Tips for a Safer Healthier Home

An ounce of prevention keeps the germs away! Follow these easy and low cost steps to stop many infectious diseases.

Clean Your Hands Often

• Keeping your hands clean is one of the best ways to keep from getting sick and spreading illness.

Routinely Clean and Disinfect Surfaces

• Cleaning with soap, water, and scrubbing removes dirt and most germs. However, using a disinfectant cleaner kills germs, giving even better protection.

Handle and Prepare Food Safely

• Clean hands and surfaces often
• Seperate - don't cross contaminate one food with another
• Cook foods to proper temperatures
• Chill - refrigerate foods promptly

Get Immunized

• Getting immunizations is easy, low cost, and saves lives. Make sure you and your kids get the shots suggested by your doctor.

Use Antibiotics Appropriately

• Antibiotics don't work against viruses such as colds and flu. Unnecessary antibiotics can be harmful. Antibiotics should be taken exactly as prescribed by your doctor.

Be Careful with Pets

• Pets should be routinely cared for by a vet. Babies and children under age 5 should be watched carefully around pets and animals. Always wash hands after touching animals or animal waste.

Avoid Contact with Wild Animals

• Wild animals can carry deadly diseases and pass them to you and your pets. Keep your house free of wild animals by not leaving any food around. Keep garbage cans sealed.

For more information, please visit www.infectiousinfo.cpha.ca

Is Inequality Making Us Sick?

The fourth episode of the film series UNNATURAL CAUSES: IS INEQUALITY MAKING US SICK? is coming soon to the theatre at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.

Date/Time: Tuesday, June 30th, 2:00 - 3:30

Hosted by:
Diversity Committees of the NS Department of Health Promotion and Protection and NS Department of Health

This month’s episode:
Episode 4 of Unnatural Causes is called Bad Sugar. It explores the high rates of diabetes in Aboriginal communities, and suggests that stresses associated with poverty and loss contribute to high rates of
diabetes in Aboriginal populations.

To ensure a seat at the viewing, contact carla.gauvin@gov.ns.ca.

Hope to see you at the Art Gallery of NS on June 30th for some
collective learning!

Reading Tent Summer Launch

Date: Saturday June 27, 2009
Time: 11 am to 3 pm
Place: At "The Wave" on the Halifax waterfront

Come help Frontier College celebrate their 110th birthday by sharing a Love of Books. Visit with special guests, play fun games, and pick up some freebies! Author Jane Baskwill will open the event by reading from her children's book "Touch the Earth".

Sine 1899 Frontier College has been leading the national call for literacy by helping millions of Canadians to read and write.

Health Survey Update

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete our random health survey. Your participation is valued and will help inform the development of our community health plan. Stay tuned for information on community conversations in the Fall. Learn more about the health of our community and give your input on solutions!

Summer Volunteer Opportunities for Highschool Students

Volunteer Services at the QEII is offering high school students an opportunity to learn more about health care.

This summer, students can gain valuable volunteer experience in an acute care facility by spending time with patients and the public and interacting with a wide range of health care professionals. Students will learn valuable communication skills and make an important contribution to our community.

Students must be 16 years old and available to volunteer for at least three shifts per week (approximately three hours each) for July and/or August. If you have a son or daughter who might be interested, please ask him or her to call Volunteer Services at 473-5420 to set up an interview.

Step Up for Laing House

Just a quick reminder about the Step Up for Laing House fundraiser…the climb up Mount Kilimanjaro…we will have donors dropping by with cheques for this and want to make sure that everyone is “in the know”…please visit the blog site listed below to view their progress…

On September 11, 2009, a group of Laing House supporters and volunteers will reach new heights in raising awareness of youth mental health issues as they climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. Henry and Rena Demone, Hans and Dani Himmelman, and Dr. David Kirkpatrick and Paula Taylor, will encourage and support each other as they work their way to the top of the summit.

The idea was born when the friends gathered at the 2007 Modern Day Masquerade Ball fundraising event for Laing House. Each of them had experienced mental illness in their lives – through a friend, family member or colleague – and wanted to come up with a unique way to support the work of Laing House. The group decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, raise money for Laing House, and increase awareness of youth mental health issues.

They launched their fundraising efforts in 2008. As a group, they have set a goal to raise $60,000 for youth living with mental illness. To make a donation to support the efforts of this extraordinary team, as well as to follow their progress, please visit http://stepupforlainghouse.blogspot.com. Every dollar raised will go directly to Laing House.

Celebrating Communities-Call For Nominations

The Celebrating Communities Awards celebrate the work of community organizations and volunteers committed to excellence and innovation in their communitities. Nominations are received from across the province and awards are presented in six categories:

* Excellence in Client Services * Outstanding Volunteer Achievement

*Excellence in Collaboration * Excellence in youth Leadership

*Excellence in Community Development * Innovation in Community Development


Awards will be presented at the biennial Celebrating communitites Conference being held in Truro, Sept. 23, 24 and 25,2009. For more information visit www.gov.ns.ca/econ/celebratingcommunities/ The nomination forms will be available on the website on April 1st and the deadline for submissions is Friday, June 26th.

This year's conference theme is "Growing Together"

For more info contact celebratingcommunities@gov.ns.ca or phone 1-888-296-4611/ 424-4077

Capital Health Farmer's Market

Capital Health will open its first farmers’ market on Friday, June 12 from 10am to 2pm.
The “Partners for Care Farmers’ Market at the QEII” will operate each Friday from June 12 to October 9, rain or shine. The “Terrace” and lawn area of the VG, in front of the Centennial Building, will be the place to be on Fridays.

Partners for Care is a charitable organization dedicated to generating revenue through business initiatives to benefit patients of Capital Health. Partners for Care is proud to do its’ part in supporting Capital Health’s commitment to creating “Healthier Communities”.
One goal of this market is educating, the vendors/producers are very proud and knowledgeable about their product and love to share the benefits. The Capital Health community can learn “How to eat healthier, one Friday at a time.”

The market will allow Capital Health staff, visitors and the surrounding community an opportunity to buy fresh and healthy produce, meat, fish and many other items on site, while supporting local vendors/producers.

Farmers’ Markets Nova Scotia is a strong supporter of this market and has been very helpful in assisting Partners for Care to locate and book the vendors/producers. The vendors/ producers are also available at other markets throughout the province on other days. We hope that this market will encourage Capital Health staff and visitors to visit the markets in their home area.

A food donation box will be available onsite each week for donations to Feed Nova Scotia.
Capital Health staff and neighbours are encouraged to bring their reusable bags with them.

Dal's presents free public talk

Novel Tech Ethics (Dalhousie University) presents a free public talk. Please help us with advertising and pass this invitation onto any contacts or mailing lists as soon as possible.

1. PATIENTS’ VOICES MATTER – WHAT DOCTORS CAN LEARN FROM TALKING WITH PATIENTS

Mark Bernstein, Neurosurgeon
Toronto Western Hospital; Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto


Wednesday, June 10, 2009—7:30PM
QEII Royal Bank Theatre, 1796 Summer Street, Halifax Infirmary
Come early, seating is limited!

A veteran neurosurgeon with extensive experience with many scientific and clinical studies, explores patients' experience using qualitative research. This means interviewing patients about a variety of issues and listening to their stories. The goal is to learn information to improve the patient experience in our complex, high-tech medical profession, in which the patient can easily find themselves feeling lost.

Mark Bernstein (MD, MHSc, FRCSC) is Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto and a neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network. His main areas of clinical interest are neuro-oncology (caring for patients with brain tumours) and advancing surgery in the developing world where he has made about 20 visits to teach and operate. He is a committed educator and has won numerous teaching awards. In 2003 he completed a Masters of Health Science in Bioethics - his main interests in the field of bioethics are surgical innovation, priority setting, research ethics, medical error and patient safety, novel resource utilization, and ethical issues in surgical education. He has published over 200 scientific papers, a Textbook of Neuro-Oncology, and over 100 “popular” articles many of which attempt to bridge the gap between the medical profession and the public.


2. Technologically Shaping Selves: Ethics and the Pursuit of Enhancement

Erik Parens, Senior Research Scholar
The Hastings Center (Garrison, NY), a nonpartisan research institution dedicated to bioethics and the public interest since 1969

Wednesday, September 23, 2009—7:30PM
Room 104, Weldon Law Building, 6061 University Avenue, Dalhousie University
Come early, seating is limited!

At least since the publication of Peter Kramer’s book Listening to Prozac, there has been a lively public debate in the US about using medical technologies to make us “better than well.” Some critics argue that “enhancement technologies” (whether pharmacological, surgical, or genetic) threaten to alienate us from who we really are. Some enthusiasts argue that these technologies will enable us to become more fully who we really are. I will argue that critics and enthusiasts share more than they are inclined to acknowledge. Further, I will suggest that if we consider the insights on both sides more carefully, we will conclude that none of us is—or should be—comfortable on only one side.

Questions to consider:
· Do you have a “gut feeling” about whether, in general, it is good or bad to use technologies like surgery or pharmacology or genetics to enhance human traits and capacities?
· Leaving aside concerns about safety and access for the moment, what are your reasons for being for or against technological enhancement?

Erik Parens is a Senior Research Scholar at The Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute in Garrison, New York. He received his BA, MA, and PHD degrees from interdisciplinary programs in the humanities at The University of Chicago. Since arriving at The Hastings Center in 1992, he has led research projects that have resulted in many publications, including 4 edited volumes: Surgically Shaping Children: Technology, Ethics, and the Pursuit of Normality (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006); Wrestling with Behavioral Genetics: Science, Ethics, and Public Conversation (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005); Prenatal Testing and Disability Rights (Georgetown University Press, 2000); and Enhancing Human Traits: Ethical and Social Implications (Georgetown University Press, 1998). He is currently leading one research project on the controversies surrounding the pharmacological treatment of emotional and behavioral disturbances in children and leading a second on the controversies surrounding the interpretation of neuroimages.

For more information, including directions to the QEII’s Royal Bank theatre, go to the “Events” page of http://www.noveltechethics.ca/ . If you would like to join the Novel Tech Ethics mailing list for notice of these and other Novel Tech Ethics public education events, please send your contact information to nte@dal.ca

Count Yourself In!

Tuesday June 9, 2009 is election day in Nova Scotia. Let your voice be heard and be counted. Vote!

3rd Annual Festival of Hope

Saturday June 6, 2009 11 am to 3 pm
Ferry Terminal Park, Dartmouth

• Free BBQ
• Entertainment
• Prizes
• Complementary therapy practitioners
• Vendors market
• Children's activities

Free Tele-Workshops for Caregivers

Caregivers Nova Scotia announces a series of free tele-workshops.

Sunday June 7, 2009 1 to 3 pm
Let's Talk Legal! Wills and Power of Attorney:Making Sense of it All

Has the person for who you care decided who they would like to make choices for them about their medical care, pay their bills and look after the other decisions they would normally make for themselves? Has a proper will been prepared? How about your own life and death, have you given someone instruction on your own wishes and have you prepared a will? This workshop is designed to help you understand wills and the different types of Powers of Attorney.

Thursday June 11, 2009 10 - 11:30 am
Care For You, The Caregiver

Caregiving can be stressful. Constantly putting the needs of another ahead of your needs leads to burnout and stress-related illness. This workshop will help provide information on self care techniques and some resources available to you to help you and to give you a break. This workshop is designed to help you, the caregiver, look after yourself.

Thursday June 18, 2009 10 - 11:30 am
Oops, I think we're lost:Navigating the Continuing Care System in Nova Scotia

The Continuing Care system in Nova Scotia may be accessed by all residents who require assistance due to illness or disability. Services available range from in home care to assistance with personal care, housework and meals, to placement in a long term care facility. Due to this range of services and the sometimes complex process it takes to get them in place, it's hard to know where to start and what to ask for.

Thursday June 25, 2009 10 - 11:30 am
Coping with Crisis: What to do when you don't know what to do

What if we have another hurricane Juan, or a white Juan and the power goes out for days? What if you are injured or ill and cannot provide care for your care recipient during that time? What if your care recipient suddenly exhibits behaviours that are dangerous to themselves or others? Do you have a crisis plan? These are all things many caregivers dread but tend not to plan for. Being ready to respond to these situations is crucial for you well being as a caregiver. Being prepared and having an action plan helps you to survive crisis. This workshop is designed to help you create a crisis plan.

Register for free by phone or online. Call 1-866-396-2433 or visit www.careingvoice.com