All posts by Rachel P.

About Rachel P.

Rachel is the Health Literacies Specialist at Vaughan Public Libraries. She enjoys cooking (but not cleaning), travelling, and reading just about anything.  |  Meet the team

Blue Monday

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a solitary tree on a snowy winter horizon.

The third Monday of January is known as “Blue Monday” – said by some to be the most depressing day of the year. Maybe you hear that statement and you think to yourself – yep, that tracks! We’re just one month into winter with another two months to go. The holiday season (and the breaks from school/work) of December are long gone. In Ontario, January often only sees approximately 3 hours of sunshine per day (Global News). And by the end of the month, our days will still only be 10 hours long – that’s too short (Time and Date)!

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October is Health Literacy Month

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clip art image of a medical report

October is Health Literacy Month! This is an important month for Vaughan Public Libraries. During this month, we devote our time and resources to helping the Vaughan community increase their health literacy, be better informed about health organizations, and be able to make health decisions.

This year, Vaughan Public Libraries has invited over 10 different health organizations to our Resource Libraries, to educate you about their services, and to learn more about what resources are available to you.

Here you can find the schedule of organizations and when they will be visiting each of the Resource Libraries, followed by a description of what each organization does. These organizations will cover different ages and health needs, so there is almost certainly something that will have an impact on you.

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November is Osteoporosis Awareness Month

x-ray image of an ankle

Osteoporosis is a potentially debilitating disease that contributes to most fractures in people over the age of 50. This disease leads to low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue, which causes an increased risk of fracture. These fractures are most commonly to the wrist, spine, shoulder, and hip. And unfortunately, this disease is often known as the ‘silent thief’ as you can be living with it for years, losing bone mass, without any symptoms until your first fracture occurs. It is estimated that 10% of Canadians over 40 have osteoporosis, or over 2 million people.

Early prevention of osteoporosis is crucial to maintaining good bone health. For this reason, November is Osteoporosis Awareness Month in Canada. Many health care providers and non-profit organizations are working hard to draw awareness to this disease – including us here at the library. Here are some selected resources that you can use to educate yourself about osteoporosis. It should go without saying that if you are concerned about your osteoporosis risk, your first visit should be to your primary care physician.

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