Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Letters to the Editor for the week of February 14

Making a difference together Yesterday, I brought home some webbing that needed sowing to make tethers for the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program. My wife Karin was happy to spend a couple of hours making loops on the ends.
opinion_letters1-1-6262cda9a31255bd
Photo by Rawpixel on Unsplash

Making a difference together

Yesterday, I brought home some webbing that needed sowing to make tethers for the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program. My wife Karin was happy to spend a couple of hours making loops on the ends.

When I went to the mountain today, a sit-ski needed a small welding repair. The fellows in the groomer shop at the top of Whistler Mountain were happy to help, but lacked the welding machine to do the job. Over lunch, I mentioned to my friend Lockie Brown that I was going to take the sit-ski on the bus down to Function for repair. He immediately offered to drive me there and back.

Down at Function (Junction), we went to Proteck Industries, where they fixed it immediately and June Paley refused to bill us for the work.

The tethers and sit-ski are now back in place to help those adaptive clients who cannot enjoy a day without these tools.

None of these little actions was a big deal, but together they show how community support can make good things happen.

This is why I think Whistler is a very special place indeed.

Doug Wylie
Whistler

Joffre needs solution

Joffre (Lakes Provincial Park) is even more dangerous in the winter with the snow banks narrowing the road. I've almost hit several people and cars in the past month. 

Joffre needs to be managed by both the government and the Lil'wat Nation, on whose land this is happening.

Let's come up with a solution that simultaneously enriches the experience, manages the danger caused by the crowds and funnels money back into the land and the people of the land.

Imagine how rich an experience someone could have by parking in Mount Currie and then taking a shuttle up the Duffey to be led on a guided tour by a true local who is deeply knowledgeable about both the nature and the traditional use of the land for the past 10,000 years.

This could truly be a world-class and super-special experience!

Brian Hockenstein
Whistler

Raising awareness on dementia

The Alzheimer Society of B.C. thanks the people of Whistler and the North Shore and Sunshine Coast region for their encouraging response to January's annual Alzheimer's Awareness Month, and to our campaign intended to challenge stigma surrounding the disease: "Yes, I live with dementia. Let me help you understand."

Recently, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences released a report by a panel of dementia experts highlighting priorities for a national dementia strategy, work undertaken by the Public Health Agency of Canada in 2018.

The authors emphasized the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles that might prevent or delay dementia, as well as overcoming stigma and fear of living with dementia. They stressed that it's possible to live well with the disease. 

Increasingly, when we talk about raising awareness about Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, we need to talk about challenging stigma. Negative attitudes about the disease mean that when someone begins to suspect that they—or someone close to them—might have dementia, they are less likely to seek out a diagnosis. They're less likely to disclose their situation to others. Worrying that someone will judge them or think of them as being less of a person means people are less likely to ask for help. 

The dementia journey can be incredibly isolating. When we talk openly about the disease and challenge preconceived notions, people living with dementia begin to feel like they aren't alone and can ask for help. They can better prepare themselves for the challenges ahead.

Communities play a key role in helping people living with dementia, their families and caregivers feel like they belong, just by being aware of the disease and actively engaged with learning more about it.

With over half-a-million Canadians currently living with dementia—a number that will only grow as the population ages—it has never been so important to be open to having a conversation about dementia. It's never been so important to change the conversation. 

Though Awareness Month is now over, you can still visit ilivewithdementia.ca. Find tips on how to be more dementia friendly, as well as resources to take action against stigma and be better informed about a disease that has the potential to affect every single one of us. You can also use the hashtag #ilivewithdementia to help spread the word.

We would like to thank our local staff and volunteers for their work. We also appreciate the local media's coverage of dementia issues. The stories help foster a better understanding of the impact this disease has on local families and help the Alzheimer Society of B.C. work towards our goal of a dementia-friendly province.

If your family lives with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, please contact our regional Alzheimer Resource Centre at 604-984-8348 or 604-984-8347 (toll-free 1-866-984-8348 or 1-855-984-8347) for information on support groups and the many other services we offer to assist you. You can also call the First Link Dementia Helpline at 1-800-936-6033 and visit www.alzheimerbc.org.

Vivian Tsai
Support & Education Coordinator, Alzheimer Society of B.C.

Watch out for measles

To date, no measles cases have been reported in B.C. related to the Washington state outbreak. However, travellers are at potential risk of exposure to measles, because people with measles can infect others prior to the onset of symptoms like fever and rash.

While it is expected that most travellers will be immune to measles, some individuals will be susceptible, including infants less than one year old or people who have never been immunized against measles. 

Measles is highly infectious and spreads through the air by coughing and sneezing, as well as respiratory secretions. The best protection against measles is vaccination.

BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) advises British Columbians to review and update their immunization status at any time, and especially prior to any travel. The measles vaccine is available as a combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, and is available from your local health unit, family doctor, and many pharmacists. 

MMR vaccine is safe and effective; however, it is a live-virus vaccine and cannot be given to some people with certain types of weakened immunity.  

In B.C., measles vaccine uptake is assessed in children at the second and seventh birthdays.  For the most recent years of data available, 87.3 per cent of children turning two had received one dose of measles vaccine, and 88.4 per cent of children turning seven had received two doses, based on data in the provincial immunization registry reported by B.C. health authorities. In order to ensure interruption of transmission of measles in populations, a level of population immunity of 95 per cent is recommended. There are pockets of unvaccinated people in several parts of B.C. The last large outbreaks of measles in B.C. were in 2014 and 2010.

Those who are concerned about their potential measles exposure but have no symptoms can call 8-1-1 and speak to a nurse.

For more, visit www.bccdc.ca or follow us on Twitter @CDCofBC.

Heather Amos
BCCDC Communications