Zoomer Week In Review

We know him as a leading geriatrician and member of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table - and he’s also a frequent guest on this radio station. So what is making Dr. Nathan Stall turn to politics? Libby talked with him shortly after he announced that he is seeking the Ontario Liberal nomination in Toronto-St. Paul’s. AND Beekeeping has been booming because of the pandemic. With people spending more time at home;  an increased focus on the natural world; and local, sustainable food has made this a big covid-era hobby. Libby chatted with Michelle Wolfson of the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association.

Vaccine hesitancy is declining in Canada. But recent polling shows that between 17 and 20% of Canadians still need to be convinced to get their shots. Why are they fearful and what makes them come around? Libby talked with Peta-Gay Batten - executive assistant at the RNAO who recently rolled up her sleeves. Last week, museums re-opened their doors to the public, You can already go to the movies and theatre are preparing to welcome back audiences in house. Are you ready? And Is this enough to help our battered cultural sector recover. Libby talked with Claire Hopkinson, Director and CEO of Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Arts Foundation

This week the government convened two summits to combat hate: one on Islamophobia, one on Antisemitism. The circumstances of the latter gathering were dictated by the alarming rise in hate against the Jewish community. It was mostly closed to the public to ensure the safety of those participating. Former federal justice minister Irwin Cotler, now Canada's special envoy for preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism, was front and centre. Libby reached him in Montreal. AND The pandemic has changed the way we see ageing and our priorities for healthcare as the virus fades. According to the National Institute on Ageing, older Ontarians want adequate homecare while the government is focused on building new LTC homes. And the homecare system is dysfunctional - with the public agency the PC’s promised to abolish still in place while private companies deliver the care. Libby talked to leading geriatrician Dr. Samir Sinha, who is the NIA’s Director of health policy research

It’s an invisible injury that many, including Zoomers, may suffer in their lifetime, concussions. Now, Toronto researchers have created a calculator to identify those at high risk for prolonged symptoms. We reached Doctor Mark Bayley, medical director at University Health Network's Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, who says the tool gives doctors a risk score based on patients' answers to five questions. AND Canadian retirements are beginning to return to normal after the uncertainty of the pandemic held many back. A new report by RBC economic predicts a renewed surge of retirement in the second half of this year, after retirements fell about 20 percent last year as a result of uncertainty about retirement savings as the pandemic arrived. Andrew Apogsowicz is senior economist with RBC.

Mary Simon will be Canada’s first Indigenous governor general. The 74-year-old Inuk leader and former diplomat grew up in a remote village in northern Quebec and has committed her life to advocating for Inuit rights. Parallels can be drawn between Mary Simon and Canada’s 26th government general Adrienne Clarkson, this country’s first person of Asian descent appointed to the position, who also championed the rights of northern indigenous communities during her tenure. We reached the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson to get her reaction to the new appointment. AND The pandemic meant people focused on the three P’s - puppies, peletons and property as people spent more time at home. Now a new study by Royal LePage dispels some myths about boomers and property...and finds when it comes to housing, the older generation has no intention of slowing down and are turning a cold shoulder to retirement. We reached Royal LePage President CEO Phil Soper to dig deeper into these emerging trends.

Technology is enabling the discovery of unmarked graves of indigenous children on sites of former residential schools. The system is called ground penetrating radar and it is also used extensively in the construction industry. Dr. Terence Clark of the University of Saskatchewan is a practitioner and he tells Libby Znaimer that locating these burial grounds involves art as well as science. AND How does our response to COVID-19 compare to the way other catastrophes have been handled through the ages? Why have some countries been so much more successful at controlling the pandemic? Historian Niall Ferguson tackles these questions in his latest book “Doom: the Politics of Catastrophe.” Libby reached him in London.

Where is the first place you want to travel post-COVID? Zoomers are starting to prepare and plan now that fully vaccinated Canadians won’t have to quarantine when they return home from abroad. Libby Znaimer chatted with Zoomer Magazine’s Executive Editor and travel expert Vivian Vassos. And It’s a problem that plagues our healthcare system: patients who no longer need to be in hospital but can’t go home and have nowhere else to go. There are about 4000 of these patients in Ontario hospitals, and some are stuck there for years. It’s miserable for them, expensive for the system, and takes up much needed acute care beds. One organization found a solution for people with mental health and addiction issues. Libby talked with Heather MacDonald CEO of Loft Community Services.

Canadians are waiting longer for hip and knee replacements because tens of thousands of operations were postponed or cancelled during the pandemic. According to numbers from the Canadian institute for health information, 50% percent of patients did not get their new joints within the recommended 6 month wait time frame. How long will it take to catch up? Libby Znaimer talked with Dr. Peter Ferguson, the Albert and Temmy Latner Chair Division of Orthopaedics at the University of Toronto’s Department of Surgery. AND Are you anxious about going back to the office, or a concert, or finding yourself in a crowd or a close lineup? A recent poll finds more than half of Canadians are uneasy about going back to the way things were. Libby reached Dr. Steven Taylor, professor of psychology at UBC and author The Psychology of Pandemics: Preparing for the Next Global Outbreak of Infectious Disease.

It’s being hailed as the first new Alzheimer’s treatment in 18 years and the first to slow disease progression. But some experts say there’s not enough evidence that Aducanumab actually works. Dr. Sharon Cohen, director of the Toronto Memory Program, was a clinical trial investigator in the drug’s phase 3 trial and has a number of patients who are taking it. Libby Znaimer reached her in Toronto. AND New research suggests there is a hard upper limit to the human life span - but according to the study in Nature Communications, it could be as high as 150 years! Dr. Jay Olshansky is a Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His work focuses on estimating the upper limits of longevity and what that means for the aging population.

Over the last two decades, the number of Zoomers in the workforce has nearly tripled. But they are subject to pervasive negative typecasting that holds them back. A new report from Federal, Provincial, and Territorial ministers responsible for seniors, surveys the stereotypes that feed into ageism. Libby Znaimer talk to demographic expert David Cravit, CARP's chief membership officer. AND It’s the first ever cookbook inspired by the two year old Canada Food Guide and it comes just as many of us are trying to get back on track after pandemic stress-eating and weight gain. Libby talked to author Rose Reisman about what she calls a Meal Revolution.

Women executives in this country earn about 56% less compared with men and are on average slightly younger. That's according to a recent study from Statistics Canada. Economist Marina Adshade, an assistant professor at the University of B.C., says the finding about age may offer a clue as to the cause of the pay gap. AND She's been in the real estate game for decades in cottage country, but Muskoka agent Catharine Inniss says she’s never seen anything like this.

The term "war crimes" has been thrown around a lot amid the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Libby Znaimer turned to Janice Stein, an expert in Middle East studies and conflict management and Founding Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs. AND What will happen to COVID-19 patients who leave the ICU with long-term side effects of the illness? Dr. Raphael Rush is clinical director of Complex and Continuing Care at the Salvation Army-Toronto Grace Hospital. He says their recovery will require many more resources and he is warning that rehabilitation could become the fourth wave.

Alzheimer’s disease afflicts half a million Canadians and there is still no effective therapy. A pilot study from baycrest and Sunnybrrok finds that low dose radiation can bring remarkable improvement at least for awhile. And it started when a researcher had an idea to help a friend. Researcher Jerry Cuttler joins Libby to share his experience. AND Perdita Felicien’s memoir is a love letter to her mother Catherine, who faced racism, abuse and hostility after coming to Canada from St. Lucia as a domestic worker. Felicien tells the story of how the two beat the odds together as she went on to an illustrious career as a ten-time Canadian hurdling champion, a world champion, and an two-time Olympian.  Libby talked to her about the book, My Mother’s Daughter: A Memoir of Struggle and Triumph. 

Like most things during the pandemic, there’s been a stampede to pivot online. This includes the health care system. Family physician, and U of T professor, Sheryl Spithoff recently wrote an op-ed piece condemning health care’s pivot to virtual learning arguing that with so many corporations wanting a slice of the pie, it’ll drive up costs, create fragmented care and pose a risk to privacy. AND Two Toronto-based engineers have created a texting tool to help us all amid the confusing world of booking COVID-19 vaccines. It offers a more user friendly way to book without navigating website portals or calling around to different pharmacies. It’s just one more tool in the province’s fight against COVID-19. Christine Ross spoke with Zain Manji, one of the two men behind it, to find out how it works.

This week, two devastating reports detailed the failure of Ontario’s long-term care sector to protect elder residents. Where should we look for the right kind of change? Author Moira Welsh takes us through unique facilities that show how the right living arrangements can help people live with purpose and connection. We talked about her book "Happily Ever Older: Revolutionary Approaches to LTC.” AND Most of us don’t give it much thought: polite small talk with a co-worker or a quick conversation with a stranger we pass in the park. Some of us write off these interactions as meaningless. But the pandemic has shown that they are integral to our wellbeing and sense of belonging and we miss them more than we realize. Psychology Professor Dr. Francis McAndrew has done research on the subject and Libby Znaimer reached him at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.

An independent review recently found systemic discrimination contributed to deficiencies in a number of missing-persons investigations conducted by Toronto police. The review, led by former judge Gloria Epstein, examined policies and procedures related to missing-persons cases, as well as how officers investigated the disappearances of residents who were later found to have been killed. It focused on 10 cases, including the eight men murdered by serial killer Bruce McArthur. Epstein says she found ''serious flaws'' in how missing-persons cases, even beyond those at the centre of the review, were investigated. For reaction, Bob Komsic spoke with Justin Ling, author of "Missing from the Village" the story of Bruce McArthur. AND Community organization needs and volunteer roles are changing rapidly as a result of the pandemic. The slogan of this year’s National Volunteer Week is "The value of one. The power of many". Volunteer Canada is a charity that helps to increase the giving of one’s time. Its presiden

Despite a turbulent year of grounded air travel around the world, experts predict travel will be cleared for take off post pandemic but with some noticeable changes. Post pandemic air travel will be more complex and carry a few unavoidable features, like higher travel and insurance costs, and possible vaccine passports. Christine Ross spoke with Richard Smart, CEO of the Travel Industry Council of Ontario. AND After more than a year of lock down, many of us have lived a more sustainable lifestyle, sometimes not by choice, whether driving less to work or shopping less. And there’s been hope amid a dark year as we celebrate Earth Day this coming Thursday, as vaccines were rolled out quicker than even the experts predicted leaving some to argue if the world can unite to tackle an unseen monster like COVID 19, surely we can defeat an invisible beast like climate change. Not so fast says Douglas Macdonald, with School of the Environment at the University of Toronto, who argues they are distinctly different.

Half of all Canadians now say COVID-19 has impacted their mental health. A recent survey finds for women it’s 6-in-10, jumping to 7-in-10 for those aged 18 to 24 as the current stay-at-home order has some wondering just when will the pandemic end. This has led many to reach out for, or consider,  mental health support. And with so many taking long walks, more and more counsellors are offering nature-based sessions. Among them is Adrian Juric of Vancouver Walk & Talk Therapy. AND Spring is not only when homeowners have to clean up their yards and gardens. It’s also the time some get the urge to purge and organize their place. It doesn’t matter whether one’s looking to prepare to possibly downsize in this hot market or stay put, organizing and moving expert Kathy McEwan of Second Set of Hands is here to help.

Flexibility of working from home and the desire for larger living spaces have fuelled a boom in finding a place away from big cities this past year. With that in mind, ratesdotca set out to identify the best small towns or rural areas to live in. Mortgage editor Rob McLister is here to talk about their "Livability Report". AND While robins remind us spring’s here, the temperatures sometimes slap us in the face, literally, and we remember it’s EARLY spring. But it’s not too soon to think about returning to our gardens or starting one. Just ask Charlie Dobbin, host of the Garden Show, Saturday’s at 9 on Zoomer Radio.

This week’s Ontario budget doubled the child benefit for parents. But for those caring for their elders, there was nothing - despite the increased financial burdens caused by Covid-19. Aimee Roberto cares for her mother Julieta Pante and she shared the struggles of the last year. And By now, it’s old hat, the internet is full of pandemic Passover memes and e-book offers. But for the second year the community won’t be able to gather around crowded family tables and next weekend churches will only be able to accommodate a small number of worshippers to celebrate Easter. I reached Rabbi David Seed of the Adath Israel Congregation and Father Michael McGoarty of St. Peter’s Parish.