Zoomer Week In Review

There is another scourge that has come along with the pandemic and it’s so bad that the World Health Organization has given it an official name, "The Infodemic". Tim Caulfield is a professor at the University of Alberta who specializes in health law and has written extensively on debunking junk science and misinformation. He’ll be one of the speakers at the Vaccine Summit presented by CARP on Thursday March 25th. To sign up go to: carp.ca/vaccinesummit AND It is an all too common affliction that affects more than 3 million Canadians, mostly women and costs the economy billions in lost productivity. But there has been progress in treating migraine. To mark Brain Health Awareness Week, I talked to Peter Goadsby, professor of neurology at UCLA and one of the winners of the 2021 Brain Prize.

Millions of  people around the world watched last week’s explosive interview with Harry and Meghan. They accused the royal family of racism and callous indifference to a mental health crisis. It left many people questioning the value of the institution - here at home, more Canadians than ever think it’s time to drop the monarchy. Libby Znaimer talked with pollster Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. And One year on, the pandemic has found its way into culture and art. Toronto’ s Poet laureate Albert Moritz captured the tragedy in long term care in his poem, “Exactly Here the Marvel Spoke” to commemorate one year since the beginning of the pandemic.

Interview 1: Andre Picard What will it take to finally fix our eldercare system in Canada? It’s a question that is at the top of our agenda and now award-winning Globe and mail Health columnist Andre Picard has a prescription in his new book "Neglected No More: The Urgent Need to Improve the Lives of Canada's Elders in the Wake of a Pandemic," Libby reached Andre in Vancouver. Interview 2: Sarah Willen Usually, history is written only by the powerful. That’s the starting point for the Pandemic Journaling Project - which wants to ensure that what you and your family are living through is not forgotten. Libby talked with Sarah Willen at the university of Connecticut.

Interview One: Dr. Michael Verbora Zoomers remember psychedelic drugs and the backlash against them, as part of the counterculture of the 60’s. Now they are re-emerging as a promising area of research and treatment for mental illnesses like anxiety, depression and PTSD. Libby talked with Dr. Michael Verbora. He’s a practitioner of psychedelic-assisted therapy and he was a presenter at the Psychedelic Summit held at Zoomer Hall. Interview Two: Mark Hawkins Most of us think of boredom as something very negative. And it is easier than ever to distract ourselves from it with social media, binge-watching, and busy-making activities. But author Mark Hawkins argues we can use boredom to create a life full of purpose and meaning.

Interview One: Hazel McCallion Part 2 It started with volunteering in her local community. That’s what propelled Hazel McCallion into an extraordinary career in politics, at a time when women politicians were a rarity. Here’s part two of our interview marking her 100th birthday. Interview Two: Dr. Marcus Butler For decades, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation were the primary treatments for cancer patients. Now, the biggest advances are in immunotherapy, which harnesses the patient’s own immune system. It’s becoming a go-to treatment for some metastatic cancers and  improving survival rates for these patients. Who can benefit the most? Libby Znaimer talked with Medical Oncologist Dr. Marcus Butler,  Director of Princess Margaret Immune Monitoring Laboratory,

Interview One: Hazel McCallion Today is Hazel McCallion’s 100th birthday! We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to sit down with her a few weeks ago to talk about her to talk about her remarkable life. While most of us are familiar with the broad outlines of her career, the story of how she got there from very modest beginnings is not. In this episode are some of our very long, very long socially distanced talk in Zoomer Hall. Next week we’ll have part two, talking about Hazel’s remarkable career. And in the meantime, you can watch the TV version tomorrow Monday Feb. 15 on The Zoomer at 10 PM on our sister station VisionTV Interview Two: Kirk Pickersgill Amanda Gorman, America’s National Youth Poet laureate, made headlines reciting a poem at the recent Presidential Inauguration. The performance catapulted her to international fame and landed her on the cover of Time Magazine. The gown she chose for that prestigious picture is by Canadian fashion label Greta Constantine, designed by Stephen Wong

INTERVIEW ONE: JEAN AUGUSTINE It was December 1995 when the House of Commons officially recognized February as Black History Month in Canada, after unanimously passing a motion introduced by Jean Augustine, who two years earlier was the first African-Canadian woman elected as MP, representing the Toronto riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore. After deciding not to seek re-election in 2006, she moved on to new challenges, which to this day involve addressing systemic barriers and racial inequalities in education through the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora at York University. INTERVIEW TWO: JAMIE GOLOMBEK COVID-19 has put a lot of pressure on couples. In fact, the pandemic is leading more to seek advice about separation and divorce. With the COVID-related financial pressures, and money being one of the key sources of friction among couples, Jaime Golombek, managing director of tax and estate planning at CIBC, goes over what they should be thinking about as they consider and make life alter

The pandemic has dramatically widened the income gap between rich and poor in Canada. That’s the conclusion of research from CIBC, which found that low-paid workers suffered the vast majority of the job losses while there has been a surprising increase in higher-paid jobs. Libby Znaimer talked with economist Benjamin Tal. AND He’s poached salmon in the dishwasher and made garbage pizza with old potatoes and other discarded vegetables. Cookbook author and TV food personality Bob Blumer has learned from everyone, from  top chefs to faraway street vendors around the globe. He has tips we can all use in our home kitchens in his latest book Flavorbomb: A Rogue Guide to Making Everything Taste Better. Libby reached him at home in Los Angeles

This week, the Biden administration took power in the U.S. with 25,000 national guard troops standing by. Since the storming of the capitol two weeks earlier, security experts agree that right wing extremists pose the biggest domestic threat to America. Libby Znaimer talked with Bryan Hughes, associate director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University. AND As if caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s wasn’t hard enough, the pandemic has magnified the challenges for both caregivers and patients and for many, it has hastened the course of the disease.  Kerri Thompson is the essential caregiver for her mom Joyce, who lives at a retirement residence in Aurora.

Next week, Kamala Harris will be sworn in as the first female, first Black, and first South Asian Vice-President of the United States. She will also grace the February cover of the iconic Vogue magazine. But there’s growing backlash over the casual styling of the cover shot, which you can see here, and which critics say is disrespectful. Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour says there was no disrespect intended. Libby asked Suzanne Boyd, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Zoomer Magazine, to decode the controversy. AND Given that the pandemic is hitting the older population especially hard, we think it’s a good time to take another look at the science behind aging well. Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin’s book, Successful Aging has just come out in paperback and Libby reached him, in lockdown, in Los Angeles.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has delivered a blunt message for Canadians wanting to head south - If you get stuck in the US or elsewhere, Canada won't help you get home. But a growing number of Zoomers are ignoring his advice now that they can get vaccinations in Florida. Travel Insurance broker Marty Firestone’s phone has been ringing off the hook with Snowbirds changing their minds about making the trip. AND If there is anything we are learning from the pandemic, it is the urgent need to reform homecare so that most of us can age in place and stay out of nursing homes. Libby Znaimer talked to Andre Picard, the Globe and Mail’s award winning health columnist , when he was part of a panel on a special edition of the Zoomer, on our sister station VisionTV. You watch the special homecare edition of the Zoomer Monday Jan. 11 at 11 PM Channel 60 on Rogers 261 on Bell satellite TV.

What are your resolutions for 2021? Do they include the usual ones? Eating better, exercising more, or keeping up your physical fitness regime? A lot of Canadians walked more than they probably ever have in the past year but if you’re stuck in making resolutions Bob Komsic spoke to University of Regina psychology professor Katherine Arbuthnott and began by asking just how difficult is it to make for THIS year. AND Have you decided when to start collecting your Canada Pension Plan? A thousand Canadians make that decision every day and most start taking CPP early at the age of 60. But if you can afford it, delaying until age 70 means an extra hundred-thousand-dollars over the course of your retirement. Libby Znaimer spoke to actuary Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald, who crunched the numbers in a paper for Ryerson University’s National Institute on Ageing.

There’s less than a week left to make a tax deductible charitable donation for 2020. Normally nearly two thirds of Canadians would be scrambling to get those contributions in before the deadline. But pandemic financial pressure means fewer people will be donating and those who are able to give will give less. Libby talked with Bruce Macdonald, CEO of Imagine Canada, about a survey on the state of our giving. AND Are you looking forward to enjoying a meal out? It’s a simple pleasure that many of us took for granted before Covid-19. But with many places forced to close up for good, what will the post-vaccine, post-pandemic restaurants look like? Libby talked with food writer Corey Mintz.

Are you still debating your holiday plans even though most of the authorities are recommending that we celebrate with our own households only? There’s an online questionnaire to assess your risk depending on your answers to a whole raft of questions. Leading gerontologist, Dr. Samir Sinha, designed the tool called "My Covid Visit Risk" for Ryerson University's National Institute on Ageing. AND This Christmas, big family gatherings are out...so what do you do about the big festive Christmas meal that is so much a part of the holiday, the tradition, and family history? Libby gets some ideas from food columnist, editor, and cookbook author Lucy Waverman.

A quarter of Canadians over 65 are caregivers and it's no surprise that the pandemic has been especially hard on them. With less outside help, they are spending more time and money on their loved ones, making it much more difficult to manage. Libby talked with Amy Coupal of the Ontario Caregiver Association about the group’s latest spotlight survey. AND Have you ever heard of Pitseolak Asuna or Robertine Barry? They are two of eight short-listed candidates to be the face of our new five dollar bill. Public opinion polls show that Terry Fox is the popular favourite but that may not be a deciding factor in who gets to replace Louis St. Laurent, our 12th Prime Minister. Bank of Canada spokesperson Amelie Ferron Craig filled Libby in.

This week, the Trudeau government announced a 1.5-billion dollar Safe LTC Fund. Advocates worry that there aren’t enough strings attached to the money to ensure that the provinces will do the right things to protect vulnerable residents now. Libby Znaimer talked with Minister of Seniors Deb Schulte. AND The stress of the pandemic is making things worse for many people suffering from conditions like chronic pain, arthritis and fibromyalgia. Medical cannabis may be the answer. Libby Znaimer reached Dr. Arash Taghvai, Apollo Cannabis Clinics Manager of Clinical Affairs.

For more than a year, Toronto City Councillor Jaye Robinson has been sidelined by a gruelling and lengthy treatment for a complicated case of breast cancer. She went through most of it at the height of the pandemic. Libby Znaimer talked with Jaye about her experience after she returned to her first council meeting this week. AND There’s no question that the pandemic has disrupted the spectrum of cancer care, delaying diagnoses and treatment for many patients, and halting some clinical trials. And although healthcare systems have been reorganizing to meet the challenge, it’s also made things much harder for the doctors provisioning care. Libby talked with Dr. Sharlene Gill, a BC Medical Oncologist, and President Elect of the Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists.

"What About Black Lives?" is the the new single from Dan Hill's first album in 11 years. It's been about 4 years since we talked to the award-winning singer-songwriter, as he took time out to deal with personal and mental health issues. It was a pleasure to chat with him again. AND This week there was great news about the promising results of two potential Covid-19 vaccines. The federal government has purchased millions of doses of both the Pfizer and the Moderna versions, which have yet to be approved. In addition to the logistics which have to be sorted out, there are big ethical questions to answer, about who will get vaccinated first. Libby talked with Dr. Alison Thompson, a university of Toronto bioethicist, who is advising the province. 

This week began with the good news that Pfizer and its partner, the German company, BioNTech, have a vaccine that is 90% effective, at least according to preliminary results. How good is that news and what will it take to vaccinate Canadians. Libby Znaimer reached Dr. Jillian Kohler, professor at the University of Toronto's Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. AND This year's Scotiabank Giller Prize winning book, "How To Pronounce Knife" is part of a long tradition of Canadian literature about the immigrant experience. Author Souvankham Thammavongsa was born in a refugee camp in Thailand and arrived with her parents at the age of one. Libby chatted with her after she won the $100,000 prize.

Either the 74-year old Donald Trump, or Joe Biden, who turns 78 on Nov. 20, will break the record for oldest president ever inaugurated. There have been questions about both their mental states, but both have come through grueling campaigns. Will this change society's view of aging? Libby Znaimer reached Brent Green, an American expert in demographics and generational marketing. AND This holiday giving season presents the perfect storm for frontline charities. The pandemic is causing a huge drop in donations along with a massive increase in demand. Charity intelligence is out with its annual top 100 ratings to help you make sure to get the biggest impact from the dollars we donate. Libby talked with managing director Kate Bahen.