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The Retired Teachers of Ontario Magazine Spring 2019
living
your
best
life By decision or by design
You reinvented
Home reimagined
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contents
20 The Retired Teachers of Ontario Magazine Spring 2019
living
your
best
life By decision or by design
You reinvented
Home reimagined
On the Cover
David Phipps (District 16 Toronto),
photographed by Cylla von Tiedemann at the
National Ballet School of Canada, Toronto.
24 30 forward
5 Contributors
6 Letters
7 From the Chair
8 From the Editor
9 From the
Executive Director
10 Equal health care for all
12 Inclusive care
health matters
features
14 Living well from
head to toe
16 Plant power
20 By decision or by design 18 Changes to your
Meaningful connections enrich our lives and invite us to explore health plan
24 You reinvented departments
34 Travel
Embrace a spirit of adventure and put your passions to work
38 Lifestyle
30 Home reimagined 42 Living memories
Rightsize your space for the way you live now 44 Bookshelf
Spring 2019 1
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rto-ero.org
Volume 18, Number 1
Publisher The Retired Teachers of Ontario⁄
Les Enseignantes et Enseignants Retraités de l’Ontario
RTO/ERO’s online community is fun, active and engaged.
Editor-in-Chief Danielle Norris
Connect with our growing group for updates on news and renaissance@rto-ero.org
events near you, exclusive contests, retirement tips and more. Production Consultant Sharon Carnegie,
Creative Print 3 Inc.
Creative Direction Hambly & Woolley
Translators Claude Forand and Sue Collins
Copy Editor Martin Zibauer
Contributing Writers Kim Brathwaite,
Charlotte Empey, Stuart Foxman, Brian Jamieson,
Alison LaMantia, Jennifer Lewington,
Stefanie Martin, Doug Wallace
Board of Directors
Chair Martha Foster, mfoster@rto-ero.org
Vice-Chair Rich Prophet
Directors Jacqueline Aird, Richard Goodbrand,
Louise Guérin, Martin Higgs, William Huzar,
David Kendall, Gayle Manley
Executive Director Jim Grieve
300–18 Spadina Road, Toronto, Ontario M5R 2S7
Telephone 416-962-9463 | Fax 416-962-1061
Toll-free 1-800-361-9888 | Email info@rto-ero.org
Website rto-ero.org
RTO/ERO is divided into 48 districts
and has 78,000 members.
Renaissance is published quarterly for RTO/ERO
members, providing content on topics of interest
to the retired education community.
Views expressed in Renaissance are those of the
writers and do not necessarily reflect the official
position of RTO/ERO.
Advertising Beth Kukkonen,
Dovetail Communications Inc.
bkukkonen@dvtail.com
Publication of an advertisement does not constitute an
endorsement by RTO/ERO of any product or service.
Renaissance est également disponible en français.
Si vous désirez recevoir la version française de ce magazine,
veuillez communiquer avec le bureau provincial.
Follow us!
facebook.com/rto.ero @rto_ero
MOVING?
Watch! Update your mailing and email addresses
by contacting the Membership Department.
Email membership@rto-ero.org or call,
RTO ERO toll-free, 1-800-361-9888.
Spring 2019 3
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our classified
contributors
We asked contributors Doug
section has
Wallace, Alison LaMantia and
Stuart Foxman what living
their best life means to them.
moved online!
DOUG WALLACE
“I pack as much travel into
my life as I have time for
and can afford. The benefits
are so rewarding—and
eye-opening! I get such a
deep perspective on the
Visit rto-ero.org/classified for the latest world as one unit with many
moving parts.”
updates and to share posts online for free:
• reunions • volunteering ALISON LAMANTIA
“Just over a year ago, I
• classifieds • travel transitioned from public
education corporate
• jobs • rentals communicator to freelance
writer and communications
consultant. This has given
me the flexibility to pursue
meaningful work, prioritize
my wellness and have more
time with my kids, including
volunteering with them at a
long-term care home.”
STUART FOXMAN
“Gaining insight, inspiration
and joy through what creative
people produce; adding rather
than subtracting; and seeing
my kids lead their own happy
and meaningful lives. It’s not
about best life but striving
for better, having passion and
demonstrating compassion.”
We neglected to give credit where credit
was due in our Winter issue. Photographer
Alan Grogan took pictures of Marion Slinger
(District 31 Wellington) for our Beating the
Blues feature story. And photographer
Larry Holseth (District 39 Peel) took the
picture of member Linda Kenny (District 39
Also explore our online sections for Peel) used in the letter from Executive
jobs and volunteer opportunities at Director Jim Grieve.
bit.ly/rto-ero_job_volunteer_opportunities.
Spring 2019 5
letters
Readers
letters
Make a Testament
Loved the magazine. There was lots to read and excellent to your Faith
ideas for people to use. Loved this month especially.
—Ada Wright (District 33 Chatham-Kent)
Focusing on the future together
We enjoy reading your magazine — continue the good work. with The United Church of Canada
—Mario Morson (District 22 Etobicoke and York)
Having wisely stewarded your resources, you’re now seeking
to invest in your church long after you’re gone.
Thank you and your team for all your wonderful work on this
very impressive magazine — Renaissance. Always a good read. Please know that we offer a full spectrum of planned giving
—Larry Holseth (District 39 Peel) opportunities that will enable you to fulfill your philanthropic
goals and support the ongoing work of your beloved church.
I’d like to express my appreciation on the rebirth of —————
Renaissance magazine! I have consulted with several other Please call a personal WEBSITE
unitedchurchfoundation.ca
widowed and single RTO/ERO members who were feeling Gift Planning Consultant EMAIL
increasingly alienated from the previous version as the at 1 866 340-8223 legacy@united-church.ca
emphasis seemed to be on family, grandchildren and travel for
couples and able-bodied retirees that were not only irrelevant to
us, but painful reminders of our losses and missed opportunities
in life. I was delighted to see health maintenance articles, a
solo travel article and inclusive information for the LGBTQ
community. You are finally including us all!! Thank you!
—Judy Breckles (District 17 Simcoe)
I thoroughly enjoyed this issue of Renaissance Winter 2019.
—Mary Burgess (District 4 Sudbury & Manitoulin)
I appreciate the quality work that goes into Renaissance.
What dismays me, though, is the single-use plastic bag the
magazine arrives in. The world is waking up to the immense
problem of plastic trash and we all need to stop participating in
this unsustainable level of waste. Recycling paper and plastic is
no longer a workable solution and does not solve the problem.
Every small step taken by many will take us a long way on the
journey to living responsibly.
—Deborah Pearson (District 18 Haliburton Kawartha Lakes)
Editor’s Note
We share your concerns, Deborah, and take our stewardship
of the environment very seriously. We would like to assure you
that the wrap on the magazine is not plastic — it’s made of a 100
per cent biodegradable, plant-based substance and can be put in
your compost bin. The magazine is also printed on responsibly
sourced paper. We do everything possible to produce Renaissance
magazine using innovative, environmentally sound materials.
TALK BACK
Join the conversation — send your comments and
queries to renaissance@rto-ero.org. And connect with
us on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter!
6
from the chair
Living your We advocate to help
you live well.
best life by Martha Foster
get worse as the number of Canadians quality of life of many seniors, keeping
over 65 increases at a greater rate than them from living their best lives.
the rest of the population. This is not an These are the areas that we
acceptable scenario if we are to receive highlighted to our MPPs as issues
the best health care possible and live the that, if addressed, would make a huge
best life we can. difference in the lives of many seniors.
We are encouraging politicians to I would be remiss if I did not also
support age-friendly communities mention the RTO/ERO Foundation’s
that promote healthy, active lifestyles; focus during the month of October on
enable seniors to remain in their homes; social isolation. Social isolation affects
provide reasonable and safe access those experiencing it in so many ways:
to public transportation; and offer they are at a higher risk for depression,
opportunities to socialize and volunteer loneliness, mental illness, hypertension
— enhancing the quality of life as people and cognitive decline, and they are more
get older. likely to need residential care. The issue
We are also advocating to prevent needs to be addressed at many levels
What a wonderful theme for our elder abuse. Too many of our members to help those individuals lead more
spring magazine: Living your best life. and other older citizens suffer abuse fulfilling lives.
I am lucky to see so many of you as that affects their personal safety, or The theme of this issue of Renaissance
I visit your districts across not only limits or controls their rights and originates in one of our strategic goals —
Ontario, but Canada. Whenever I speak, freedoms. Elder abuse is a hidden, To improve the lives of seniors and members
I extol the benefits of belonging to although widespread, problem. We — and is a focus of our everyday actions.
RTO/ERO. The first benefit that always are in a partnership with Elder Abuse As you can see, we at RTO/ERO work
comes up is our health insurance plan, Ontario, an organization that works tirelessly to reach this goal. We do it for
which is the envy of many. We are lucky tirelessly to put an end to this pattern you and for all seniors, so that we can all
to have a plan that complements and of abuse, which seriously affects the live the best life.
enhances our government health plans.
Not only does our plan provide coverage
beyond those government plans — very
important for better health for many of
us — but it also has a focus on wellness,
both of which help you live your best life.
At the same time, I have often been
heard to say, “We are more than just
health insurance.”
This fall and early winter has
found us active in the area of political
advocacy. In October, the Board had
a successful advocacy day at Queen’s
Park. We attended question period and
were introduced, and at a reception
for MPPs afterward, we focused on
PHOTO, MONKEY BUSINESS IMAGES
three issues that we feel are important
for us to live better lives: geriatric
training, age-friendly communities and
elder-abuse prevention.
Canada — including Ontario — falls far
behind many other developed nations in
the number of geriatricians. In Canada,
there is one geriatrician for every 15,000
adults, and the situation is only going to
Spring 2019 7
from the editor
Setting my I count on a vision board
and gratitude journal.
best-life goals by Danielle Norris
Measuring happiness and life My board serves as a visual represen- Our spring issue explores fresh new
fulfillment is relative, depending on tation of what a happy life looks like ways to live happier, healthier lives.
whom you ask — perhaps it means financial to me. I broke it down into sections Members share how they’re making
and material wealth, or maintaining a that focus on making time for myself, conscious choices to live their best lives
healthy lifestyle, travelling, volunteering or spending time with family, travel and through second careers, ‘rightsizing’
making memories with family and friends. health and wellness. their living arrangements and building
While working on this Living Your Best The secret to living my best life is doing lasting relationships. You’ll also find
Life issue of Renaissance, I asked myself, what makes me happy and focusing on tips on how to live well from head to toe,
“What would living my best life look like? the positives. When I look at my board, how indoor plants improve air quality at
And am I living it?” I realize that I have accomplished a home, and health/fitness travel retreats
To me, living my best life means being number of goals, but I struggle with one to reboot mind, body and soul.
intentional with my actions, living with or two things that didn’t go as planned. I hope this issue inspires you to explore
purpose and celebrating the victories — That makes me feel like I have failed, so how to live your best life, however you
big and small. I started journaling, but I’m only writing define it, and that you’ll take a moment
PHOTO, DANIELLE NORRIS
I’m a visual learner, so I created a vision about the positives. to share your happiness goals and how
board to help me sort out the things that My gratitude journal and vision board you make them a reality. Just email me
make me happy and focus on my best-life help when I’m feeling down because I at renaissance@rto-ero.org
goals. It’s colourful and hangs in a frame can look back and remember I have a
in my home office; I posted a photo of it at lot to be grateful for. Am I living my best
my work office, too. life? Absolutely! Happy reading!
8from the executive director
Phishing, spoofing, How to protect yourself
and your money.
fraud and theft by Jim Grieve
Every day we hear about someone
who has fallen prey to one of those
The best suggestion I can make is
that you check out the helpful 6 tips to
ugly words in the title of this article.
Regularly, we learn of yet another person
information available on the specific
and trusted websites below for detailed thwart
who has served up bank information
or a credit card number, or who has
protection information:
• The Government of Canada: Protect fraudulent
transferred funds to a scam artist
impersonating someone they know.
yourself from fraud. Visit canada.ca
and search for “Protect yourself operators
Sadly, there are fraudsters operating against fraud.”
1
around the world, using sophisticated • The Chartered Professional
and authentic-looking strategies to steal Accountants of Canada: Protecting
Be suspicious of
your hard-earned funds. Many RTO/ERO You and Your Money by Kelley Keehn,
unexpected requests,
members and staff have experienced such available through the CPA website.
especially from
approaches. Fortunately, most incidents The e-book is $6.99; the soft cover is
unknown sources. If
are discovered before any damage is $19.99 — well worth the investment.
you’re pressured to
done. But we also know of cases where (kelleykeehn.com/books)
take immediate action
significant funds have been forwarded by • The Better Business Bureau: Scam
and make a purchase,
unsuspecting members to false accounts; Tracker. (bbb.org/scamtracker)
transfer funds or share
these funds are rarely recoverable. • The Competition Bureau: Preventing
personal information
For example, a few weeks ago all Fraud. Visit competitionbureau.gc.ca
by clicking on links in
RTO/ERO staff members received an and click on “Preventing Fraud.”
emails, treat the request
email — supposedly from me — asking
as potential fraud.
each one to purchase iTunes cards, The most important protection is to
scratch off the PIN and send the number remain completely vigilant and always
to me urgently. On close inspection, the
email was not legitimate, and of course
I would never make such a request.
double check the source of any request
for funds by calling the person who
sent the request. Members of your
2 Call someone in your
trusted contact list to
However, unless the recipient checked RTO/ERO District Executive will not verify any request or
the email address, which was not mine, email a request for payment. Similarly, claim for money.
everything else looked accurate, including remember that your financial institution
3
the RTO/ERO logo and signature line. and the Government of Canada will
The question we’re all asking is: never phone or email you with a request
Hang up on robocalls.
“How can we defend ourselves from for funds or personal information.
such attacks?”
4 Be skeptical about free
gifts or free trials.
5 Keep your antivirus
software up to date.
6
PHOTO, LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS
Check out the four
trusted sources at
left for information to
arm yourself against
phishing, spoofing, fraud
and theft.
Spring 2019 9forward
Equal health RTO/ERO members weigh in
on pharmacare discussions.
care for all by Stuart Foxman
More than 2,000 RTO/ERO members To help the council deliberate, the citizens of almost every other country.
responded to a discussion question government created a discussion paper The problem is getting worse. The
posted by the federal government’s and invited feedback. Health care is a cost of medications continues to rise.
Advisory Council on Implementation of priority for RTO/ERO members. The The current drug coverage system isn’t
National Pharmacare. Our answers were RTO/ERO survey, conducted in late designed to handle the increasingly
clear: the time for pharmacare is now. 2018 and presented to the council this expensive breakthrough drugs coming
Here’s what some of you had to say. past winter, is a way to share members’ down the innovation pipeline.
voices. In the survey, 78 per cent of Even those covered for prescription
• “I think everyone should have members saw a national pharmacare drugs are affected by the absence of a
access to the broadest spectrum solution as important. national pharmacare system.
of medications.” The government’s discussion paper As the federal government notes,
• Drug coverage is a matter of fairness: raised the key issues driving action on rising drug costs make private plans
“It follows in line with equal health pharmacare. For one, only prescription less affordable. Benefit plans will
care for all.” drugs administered in hospitals are now face difficult trade-offs. As Canada’s
• The scale of coverage does remain part of basic medicare. Coverage for drugs population ages and chronic health
a question: “It depends on how it will prescribed outside hospitals varies from conditions becoming more prevalent,
be funded.” person to person and province to province. governments will also experience
• However the urgency of the issue Who’s covered? Right now, it’s increasing costs. (That’s especially
is clear: “I see lack of national phar- a patchwork. true since public plans typically cover
macare as a major shortcoming in Prescription drug coverage in Canada seniors.) This places pressure on
our health care system.” is provided through over 100 public and governments to scale back drug coverage
100,000 private insurance plans, each with or other health and social services.
What’s the issue all about, and why different rules. Many working Canadians “Escalating costs impose a financial
should RTO/ERO members care? and their dependents have much of their strain on individual Canadians and their
Pharmacare is a system of health prescription drug expenses covered families, employers and governments,”
insurance that gives access to necessary through private, employer-funded benefit states the pharmacare discussion paper.
prescription drugs. In most industri- plans. Seniors, individuals on social “Canadians pay for these high and
alized countries, pharmacare is part of assistance, and patients with certain rising drug costs either directly through
universal health care. Not in Canada. diseases are generally covered, at least out-of-pocket expenses, or indirectly
Here, prescription drugs aren’t partially, by public plans. through costs passed on by their
covered in a consistent way. Even those Others, including many RTO/ERO employers or through the taxes they pay.”
with drug coverage can face deductibles, members, have coverage for prescription So how should Canada approach
co-payments and annual maximums drugs through extended health care plans. pharmacare? Who should be covered?
that make affording drugs a challenge. Yet many Canadians — particularly What drugs will get covered? And who
A study published by the Canadian those who are self-employed or work will pay? Improving the affordability
Medical Association Journal found that part-time, or have low-paying or and accessibility of prescription drugs
nearly two million Canadians say they precarious work — must pay out of is an issue that matters to all Canadians.
couldn’t afford one or more drugs in the pocket for prescription drugs. That’s why it’s important for RTO/ERO
past year, often resulting in additional Those prices can be high. In fact, to have a say in this discussion. More
doctor visits and hospital admissions. Canadians pay higher prices for and engagement is always a prescription for
In 2018, the federal Standing spend more on prescription drugs than the best policy decisions.
Committee on Health recommended that
Canada establish a universal single-payer
public prescription drug system by HOW MUCH DO WE PAY FOR DRUGS?
expanding the Canada Health Act to • On average, Canadians spend $926 per person on prescriptions per year,
include prescription drugs dispensed through a combination of public, private and out-of-pocket expenditures.
outside hospitals. The Advisory Council • Drug spending in Canada has risen dramatically over the past three
on the Implementation of National decades, from $2.6 billion in 1985 to $33.8 billion in 2017.
Pharmacare will report on how to do so • New precision medicine and biologic therapies promise new cures, but
to the federal Minister of Health and also much higher prices.
Minister of Finance in 2019.
10PHOTO, IRYNA IMAGO
forward
Spring 2019 11forward
Listening to the RTO/ERO Foundation grant
backs LGBTQ resource.
LGBTQ community by Stuart Foxman
When the DEAR (Diverse Experiences “Everyone has the right to choose • Health care professionals don’t
in Aging Research) Collaborative asked how they live out their lives as they age. always have specific expertise in the
LGBTQ older adults if they felt their This is such an important initiative for sexual health issues experienced
voices were being heard and their needs current and future generations of the by LGBTQ individuals, which can
were being met, the researchers learned LGBTQ community,” says Jo-Anne Sobie, be compounded by homophobia
the answer was a resounding no. Executive Director of the Foundation. and transphobia. These issues may
Funded by a grant from the RTO/ERO Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and require distinct care.
Foundation, the DEAR Collaborative set queer older adults are often described • Members of the LGBTQ community
out to explore the kind of care LGBTQ as an invisible or hidden segment of the who require in-home or long-term
adults were receiving by interviewing aging population. Among the challenges care services often experience dis-
community members and health and the community faces, according to the crimination from health care pro-
social care professionals. The result: DEAR Collaborative: fessionals and from other residents,
an online toolkit called Speaking Up forcing some to go back into the
and Speaking Out (speakingupspeak- • LGBTQ older adults are more likely to closet, an emotionally and physically
ingout.com) offering health care live alone than heterosexual adults of devastating retreat.
professionals the information they need comparable age. • LGBTQ adults are less likely to turn
to enhance practice knowledge, support • Relative to older heterosexual adults, to relatives for support, and they are
interactions with patients, and inform LGBTQ individuals have significantly even less likely to discuss care and
PHOTO, LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS
care and treatment plans. higher rates of psychological and complete an advance directive, such
The interdisciplinary group is physical health conditions as they age. as a living will for medical treatment,
led by social work and psychology • Many older LGBTQ adults approach in the event that they can’t communi-
professionals from Lakehead health care institutions with suspicion cate their wishes themselves.
University, the University of Guelph, and fear partly due to feelings of • While LGBTQ adults turn to friends
Saint Paul University and the discrimination and stigma, which can in greater proportions in times of
University of Ottawa. delay them seeking professional care. need for emotional support and
12assistance, friendship networks lack The challenge to care providers: are you
the structure and support of kinship an ally of the aging LGBTQ population?
systems, which has implications for The evaluation of the toolkit included
palliative/end-of-life care. feedback from current health care
providers, future providers — health care
The health and social care professionals students, for example — and older members
in the interviews echoed many of the of the LGBTQ community.
concerns of the LGBTQ community The Speaking Up and Speaking Out
members. “Through focus groups, toolkit is available online and has been
our results showed a strong desire shared through the extensive networks
from the participants to provide safe of the research team, including with the
and inclusive care for older members Centre for Education and Research on
of LGBTQ communities,” says Aging and Health (CERAH), the Canadian
Dr. Kathy Kortes-Miller, one of the Longitudinal Study on Aging, and Hospice
directors of the DEAR Collaborative Palliative Care Ontario. The toolkit creators
and an Assistant Professor at the School also presented the results at the Canadian
of Social Work, Lakehead University. Association for Gerontology conference and
Dr. Kortes-Miller reports that two via a province-wide CERAH webinar.
main themes emerged from the focus The DEAR Collaborative has submitted
groups. One is that the way in which care an article, based on the results from the
professionals identify and recognize the focus groups conducted for this grant, to the
diversity within the LGBTQ community journal Clinical Gerontologist.
matters. The other is the need for What’s next? “The research team
acceptance, making care environments connected with new groups and health care LEARN MORE
comfortable and welcoming. providers who want to improve the care they The Speaking Up
As the toolkit notes, care providers give older adults who identify as LGBTQ,” and Speaking Out
have often given little attention to the says Dr. Kortes-Miller. “These connections toolkit includes links
experience of LGBTQ older adults, will be valuable in the future as we all work to to organizations that
many of whom can feel marginalized. develop capacity in this area.” can help care provid-
ers better serve the
LGBTQ community.
These organizations
also offer a wealth
“Everyone has the right to of information and
support to senior (and
choose how they live out
other) members of
the community:
their lives as they age. This is
• Senior Pride
Network: senior
pridenetwork.com
such an important initiative for • Rainbow Health
Ontario: rainbow
healthontario.ca
current and future generations • Egale: egale.ca (see
the section devoted
of the LGBTQ community.”
to LGBTQ seniors)
• PFLAG Canada:
pflagcanada.ca
—
Jo-Anne Sobie
Spring 2019 13health matters
Living well from Visualize your fitness future and
lean in to reach your goals.
head to toe by Brian Jamieson
Considering a stroll into new fitness territory? Joining a “Visualizing can change your brain in the moment, spur
hiking club, perhaps, or training to run a 10K? a shift in your overall chemistry and open you up to better
Start by visualizing, and you’ll make your journey from here thinking, feeling and emotional states that encourage you to
to there the most it can be. take more risks and ‘lean in’ to reach your goals,” says Eileen
Imagine yourself in the future you want. Use all your Chadnick, principal of Big Cheese Coaching in Toronto and
senses. Touch, hear, taste. Now freeze that feeling. Are you author of Ease: Manage Overwhelm in Times of Crazy Busy.
excited, looking for more colours to paint the canvas in Visualization triggers possibilities. It lets you get to the
PHOTO, JACKIE BENNETT
your mind? heart of what matters most to you and “helps you get clarity
Where meditation usually involves deep, deliberate from a gut feeling versus just a thinking sense.”
breathing, visualization can take you to a solitary mountain Chadnick says visualization can focus your attention and
top or tropical beach to relieve stress or re-energize. Guided keep you on your game. You could create a visual of how great
visualization can be a form of meditation and is sometimes it will feel to cross the finish line, being your most fit, running
used to promote healing or ease pain, but it can do much more. with others, and more.
14Don’t forget your feet
“Visualizing can change
your brain in the
IF YOU WANT TO LIVE AN ACTIVE LIFE,
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR FEET
moment, spur a shift in
your overall chemistry “Foot health is important as we age because being pain
free, active and having good balance can prevent injuries
and open you up to and falls,” says registered chiropodist Pauline Looi.
Looi, who operates out of Wishing Well Physiotherapy,
better thinking, feeling Chiropractic and Foot Care Clinic in Stouffville, Ont., and
the Ajax Foot Clinic & Orthotic Centre, also in Ontario, says
and emotional states when your feet are too sore to walk or hike, you can lose
strength and be at a higher risk for falls, sprains and bruises.
that encourage you to Patients, Looi says, old and young, come in with persistent
foot problems they thought might go away, but never do. If
take more risks and ‘lean something is unusual with your feet, have them checked to
prevent serious problems such as chronic ankle sprain, heel
in’ to reach your goals.” pain, plantar fasciitis or pressure and diabetic ulcers.
Remember, too, that feet change structure over time, she
— says. Proper socks and footwear are important, particularly
Eileen Chadnick for hiking.
Nobody appreciates that advice more than Flicia Devaux
(District 16 Toronto) who regularly hikes the Bruce Trail. She
says she’s “addicted” to the fitness, camaraderie, natural
beauty and healing qualities of hiking.
The Bruce Trail, the oldest and longest continuous
footpath and hiking trail in southern Ontario, stretches from
the Niagara River to Tobermory and features waterfalls,
STAND TALL WITH RTO/ERO COVERAGE canyons, rivers and all manner of scenic wonder. If you’re
The Extended Health Care Plan’s Paramedical visualizing being your best fit self, there are few sublime
Practitioner Benefit and the Aids and Appliances settings its equal.
Benefit provide foot-care coverage. Starting is easy, companions are plenty and
the positive endorphins hiking generates
PARAMEDICAL PRACTITIONER BENEFIT PROVIDES: can be “soooo uplifting that happiness is a
• $1,300 per insured person per calendar year natural state of being, and problems are
for 17 practitioners combined, including easily solved,” Devaux says.
chiropodists and podiatrists. Foot-care services “It’s an amazing way to enjoy what
provided by a registered nurse are also eligible. nature has to offer because most of
• A separate maximum of $30 per calendar the time you are on less travelled
year for one X-ray by each of a chiropodist, paths surrounded by beauty that is
chiropractor, osteopath or podiatrist and up to constantly changing,” she adds.
$100 for surgical services such as the removal
of toenails or excision of plantar warts by a
chiropodist or podiatrist.
AIDS AND APPLIANCES BENEFIT PROVIDES:
• Custom-made orthopaedic shoes (not part of a
brace) including orthopaedic modifications to
stock-item shoes and orthotics to a combined
limit of $500 per insured person every two
consecutive calendar years.
• Orthopaedic shoes that are attached to, and
ILLUSTRATION, GOODSTUDIO
form part of, a brace.
TO SUBMIT A CLAIM:
Provide receipts including the service provided, date
and cost of treatment, and name, title, designation
and registration number of the provider.
Spring 2019 15health matters
Plant Houseplants deliver unexpected
physical and psychological benefits.
power by Stuart Foxman
Air freshening isn’t a houseplant’s only
health boost. Did you know that foliage in
your home is a natural relaxant?
A study in the Journal of Physiological
Anthropology showed that interacting with
indoor plants can reduce physiological and
psychological stress. That happens through
suppressing sympathetic nervous system
activity and diastolic blood pressure. Quite
simply, indoor plants comfort and soothe.
It makes sense that watering and
pruning can be therapeutic. After all,
caring for any living thing is rewarding.
Beyond enhancing your mood, indoor
plants can also spur your efficiency.
Sophie Lee, author of Living with Plants:
A Guide to Indoor Gardening, cites studies
showing that indoor plants improve
concentration and productivity.
One study at Texas A&M University
found that people’s creative performance,
idea generation and problem solving all
improved substantially in workplaces
with flowers and plants. Another study in
the Journal of Environmental Psychology
suggested that having indoor plants around
can increase attention or, at least, prevent
fatigue during tasks that demand focus.
Indoor plants can even aid in recovery
from illness. A study described in
HortTechnology looked at a group of
patients recovering from appendectomies.
They were randomly assigned rooms with
or without plants. Those in the plant rooms
With spring comes gardening, a popular and healthy hobby. All that digging, took fewer pharmaceuticals, had lower
planting, weeding and mulching gives you a workout. According to WebMD, an hour blood pressure and said they had less pain,
of gardening burns 200–400 calories. But you don’t need to step outside to get the anxiety and fatigue.
health benefits. Indoor plants can be great for your body and mind, even without the Houseplants also have many practical
physical activity. health uses. Get an aloe vera plant, and you
Start with air quality. The David Suzuki Foundation notes that indoor plants can use the gel in the leaves as a topical
absorb contaminants including benzene and formaldehyde, and that plant-filtered medication for burns and sores. Or have
rooms have 50–60 per cent fewer airborne microbes (like mould spores and bacteria). fresh herbs for cooking by getting some
Dr. Bill Wolverton, who wrote How to Grow Fresh Air and did an experiment for basil, chive, bay laurel, mint, oregano,
NASA using plants to detoxify space station environments, recommends at least two thyme or parsley plants — all easy enough
sizeable plants per 100 square feet of indoor space. to grow indoors.
PHOTO, NUKUI CHANADA
What works best? Health and gardening experts tout the golden pothis, bamboo Not everyone has a yard, and some people
palm, dragon tree, rubber plant, spider plant, potted mums, red-edged dracaena, may find gardening outside too taxing.
philodendron and Boston fern. No matter. You can still enjoy the health
“Indoor air isn’t the healthiest all the time. Plants are the most beautiful air advantages of house plants — something to
purifiers,” says Jessie Kee, seasonal plant product manager at Sheridan Nurseries in care for, that cares for us too — in any season.
Georgetown, Ontario. So bring the great outdoors indoors.
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Changes to your Here’s what’s
new for 2019.
health plan
For more information, visit rto-ero.org and search for “Group Benefits Update.”
1 RTO/ERO plans continue to
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and a top member benefit
even if they are not insured under
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2
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3
Eldercare Select
Eldercare Select services will no
longer be offered as part of your
Extended Health Care plan. Instead,
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through Best Doctors 360°‰.
You can receive condition-specific
website links and articles, physician
biographies and contact information
for specialists, groups, associations
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4
ILLUSTRATION, COSMAA
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feature
by decision
or by design
Meaningful connections enrich our lives and
invite us to explore the world on a more intimate level.
by Alison LaMantia
photography by Cylla von Tiedemann
Spring 2019 21D avid Phipps
(District 16 Toronto) is a decade from
retirement and deeply committed to his
work as Executive Director of Research and
Innovation Services at York University. But
that hasn’t stopped him from preparing for
life after work — by taking adult ballet at
Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto.
“I felt if I wanted to be meaningfully
Social planning on pointe
The relationship Phipps is building with Canada’s National Ballet
School is about more than social integration or even fitness — he’s
seeking a deeper connection that gives him purpose and supports his
overall wellbeing.
“Any time you work out, it’s sharpening the mind. Ballet is also about
the spirit. It’s not about turning us into dancers, but the identity of
dancers. It’s about how we feel,” says Phipps.
He’s also drawn to the school’s community focus. He sees opportunities
to use his professional skills to help others create connections and
stay committed.
Phipps has done adult ballet at other points in his life but says
experience isn’t necessary and you can join at any age.
“The ballet school is a diverse and welcoming environment. We have
engaged in retirement, I couldn’t just show adult dancers from 18 to 81 years old, with all levels of experience. But
up at 65 and expect the world to embrace we don’t have enough men. Men should absolutely not feel embarrassed
me,” says Phipps. “I’m setting the stage for about trying ballet,” Phipps says.
when I can engage fully.”
Phipps watched his father’s decline
after retirement and decided he wanted a “Any time you work out, it’s sharpening
the mind. Ballet is also about the spirit. It’s
different future for himself. He knew he
needed to take action to be ready to replace
the intense connection he has to his work.
“My father had a financial plan for
not about turning us into dancers, but the
retirement but no social plan,” explains
Phipps. “He’d chew through all sorts of social
identity of dancers. It’s about how we feel.”
things but never do anything for more than
six months. Ultimately, I think he got into
a depression. He had lost all the joy in his Follow David Phipps’ ballet adventures on Twitter @davidballet.
life. There’s enough of my dad in me, and Class information is available on Canada’s National Ballet School’s
I was very conscious I did not want that website nbs-enb.ca/Classes/Adult-Classes.
retirement experience.”
22THE POWER OF CANINE
COMPANIONSHIP
There’s a reason dogs are called
“man’s best friend.” Sure, they’re
companions, but for many
people, the companionship
goes far beyond unconditional
love — their dogs provide
critical support as service dogs.
COPE Service Dogs, an
Ontario-based charity, has
taken the idea of service-
dog training a step further
through the organization’s
Research links relationships Canines in the Classroom
program. Students in some
with living a good life Simcoe County District School
Board schools can earn high
school credits while they
learn essential literacy and
Perhaps the best-known study of the important role that relation- workplace skills by training their
ships play in our lives is the Harvard Study of Adult Development, furry workmates to become
which has run for more than 80 years. Initially, data was collected service dogs in the community.
from male Harvard students and males living in inner-city Boston. “COPE has taught me about
It’s since been expanded to include offspring of the original study leadership and has made me
participants, women included. more confident because I’m
In his 2015 TED Talk, Dr. Robert Waldinger, the study’s current training the dogs for a good
director, highlighted the correlation the researchers uncovered cause,” explains Clayton, a
between supportive relationships and flourishing lives. Learn student in the COPE program.
more and find the TED Talk at adultdevelopmentstudy.org. “I love the dogs, and they love
me back. What I have learned
will help me when I become
Embarrassment is only one reason that could prevent someone from a parent.”
pursuing an opportunity that may enhance their life. For Ann Spicer, Visit copedogs.org for
(District 7 Windsor Essex), it was reticence. more information.
When Spicer’s son broke the news that he had discovered she has four
half-siblings in England, she was reluctant to reach out. She was happy
with her life and wasn’t sure she wanted to get involved in what could be a
difficult situation.
Spicer’s son was communicating with her brother through Facebook
Messenger, and he shared the messages with her.
“I was reading what my brother was saying, and he sounded like a very
nice man,” she says. “He was funny, and his grammar was good. So, after
three weeks of reading, I joined the conversation.”
Building a new long-distance family relationship
The siblings began exchanging regular emails and text messages. The first
in-person meeting happened the same year, when Spicer’s brother and his
family came to visit Canada. Spicer has since travelled to England twice
and has hosted her sister and brother-in-law for Thanksgiving.
“Within minutes of meeting each other, we were kidding around and
ILLUSTRATION, GOODSTUDIO
being silly,” remembers Spicer. “I think the reason I felt so comfortable is
that they all like each other. And they were more than happy to welcome
me into the group.”
Spicer’s focus is on building the relationships. “I don’t have a long time,
but my kids and grandkids will have a full lifetime of relationships. That’s
probably the biggest impact it’s had on my life — knowing this will
extend the family.”
Spring 2019 23feature 24
feature
you reinvented
Embrace a spirit of adventure and put
your passions to work in a second career.
by Jennifer Lewington
illustrations by Lesha Petrick & Miniwide
Spring 2019 25A n adventurous outlook
on life fuels Judy Keightley.
Shortly after they married in the early
1970s, Zambia-born Judy and husband
Philip Keightley left England, buying a
used Land Rover to travel overland to
South Africa, where they then lived for
three years.
When Philip was posted to Iraq for
a civil engineering contract in the
“They are leveraging
1980s, the couple raised their family in
war-torn Baghdad.
By her late 30s, with four children
in tow, Keightley earned her teaching
degree. In 1992, the Keightleys moved to
Canada, where she taught for 30 years
their abilities in a new and
in Lambton County, Ont., while also
winning favourable reviews as a published good way, and they are
going to be the boss.”
playwright and author of the Rose Blair
mystery series.
So, when she closed the classroom
door for the final time in June 2018, why —
wouldn’t she embark on a new adventure Catherine Connolly
in retirement?
26Breaking ground
In Bayfield, a picturesque village on the shores
of Lake Huron where the Keightleys have lived
for 12 years, the couple recently purchased a
22-acre property to develop a winery and a
seniors-friendly subdivision of 23 bungalows
and attached units.
“Philip and I have never sat still; we have
PERCENTAGE OF SENIORS IN THE always had projects,” says Keightley, now writing
WORKFORCE, BY PROVINCE & TERRITORY 1 her seventh Bayfield-based mystery. “We thrive
on challenges.”
She is among a number of retired teachers
40% pursuing second careers by choice, not
financial need, often tapping the same creative
abilities and people skills they honed in the
classroom.
For example, Shannon McMullan (District 4
Sudbury & Manitoulin), concluded a
35-year career in 2008 as a music and drama
30%
teacher in Ottawa and Brockville, Ont., and
moved to Manitoulin Island, a longtime
summer destination where her mother ran a
well-known fine-art gallery for almost 40 years.
Active in local amateur theatre, McMullan
became a partner in Perivale Gallery with her
mother, who died in 2012, before taking over as
owner and curator.
20% Open from May to mid-September, the
gallery offers art classes and sells contemporary
works from artists on Manitoulin and beyond.
McMullan was recognized in 2018 as “tourism
innovator of the year” by the Northern Ontario
Tourism Summit for “outstanding efforts” to
promote the region to visitors.
10% Meanwhile, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., veteran
music teacher Ken Piirtoniemi (District 3
Algoma), retired since 2006, runs his own
publishing company, Lifelong Music, selling
his popular compositions for school bands and
Full time ensembles. A tuba player and occasional supply
teacher, Piirtoniemi is also a brass instructor
Part time
at Algoma University and the Algoma
NU YT NT SK AB PE MB BC ON NS NB QC NL Conservatory of Music. An accomplished tree
feller from his youth working in bush camps in
Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2016.
1
northern Ontario, he also cuts trees for himself
and his neighbours.
Spring 2019 27PERCENTAGE OF SENIORS IN
THE WORKFORCE, 1980 TO 2015 2
1980 4.7 ⁄ 9.3
1985 4.0 ⁄ 7.9
1990 4.4 ⁄ 7.4
1995 3.4 ⁄ 6.7
2000 3.6 ⁄ 7.3
2005 4.4 ⁄ 9.0
2010 5.5 ⁄ 11.1
2015 5.9 ⁄ 13.8
0% 5% 10% 15% 20%
Full time
Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 1981, 1986, 1991,
2
Part time 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2016; National Household Survey, 2011.
Motives for working
All three retirees are “great examples of pensions compared to retirees forced to work
the entrepreneurial spirit” among working into their 70s to offset inadequate savings and
seniors, says Catherine Connolly, a Canada meagre pension benefits.
Research Chair in Organizational Behaviour Adults also live longer, healthier lives
at McMaster University in Hamilton, citing a than previous generations, he adds. “We are
desire for “variety, change of pace, structure, undoubtedly going to see this [second-career
social interaction and meaningfulness” as “pull retirement] trend continue ... a big chunk of us
factors” in choosing to work in retirement. will keep working [past 65].”
These retirees can forge their own paths in At 66, Piirtoniemi has written almost 60
activities suited to their age and experience, she works for concert bands and arranged music
says. “They are leveraging their abilities in a new for solo parts. His first published work,
and good way, and they are going to be the boss.” Superior Fanfare, proved so popular that other
A recent census study by Statistics Canada publishers asked to reprint the music.
found that 13.9 per cent of Canadians aged On the advice of a business teacher,
65 and older were working in 2016, up from Piirtoniemi set up his own publishing firm in
8.4 per cent in 2001, with seniors with a 2000 to sell his copyrighted music to schools
bachelor’s degree or higher and those without and others, from beginner-level to experienced
private retirement income more likely to work musicians. His niche business gives him full
than others in their age group. control over his work instead of selling to an
“This is a secular, deeper trend,” unrelated established music publisher.
to economic cycles, observes Mikal Skuterud, His post-retirement career “is fulfilling the
a labour economist at the University of creative urge I have always had ... it is a form of
Waterloo. Teachers, he notes, are among a self-satisfaction,” says Piirtoniemi. “I can’t see
dwindling minority of retirees with solid sitting somewhere idle.”
28You can also read
