Island Voices – Island Talk

Words are powerful. Our words change the world.

Adele was called into the Principal’s office to discuss her twelfth grade son. She was not surprised. He had been in two fights and had been acting strange. She supposed he would be expelled if his behavior did not improve. Deep down Adele feared there was another problem, but she chose not to acknowledge it….

Breathe in the sunsets at Berry Point; Reduce your stress and take a leisurely Kayaking tour on a summer’s evening amongst Salish Sea; Attend the incredible Gabriola Theatre Festival: fantastic entertainment August 18 – 20th; Respectfully explore approx. 80 petroglyphs carved in rock, thousands of years old; Swim in the beautiful clear water off Sandwell…

When people have dementia, the short-term memory suffers the most. A person may easily recount an incident that happened thirty years ago, but will not remember what you said a few seconds ago. This is a source of great distress to the affected person and it is very frustrating for caregivers and family members trying…

In light of all the discussions around Canada opening her doors to refugees and in this year of celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary, I submit this small memoir piece of my own experience of being a refugee. In 1957 after the Hungarian Revolution I escaped with my parents, spending 6 months in Refugee camps in…

Whew! If you’ve ever had a mammogram, you know that feeling of relief when that letter arrives in the mail saying your results are ‘normal.’ Most women exhale and then toss the letter in the garbage. But we ask, hold on! You’ve done great going for your mammogram, but you need to do one more…

I still serve in an invisible army. There’s no six star general to guide us but we have no doubt about our personal marching orders. I have a theory though. I believe that if our army acts together, we might shift  the culture of care just a smidgen. It could be a campaign of communication,…

As a proud member of the Cedar Woman’s Institute it continues to astound me at the role the organisation has played into the fabric of the Canada we know today. Most people know little or nothing about the Woman’s Institute and its origins. The W.I. is a worldwide success story that was founded in Canada…

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Canada’s growing senior population means more British Columbians at risk of elder financial abuse, expert says With the number of Canadian seniors at an all-time high—now outnumbering children for the first time in history, according to the most recent census data—financial abuse of older adults is likely to be a…

The old adage it takes a village to raise a child as a unique and specific relevance here in the Comox Valley.