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A Cinco de Mayo V!VAlicious Recipe
We don’t need a reason for Mexican food or margaritas, but if we did, Cinco de Mayo is the perfect opportunity to celebrate and enjoy a V!VAlicious Mexican dish and cocktail provided by V!VA Whitby Shores’ Executive Chef, Robert, and Culinary Services Manager, Kelly.
Enjoy this recipe with family and friends in the spirit of this traditional holiday!
See full blog post here: https://vivalife.ca/a-cinco-de-mayo-vvalicious-recipe-2/
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It’s Apple Season!
Apple dessert recipes are perfect for the fall. They bring comfort and joy to family gatherings and celebrations. Using simple, local ingredients and delicious flavors, Executive Chef Robert Robertson from V!VA Oakville shares an easy (and delightful!) recipe you can doll up with your favorite ice cream.
Try this recipe for your next gathering and impress your guests with a treat that will have them asking for seconds.
See full blog post here: https://vivalife.ca/its-apple-season/
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How “Being a friend” has made a difference.
“Being a friend” is one of our founding Orange Dot Values at V!VA, so we spoke with a few of our Team Members to learn more about how friendship is central to life at V!VA Retirement Communities. Joining us from a few different V!VA locations are Matthew and Natasha, two of our Community Relations Managers, Karen, a Lifestyles Manager, and Kelly-Ann, one of our Culinary Managers.
Hi everyone – thanks for joining us today! Displaying kindness and respect to everyone we interact with can truly impact the experience in our Communities. What acts of kindness have you witnessed or experienced yourself at V!VA?
Matthew: The saying “it takes a whole village to raise a child” does not quite work here, but something like, “It takes a whole community to help my grandma” does. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, but using our strength to help other people overcome their lower points is what it’s like here at V!VA. From helping to read the menu to reminding a friend what suite they live in, from assisting with a mailbox key to helping pick up a dropped item, we all live and work together and help each other all day long!
Natasha: I couldn’t agree more with Matthew. I am always overwhelmed at how to open our Community Members are to going out of their way to make new Community Members and guests feel welcomed. My first day happened to be the annual Community Member Christmas Dinner. This could have been a pretty anxious experience if the team, as well as Community Members and families, were not so welcoming and eager to get to know me. I felt comfortable immediately.
Having to go through the challenges posed by the pandemic, I’m sure that our Community Members need for friendship was greater than ever. How did the V!VA team prioritize friendship during this tough time?
Matthew: Our Lifestyles team stepped up their game to make people feel seen, heard, and appreciated! From the theme carts that would go through the halls with music playing and fun games to play to V!VAnews that aired on our TV channel daily, we kept things very engaging here! Whenever we saw or heard that someone was down, we jumped into action and made sure the Community Member was safe, happy, and properly cared for. We really needed to stay attuned to people’s mental health, as well as their physical health.
Karen: It’s so true Matthew, during the pandemic we never lost sight of the fact that many in our Community struggled and every day the Lifestyles team created a list of those that needed a check-in, a friendly conversation, or a FaceTime or Zoom call with family. There was not one Community Member that became disconnected during this time at V!VA. I call it the 30-second miracle, just takes 30 seconds to check in on someone whether it be a Team Member or a Community Member.
The pandemic posed new challenges for V!VA’s Team Members. We know that so many of our Team Members are also great friends. How did friendship help the Team throughout the last year and a bit?
Kelly-Ann: The pandemic posed a particularly large challenge for my team. We just opened our new location right as the pandemic arrived, so most of our Team Members were hired during the pandemic and therefore didn’t have the opportunity to socialize outside of work. It was a stressful time learning both a new job and the rapidly changing protocols. There were challenges, but somehow through encouraging communication, bonding over the challenges, and being allowed to have fun, the friendships grew. We celebrated birthdays together. We celebrated milestones together, and before we knew it, we were not just colleagues in a difficult situation, but friends. I have had the opportunity to watch the friendship and bond grow within my team, and I am so thrilled that they now have the chance to spend time together outside of work. I know that the foundation was formed during the times when we had no one else to turn to except each other.
Matthew, being a friend is important for our health and wellness. What experience made your heart smile the most from being a friend to a Community Member or Team Member?
Matthew: This has been a challenging time and making sure to check in on certain people was very important during the pandemic. Many of our Community Members do not have loved ones who were able to visit. We had many Team Members take their place and do regular suite visits to chat. When the salon was out of service for a few months in a row, we had Team Members who went to different Community Members to give them spa treatments, perms, and haircuts. This made our Community Members feel better about themselves!
Karen: I can relate to this Matthew. During trying times, it was always important to do check-ins with Team Members as well. We can always appear to be doing well on the face of it, but many may be struggling under the surface. A quote I find applicable here: There are friends and there is family and there are friends that become family.
Given that it is International Friendship Month, what message would you like to leave with everyone?
Matthew: Friends will help carry you through the most difficult times in your life, make sure you show them how much you care about them!
Kelly-Ann: I agree and it may seem a bit cliché, but I think it’s so important. In every friendship, there will be wonderful days and days that are hard. Live in both, equally committed to the friendship. If we only value the wonderful days, we are doing a disservice to each other. The hard days are when we need each other the most; it is a privilege to have someone trust you enough to be that vulnerable. The wonderful days are the reward for being there on the hard days. Listen to understand and not to solve. Sometimes that’s the best way to Be A Friend.
Thanks so much, everyone – and Happy Friendship Month!
See full blog post here: https://vivalife.ca/how-being-a-friend-has-made-a-difference/
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A festive recipe for you and Santa!
Are you counting down the days to the holidays? We sure are, and in preparation for the upcoming festivities, we wanted to make sure we treated you to an end-of-year recipe that will have Santa knocking on your door for more! Our Executive Chef Robert has graciously prepared yet another hit with our V!VA Community Members.
Enjoy this sweet treat with family and friends and don’t forget to leave some out for Santa!
See full blog post here: https://vivalife.ca/a-festive-recipe-for-you-and-santa/
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Mindful Meditation for Seniors: Part 1 – The Benefits
Over the last few months, we have all been faced with heightened levels of stress and anxiety in all aspects of life due to the rise of the coronavirus pandemic. While there are many ways to manage stress, one of the most effective methods is through meditation.
This is the first of three brief articles written to introduce meditation in a clear and accessible way to help beginners embrace the practice.
For starters, meditation is very personal. The reason it’s called “practice” is to emphasize there is no “perfect” way to meditate. Since there are different ways to practice, choosing the one that suits you most will impact the benefits you’ll experience
What is Meditation?
Meditation is the mental exercise that involves relaxation, focus and awareness. It is an individual practice, even if it is done in a group setting. Although it is usually practiced with eyes closed and body stillness, this isn’t always the case. There are practices that integrate mindfulness in other forms.
The Benefits
While originally an Eastern practice, over the last few years meditation has increased in popularity in Western cultures. When it comes to older adults, meditation provides many benefits. Practicing mindful meditation can improve memory, reduce inflammation, improve circulation, manage chronic pain, strengthen the immune system, alleviate stress, reduce depression, and help with sleeping challenges.
Improve Memory: Meditation helps sharpen and focus the mind. It also aids to store new and old memories and overall brain function.
Manages Chronic Pain: Meditation reduces the risk of certain diseases and psychological disorders associated with chronic inflammation.
Improves Circulation: Deep breathing exercises are conducive to improving circulation and blood oxygen enrichment which provides help to all of the body’s organs.
Alleviates Stress: Even if practiced 10 minutes per day, meditation can help control stress , decrease anxiety and improve cardiovascular health.
Reduce Depression: With mindful meditation, we can activate the “happy part” of the brain. Those who suffer from depression can experience heightened feelings of happiness, replacing negative emotions with more positive ones.
Improves Sleep: Researchers found that among 49 older adults with sleep problems, those who practiced mindfulness meditation started to sleep better within six weeks.
As you can see, mindful meditation offers many benefits for older adults – both physical and psychological.
To learn more about mindful meditation, please see Part II of our meditation series: Mindful Meditation for Seniors: Techniques, coming soon!
See full blog post here: https://vivalife.ca/mindful-meditation-for-seniors-part-1-the-benefits/
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A V!VAlicious Summer-Ready BBQ Recipe
Embrace BBQ season with this delicious recipe from Executive Chef Bruce at Waterside – A V!VA Retirement Community. Bursting with colour and flavour alike, this dish is perfect for a warm summer evening. Add in the grilled corn on the cob and a summer fresh fruit salad alongside, and your guests will be asking for seconds.
Executive Chef Bruce is a big fan of rustic ingredients and the easily achieved flavours that the high heat charring barbeque can bring out of fresh vegetables and meats. Like Bruce says: “ You can make your own call on how deep you want to get into that charring experience.”
Try out this recipe at home or call us to book a virtual tour at your local V!VA Retirement Community location for a taste of the good life at V!VA.
See full blog post here: https://vivalife.ca/maple-cilantro-turkey-burgers-with-roasted-sweet-baby-pepper-salsa-servings-4/