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| ~ Sunday, January 2, 1994 - North Shore News

| LIFESTYLES Give a cheer to our Nort

A BRAND new year. No one has yet set foot on it. Watch it unre! before us clean and smooth as we ad-

vance the ne days.

‘ The year we leave behind us clearly bears evidence of our. “passage; ‘it’s a mess.”

'Butin amongst the welter of

“broken promises, broken ‘,

“hearts and truth abandoned there are, in fact, some in- | stances allowing for pride and congratulation.”

-. People who regularly put ‘themselves out. People who "give their time and never ask

ay

Demands on. volunteers don’t

leg in injuries, head injuries,” Foster observes.’ “The’ growth in popularity.

of hiking and istimbinyy means that a lotof Stanley, ‘Park trail-waikers are

“nihw, moving! into the North Shore -

“mountains, not always knowing the trails,or the.times they take, or real- ly. what they're Up against.” :

‘A parainedic

: Ambulance: ‘and ski patrol, Foster

sees ‘nothing “unusual in his ‘wilting--

ness'to give up both his leis sure time and lost income." |

““T'love ‘the ‘outdoors, With my :

: background, this is just something I can”: contribute,” “he ‘says. ” (Remember that those 20 to 30 call- -. outs:im an. average. year. almost all -- occur on the 52 weekends.) _; :

“It’s a litte frustrating when we _

haven't spent New Year's together in five years,”Foster’s wife Tracy

‘admits: “But when. it’s for people: who are in need, that’ s all that .

“The ‘wives, the spouses of the .

‘Rescue Team are the support-sys- tem,” Richard adds. ‘Tracy gets up with the pager, fills my water bottle and finds my long-iohns.” is Katy, Roystoa, a veteran of hus-

a “band Ron's lifelong involvement.

“with ski patrol and rescue. volun- teering, admits’ she no. longer “answers the call in the middle of the

night: “When the pager goes off, « ‘Ron is already /in.search-mode ‘ before his eyes are open. He's very -

... prepared, he: knows where every- \. thing. is, and if) you talk to him he ' ‘growls and grunts,” she says.

ince. 1980, ‘with a Fong. background. in,St. John’s:

for reckoning. People who quite frankly love their

- neighbors.

Salute our many North Shore volunteers.

They’re at it all year, a lot of us have no idea, but they’re of especial value during this holiday time, when people who ave confined feel especially out of it.

The baking they used to do, the visits, the smells, the secret shopping and making wenderful food — that’s all past, now.

So when these cheerful, lively, friendly people come around to sing and clap hands and change thie scene and make them sinile, life’s a little richer.

- I'm thinking particularly of |

‘those who make up North . Shore Volunteers of Residents

in Care Facilities, -

It got started over 20 years. ago in Vancouver, i in their social s services department, and in time was copied for the’ same purpose by energetic workers in North and West Vancouver, =".

Now it’sa ‘force, with the

“ “A bunch of’ the ‘wives got into a bull-session one night; about what

it’s lixe to live with someone who

does this,” she adds. “You know,

come up with was the old-fashioned pager that used-to have to be plugged into-an electrical outlet..

' They were always plugged into the - outlet you wanted for your hair-'

dryer. We figured that if that’s the worst: thing we had to complain:

about, i it wasn't worth bringing up.

‘s “Yes, it ¢an be inconvenient snd frustrating,” she admits, “but it

* ‘comes down to this: are you, pre-:

pared to say to someone's ‘parents . or wife or husband, ‘I'm sorry, but‘ my husband is too busy. He. has‘an important dinner party to: go to’? I’m not prepared to say that to any- one, ever.”

. During, the recent week- -long massive, but tragically futile, search’ for.a lost hiker on Seymour Mountain, Ron Royston repeatedly cancelled meetings with an‘ impor- tant client to manage the search. He

expected to be read the Riot Act.

‘when they finally ‘got together after ‘the search was called off. Instead, the client, who had obviously been following the search in the news, siniply said, “Well, I guess we can

-get back to this project now,”

apparently sharing the universal disappointment and grief.

Tf you go into the woods today, ‘or any day, be prepared.

: Don't ski out of bounds.

Know where you're going, how ~

‘long it will take to get there and.

back. Leave word with friends about

. You are Innocent Until Proven Guilty. 1‘ Do not plead guilty before consulting an experienced criminal lawyer.

. For more information call:

John Bethell

19 yrs. experience in al areas of criminal law

299-5000 Talking => Yellow ‘Gisizis} Pages”

‘Call our office for a free 1/2 hour consultation —— 437-0461 _ . Greiner, Bethell & Company, ‘202 - 5501 Kingsway, Burnaby

“ poetry to herb gardening, ......

major purpose of ‘‘con- tributing to the happiness of residents in care, of making them feel wanted and con- nected.”’

Not just for holiday times. All around the year there are visits and outings and workshops and craft sessions and concerts and exercices reg- ularly conducted.

Money fer the work comes from the three municipalities and the province, and also from the federal government which helps fund students us-. ing their summers to aquaint | themselves with working with the elderly.

_ was astonished at the very workman-like manual that the group has produced, covering all manner of directions from which to tackle the boredom - and iistlessness that can fall . upon the person alone ina home-care situation. a

Everything from Tai Chi to sing-alongs to quotations from. nething is rejected asa trigger for encouraging participation.

As well, the volunteer is ad- vised at length on how to ap- proach, how to initiate activi- ties, how to soothe and com- ;

_fort and make the very most.

of the visits that bring such |

your destination, route and ex)

time of return. Be sure to check in

with them when you return. _Always pack more water, food

the most izritating thing we could ; and warm clothes than you think

you need. Jf you get lost, stay where ‘you are, j :

go

improvement to the lives of shut-ins,

This manual is now the text in universities and colleges in both Canada and the United States, wherever there is in- struction in training for care facilities.

Besides that one, there is also a smaller volume, this one intended for the use of juniors who wish to learn to be of help to elderly folk.

Lots of young people take the in-service instruction as well as spending. summer time on extended experiences. Divorce and diversity of life have destroyed a lot of regular grandparent connections.

The office for this activity is currently in West Vancouver near the seniors’ centre, and wood-working goes on in the premises, as well as bridge and crafts and little concerts, and some smail gardening when the weather is suitable.

People drop in there, to help

if it’s needed, but also for ~ company and often for their’ own therapy.

It’s easier to talk about what’s cating you if your

hands are occupied with san-.

ding a picture-frame or stir-

'' ring up some muffins. ;

And young people find it’ -

unnoticed

And count yourself :tucky, -|

because help will come. The volunteers of the North

Shore Search and Rescue Team are’

very nice people; but you don’t

want to meet them, except to say

i” on the trail. :

h Shore volunteers

easier to find their way with seniors in that sort of en- vironment, too, where they can be helpful but also listen and learn to understand what aged life is like.

Those in the group who can sing and play make regular sorties into a varicty of facili- ties, and have prepared the perfect songbook.

The words to 81 old familiar tunes are laid out in big print, so that there" sno excuse not to hoiies slong.

Put Your Arms Arist ‘id Me, Honey, You're the Cream ir . My Coffee — I bet you're humming the tunes right now . ~~ When You Wore a Tulip, ° Toot, Toot, Tootsie. a

Gosh, Take Me Out To The Ballgame. os

They’ve got them all, “and

‘they go everywhere, and enjoy - , * them all.

A favorite place i is the’ an Salvation Army, they say, and .

‘they love their June ‘trip to

Bowen Island. - I But no matter ‘where they’ re called, the response is always the same: ‘Let's gol”. : “le you’ Te casting around for. a New Year’s resolution, .. .

" you’ve got it: get a life, be a

CORRECTION NOTICE:

‘In our B11-5 Boxing Day ‘fyer, ” -G.E.: VCRs ° #VG4020 :: and: WGI210 pl Photos, on Pegs 13. are’:

“3 CAN LIMIT? BCE EL ’ _ Effective 1 994. 5 1904 January 1 10th

On 1994 January {6th the volume of garbage which. may: be placed out for pick-up at single family and: _ duplex’ homes stiall nat exceed 220 litres per week.

The maximum’ size e of any solid waste receptacle i shall be 140 litres and the maximum weight in- any ~ one receptacle shai be 35 ‘lograms (78 pounds). ”

one pail of 77 litres = one can

one garbage bag: * = one.can

one toter cart: of 140 litres.” = two cans.

: one blue - box: J = good idea

For information on n how to REDUCE, REUSE and: RECYCLE, phone W.H.E.N. Environment House 926-5079, the Recycling : Hotline 732-9253 or the Compost Hotiine 736-2250. . a”