Submitted by: Swan River & District Community Resource Council Inc.
We are happy that 65 people took home some knowledge of this weeks Chat’s, Benito Drop in Centre and the Swan River Senior Citizen Center. They were held June25th and 26th, 2025, and all started at 10 am.
Benito hosted Craig Larson with an entertaining bio of his life before and during his time in the Thunderhill area. As a 1st time producer he purchased 1,000 Haskap berry plants and joined the Saskatchewan Association. Today he and his wife Carol are the proud owners of 2,700 plants. The plants take two years to grow, set berries and are mature, to be able to pick, but according to Craig, well worth the wait. The Haskap plant is a very hardy plant able to withstand minus temperatures and drought (although these berries will be smaller). The Haskap has a sweet tangy zing flavour that most people say is a cross between blueberry, raspberry and black currant. The best time to pick is the 2nd week of July to the 1st week of August. Craig invites anyone who is interested in picking and finding out more about this berry to come to his berry farm to pick on a Saturday. If you need directions call the Services to Seniors office at 204-734-5707. https://haskap.ca for information and recipes. We enjoyed fresh buns and Haskap jam during our coffee break, a little slice of cheese and we were in Haskap heaven.
Geoff with the Alzheimer’s Association of MB, brings a wealth of information and a personal perspective to this disease. His greatest wish is “do not dwell on what could be, live in the moment and enjoy your life as it is today”. Remember, it is not a big deal to forget a name or where you put the remote, but if you find the remote in the freezer or don’t remember what it is for, or you all of a sudden cannot tell the time of day on an analogue clock, you may want to talk to your family doctor. Do not isolate yourself, stay active and be part of your community. There are specific support groups in Manitoba, call the Regional Coordinator Phone: 204-638-4483 Geoff VanMackelbergh alzprk@alzheimer.mb.ca or look into the website, https://alzheimer.mb.ca/
Memory and Aging with Jessie Lacasse PMH Health Promotions Coordinator,
Try not to be distracted when you are trying to remember something, distraction is the largest promotor of failing to remember. A favorite Acronym is SHARP
S-See it and say it
H-Habit, make a habit or routine of something you want to remember
A-Association, associate a name with someone you already know etc.
R-Record what you need to remember, a calendar or scribbler etc.
P-Practice, practice, practice, when you learned to do something, you had to practice being good at it. Same goes with your memory.
Eat sensibly and have 150 minutes of physical activity per week, walk actively enough to have labored breathing or getting flushed and warm. This will give fresh oxygen to the brain and oxygen is good! This is not too hard if you can break it down to 10 minutes twice a day. Walk or exercise with a friend and have more benefits to your health, mental and physical.
The Swan River Valley Ukulele Group entertained us with music and song. You can call Phyl at 204-734-0940 for bookings or if you want to join, or to see if this interests you, they practice Tuesday at 10:30 am. Ukulele are available to take out at the library here in Swan river complete with music stands.
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 five 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 you mobile and healthy. For a connection to this program call 204-734-5707 and ask for Kamden.
You can find more info at https://ohanacare.ca/blog/exercises-for-seniors-at-home/
There will be no sessions in July, Have a great month. We will see you with a full schedule in August 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.