Alberta Blue Cross® and the Injury Prevention Centre have teamed up to create a timely new resource to support Alberta seniors as they emerge from the pandemic.
“The pandemic has been a challenging time for everyone, but the last 17 months have taken a particular toll on Alberta seniors,” says Brian Geislinger, Vice-President of Corporate Relations with Alberta Blue Cross®. “Many older adults have been living under quarantine and in isolation with reduced access to exercise, activity, socialization and interaction with peers—and in many cases have experienced an impact on their physical, mental and emotional health.”
Based on a resource produced in the United Kingdom, the Keeping Well resource is a 32-page booklet that contains a myriad of useful information for seniors ranging from activity and exercise tips to advice on fall prevention, healthy eating, medication use, vision care, mental health, and even avoiding fraud and scams.
“Keeping Well is essentially a practical resource to help and encourage seniors to re-engage post-pandemic,” says Kathy Belton, Associate Director of the Alberta Injury Prevention Centre. “As we see public health measures easing, we want to ensure older adults have the confidence to get back to living their best lives.”
Keeping Well will be distributed across the province through seniors’ resource and recreation centres, seniors’ service organizations, and seniors’ independent living residences. Information about the resource will also be provided to physicians, nurses and pharmacies to share with their patients. Sponsorship for printing the booklet was provided by the Burke Group, an Edmonton-based printer. The free resource is also available for download or to order online from findingbalancealberta.ca
“My parents are in their early 80s and I’ve seen the tough time they’ve had over the last year living under the cloud of COVID, so I know firsthand that many of us have loved ones, friends or neighbours who could really benefit from this resource,” says Geislinger.
This media release was shared as a news story on
For more information please contact Kathy Belton, Associate Director of the Injury Prevention Centre, at kathy.belton@ualberta.ca or 780-719-2399; or Sharmin Hislop, Director of Corporate Communications, Alberta Blue Cross® at shislop@ab.bluecross.ca or 780-231-6356.
