June is a busy month. It is not quite the Summer, and not quite the Spring. It is a liminal zone between the end of the rigidities of the school year and the freedom that the Summer promises. You could say it is a time of reckoning and re-evaluating before the height of the Summer solstice and the inevitable descent into shorter days and the busyness of the Fall. June still holds the freshness of a new year and the gratitude that comes from acknowledging we are all still here, and the Summer is ahead!
We recognize a lot of important days in June. June is Indigenous History month – a time when we acknowledge the rich history of this land and its original inhabitants – the First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples.
In June we celebrate older adults – our wisdom keepers. As the average age in our communities continues to rise, and older adults out number youth, we are collectively learning to embrace our older years and redefining what it means to be older.
We hope you can join us for VPLs first Living Well Fair on Friday, June 6th from 10 – 4 pm at the Civic Centre Resource Library. This event will celebrate older adults while being welcoming and inclusive of all ages. We have lots planned! The event will encompass health, wellness, creative age and aging well. We have an Indigenous drumming performance with Jared Big Canoe to celebrate Indigenous History Month, and a community drum circle for all to enjoy.
Many community partners will have tables throughout the library, allowing visitors to connect. CHATS, Yellow Brick House, Vaughan Community Health Centre and The Alzheimer’s Society of York Region are to name a few.
There are four information sessions at the Living Well Fair that require registration:
- 10:00 am Creative Age Orizomegami, facilitated by Vaughan Public Libraries staff
- 11:30 am Stroke Awareness with Mackenzie Health
- 12:30 pm Building Resilience with CHATS
- 2:15 pm Should I Stay or Should I Go: Making the Right Housing Choice for Your Future
The Eventbrite Registration can be found here for all sessions.
The word orizomegami might grab your curiosity. Orizomegami is a Japanese paper folding and dying technique that produces beautiful results. Patterns bear a resemblance to stained glass or batik. The book The Simple Art of Japanese Papercrafts features clear step by step instructions to create 24 beautiful papercraft projects.
We are looking forward to learning about housing options for aging well, including co-housing, with Jayne Culbert, the Age-Friendly Peterborough Coordinator. For more books about aging and aging well, consider reading Age Proof. This is by author Rose Anne Kenny,a physician and researcher who is head of the academic department of Medical Gerontology at Trinity College Dublin. Also, Breaking the Age Code is a look at how our beliefs on aging can be improved to benefit all aspects of the aging process.A
Jared Big Canoe’s drumming presentation is a powerful blend of music, storytelling, and cultural teaching. Rooted in Ojibwe and Mohawk traditions, his performances go beyond just the rhythm of the drum – they are immersive experiences that connect audiences to the heartbeat of the land the spirit of the ancestors. In recognition of Indigenous History month, we recommend the following titles to illustrate our true history from the perspectives of its original inhabitants. Reconciling History, by Jody Wilson-Raybould, tells the history of Canada through the history of the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, sharing voices that have seldom been heard. And The Knowing by Tanya Talaga is a deeply personal story as the author shares the story of her own family, through generations, recounting decades of oppression.
June is also Stroke Awareness Month in Canada. The York Region District Stroke Centre will be delivering a presentation on the signs and symptoms that someone is having a stroke, as well as risk factors and how we can reduce our likeliness of having a stroke, in commemoration with this important month. The book Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain is by the founders of the Heart Attack & Stroke Prevention Center in Spokane, WA and provides a comprehensive approach, blending cardiology and neurology in an attempt to prevent heart disease.
CHATs will be presenting a wellness session on Building Resilience. Learn why resilience is so important in these challenging times, how to build resilience, and the benefits we can reap on our journey towards wellness in this session, and by reading How to Be Resilient.
What does being an elder mean in today’s world? What about ‘caregiver’. These words are loaded with meaning, not all of it necessarily positive. As our population continues to collectively age, we are attaching new meanings to these well-worn words, and deciding how we would like to approach this time in our lives, and these responsibilities. If this topic resonates with you, there will be many organizations to visit throughout the duration of the event, on the first floor of the Civic Centre Resource Library. In Redefining Aging, author Ann Kaiser Stearns explores the practical and personal challenges of both caregiving and successful aging and offers powerful insights and problem-solving tips to help caregivers achieve the best life possible for those they care for–and for themselves as they age.
Loneliness is one of the most challenging realities we face, and the problem can be especially difficult for older adults. When we can connect in person and experience a live community event, we feel part of something bigger, and our problems seem to shrink in response. We hope the Living Well Fair will foster some new connections, where fun and friendship can begin. And these connections may blossom at our drop-in community Drum Circle at the end of the day. This even will be inclusive of everyone, even those who have never drummed before. We will play some games on the drums and experience a three-part rhythm. Please come prepared to experience some silliness and the beauty of group rhythm.
We hope to see you at the event on June 6th!