My friend Kate is currently in a 500 km boat race called the Ngalawa Cup in the Indian Ocean – sailing a dugout canoe with outriggers and a single sail. (Ngalawa is the Swahili word for outrigger, and this is a traditional Tanzanian fishing vessel, although in my memory they
Continue readingTag: aging
Yappa Ding Ding: Viva les Piratas Canadienses!
My friend Kate is currently in a 500 km boat race in the Indian Ocean called the Ngalawa Cup – sailing a dugout canoe with outriggers and a single sail. (Ngalawa is the Swahili word for outrigger, and this is a traditional Tanzanian fishing vessel, alt…
Continue readingScripturient: Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me…
Turning 64, as in the 1967 Beatles’ song, once seemed so distant that it it was as remote as flying cars and jet packs. By the time I reached that age, I thought, we’d have a moon base colony, orbiting hotels as in 2001, A Space Odyssey, an…
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: From The Treasure Chest: Making Peace With Age and Infirmity
On holiday in Cat Island, Bahamas recently, something happened. Regular readers of my blog might recall that I’ve blogged about Cat Island before – it’s a remarkable place in its beauty, its simplicity and its authentic (but few) inhabitants. Last year, I visited an 87 year old firecracker called Miss Ella Sweeting.
Continue readingScripturient: Reading Tennyson’s Ulysses
Last weekend, while watching the delightful movie, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, I heard Bill Nighy make a wedding speech that included lines from one of my favourite poems: Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson. I recognized it immediately and it made me open the poem and read it again.
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: It’s Scary Being an Aging Caregiver
Growing older always involves some kind of loss. For my Mom, it meant giving up her beloved car. To Mom, a car has always represented freedom and independence. She fancies herself as a kind of Canadian Thelma or Louise – ‘I’ve had it up to my ass in sedate!’ would
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: The Worth of Vulnerability
Marilynne Robinson is a great American novelist and essayist who mines contemporary society for meaning. Her themes are expansive and biblical in their proportions. This what she said in a New York Times Magazine interview recently: “People,” Robinson said, pausing before she defined that familiar word in original terms: “Brilliant creatures, who
Continue readingGreyer is greener
As I slip slowly into my dotage I have at least one consolation—I’m less of a burden on the planet. A study by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany found that per-capita carbon dioxide emissions in Western countries rise steadily as children become adults and as adults
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Perspective That Age Bestows
Unlike some, I do not bemoan the passage of time. True, I am of that generation known as ‘the baby boomers,’ but while I am at times mildly bemused about certain things (‘How can it be 50 years since the Beatles first played in Toronto?’), I was never beguiled by
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Coming to Terms with Disability in My Family, Across Generations
After my Dad passed away in 1975 following his third stroke, I was angry. Really, really angry. I would sit in church, look at Christ on the cross and fume, “why does everyone go on and on about YOUR suffering?! That was NOTHING compared to what my Dad endured!” All
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: What’s a Fair Deal for Family Caregivers and Their Loved Ones?
How should family caregivers be supported in society? What is the role of government? What is the role of the private sector? What claim does a person needing care have on his family or on the taxpayer? What is the human worth of people whose needs are high, yet are
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM - A Blog by Donna Thomson: Slow Walkers Part 2 – Random Act of Kindness
Yesterday I shared a short film about time and aging called “Slow Walkers”. Today, I happened to come across this slow walker who was helped across the road in a random act of kindness somewhere in Russia. Sometimes, it is a very good thing to slow down with our older
Continue readingknitnut.net: The Fountain of Youth contains….water?
GC and I marched in the Pride parade last weekend! First time for both of us. I was working there and GC volunteered to pitch in. It was a terrific event for people-watching. The people lining the streets to watch the parade were, I think, more entertaining than your average
Continue readingMusings on Canadian Politics: Quebec at forefront of right-to-die movement
The Quebec National Assembly introduced a bill on Wednesday that will allow health professionals to use medical procedures to end the lives of patients near death who are suffering and want to end their lives. The legislation “is intended for people at the end of their life to die with
Continue readingLeDaro: Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee – Time lapse
Life is a bugger. Queen Elizabeth II, from very young to an old lady – time-lapse. So ladies and gentlemen enjoy your life when you’re still young. It will happen to all of us-old age slowly creeps on.
Continue readingChadwick's Blog & Commentary: When did I become my parents?
I was driving down to Toronto, Saturday, listening to a CD with Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and several other singers of my parents’ generation, singing along, and I wondered aloud, “When did I become my parents?” When did … Continue reading →
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM - A Blog by Donna Thomson: Making Peace with Aging and Infirmity
On holiday in Cat Island, Bahamas recently, something happened. Regular readers of my blog might recall that I’ve blogged about Cat Island before – it’s a remarkable place in its beauty, its simplicity and its authentic (but few) inhabitants. Last year, I visited an 87 year old firecracker called Miss
Continue readingThings Are Good: This Old Man Wants Adults to Play
Here’s a fun video to start your week with, this old fellow plays all day for his health and to inspire his next invention. He wants all people from kids to seniors to play all day, everyday to help their mental and physical health. At the very least, his enthusiasm is infectious.
Find more inspiring video, […]
Continue readingThings Are Good: Seniors Who Are Social Are Healthier
Seniors who lead active lives like playing cards and generally hanging out with friends feel healthier and are healthier than there less social peers. Friends make things fun and keep you fit! Dr. Nicole Anderson is a clinical neuropsychologist at Baycrest Health Sciences in Toronto, where she’s leading a research
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM - A Blog by Donna Thomson: An Idea for Justice for you and you and you….
Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the barriers to people with disability or infirmity to pursue their aspirations and achieve their potential with the support they need and the dignity they deserve. Is my son more than the embodiment of his physical disabilities? Does my mother represent something
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