What’s New
Need a House Call?
The Community Paramedicine Program is for seniors, people with chronic health conditions, or vulnerable residents who need medical support at home but do not require an emergency room visit.
How to Request a Visit:
You can refer yourself or a loved one by contacting the program directly.
* Phone: Call 416-397-4322 (Select Option 1).
* Email: cphome@toronto.ca
* Hours: Administrative staff are generally available Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Services Provided:
* Health Assessments: Monitoring vital signs (blood pressure, oxygen, heart rate) and blood glucose levels.
* In-Home Testing: Simple blood work, ECGs, and wellness checks.
* Vaccinations: In-home vaccinations for homebound residents (referral required).
* System Navigation: Connecting you to other services like Meals on Wheels or specialized home care.
Other Non-Emergency Options:
Health 8-1-1 – Call 811 to speak with a Registered Nurse for medical advice.
Toronto Seniors Helpline – Call 416-217-2077 to request support and health services for seniors.
Non-Urgent Transfer – call 416-638-7301 to arrange a stretcher transfer (fees may apply).
Important: If you are experiencing a medical emergency (chest pain, difficulty breathing, or sudden confusion), call 9-1-1 immediately.
Feeling a Little Down?
Learn to recognize patterns and changes in your mood and mental health.
How is your hearing?
Have you noticed the early signs of hearing problems like needing to ask for repetition and difficulty communicating in noisy environments? Consider this information:
- It has been estimated that by 75 years of age, almost 50% of older adults have mild hearing loss.
- By the age of 85 years old, about 40% have hearing loss.
- Males are more likely than females to have hearing and dual sensory loss
You can test your hearing using your smart phone using the free Hearing Numbers app. (ios or android) and track the changes in your hearing accuity. If you notice something concerning, get help. Find an audiologist.
Depending on your situation, you can be helped by using technologies (hearing aids) and modifying communication strategies and environments (e.g., turning down noise, using closed captioning and subtitles).
Everyone can benefit from these good communication strategies.
- get the person’s attention before speaking;
- face the person you are speaking to and ensure they can see you;
- reduce background noise when possible or moving to a quieter location;
- rephrase rather than repeating when something is not understood;
- take turns speaking when in groups; and
- have a positive attitude!
NORC progress
In 2022 residents in our building applied for membership in University Health Network’s NORC (Naturally Occurring Retirement Communittee) initiative. Being chosen meant that we benefited from foundational training and a small grant for start-up, along with strategic support along the way. This has helped our Islington Vertical Village to embed itself into the fabric of our condominium complex.
This weekend there was an article in the Toronto Star about how other buildings are managing to bring some help for their residents who are aging in place, even if they aren’t operating under the banner of the UHN-NORC. Read a reprint of the article here.
Toronto’s NORC is also working to influence policy within the municipality. Read the latest policy document ” Aging in a Vertical City“. If you are interesting in helping to make our community better for people aging in place, our contact information is above.
Friday Happy Hour
During the pandemic lockdown, residents began a routine of meeting in good weather out on the fountain deck on Friday afternoons for “Happy Hour”. Participants brought their own drinks and sat a safe distance apart. As happy hour became more popular, some brought a folding chair to supplement the seating on the deck. Now that we can gather indoors the group meets in the party room on raining Fridays and all through the winter months – but we still head out to the deck in good weather. This casual party is come as you are, bring your own drink and don’t wait to be invited. Everyone is welcome!
Lunch & Learn: UTI
Two nurses from the Rexdale Community Health Centre presented information about urinary tract infections. They spoke about the symptoms, the complications, how we can stay healthy. So many questions answered!
Enjoy Spring – Don’t Fall
As spring arrives, it’s a great time to refresh your home and make it safer—especially if you plan to age in place. Falls are a leading cause of injury for older adults, but many can be prevented with simple home updates.
Declutter: Remove tripping hazards like loose rugs, cords, and clutter in hallways.
Improve lighting: Swap in brighter bulbs and add nightlights to boost visibility, especially at night.
Boost safety: Install grab bars, handrails, and non-slip mats to reduce fall risks in key areas like bathrooms and stairs.
Connections
“Lunch & Learn”s have been some of the most popular initiatives at Islington Vertical Village, attended by 25 to 60 residents each time. The most recent was a presentation by Connected Canadians, a national digital inclusion charity that promotes digital literacy in older adults. It seemed that we could get along without technology until recently, when it is a widespread assumption that everyone has a computer and smart phone. Connected Canadians uses a combination of one-on-one support, instructor-led workshops, and web-based resources to provide, free of charge, training in digital literacy skills.
Janice Greenberg, speaker
Our enthusiastic expert speaker was Janice Greenberg who talked about the usefulness of artificial intelligence (chatGPT) and gave some good advice about shopping for groceries online. If you missed her presentation she followed up with some handouts to help us become comfortable with these digital supports. Click below to download these handouts.
St. Paddy’s Songfest
Vote!
A snap election in February has made voting more complicated especially for older Ontarians who may find it difficult to get to the polling stations.
In case you are still wondering about basics, our riding is Etobicoke North, our polling station is at Kingsview Public School and voting day is February 27. For information about voting in our riding on the day, or in advance check with Elections Ontario. Weather may be the deciding factor for early voting so check the weather reports.
If you are unable to get to the polling station you can request to vote at home. Call the local election office (1-833-705-3204) at Woodbine Centre to book a home visit.
Some of us are interested in voting strategically. Check out votewell.ca or notoneseat.ca for advice.
