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We are very grateful to the 44 people who attended the Coffee and A Chat this month, sessions were at the Northern Neighbors Birch River Drop In Center, and the Swan River Senior Citizen Center. They were held April 22-24, 2025, and all started at 10 am. This month’s presenters and topics were Canada Revenue Agency Sean (virtually) with Shayne from Service Canada as his on site spokesperson. Nidra yoga relaxation with Corinna Medwid and chair exercises with Kamden.

Sean with CRA started the day with information for seniors and what non-refundable tax credits we can use to reduce the amount of taxes we may have to pay. It is not a refund but a tax credit against our income. Some examples are:

– Donations to registered charities, such as (SR & District Community Resource Council Inc. or Swan Valley Crisis Center or Swan Valley Food Bank or Cancer Care Manitoba etc.)

– Pension/Income splitting with couples or common law partners, you have to ask for it when you file

– Disability Tax Credit, your family doctor has to sign and approve this form
– Home Accessibility Tax Credit, you must own your property and includes ramps, grab bars, railings etc.

– Multigenerational home repairs to enable multigenerational families to live together, extra bathrooms etc.

– Medical Expenses may include prescription drugs, medical supplies, dental services, attendant care etc.

– Make sure your out of town medical professional gives you an attendance receipt complete with their Name, full address (not a box number) and date of the appointment.

Corinna leads us with Yoga nidra in Birch River, it is like meditation, but yet it’s not. With yoga nidra, you are lying or sitting down in an armchair and the goal is to move into a deep state of conscious awareness sleep, which is a deeper state of relaxation with awareness. While yoga nidra might seem much easier than traditional yoga you still have to practice, especially if you’re not used to meditation or quieting your mind. She recommends practicing away from distractions and in a darker room. You can use a sleep mask to block out light if you need to. She also recommends covering up with a blanket since the body tends to cool down when it’s at rest. This might help with aches and pains at the beginning of your sleep cycle. Breathing is so important, we can breathe with intent when we are distracted or distressed. Breath in to the count of 4, hold for the count of 7 and expel your breath through your mouth for the count of 8. Great Job!

Kamden brings Safe and Effective Exercises for Seniors at Home, these exercises can be done sitting in a chair or standing next to a solid surface or chair. Kamden works with three, soon to be four senior apartment complexes to bring seniors out of their rooms and into a common area to enjoy some fun with games or exercises, it is a great way to help keep them mobile and healthy. For a connection to this programming call 204-734-5707 and ask for Kamden. You can find more info here.

We are looking forward to May 27-29th with Lorne (Swan Valley Funeral Services) to talk about prepaid funerals, wishes and memories and what your funeral home can do for you. It will be a good chance to talk about this information when we are not stressed with grief on the death of a loved one. Gloria and Kamillah with Volunteer Manitoba will have an interactive session with the Importance of Volunteering and Giving Back to the Community.

As usual the blood pressure self-testing monitoring station will be set up. Have a great spring season and we will see you May 2025! If you have any presentations you would like us to organize, just give the office a call at 204-734-5707 and share your ideas.