Carole Taylor's Journal

82 | How to be a Super-Ager (w/ Doug Clement, sports medicine researcher)

On this episode of Journal: a look at super-agers. The official definition is someone in their 80s and 90s, with the cognitive ability of someone 20 or 30 years younger. Most of us could come up with the basics of how to live longer besides your genes, of course: exercise, eat well, sleep at least eight hours a night, and so on. Easier said than done. What exactly do we mean by exercise? Does it have to be strenuous? Does it have to be everyday? If you didn’t exercise when you were young, is it too late to start? And with food: Does this mean no more French fries or jamoca-almond fudge ice cream ever again? Does it mean we have to be rigidly pure vegetables, fruit and fish – and, oh yes – whole grains and beans? Good luck with that! Yet, I found it interesting that when I looked up super-agers, the first half dozen articles were about supplements – supplements that would bring improved clarity, stamina, and cellular energy with just one “patch.” Another promises to combat cellular aging for good. I guess if it were as easy as taking one pill a day, we could all be super-agers. So, instead of the internet, I decided to go to one of my favourite super-agers, Dr. Doug Clement, for advice. Now in his 90s, Doug was an Olympic athlete (as was his vivacious wife Diane) in the 1950s. Along the way, Doug graduated from med school and went on to introduce the practice of sports medicine to all of Canada. In recognition, he was awarded Canada’s highest honour, the Order of Canada, 34 years ago. Doug is lively, interesting, and opinionated – characteristics of a great super-ager. --- Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

81 | Ottawa: What’s Happening? (w/ Mario Canseco, Research Co.)

On this edition of Journal, we take a closer look at the federal political landscape through a pollster’s eyes. The people of Canada elected a minority Liberal government and now – poof – we have a majority government. Are people happy with that? I have always found in my research that polls give us a snapshot of where we are at and what people are thinking at a given moment in time. Obviously, they are not perfect, but if you use them looking for trends or changes, they can be useful. So, some questions: With a “new” majority Liberal government in Ottawa, what has changed in the business of governing Canada, if anything? I assume there will be no patience for more words and speeches. People will now expect some action. Does this bare majority seem rock solid? How do people feel about budget overruns, or do they care? Now that an imminent election seems off the table, does Mr. Poilievre’s position seem diminished? Is his leadership of the Conservative party secure? What are the top-of-mind issues for Canadians? Who are the influencers behind the scenes – those voices leaders choose to listen to? How is the Trump card playing now? And here is a loaded question: what do Canadians think of floor-crossers and their ability to create a majority government when none existed after the election? I always have a lot of questions, so for some guidance on these issues, I have asked Mario Canseco of Research Co. to join me and provide some factual context. Again, this is just a moment in time, but a really interesting moment in time. --- Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

80 | What to Do About Men’s Health (w/ Kenton Boston, CEO of Canadian Men’s Health Foundation)

On this edition of Journal, we focus on the challenges facing boys and men in today’s society. We know that more women than men make it to post secondary education. But did you know that men have a 75% greater chance of overdosing on opioids than women? Men are also three times more likely to commit suicide. And men don’t tend to take early warning signs of health issues seriously before they become major problems. Why? A recently announced federal initiative called “The National Men and Boys’ Health Strategy” provoked the subtitle: It’s time to stop sucking it up and start talking it out. But long before this recent Canada-wide initiative, which is welcome news, Vancouver’s Dr. Larry Goldenberg was ringing similar alarms. He formed the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation in 2009 with the self-proclaimed mission to stop men from self-destructing and to apply a men’s lens to population health. He says men don’t want to hear the tired old message of “eat your vegetables, exercise more, and stop smoking.” Instead, he promotes the idea that you don’t have to change much just get started and, in that way, potentially add ten healthy years to your life. It is a holistic approach: physical health, mental health, relationships, and purpose. 17 years later, that Foundation is now headed by Kenton Boston as CEO, and he joins us to look at the various societal pressures and expectations that we are putting on our boys and men that lead to some of these depressing results – and what we can do to change these outcomes, whether it is in prostate cancer or mental health. --- Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

79 | Seniors are Alone (w/ Dan Levitt)

On this edition of Journal, seniors services. For 11 years, British Columbia’s Seniors Advocate has been measuring the challenges facing our seniors. Sad to say, it’s not a pretty picture. In fact, Dan Levitt, our Seniors Advocate, says when you look at the data, we are actually going backwards – not nearly meeting today’s requirements, let alone preparing for the future as a tsunami of aging hits our society. Waitlists are growing: for seniors, hip surgery waits have increased 72% over the last 6 years and knee replacement waits are up 61%. In the recent provincial budget, seniors were hit hard with new sales taxes on basics – hard to swallow when you are on a fixed income. More importantly, 7 long-term bed projects already in process around the province were withdrawn, to be “re-paced” – a euphemism for “good luck if they ever come back.” But the need for these beds is extreme. Last year there were over 7,000 seniors in BC on a waitlist for a long-term bed: an increase of 200% over six years ago. I am cognizant of financial restrictions. But think of this: for every senior taking up a hospital bed they no longer require, it costs the government an average of $1,200 per day. However, they can’t be released because there isn’t a care bed available in the community. If there were, that cost would be much less – around $300. So this is an example of government inaction costing money rather than saving money. As BC’s Seniors Advocate, Dan Levitt has been collecting this data and trying to get the attention of the government while there is still some hope for action. --- Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

78 | How DRIPA Happened (w/ Mike de Jong, former MLA)

How did DRIPA, the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act – supposedly a step forward in reconciliation – become such a political and legal mess? On this edition of Journal, we speak with a man who was a member of the British Columbia legislature that gave birth to the now-controversial DRIPA bill, Mike de Jong. No stranger to this file, Mike served as the aboriginal critic when in the BC Liberal opposition and then Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation in the Gordon Campbell government. This was, of course, in addition to serving as Attorney General, Minister of Finance, Minister of Health, and on, and on. In other words – a senior politician to be taken seriously. Not surprisingly, on this complicated and controversial DRIPA bill, Mike had questions. A lot of questions. How would it work? Had the bill been vetted by the province’s lawyers? And there were other voices expressing concern. Jody Wilson Rayboud also warned this would be unworkable. Yet, even after a passionate speech from MLA and former Haisla chief Ellis Ross, warning of the dangers of this bill, DRIPA was voted on and passed – unanimously. Two years later, adding more fuel to the fire, the government introduced an amendment to the Interpretation Act, saying all provincial laws “must” be consistent with UNDRIP. It’s that word “must” that has been taken seriously by the courts. What happened? Well, we know what’s happened: court decisions against the government, lawsuits, accusations, and flip-flops. A fine mess. To bring context to how we find ourselves in this position, Mike de Jong. --- Carole Taylor's Journal is a public affairs dialogue that digs deep into the most pressing issues of our times. For more, see our website at http://www.caroletaylorsjournal.ca. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.