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The Riverwalk participants who have been walking along the Rotary Trail this summer will notice the seventeen extra stones at the edge of the pavement. Riverwalk has been a positive program in partnering clients from the Nordic Pole Walkers with Hospice Grief clients. It has been successful in promoting both exercise and conversation for our Community Care clients, healthy benefits which are necessary especially when reconciling a loss.

Learn more about our Healing After Suicide Loss grief support program on our website or give us a call at 705-879-4123.

Below is a short quiz to see how much you know about our Hospice Services. Test yourself and check out the answers below to see how you did!

Community Care's Hospice Services are here to offer support, direction and comfort and if you are going through a difficult time, you do not have to make this journey alone. Visit our website or call us at 705-879-4123 to learn more about our Hospice Services.

We are happy to announce that our SAGES program is resuming across the City of Kawartha Lakes in September. The Sage Advice and Gentle Exercises for Seniors (SAGES) program focuses on improving cardiovascular endurance, balance, muscle strength and flexibility. This can help older adults complete daily activities such as climbing stairs, getting out of a chair, bending down, and much more!

Visit our website to learn more about SAGES and see a full list of dates and locations. You can also email us at wellness@ccckl.ca or give us a call at 705-879-4100 ext. 186 for more information.

CCCKL is a proud member of the Kawartha Lakes Ontario Health Team (KL-OHT), which is a group of healthcare providers that are committed to improving the coordination of care for the Kawartha Lakes community. We are working together as a team to ensure patients, families, and caregivers experience a seamless and supported journey through our healthcare system. We want to create care journeys for our community members that are supported by local health and community programs and digitally enhanced services.

The KL-OHT is excited to announce the launch of their upgraded Wellness Connections program, which is designed for people aged 65+ to learn about health changes and choices to age well and to connect to local service providers offering supportive programs. The program can be accessed virtually through the KL-OHT website or with in-person support.

The KL-OHT is still accepting referrals! If you would like to refer yourself or someone else with their consent for the program, you can complete the referral form on the KL-OHT website, email info@kawarthalakesoht.ca or call 705-934-1439.

September 30^th this year marks the second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. Establishment of this federal statutory holiday achieved implementation of Recommendation 80 from the 94 Calls to Action recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) as follows:

Many of the “Calls to Action” issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission focus on the imperative to educate Canadians about our treatment of our Indigenous peoples throughout our history. It is gratifying to see that such education is increasingly taking place in formal academic settings, in workplaces such as CCCKL and in the media.  For example, CBC’s The National carried a story this week on college students’ reactions to what they were learning in an Indigenous History course. The student expressed how incredible it was that she did not know the history of residential schools and other long-entrenched practices perpetrated on Indigenous Canadians over the years and that she “could not stop talking about the course to her friends and family.” These kind of reports and stories in our national media ahead of National Truth and Reconciliation Day show that the work of the TRC is beginning to make a difference.

While Canada’s institutions and systems have a vital role to play in achieving the TRC’s Calls to Action, each of us can also make a difference by pursuing learning individually. With Thanksgiving Day 2022 quickly approaching (Monday, October 10^th), I was curious about its origins in Canada, as distinct from the American stories of the Pilgrims that we hear so often. I learned that the first Thanksgiving Day in Canada took place all the way back in 1578, when the English explorer Martin Frobisher and his crew had a special feast to give thanks for their safe journey through what is now known as Nunavut in Canada’s far north. Centuries later, in 1879, Canada’s parliament passed a law to formally recognize Thanksgiving Day, although then the date and month was not set. It was not until 1957 that Governor General Vincent Massey designated the second Monday of October as Thanksgiving Day in Canada. Thanks to an article published last year, I also learned that giving thanks and celebrating the harvest were part of Indigenous culture long before Thanksgiving Day was officially recognized. Even the food we associate with Thanksgiving Day dinner was readily available before Canada was settled including turkey, squash and potatoes. In the article, Jacqueline Romanow, a Metis from the Red River Settlement area and Chair of the Indigenous studies department at the University of Winnipeg calls on the Canadian government not just to thank Indigenous people, but to recognize them as one of the three founding nations of our country.

Thanks, appreciation and gratitude are all closely associated with Thanksgiving—after all Thanksgiving has been defined as “the expression of gratitude” and appreciation is another word for gratitude. I know that I will reflect on my appreciation and gratitude for being here at CCCKL and joining with our amazing team to serve the residents and communities of the City of Kawartha Lakes.  William Arthur Ward is quoted as saying: “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” Wise words for both National Truth and Reconciliation Day and Thanksgiving Day 2022. To all, I wish you a happy and fulfilling Thanksgiving!

Warmly,

Barb Mildon