be starting a new Diners Club in Bobcaygeon! Join us at Trinity Church at 44 William Street in Bobcaygeon on September 12 for a delicious hot lunch. A full menu for each of our Diners Club locations can be viewed on our website. 

Our Diners Club takes place in a community setting and is focused on creating opportunities for seniors and people with special needs to stay connected and engaged while enjoying a wonderful meal. For more information and to register, visit www.ccckl.ca/community-dining or call us at 705-324-7323. 

World Suicide Prevention Day is September 10th. Each year this day aims to focus attention on the issue, reduce stigma and raises awareness among organizations, governments, and the public, giving a singular message that suicides are preventable.

As in the past, Hospice Services will be hosting a short service of remembrance for families who have been grieving the loss of a loved one from suicide. For more details about the ceremony, please contact Hospice Services at 705-324-7323 ext. 550 or email hospiceinfo@ccckl.ca.

Join us for our next Men's Support Group on September 17!

This is a free, client-driven support group designed for men to connect with peers and discuss a wide variety of mental health related topics including mindfulness, relationships, anger, anxiety, stress, isolation, depression, confidence, self-esteem, self care, social wellness and much more. The support group is open to anybody who identifies as a man, resides in Kawartha Lakes or surrounding area, and is 18 years old or older.

Meetings are held from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each the month.



Visit www.ccckl.ca/wellness to learn more and register, or contact us at 705-324-7323 ext. 181 or wellness@ccckl.ca

Our Adult Day Program (ADP) would like to thank our previous board member Linda Coles for her generous donation of a La-Z-Boy recliner chair as well as a new stove for our kitchen!

With this lift recliner chair, our program clients can have a quiet space to rest and relax when needed. This new stove for our kitchen at 55 Mary St in Lindsay will also help our staff prepare meals and snacks for our clients to enjoy throughout the day. Please join us in thanking Linda for supporting Community Care and our ADP clients!

Pictured is ADP client Paul giving the thumbs up and enjoying the new recliner chair.

We offer our Adult Day Programs across Kawartha Lakes in Fenelon Falls, Bobcaygeon and Lindsay. Visit our website or contact us at 705-324-7323 to learn more about registering for our Adult Day Program!

Falls prevention is the primary goal of the classes that we offer at Community Care. We achieve this by focusing on cardio, strength, balance, and flexibility. The exercises that we offer are proven to improve bone strength, balance, and coordination, which help reduce the risk of falls. 

Our Low Impact and Moderate Impact exercise classes are aligned with the philosophy that your body is your best teacher. We encourage our participants to listen to their bodies and to modify our instructions as needed. 

We practice progress over perfection. Our classes are varied in skill and fitness levels, but everyone has a place with us. All participants are not only accepted, but celebrated for their efforts.

As a co-facilitator of these classes, it’s easy to find value and a sense of purpose in every class. The positive impact on our participants’ quality of life is evident. We receive positive feedback on how our exercises influences their ability to perform activities of daily living at home with more ease.

Moderate to vigorous exercise has been proven to have many benefits, both immediate and long-term. The long-term benefits include reducing the risk of diseases such as dementia, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and eight different cancers. There are also the immediate benefits of lowering blood pressure, improving quality of sleep, and reducing feelings of anxiety and depression.

With our group exercise classes, the social and emotional benefits are clear. We see new friendships being formed in class and hear the laughter that goes on as we have fun with exercise by not taking ourselves too seriously.

Exercise can be challenging, but the rewards far exceed the challenges. Our participants have a great sense of accomplishment after each class, knowing that they took the time to show up for themselves.

We invite anyone who is curious about trying exercise for the first time, or for anyone who would like to get back into exercise to come out to our 21 Angeline St location in Lindsay and try out a free class.

Our hope for you is to stay fit and to stay living independently at home. We hope to see you soon.

In Wellness,

Karla and Julie 

After participating in a training on attachment (how people connect emotionally), I felt that beyond the typical therapeutic applications, this was great information which could also be applied when working through grief and bereavement. Whether it is challenges with ongoing relationships, living family or close friends, or dealing with a relationship that is changed because of a death, a statement made by the presenter still applies. He said, “Suffering is inevitable. The key question becomes, do we suffer alone or suffer together.” We cannot “fix” the pain of loss but sharing our loss with others that we feel safe with can be helpful.

Three principles that are looked at when assessing the health of attachments in relationships are:

• Is the person accessible (physically and emotionally)
• Is the person responsive (do they see me?) and
• Is the person engaged (do they have time for me?)

Of course the answers are different for a grieving individual because the person is not physically available. At the same time, when rebuilding a relationship with a loved one through memories who has died, there can be room to explore what they meant on these three levels during their lives. In this way, the comfort comes from appreciating a loved one who was there for them when they needed it most.

While the person grieving the loss of a significant attachment, a grief companion, counsellor or sometimes even a compassionate peer group member can serve as a temporary attachment figure during the process of rebuilding that relationship of memories. This is accomplished best by providing a safe place to talk about their loved one(s) and drawing strength and comfort from the memories they shared together.

Information about grief and the grieving process is often not enough. An example was given about a child who is terrified by a thunderstorm. A lecture on thunderstorms and lightning is not nearly as helpful as a loving parent or trusted parental figure picking the child up, comforting them, and helping them feel supported in their fearful moment. It helps the children relocate themselves emotionally during a stressful or fearful experience. In the grief journey, that same principle applies as the person who has experienced loss is helped by comfort and support from compassionate others in a time of distress.

While there are many insights in the area of emotional attachments, I felt this one was worth sharing as we all learn together.

-Brian Farmer

Hospice residences provide important care for people at the end of their life. They help offer the support, comfort and dignity that everyone deserves at the end of life. Best practices suggest that Canada should have 7 hospice beds per 100,000 people. However, a recent report by the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) revealed that Canada is falling far short of that target with an average of 3.97 hospice beds per 100,000 people.

Community Care's Hospice Services offers high quality palliative care in people’s homes across Kawartha Lakes. Our Palliative Care Community Team (PCCT) and Care Companion Volunteers also work closely with Ross Memorial Hospital’s Palliative Care Unit to provide exceptional end-of-life support to patients and their families.

Today the closest Hospice Residences to the City of Kawartha Lakes are Hospice Peterborough and Oak Ridges Hospice of Durham in Port Perry. We believe in providing people with options that align with their end-of-life wishes, whether that is through a Palliative Care Unit in hospital, receiving in-home hospice care, or a standalone Hospice Residence. When funding and sustained operating revenue becomes available, we look forward to the day that a Hospice Residence is stood up in our community to support that end of life journey.

To draw attention to this critical issue, CCS is placing billboards in communities across Canada, including Kawartha Lakes. The billboards showcase the extreme distance to the nearest hospice residence – a distance that can be reduced by building a local hospice.

You can help bring care closer in Ontario. Visit Canadian Cancer Society's website to learn more about the value of Hospice Residences and complete their online form to send to local elected officials highlighting this issue.

Please reach out to AskUs@ccckl.ca if you have any questions regarding our support of this campaign.

The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) and the Alliance for Healthier Communities are working with non-profit community health care associations to bring attention to the wage gap between the community health sector and other sectors. The community health sector in Ontario consists of over 200,000 dedicated workers providing essential services across home and community care, primary care, mental health and addictions, long-term care, and other community health settings. This workforce is integral in delivering high-quality care to over 1 million community members.

Despite this, the community health sector is more than $2 billion behind on wages compared to our peers doing similar work. The launch of the #ForUsForYou campaign is designed to raise awareness and call for the wage gap to be addressed.

This campaign calls on the Ontario government to help by closing the wage gap, supporting community health sector workers and working collaboratively by forming a working group to develop solutions.

What is Community Health Care?

The community health sector provides essential health care and support services at home and in the community to millions of people in Ontario each year. It’s for people of all ages and backgrounds, and includes crucial services like social work, personal support, mental health and addictions services, and more.



What Does This Mean for Community Care?

At Community Care we are supporting this campaign by sharing information through newsletters and social media to raise awareness of this issue. We are also looking to arrange conversations with local government officials highlight this campaign and speak to the wage gap issue in the community health sector.



Please reach out to AskUs@ccckl.ca if you have any questions regarding our support of this campaign.

Check out our upcoming events and wellness programs below!

Diners Club

Lindsay

Fenelon Falls

Burnt River

Bethany

Coboconk - coming soon!

Bobcaygeon - coming soon!

Community Based Exercise Classes

Lindsay

SAGES

Burnt River

Fenelon Falls

Nordic Pole Walking

Lindsay and Bobcaygeon

Pickleball

Bobcaygeon

Riverwalk

Lindsay

Weekly Wellness Drop In



Lindsay

Cooking Classes

Lindsay

Men's Support Group

Lindsay

Welcome to this update from the Community Care Foundation. Our Mission is to help to build healthy communities across Kawartha Lakes by raising funds to support Community Care's range of services.

Once again, our community’s incredible spirit shone brightly on June 2nd as we came together for our annual Hike for Hospice. This year’s event was truly special, with participants lacing up their running shoes and walking or running 5km to support a cause close to many hearts.

Hike for Hospice is more than just a physical challenge; it’s a heartfelt tribute. It’s a day when individuals and families gather to honor the memory of loved ones who have passed and to support the vital Hospice Services that help those in need during times of illness, death, and bereavement. Your participation and enthusiasm made this year’s event an unforgettable experience.

A special thank you goes out to everyone who committed to completing the 5km hike. Your determination and dedication not only helped you reach personal fitness goals but also made a significant impact on our community. To our generous donors, your pledges and support were instrumental. Each donation directly funds our Hospice Services, ensuring that we can continue to provide compassionate care according to the needs and wishes of our clients.

2024 marked an exciting milestone for the Hike for Hospice. For the first time, the event registration, as well as the start and finish lines, were hosted at the new Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes Campus at 21 Angeline St S, Lindsay. This new venue provided a wonderful backdrop for the event, symbolizing growth and renewal, and offering a warm and welcoming space for all participants.

As we reflect on the success of this year's Hike for Hospice, we are reminded of the power of community. Families, friends, and loved ones came together, united by a common purpose: to support and honor those who have touched our lives. This collective effort not only celebrates the memories of those we've lost but also ensures that our Hospice Services continue to be a beacon of hope and comfort for future generations.



Thank you once again for your incredible support and commitment. Your participation and donations help us continue our mission of providing compassionate care, and we look forward to seeing you at next year's event!

Your monthly donation allows us to plan and deliver care with the certainty that every individual will receive the highest standard of support. It helps us uphold our commitment to:

• Compassion: Offering heartfelt care to those facing difficult times.
• Accountability: Ensuring every dollar is used efficiently to maximize impact.
• Respect: Valuing the dignity and wishes of each person we serve.
• Excellence: Striving for the best in all we do.