Why I Like Costco

 A few weeks ago, the computer on my car showed that my tires needed air. As I no longer have snow tires to swap out and it is not yet time to have the tires rotated, I thought I could find someone at one of our service stations in Ambleside to help me out. We have four stations within a four block radius of my apartment. 

No luck with that! 

Then, I spoke to the car dealership who suggested that Shell might help me. When I called to find a time convenient to them, I was told they would only help me out if I purchased a full tank of gas at the full serve pump and let me know that a good tip might be in order. When I told him my car was electric, he made it quite clear that they did not deal with electric cars in any way! 

I am no longer able to sit on my haunches long enough to put air in my tires and I find it difficult to read the little air pressure gauge. I suspect there are many seniors that find this task difficult to do. Given the high number of older people in this area, you would think at least one of the service stations would see that as an opportunity to make this service available. 

In any event, on the weekend I went to Costco in Vancouver. The tire shop told me to pull up parallel to their open bays where an employee cheerfully checked and filled all four tires to the correct psi in less than two minutes.  It is a free service. 

Then, the employee refused to accept my gratuity!

We Have Rights!!!

 

United Nations Principles for Older Persons

ADOPTED

16 December 1991

BY

General Assembly resolution 46/91

We older people have rights! This document has been around for over 30 years and I have just discovered it. 

These rights cover these categories:

Independence

Participation

Care

Self-fulfilment

Dignity

We are lucky in Canada that all levels of Government support these principles - in principal at least. 

Here is the web site with eighteen principles.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/united-nations-principles-older-persons

I guess the politically correct term now for anyone getting on in years is "older person".

Utopia, maybe...

 

 

Does this sound like a perfect retirement option? These buildings are located a very short walk from the Senior Centre. 

Kiwanis Garden Village is one of three housing developments in West Vancouver. Four buildings make up Kiwanis Garden Village, which is owned and operated by Kiwanis Senior Housing and Community Service Society of West Vancouver. 

Following the earlier completion of Kiwanis Manor and Kiwanis Court, the Cypress and Terrace buildings were added in 2014. Tying in these new residences to the existing buildings required extensive re-landscaping; 304 units were built around a central community garden featuring plots, edible plants, an outdoor amenity patio, and a central seating area. The buildings were designed with sustainability in the forefront; durable, low maintenance building materials were used. Wood was chosen as the primary material due to its durability, cost-effectiveness, and climate-change neutrality.

The buildings in the project also feature extra insulation, triple pane low-E windows, energy efficient light fixtures, and low flow water fixtures. To reduce the need for electricity, the design takes advantage of daylight by using larger windows and full-glazed amenity rooms. Sunshades mitigate solar penetration on south facing units and a heat-recovery ventilation system reduces energy needed for heating.

Source: https://glotmansimpson.com/project/kiwanis-garden-village/

Ambling In Ambleside

 

After a few days of Spring sunshine, we have some rain today. The magnolia tree outside my bedroom window is in bud and just about to start blooming. It is hard to get movitived today to walk, even though the rain is light. I would rather stay home and check out the changes in the red leaves on the laurel bushes and the buds on the magnolia tree.

Walking at least half an hour a day, we are told, will keep us healthy and happy. I need a destination when I walk; only occasionally will I simply wander around. I do have some destinations - one day I walk east on the seawall - the next time west. Sometimes I will start my walk going up hill but most of the time I head down to Marine Drive or to the water. In fifteen to twenty-five minutes I can walk to the library or the senior centre to the west or Park Royal to the east. It is less than ten minutes to get down to the beach.

Once I am out of doors, ambling in Ambleside is quite enjoyable. There is usually something new to see, the air is fresh and people are friendly. Often I run into someone I know.

The CDC tells us that "Adults aged 65 and older need: At least 150 minutes a week (for example, 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week) of moderate-intensity activity such as brisk walking. Or they need 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity such as hiking, jogging, or running. We also need at least 2 days a week of activities that strengthen muscles". I almost have this down - I just need to change my ambling to some brisk walking.

A Naturally Occurring Retirement Community

Wednesday Mar 8, 2023

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A Naturally Occurring Retirement Community

As Ambleside residents are predominately on the high end of the age spectrum and as many of us live in apartments, can we call all of Ambleside a “Naturally Occurring Retirement Community”?

This term was coined in Ontario probably by statisticians to describe groups of people who live in apartment buildings where the average age over time has increased to the point where the majority of the residents are seniors. Using the acronym “NORC”, planners can use this information to identify pockets of individuals who may require future government funds to sustain their ability to live-in-place and thus avoid the burden on hospitals and long term care facilities. 

Here is a TV Ontario link that describes this idea.

https://www.tvo.org/video/finding-naturally-occurring-retirement-communities

The idea of setting up NORC committees in apartment buildings with a high percentage of seniors has been evolving. There are many advantages of having your building or a neighbourhood identified as a NORC. Seniors can have a place to voice their priorities and possibly make changes happen. They can share ideas and set up ways to make their lives more enjoyable. This includes social options as well as the possibility of improved health and wellbeing. At the very least it can allow all of us to rethink how to age well in our own homes over time. 

Is there a way, maybe through the Local Area Planning Groups meeting in April, to ask the District if they could provide a Coordinator who would have the ability to help seniors living in  apartment buildings to set up their own NORC committees? Many economies of scale might become possible when these groups are able to communicate with each other.