Links
How to use this section:
Below you will find a series of links (258! of them as of Nov 17, 2018) to online news stories that in some way connect to Wills, Powers of Attorney, Health Care Directives (called “Personal Directives” in the NWT) and Estate Planning. Occasionally, I will also include stories concerning particular health care issues that you may find relevant to your health care or lifestyle choices.
In planning their affairs, I always encourage my clients to always look at the “big picture” from a life and family planning/decision-making perspective. As you read the links that you find of interest, please ask: “What might this new information mean to me and my family down the road?”…and…”How might I be able to incorporate it into the decisions I make?”
I welcome your feedback on any of the links, or if you have suggestions for other links to add here (please email me using the contact section of my website).
Money mistakes couples make:
Don’t wait until something goes wrong to take stock of your marriage’s money culture and improve your own security. Here are five of the most common financial mistakes couples make in marriage, all of which are easily avoidable. Read More
Palliative Care:
Terminal cancer patients who receive chemotherapy in the last months of their lives are less likely to die where they want and are more likely to undergo highly invasive medical procedures, a study says. Read More
Pensions and your Will:
Canadians are living longer than ever before. Most of us would consider that good news. But longer lives could pose new funding risks for many pension plans and their members. Read More
The secret to improving health care:
Canadians are healthier than ever before. Still, there are big gaps in Canada’s health-care system. Canadians wait longer for non-emergency care. Twenty-five per cent of Canadians wait eight weeks to see a specialist, compared to just three per cent of people in Switzerland and the U.S. Fifty-three per cent of Canadians see their family doctor within a day or two of asking for an appointment. That compares to 72 per cent who get same or next day appointments in other countries.Read More
What it means to be an executor:
You can’t help but feel honoured when you’re named an executor of the estate of a family member or friend. It’s a sign that you’re trusted and respected. When the time comes, however, experts say that sentiment will be tempered by the task at hand – a pile of work. Read More
Common law myths and facts:
A recent ruling in B.C. that grants common-law partners the same fundamental rights as married couples after two years of cohabitation has cast a light on how common-law couples are treated in other provinces. Read More
Seniors looking after seniors:
People are living longer and healthier lives, and as the baby boom generation enters retirement, many active seniors are willing to offer their services to older seniors. Read More
RESP in a Will:
The fact is, however, that most Canadians who have established RESPs have not given thought to what happens if they should pass away before the beneficiary has used the assets of the RESP for post-secondary education. Read More
Digital Life After Death:
Some 30 million accounts on Facebook belong to people who have passed away, but grieving families and friends of just 10% of them make use of the social platform’s memorialisation process that essentially locks their account. Read More
Hassan Rasouli case: top court upholds life-support right:
The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed an appeal that would have permitted doctors to end life support for a severely brain-damaged man without the consent of his family or a substitute decision maker. Read More
Fighting for his life:
A 22-year-old eastern Ontario man is bed-ridden and fighting for his life against a rare genetic disorder that was not diagnosed nor could be treated in Canada. Read More
Communication with people in “vegetative states” is possible:
The common wisdom that people in a “vegetative state” cannot be reached may need to be rethought after researchers in London, Ont., have shown otherwise in the case of Canadian Scott Routley. Read More
Casey Kasem’s case highlights need for power of attorney:
“Everybody should have a power of attorney…A will is important because it does distribute wealth to your children or other people. And that’s great. But be a little more selfish and look after your own interests. And an incapacity plan and a power of attorney is really important.” Read More
First Nations girl chooses traditional medicine over chemo:
“Makayla Sault is only 10 years old, but has already had to make life and death decisions. She and her parents, Ken and Sonya Sault, have decided to forgo chemotherapy and instead use traditional medicine to fight leukemia. The hospital has referred Makayla’s case to the Children’s Aid Society, sparking fears that she may be apprehended and forced back into treatment.” Read More
Palliative sedation creating debate over end-of-life treatment:
“Maggie Lanctot describes her daughter Stephanie’s last few months of life as “a nightmare of pain that no parent should ever have to witness.” Read More
Makayla Sault will not be apprehended by Children’s Aid:
“Makayla Sault will remain at home with her family and not be forced back into chemotherapy, say child welfare officials.” Read More
New technology could help seniors stay independent longer:
“Experts such as Harvard Prof. Calestous Juma believe it’s time that private and public sector innovators turn their ingenuity to adaptive technologies that will make it easier to care for an aging population and make it easier for older people to live independently.” Read More
Quebec passes ‘dying with dignity’ bill:
“This legislation is the first of its kind in Canada. Bill 52 allows for and outlines under which conditions terminally ill Quebecers can request to receive medical aid in dying. Its passage comes at a time when the right to die is being heavily debated in the rest of the country.” Read More
Neo-Nazi group loses bid to inherit $250K coin collection:
“A court decision to bar an American white supremacist organization from inheriting an estimated $250,000 coin and artifact collection from a New Brunswick man is being commended by a Canadian Jewish organization.” Read More
Will the end-of-life-care bill turn Quebec into a euthanasia tourist destination?
“Quebec’s new end-of-life-care legislation is unlikely to turn the province into a so-called euthanasia tourist destination, but it could prompt some terminally ill Canadians to consider moving there to spend their last days.” Read More
Judge orders Casey Kasem to be fed, medicated amid legal evaluation:
“A judge ruled Monday that Casey Kasem should be fed, hydrated and medicated while a court-appointed attorney evaluates the health of the ailing radio personality after his daughter moved to implement end of life measures.” Read More
Casey Kasem to stop receiving food, water as end-of-life care begins:
“The daughter of ailing 82-year-old deejay Casey Kasem has decided to withhold food, hydration and his usual medication from him following a Los Angeles judge’s decision on Wednesday to let her do so, her spokesman said. “Transitioning our father’s treatment to comfort-oriented care was one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever had to make,” Kasem’s children said in a statement.” Read More
New technology could help seniors stay independent longer:
“Experts such as Harvard Prof. Calestous Juma believe it’s time that private and public sector innovators turn their ingenuity to adaptive technologies that will make it easier to care for an aging population and make it easier for older people to live independently.” Read More
Casey Kasem, radio DJ, dead at 82:
“Casey Kasem, the internationally famous radio broadcaster with the cheerful manner and gentle voice who became the king of the top 40 countdown with a syndicated show that ran for decades, died Sunday. He was 82. Kasem was at the centre of a protracted fight between his wife and biological children as he struggled with dementia.” Read More
Michael Schumacher in coma after ski accident:
“Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher was in critical condition after undergoing brain surgery following a skiing accident in the French Alps on Sunday, doctors said. The Grenoble University Hospital Center said the retired racing driver arrived at the clinic in a coma and underwent immediate surgery for a serious head trauma.” Read More
Stroke diagnosis made through woman’s selfie video:
“A selfie video that a 49-year-old Toronto-area woman took to show numbness and slurred speech she was experiencing helped doctors to diagnose her as having a mini-stroke, after she had earlier been given a diagnosis of stress.” Read More
Schumacher out of coma, but will he recover?
“The week began on a happy note for fans of Formula One champion Michael Schumacher as his family announced that he was out of coma after a six months. The 45-year-old German legend has been in coma – initially, induced by doctors using powerful drugs – since December 29, 2013 when he sustained severe brain injuries while skiing in the French Alps. The focus will now turn to the extent of his recovery, but doctors say the process could take months if not years.” Read More
Hospital violated patient’s rights with ‘do not resuscitate’ order, court rules:
“The family of a woman who died in one of Britain’s best-known hospitals have won their claim that her rights were violated when an order not to attempt resuscitation was put on her medical records without her being consulted.” Read More
Sting says his six children won’t inherit his fortune:
“When it comes to leaving money behind for his rightful heirs, Sting is rather stingy. The ex-frontman for eighties super-band The Police has announced that his six children shouldn’t expect a financial windfall any time in the near or distant future. “I told them there won’t be much money left because we are spending it,” the 62-year-old pop star told The Daily Mail’s Event magazine in a recent interview.” Read More
Pregnant women should avoid bisphenol A, phthalates, doctors say:
“Bisphenol A (BPA) is used to make polycarbonate plastics and can be found in food and drink packaging. BPA is widespread and some animal studies suggest effects in fetuses and newborns exposed to the chemical, even at low doses. Phthalates are found in air fresheners and dish soap, and have been linked to obesity and miscarriages.” Read More
Kim and Huntington’s Disease:
“Kim, one of six siblings and always seeming the most vulnerable, the most childlike, wants to die. She has Huntington’s, an incurable genetic disease that combines aspects of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia. At 52, she is still living on her own, but fears that, if she doesn’t act now, she will end her days in an institution with strangers pushing mush into her mouth and hosing her down after she defecates.” Read More
La Prairie mayor, dies after 15 wasp stings:
“Lucie F. Roussel, longtime mayor of La Prairie, Que., died Sunday afternoon after being stung 15 times by wasps while near her cottage in Stratford, in eastern Quebec. Roussel unwittingly stepped on a wasps nest while out walking, and was stung multiple times on her legs. She was declared dead at the hospital in nearby Thetford Mines.” Read More
Robotics exoskeleton helps paraplegics to walk:
“A robotic exoskeleton that allows some people with spinal cord injuries to walk upright has been approved for use by Health Canada and the U.S. Federal Drug Administration.” Read More
Give Patients Full Access to their Health Records:
“Doctors and hospitals are becoming increasingly transparent about the way they care for patients. But most stop short of allowing patients to have full access to their health records. An editorial just published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) says that needs to change. I’ll tell you why I agree emphatically.” Read More
The DNR Discussion:
“DNR is code for ‘Do Not Resuscitate.” It’s a signed order in a hospital chart telling attending staff not to start CPR if a patient’s heart stops and not to put them on a ventilator if they stop breathing. In the ideal world, talking to a family is all about exploring well thought-out and heartfelt wishes. But it often doesn’t happen that way.” Read More
DNR Decisions Need Rules to Protect Patients and Families:
“In situations where a family member has not provided advance directives as to their wishes, there needs to be a common protocol, set out in law, establishing what steps hospitals are required to take in seeking and obtaining a DNR order.” Read More
Ageism and the thieves of hope:
“Some members of our mother’s care team did their best to stamp out hope at every opportunity, commenting in person and in the chart about what they regarded as our “unrealistic expectations” for any kind of recovery and noting (often with disapproval) our refusal to consent to a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order.” Read More
Slow Code:
“Dr. Brian Goldman looks at the Slow Code. He examines the grey ethics of doctors going through the motions of CPR without actually trying to save a life.” Read More
83-year-old Grandmother Takes Own Life to Avoid Dementia:
“Gillian Bennett’s family scattered her ashes this weekend in a quiet ritual shared by those she loved. The 83-year-old grandmother took her own life two weeks ago. In doing so, she cast what she felt was a necessary spotlight on her life, her death and Canada’s laws around assisted suicide.” Read More
Assisted suicide: It happens, but in a grey legal area:
“End-of-life decision making is once again in the national spotlight. Psychotherapist Gillian Bennett passed, leaving an eloquent argument for choice; Justice Minister Peter MacKay labelled the issue “emotional and divisive” and stayed the course; and Conservative MP Steven Fletcher called for a Parliamentary debate. As the national discussion evolves, it will be helpful to appreciate the broader legal context in which it sits.” Read More
Globe & Mail: Alzheimer’s articles and discussion resource page:
“Follow this link to a variety of articles concerning Alzheimer’s: current research, potential treatments, politics, etc.” Read More
Living in retirement: The best-kept secret is the inheritance:
“Not talking about an inheritance makes it hard for heirs to chart their financial future.” Read More
What happens to your debts if you die suddenly?
“What happens to your debts if you die suddenly? This is no small question at a time when Canadians owe a combined $1.6-trillion and the ratio of debt to household income is hovering close to an all-time high. If you don’t have an answer, then read on.” Read More
Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old cancer patient, explains her choice to die with dignity:
“On Nov. 1, just days after her husband’s birthday, 29-year-old Brittany Maynard will be ending her own life by taking a lethal medication prescribed to her under Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act. It’s not that she wants to die — far from it, according to the young woman herself. Unfortunately, she hasn’t got much choice in the matter.” Read More
Estate planning: Talking with family about dividing the pie:
“While we may be thankful for the people and the wealth in our lives, not enough of us have planned to protect all that we have. Estate planning is a guide for how to distribute the valuables you’ve worked hard for — car, house, art/coin/hockey card/china/etc. collections — and for conveying your wishes to your loved ones. The process includes making a will, picking a guardian if you have kids, and setting up power of attorney for financial and health care decisions. There are plenty of inexpensive options, but if you can afford it, a professional can save you from making costly mistakes.” Read More
Canadians encouraged to plan for online estates:
“Canadian consumers are being encouraged to consider their online property, including social media accounts, when planning a will. Making a plan for online assets before death is something most people don’t think of. It can leave a daunting digital mess for loved ones and executors of wills.” Read More
The ‘online life’ after death – How to report a deceased user:
“David was 22 years old when he fell 15 stories to his death from his apartment building in London, Ont. But even since his death in the early morning of October 17, 2010, friends consistently post comments, images and links on his wall in his memory. If you’re one of David Edmondson’s 533 Facebook friends, you’ll notice his account remains surprisingly active. One of David’s latest tagged photos reads ” thinking of you bud. wishin we coulda been there to plant the tree, love and missing ya.”Read More
Estate planning in the 21st century: New considerations
in a changing society: (BMO Report)
“While the basics of estate planning have been the same for centuries, the traditional approach needs to be broadened to reflect changing realities. To keep up with these new realities, estate planning needs to evolve. Individuals and their advisors should consider broadening discussions to include three emerging estate planning issues (see Report).”Read More
It’s wise to do some advance planning around your virtual estate, experts say:
“If a will is in place, the executor calls in and then distributes the estate’s property — including the deceased’s business — in accordance with the terms of the will. But include a cyber property that automatically generates an income, often through a third party in the U.S., and the process can become quite complex — even with a will in place. Having a proper will, as well as IDs, passwords and so on make the process run much more smoothly.” Read More
Assisted suicide: Where do Canada and other countries stand?
“The debate on medically assisted death will be front and centre again this week as the Supreme Court of Canada hears arguments Wednesday in a case that could make the practice legal on a federal level mere months after Quebec adopted its own law allowing it.” Read More
Doctor-assisted suicide supported by majority of Canadians in new poll:
“Eighty-four per cent of people surveyed said they agreed that “a doctor should be able to help someone end their life if the person is a competent adult who is terminally ill, suffering unbearably and repeatedly asks for assistance to die. Only 67 per cent of respondents expressed support for patients with a “permanent and severe disability that significantly impacts quality of life and the ability to carry out basic activities of daily living.” Read More
Good Bye & good Luck!
“August 18, 2014 — I will take my life today around noon. It is time. Dementia is taking its toll and I have nearly lost myself. I have nearly lost me. Jonathan, the straightest and brightest of men, will be at my side as a loving witness.” Read More
Brittany Maynard’s death galvanizes public right-to-die debate:
“Brittany Maynard’s last days started a national conversation in the U.S. about whether it’s OK for a terminally ill person to end their own life. “Younger people support death with dignity at really high levels, but it’s not necessarily relevant or salient to their lives…the Brittany Maynard story makes it real.”” Read More
Inheritance ‘tension’: Why more families may be headed for court:
“It’s no secret that family fights over wills can be vicious. We are about to witness the biggest inter-generational transfer of wealth in Canadian history, from those born in the 1930s and ’40s to the baby boomers. About one trillion dollars will change hands in this country over the next two decades, and lawyers are already witnessing the fallout.” Read More
TFSAs will lead to ‘welfare’ for the wealthy, government warned:
TFSAs were created in 2009 and designed to encourage Canadians to save by – as the name suggests – putting such accounts out of the reach of the Canada Revenue Agency when it comes to taxing capital gains and other income such as dividends. The Conservative government is facing calls to change the rules around tax-free savings accounts now before a loophole means some of Canada’s wealthiest people could start receiving “welfare for seniors.”Read More
1-800 charges linked to company accused of targeting seniors:
“A B.C. senior has decided to Go Public after discovering years of suspicious debits on her bank statements. The mysterious fee had been coming out of the bank account every month for four years. Just last month, the Canadian Bankers Association introduced a new financial literacy seminar program for Canadian seniors.” Read More
Nova Scotia tries to clawback insurance settlement from woman with catastrophic brain injury:
“Nova Scotia’s community services minister is defending the province’s decision to try to clawback an insurance settlement from a 33-year-old severely brain-damaged woman. Community Services Minister Joanne Bernard says the province is entitled to the money in order to pay for Huntley’s care.” Read More
Should patients be allowed to request suicide?
“The Debate:
Margaret Somerville: Assisted suicide leads to normalization of euthanasia, harms the vulnerable and degrades our respect for the value of human life.
Arthur Schafer: If we truly value life, we should allow people to end it in a way and at a time of their choosing.” Read More
How Skype and email could help seniors avoid loneliness – and an early death:
“Researchers say that loneliness is not only emotionally taxing but can affect your life expectancy. The largest study on the impact of loneliness, published in 2012 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, shows that people who are socially isolated are twice as likely to die prematurely. This is of particular concern to seniors, but many have found that modern communications technology provides a means of keeping loneliness at bay.” Read More
Daughter shocked over Christmas meal served at father’s nursing home:
“On Christmas Day when many people across Saskatchewan were feasting on turkey, Darlene Mitchell’s dad was eating bologna. Mitchell went to visit her father for the holiday at Pioneer Village, a publicly-run Regina nursing home, and was dismayed at what was being served there that day.” Read More
Bad luck plays the biggest role in getting most cancers, researchers suggest:
“More than two-thirds of the cancers examined in a recent study are caused by genetic mutations, not heredity or environmental factors, a report in the journal Science suggests. They looked at 31 cancer types and found that 22 of them, including leukemia and pancreatic, bone, testicular, ovarian and brain cancer, could be explained largely by these random mutations — essentially biological bad luck.” Read More
Lydia-Molly Tayara, Inuk woman, says cancer went untreated due to discrimination:
“Lydia-Molly Tayara for years complained of stomach pain. The social worker from a small community said she was routinely asked by doctors at the medical clinic in a neighbouring community whether she drank alcohol. Each time, the Inuk woman told them she didn’t. She told them of pain so bad at times she had to lie down on the floor at work. She told the doctor her insides hurt so badly she sometimes couldn’t stand.” Read More
Winnipeg man granted bail after elderly mom left on floor to die:
“The man’s lawyers have told CBC News that his mother did not want to continue her life, and did not want her son to call for help. They say that the son covered his mother with a blanket and fed her nutritional drinks and water. They say they aren’t sure how long the man’s mother was left on the floor before she died, but have initially suggested it might have been five days.” Read More
RRSPs: finance columnist points out common mistakes:
“Three-quarters of employed Canadians are planning on making an RRSP contribution before the March 2 deadline, according to an H&R Block survey. Here are a few mistakes to avoid from On the Coast finance columnist Mark Ting, an investment advisor with Holliswealth.” Read More
Makayla Sault, girl who refused chemo for leukemia, dies:
“Makayla Sault, the 11-year-old girl who refused chemotherapy to pursue traditional indigenous medicine and other alternative treatments, has died. She died Monday after suffering a stroke Sunday. The girl’s case made national headlines and ignited a debate about the validity of indigenous medicine and the rights of children to choose their own treatment.” Read More
6 tips to thwart identity theft and fraud:
“Financial fraud by identity thieves is simpler than victims might suspect, experts warn. But even anti-fraud educators were surprised by the case of Meghann Johnston. The former RBC customer’s accounts were compromised three times in at least two different branches of the bank, apparently by someone without a client card or PIN who managed to withdraw tens of thousands of dollars.” Read More
Income splitting and the ‘family tax cut’:
“The federal government is using the principle of income splitting to calculate a new, non-refundable tax credit for couples with children under 18. Here’s how it works.” Read More
Dying With Dignity loses charitable status after political-activity probe:
“Dying With Dignity Canada is losing its coveted charitable status, the first such group to be deregistered since the Canada Revenue Agency launched a series of controversial political-activity audits almost three years ago.” Read More
Makayla Sault case reignites debate over a minor’s right to refuse treatment:
“The death of Makayla Sault, the 11-year-old First Nation girl who was given the right to refuse treatment for leukemia, has reignited the debate about when governments should be able to overrule family wishes in life-threatening medical cases.” Read More
‘That is not a way to treat an elderly lady’: 2nd video emerges from care home:
“A hidden camera inside a long-term care room at the Kipnes Centre for Veterans in Edmonton has captured more disturbing footage. Latest videos show ‘rough’ treatment at Kipnes care home, daughter says.” Read More
Stan Mikita suffering from dementia:
“Mikita may suffer from Lewy body dementia. Lewy body dementia is a progressive disease that causes problems with thinking, movement, behaviour and mood. There’s no known cure, but people can live with the disease for a number of years. How quickly symptoms develop varies from person to person.” Read More
Supreme Court allows doctor-assisted suicide in specific cases:
“People with grievous and irremediable medical conditions should have the right to ask a doctor to help them die, Canada’s highest court says in a unanimous ruling. The ruling only applies to competent adults with enduring, intolerable suffering who clearly consent to ending their lives.” Read More
Discussions on how people want to die don’t happen soon enough:
“Doctors in palliative care have been pushing for years for more consultation with governments and families about end-of-life care. It also crucial to push people and their doctors to have the appropriate discussions soon enough — before an individual is incapacitated. “Canada has engendered a culture where many people are afraid to raise the topic of death.” ” Read More
Revenue Canada’s call centres giving bad tax advice:
“One of every four business callers who ask for tax help from the Canada Revenue Agency’s call centres gets bad information, an internal survey suggests. Some accounting firms routinely ask the same tax question of different call-centre workers, and use the most common response, rather than take a chance with a single inquiry that may result in bad advice. ” Read More
RRSP season: Investors still wait to see the real fees:
“Fees investors are paying for their investments are legion, often arcane and sometimes hidden within management expense ratios, making them extremely difficult for the average investor to track. The question that most clients want to know is: ‘How much am I paying you for your service, for your advice?’ And that’s not very clear. The industry has not done a particularly good job of articulating the fees. ” Read More
Facebook legacy contact can keep your profile updated after you die:
“Facebook is giving users a way to keep their profiles updated after they die. The new feature, launching first in the U.S., lets a user choose a “legacy contact” — a family member or friend who can log in for the user after Facebook gets a death notification. The legacy contact can do things like provide details about memorial services. ” Read More
Assisted suicide: Where do Canada, other countries stand?
“Canada does allow doctors to induce a coma and turn off life-sustaining equipment for suffering patients near death, a practice known as palliative sedation that right-to-die advocates argue is ethically, morally and legally no different than assisted suicide or euthanasia. ” Read More
Alzheimer’s poses unique challenges for teen caregivers:
“For many teenagers, taking on the responsibility of caring for an adult may seem unimaginable, especially when that adult is a parent. But when she was 14, Claire Poirier of Toronto says she had to quickly step into the role of caregiver for her mother, Jane Holland-Poirier, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.” Read More
Dementia patients’ errors leave their wives battling financial institutions:
“Two women devastated by the effects of dementia in their loved ones found themselves at their wits’ end with large financial institutions, which they said did nothing to help after their spouses made irrational transactions that cost them dearly. ” Read More
Dementia patients, caregivers could soon get help from low-cost robotics:
“If a team of Toronto-based researchers have their way, older adults and people with disabilities – including dementia patients – will one day have the help of robots. Although robotic systems such as this are likely five to 10 years away from being widely available, the lab’s research manager, Dr. Jennifer Boger, says they have “tremendous potential” for supporting dementia patients and their caregivers.” Read More
Toddler pulled from icy creek and revived after 101 minutes of CPR:
“In a survival story his doctors call extraordinary, a 22-month-old Pennsylvania boy whose lifeless body was pulled from an icy creek was revived after an hour and 41 minutes of CPR and has suffered virtually no lingering effects.” Read More
Tax time 2015: 8 ways to make the most of your charitable donations:
“Canadians mostly donate to charities out of compassion for those in need. But those who are less motivated by such noble feelings might be enticed to give by the promise of a tax break. The federal government offers a number of tax incentives for generous Canadians who open their wallets for charity.” Read More
Medical expenses often overlooked as tax deductions:
“Most people are aware they can claim some medical expenses on their tax return, but many don’t keep a running tally because they simply forget or don’t think it will add up to worthwhile savings. That’s a potentially costly mistake, say tax experts.
Everything from gluten-free food to medical marijuana can be claimed as a medical expense.” Read More
Retirement home fees of $1K per month continue after seniors die or move out:
“Retirement Concepts, a large company that runs private seniors’ residences, is under fire from relatives forced to pay $1,000 monthly fees long after their loved ones have died or moved out.” Read More
Retirement homes: 5 things to ask before the big move:
“When visiting a potential home, retirees should come ready with lots of questions. People should check for a clean environment, respectful staff and nutritious food, among other things.” Read More
Tax time 2015: tax benefits for parents can add up to big savings:
“Sure, they’re a delight in and of themselves, but children can also bring a lot of tax relief and financial benefits to their parents throughout their lifetime thanks to an array of tax credits, deductions and social benefits.” Read More
Dementia patients sold unproven ‘brainwave optimization’:
“Clinics across Canada are advertising an unproven alternative health treatment to help with the symptoms of dementia. Marketplace talked to several clinic clients who said the treatment helped with a variety of problems including insomnia, depression and post-concussive symptoms such as lack of focus and memory loss…but not (necessarily) dementia.” Read More
Tax time 2015: 8 ways to make the most of your charitable donations:
“The federal government offers a number of tax incentives for generous Canadians who open their wallets for charity. Here are some things you should know about making charitable donations in Canada: From making use of the first-time donor super credit to watching out for illegal tax shelters.” Read More
Mental health, dementia prompt financial perils and options for families:
“Thousands of families across Canada are facing a problem that few talk about: a health condition that prompts a family member to spend wildly or make uncharacteristic financial mistakes. People with certain types of mental conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease (advanced dementia) and bipolar disorder, may not fully grasp the consequences of their spending.” Read More
Province cuts support for woman with cerebral palsy because mom set up trust fund:
“A Quebec woman with cerebral palsy had her $900 a month in provincial assistance taken away, all because her elderly mom set up a modest trust fund to pay for her future care. “Even though I am an adult, it feels like I am being treated as a child,” says Sarah Davidson, 38, who speaks slowly but with conviction. Provincial officials cut her off more than a year ago and have denied her appeal.” Read More
Dementia villages: Is getting patients to believe a false reality OK?
“A Dutch village lives in what seems like The Truman Show. Few residents realize it’s a care home for people with severe dementia. Similar facilities are springing up around the world. But, some are concerned these dementia villages are tricking patients into believing a false reality.” Read More
In light of Margot Bentley case, a non-profit says there’s another way to honour end-of-life plans:
“The case of Margot Bentley is highlighting the uncertainty of living wills under legal scrutiny but there are other options for those who who want their end-of-life plans to be honoured.” Read More
How Margot Bentley is complicating the right-to-die debate:
“Bentley, 83, a retired nurse who looked after patients with dementia, wrote what she called her “statement of wishes” in 1991. That statement appeared clear to her and her family, but a judge did not see it that way.” Read More
Joni Mitchell’s friend remains in charge of singer’s medical care, judge decides:
“Both Sides Now singer, 71, recovering at home after suffering an aneurysm in March. A judge on Wednesday praised Joni Mitchell’s longtime friend for helping the singer-songwriter recover from the aneurysm and ruled that she should continue to make medical decisions for the musician.” Read More
Louise Penny speaks out about life after her husband’s dementia diagnosis:
“Bestselling author Louise Penny didn’t imagine her life at this point would centre on the care of her husband. But a few years ago, she noticed small changes. He started having trouble with numbers, something he had always excelled at. He didn’t immediately notice the changes, and an initial test for dementia came up in the “normal” range. Today, they both know dementia was to blame for some of those early symptoms that they had initially written off.” Read More
Emerging evidence points to ways to lower risk of dementia:
“Dementia cases seem to be stabilizing in some Western European countries despite population aging, according to researchers who caution against shifting away from prevention. Brain health late in life is rooted in physical and mental health early in life so prevention of dementia depends on paying attention to optimizing health at all stages of life, the researchers said.” Read More
Doctor-assisted suicide survey ‘designed to manufacture fear’:
“A group pushing for a new federal law to govern doctor-assisted suicide is ripping into a federal survey gathering input on the controversial issue, saying its questions are designed to “manufacture fear.” The questionnaire, launched Friday, is one part of an external process set up by the federal government to help respond to the Supreme Court of Canada’s landmark ruling last winter on doctor-assisted death.” Read More
Global life expectancy rises, but people remain sicker for longer:
“People around the world are living longer, but many are also living sicker lives for longer, according to a study of all major diseases and injuries in 188 countries. Canada was tenth on the list of 10 countries with highest healthy life expectancy, at 70.1 years. Japan had the highest, at 73.4 years.” Read More
Promising Alzheimer’s research:
“Quebec researchers have found a link between Alzheimer’s disease and fatty deposits in the brain. Right now we have 747,000 people living with dementia in Canada and that is expected to increase to 1.4 million in less than 16 years.” Read More
NDP puts Alzheimer’s and dementia care on campaign agenda:
“There are currently about 750,000 Canadians living with Alzheimer’s and dementia, and one in five people over 45 provide care or assistance to seniors living with the disorders. The NDP continued its push on health-care issues Monday, announcing that a New Democratic government would commit millions to develop a national Alzheimer’s and dementia strategy to improve care for Canadians living with the disorders.” Read More
Parkinson’s choir may help ‘masked face syndrome’:
“Singing appears to help people with movement disorder regain facial expression. Tremors and difficulty walking are often the most noticeable symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, which affects about one in 500 people in Canada. Those with the disease may also have limited facial movement, which hampers the ability to express themselves. For people with Parkinson’s who have “masked face syndrome,” it can be difficult for others to decipher how they’re feeling. That’s because we unknowingly mimic or mirror each other during interaction to connect.” Read More
Spouses of stroke survivors advised to move beyond caregiver role:
“It’s estimated 62,000 strokes occur in Canada each year, about one every nine minutes, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. It’s the third-leading cause of death in this country and the second-leading cause of death in the world. Marriages often turn into a patient-caregiver relationship after a stroke, says a Canadian researcher who has looked at how the role changes for couples.” Read More
Assisted-suicide advocate Donna DeLorme takes her own life:
“Calgary woman with MS lobbied for faster changes to federal legislation on doctor-assisted suicide.
Donna DeLorme, who struggled for nearly two decades with multiple sclerosis and advocated passionately for the right to doctor-assisted suicide, took her own life this week.” Read More
Why a leading neuroscientist wants the brains of hockey players:
“Neuroscientist Dr. Charles Tator has asked the family of former NHL enforcer Todd Ewen to donate Ewen’s brain so he can study it. This week, Ewan’s death was ruled a suicide and Tator wants to examine his brain to determine whether it has signs of degeneration.” Read More
Memory Care Centre recreates past for dementia patients:
“At the Memory Care Centre, which specializes in caring for seniors with dementia, the past can be found around every corner. The goal at the Memory Care Centre is to transport residents back to a time where they feel most comfortable and happy. The lines between what is real and what isn’t are deliberately blurred.” Read More
Go Public — Parents of disabled woman say caregiver’s lack of medical skills put daughter at risk:
“A couple is going public after the caregiver they hired didn’t have the medical skills she claimed to have, putting their severely disabled daughter at risk and raising questions about the screening process and how effective it is.” Read More
Processed meat can cause colon cancer, World Health Organization says:
“Eating processed meat such as sausage and bacon can cause cancer in humans. How meat is cooked makes a difference. The report’s experts said grilling, pan-frying or other high-temperature ways of cooking red meat produce the highest amounts of chemicals suspected to cause cancer.” Read More
5 things: What the findings on red, processed meat and cancer really mean:
“The researchers found a “statistically significant dose-response relationship” between the consumption of processed meats and colorectal cancer. Although the fact that processed meats like ham and sausage have been classified in the same risk category as tobacco, it does not however mean they’re as likely to cause cancer as smoking.” Read More
Allerject epinephrine auto-injectors recalled by drugmaker Sanofi:
“Drug company Sanofi is recalling hundreds of thousands of epinephrine auto-injectors in North America used to treat severe allergic reactions because they may not deliver the correct amount of the life-saving drug.” Read More
Robin Williams had multiple afflictions, widow says:
“Robin Williams’ widow says his medical afflictions would have claimed his life within three years — “hard years” — and that she doesn’t blame him for his suicide. Popular actor fought depression, Parkinson’s disease; coroner found signs of Lewy body dementia.” Read More
Quebec palliative care centre to provide doctor-assisted suicide:
“A palliative care centre in Sherbrooke, Que., is poised to become the first facility to provide access to doctor-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients. The centre will begin offering the service on Feb. 1, 2016, five days before the ban on doctor-assisted suicide is lifted outside of Quebec.” Read More
Quebec doctors’ group to contest end-of-life care legislation in court:
“The Coalition of Physicians for Social Justice and a handicapped woman, said Thursday they want to submit new arguments to Quebec Superior Court before the end-of-life care law takes effect on Dec. 10. The plaintiffs also want the court to answer questions such as whether medical aid in dying is a health service.” Read More
Baby close to dying from leukemia has no signs of cancer 2 months after designer cell therapy:
“A baby whom doctors thought almost certain to die has been cleared of a previously incurable leukaemia in the first human use of an “off-the-shelf” cell therapy that creates designer immune cells.” Read More
Canadians burdened with hefty debt worry about retirement:
“Many Canadians dream about the day they can retire and enjoy the so-called golden years. But for some time now, experts have been warning that dream is just that — a dream. Many people in their late 40s and early 50s are still carrying massive debts and have little savings for the future.” Read More
Megadoses of popular vitamins may do more harm than good, experts warn:
“Canadians eager to boost their health by consuming megadoses of vitamins C, E and D may be doing more harm than good, a fifth estate investigation into the vitamins and supplements industry reveals. There are studies that show that if you take a megavitamin you actually can hurt yourself. You actually can increase your risk of cancer, increase your risk of heart disease.”Read More
Face transplant gives scalp to burned volunteer firefighter:
“This type of treatment option will potentially revolutionize the care of patients with severe facial burn injuries. The donor was 26-year-old New York artist and competitive bicyclist David P. Rodebaugh. He had died of injuries from a biking accident on a Brooklyn street.”Read More
Ontario woman, 84, accused of murder-suicide attempt:
“A senior citizen in London, Ont., stands accused of an attempted murder-suicide in which she allegedly tried to poison herself, her husband and two cats in her home. Husband of woman has dementia and was in nursing home.”Read More
Quebec’s top court rules assisted dying law can go ahead:
“Quebec’s Court of Appeal has maintained the province’s right to allow terminally ill patients the choice to die with medical help, the first law of its kind in Canada. Under Bill 52, individual doctors can refuse to help a terminally ill patient to die, but a hospital cannot opt out of providing the service. Quebec argues assisted dying is an extension of end-of-life care and thus a health issue, which falls under provincial jurisdiction.”Read More
Spirit of the West’s John Mann to try unproven treatment for Alzheimer’s:
“Canadian music icon John Mann, 53, will be starting off the New Year by going abroad for stem cell therapy to treat early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, but researchers say the treatment is far from benign and hasn’t been proven to be effective. There is no cure for the disease — which is not a natural part of aging — although age is a risk factor, with the risk of diagnosis doubling every five years after 65.”Read More
Saskatoon family killed in a weekend highway crash because of suspected drunk driver:
“The married couple was pronounced dead at the scene. The children were taken to hospital, where the two-year-old boy later died. Police are still investigating.”Read More
Dementia’s stigma challenged:
“People living with dementia are among the most stigmatized groups in society because of assumptions about losing dignity and the ability to express yourself. People with dementia face discrimination and social rejection. Often they are ignored. People will address their care partner even when the person with dementia is standing right there. They may lose friends because of misconceptions about abilities.”Read More
Blame the name? TFSAs not used effectively by many Canadians:
“Money experts say the name leads people to believe it’s a standard savings account, meant for short-term savings and frequent withdrawals: “They kind of dip in and dip out whenever they want, but that’s not really what it’s meant for.””Read More
RRSP basics: Why and how to save:
“Every Canadian with taxable earnings is eligible to put money into an RRSP, up to a maximum of $24,930. And the beauty of the investment is that the money you invest is deducted from your 2015 income, meaning you will pay less tax for 2015 and possibly get a refund. Why save in an RRSP? The simple answer is that, when it comes time to retire, you don’t want to be poor. The deadline is Feb. 29.”Read More
5 things not to do when selling your home in retirement:
“Making your home part of your retirement plan might seem like a no-brainer, especially in some of Canada’s hottest real estate markets. But financial experts warn there are pitfalls to look out for, whether you hope to downsize your home in retirement or to run your old home as an investment property.”Read More
Quebec patient receives doctor-assisted death in Canadian legal first:
“A Quebec City patient has died with the assistance of a doctor, in a Canadian legal first. It is the first known case since the province’s assisted dying law came into effect on Dec. 10, 2015. There may be more cases, but health agencies in Quebec are not obliged to report them on demand.”Read More
Clinical drug trial in France sends 6 to hospital in ‘serious accident’:
“One man is brain dead and three others are facing possible permanent brain damage after volunteering to take part in a drug test in western France, the French Health Ministry said.”Read More
Supreme Court gives federal government 4-month extension to pass assisted dying law:
“In a 5-4 ruling the Supreme Court of Canada has granted the federal government a four-month extension to pass assisted dying legislation, rather than the six months the government had asked for. The court also ruled that Quebec’s assisted dying law, which came into effect in December, can remain in effect.”Read More
Apple demands widow get court order to access dead husband’s password:
“A Victoria widow is outraged over Apple’s demand that she obtain a court order to retrieve her dead husband’s password so she can play games on an iPad. Experts warn this is a growing problem, as more people die leaving important information and valuable digital property on computers and electronic devices.”Read More
CBC Forum: What happens to passwords when you die:
“The ownership of digital property after death a murky issue, says estate lawyer Daniel Nelson. Our Go Public story about a widow who went to Apple to get her dead husband’s password has raised many questions.”Read More
Edmonton couple’s love story goes viral with inspirational video:
“When death came, they were together, and that’s all that really mattered. Through 73 years of marriage, Angela and John Molella were inseparable. They shared everything. Including, at the end, a hospital room. As they both lay dying, she looked over at her husband and said: “John, we grew up together, and now we’re going to die together.” They almost did.”Read More
RRSPs vs. TFSAs: Comparing Canada’s 2 main savings plans:
“There is plenty of debate about whether RRSPs or TFSAs are the best place to park your savings, but financial advisers say if you understand the advantages and disadvantages of each, there is little reason not to use both.”Read More
8 pitfalls to avoid in RRSP investing:
“Each year, the weeks up to the end of February bring a flurry of marketing aimed at getting Canadians to put money into their Registered Retirement Savings Plans. Here are some things to keep in mind before investing your savings.”Read More
RRSP SEASON: Laid off at 55 — now what?
“Statistics Canada estimates 158,400 people aged 55 to 64 were handed permanent layoffs in 2015. Is there any hope of a comfortable retirement for those folks? Maybe, say financial advisers, if they can come to grips with the difficult task of living on a reduced budget.”Read More
Wealthy Albertans look to avoid tax pain – for now:
“For many years, it was good to be a high earner in Alberta. The provincial tax rate was 10 per cent, no matter what the income level. But the flat tax was killed by the former Progressive Conservative government last spring before the election, and Alberta’s new NDP government has introduced four new marginal tax rates.”Read More
Saving Sid: Was removing one-third of this man’s brain the right thing to do?
“Sid Gupta was in the prime of his life when he had an unexpected stroke. What happened next forced his family and friends to confront one of the most painful questions imaginable: At what point is a life no longer worth saving?”Read More
Retirement planning involves looking at more than just money:
“Planning is key so the changes you face in retirement don’t catch you off guard, experts say. That means thinking not just about financial requirements, but also about the people you want to be around, the place you want to live and the things you want to do.”Read More
Time to bust the myth that young people don’t have strokes:
“”There’s a public perception that strokes only affect people who are older and that’s simply not true. As a practising neurologist I see a fair number of young people with strokes, so it’s not out of the ordinary”, says Dr. Michael Hill. While the majority of strokes strike people over 65, 10 to 15 per cent affect individuals 45 and younger — and that number is on the rise.”Read More
The PRPP: Retirement options beyond RRSPs:
“A professionally managed pension fund with contributions usually from both employee and employer, PRPPs are intended to fill in a gap for employees at small- and medium-sized firms who don’t have access to a workplace pension plan. As of 2011, only 37 per cent of men and 40 per cent of women had a company pension, according to Statistics Canada.”Read More
The dos and don’ts of end-of-life planning:
“Some Canadians have placed their final wishes — like when to stop medical treatment or whether to donate organs — in unofficial documents, often called living wills, says Ron Usher, a lawyer and president of Nidus. But Usher says it’s important to put the information in a legally binding document to avoid possible trouble in the future.”Read More
Middle-age fitness boosts mind, body:
“According to recent studies, staying physically fit, especially in middle age, promotes physical and mental sharpness more than at any other time. A Boston University paper published in an online issue of Neurology indicates that exercise reduces cognitive decline.”Read More
Ottawa Catholic health provider won’t offer doctor-assisted death:
“Bruyère, a publicly funded Catholic health-care provider in Ottawa that offers palliative care, will not provide physician-assisted death or refer patients to the service despite a Supreme Court ruling striking down the ban, its head says in a memo obtained by CBC News.”Read More
Question rises of a child requesting physician-assisted death:
“This week’s parliamentary report on the right to die has put a profound moral and legal question to federal legislators: Should children suffering from incurable illness be allowed to end their own life with the help of a doctor? Among the 21 recommendations from the joint panel of MPs and senators is one to allow “competent mature minors” to request a physician’s help to die.”Read More
Insurance companies reconsider ‘dated’ policies for suicide attempts:
“While it’s up to each insurer to take its own approach, “they are as a whole moving to ensure that both the language used and the exclusions being applied are up to date and in keeping with both the industry’s and Canadian society’s focus on responding to mental health issues in a fair, progressive and compassionate basis.””Read More
Michael Bowden shares remarkable story of recovery with Yellowknife students:
“A Yellowknife man marked a grim anniversary by celebrating his achievements and sharing his story with the city’s youth — a quarter-century to the day after a drunk driver changed his life forever. On Wednesday, Michael Bowden spoke to students in Yellowknife, warning them against the consequences of drinking and driving.”Read More
Doctor in assisted-dying case wants college to allow nurses to help:
“The Vancouver doctor who helped a Calgary woman legally end her life this week is concerned that B.C. healthcare workers are being discouraged from helping doctors when it comes to physician-assisted-dying cases.”Read More
Toronto mom found guilty of disabled daughter’s murder:
“A jury has found a Toronto woman guilty of first-degree murder in the death of her severely disabled child. Cindy Ali had pleaded not guilty in the February 2011 death of her 16-year-old daughter Cynara Ali, who had cerebral palsy and was unable to walk, talk or feed herself.”Read More
Bio-cremation: why burn a body when you can dissolve it?
“Up until recently, most Canadians have had limited options after death: be buried or be burned. Commonly, burning is the way to go for many Canadians. Now there is a new method of cremation called bio-cremation, which is a process that essentially speeds up natural decomposition. The process is more environmentally friendly than both burial and “flame-based” cremation. In bio-cremation, fewer chemicals leech into the soil, or are sent into the air.”Read More
1st doctor-assisted death in Ontario granted to terminally ill Toronto man:
“In a first for Ontario, a judge has granted an exemption that will allow a terminally ill Toronto man to end his life with the assistance of a doctor. The 81-year-old man — who is only identified by his initials, A.B. — has said in a court affidavit that he is in the advanced stages of aggressive lymphoma. He was diagnosed in 2012.”Read More
New bill on assisted dying won’t be as permissive as parliamentary committee urged:
“The legislation is expected to stipulate that only competent adults should be eligible to receive a doctor’s help to end their lives. It will not allow people diagnosed with competence-impairing conditions like dementia to make advance requests for medical help to die…Nor will it include mature minors, to whom the committee recommended extending the right to choose assisted death within three years.”Read More
5 tax tips for Canadians who like to fly south in the winter:
“Canadians love to fly south during the cold winter months, but snowbirds who nest too long could find themselves at the mercy of the U.S. taxman. Since 2014, when new information-sharing rules came into effect, border officials in both countries track how much time Canadians spend in the U.S. and vice versa.”Read More
Doctor-assisted death obtained by Sherbrooke man who starved himself to qualify:
“A 61-year-old Sherbrooke, Que., man ended his life legally last week. But Jean Brault got a doctor’s help to die only after starving himself for 53 days and refusing water for eight days — at last arriving at a point so close to death he satisfied his doctors that he’d met all the criteria under Quebec’s assisted-dying law.”Read More
Man paralyzed in diving accident can harness signals from his brain to control muscles:
“A man with a spinal cord injury regained limited movement of his fingers, hand and wrist in a lab trial of implanted chip technology that allowed him to harness signals from his brain. “It’s the first time that someone has taken signals from an electrode in the brain and used them to control the person’s own muscles to perform functional movement”.”Read More
Unilingual Nunavut elder moves 2,000 km for a long-term care bed:
“A Nunavut man is wondering what the future holds for his Inuktitut-speaking grandmother who was forced to leave the territory for long-term care that’s not available closer to home.”Read More
Quebec doctor pulls back the curtain on medically assisted dying:
“Some people want to believe that medical assistance to die is dangerous, that it’s complicated, and no one should have the right to do so…But it’s not the case. It happens very calmly.”Read More
Prince had no will; sister asks court for special administrator:
“Prince’s sister believes the superstar musician didn’t have a will and asked a Minnesota court to appoint a special administrator to oversee his multi million-dollar estate, according to court documents filed Tuesday that could signal a looming fight over Prince’s assets. If he left no will or trust, divvying up his fortune could get complicated, said a top Minnesota probate lawyer.”Read More
RESP grants favour higher-income families, federal study confirms:
“An internal evaluation of the Canada Education Savings Program, which pours more than $800 million in grants each year into the education-savings accounts of Canadian families, concludes that it is skewed toward the well-off. The report found that about half of the money goes to families with household incomes of more than $90,000, and about a third goes to those with annual incomes of more than $125,000.”Read More
Ballet dancer returns to stage after horrific accident:
“It’s taken eight months, but Lucila Munaretto is finally back on point after she collided with a minivan while in-line skating in North Vancouver. The dancer was put in a medically-induced coma for two weeks after suffering a broken jaw, neck injury and brain injury as a result of the accident.”Read More
How do you act if you think you are doomed? HMS Erebus wreck may tell us:
“There’s the chance to study what life might have been like on board a ship in its final months and gain a unique insight into human behaviour, especially humans confronting the most dire of circumstances. Was discipline maintained or did it fracture, and if so when? Did they still maintain some hope of escaping? Or… were they eking out their final days in utter misery?”Read More
Health officials downplay high arsenic concentrations in Yellowknife-area lakes:
“Research identifying high arsenic levels in lakes in and around Yellowknife has prompted a health advisory cautioning people to limit their exposure to the lakes. The highest concentrations are up to 60 times the arsenic limit set for drinking water.”Read More
Prince’s estate: Potential legal red tape highlights importance of a will:
“With a will yet to surface, Prince’s family faces a potentially long, costly and complex legal process to divvy up his assets, illustrating the importance of writing a will, even for those not leaving behind a multi-million dollar estate.”Read More
Liberal MP says he can’t support assisted-dying legislation:
“MP Rob Oliphant says he believes the legislation does not meet the thresholds of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Carter case, and he says some of his constituents have requested the possibility of advance directives. “The [Supreme Court] gave us the possibility of [alleviating] intolerable suffering, and the bill does not take sufficient measures in that regard.””Read More
Canada’s health-care system favours the cradle and ignores the grave:
“Dying is a part of living, and everyone who reads this will die at some point. We should not let our incomes, our postal codes or family support networks determine how well or poorly we die. We need to think about this, discuss it and fix it. The time is right to insist that our health ministers address this issue in Canada’s new health accord.”Read More
Doctors make mistakes. Can we talk about that?
“Every doctor makes mistakes. But, says physician Brian Goldman, medicine’s culture of denial (and shame) keeps doctors from ever talking about those mistakes, or using them to learn and improve. Telling stories from his own long practice, he calls on doctors to start talking about being wrong.”Read More
How Cuba – and Canada – give U.S. lung cancer patient new hope:
“When Mick Phillips was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, his odds of survival were not good. Phillips, 68, was repeatedly treated with radiation and chemotherapy, but his doctor said little more could be done if and when the cancer returned. That was more than five years ago, and Phillips’s cancer has not advanced. His doctor credits a lung cancer vaccine from Cuba for sustaining Phillips’s remission.”Read More
Brother’s doctor-assisted death was sad but wonderful, says Halifax man:
“A Halifax man whose brother died with the help of a doctor in Belgium is celebrating that it’s now legal for Canadians with certain medical conditions to request assistance in death, calling his brother’s experience “sad” but “wonderful.””Read More
Senate removes near-death requirement from assisted-dying bill:
“The Senate has voted to amend a key part of the bill that defines who can obtain death with the help of a doctor. Liberal Senator Serge Joyal argued that the eligibility should be broadened so all Canadians with “a grievous and irremediable medical condition” causing “enduring suffering” can access an assisted death, not just those whose death is “reasonably foreseeable.”Read More
Stroke more than doubles risk of dementia:
“A stroke more than doubles the risk of dementia, said Dr. Rick Swartz, a stroke neurologist in Toronto. Raising awareness about the link is not to scare people, but to show how controlling blood pressure, not smoking or quitting if you do, eating a balanced diet and being physically active reduce the risk to individuals and could make a difference at a society level, Swartz said.”Read More
Time to soak the seniors:
“Forget taxing the rich – sadly, there aren’t enough rich people to make a difference. But there are more old people all the time, driving Porsches, pumping iron, and collecting lots and lots of lovely money they don’t need. The trouble is, taking them on would take real courage.”Read More
Dangerous mix of medication leads to faulty Alzheimer’s diagnosis:
“Three years ago, Betty Wallwork was taking a long list of drugs. Some to help her heal from a cataract operation, another to ease the pain of an earache, and others to treat a swollen ankle and help get rid of a lingering chest cold. She’s now warning others about what could happen when the wrong medications are mixed, after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.”Read More
Smiths Falls, Ont., funeral business dissolves the dead:
“Waterworks officials in a small town southwest of Ottawa are monitoring a funeral company that has become the first in Ontario to use an alkaline solution to dissolve human remains, and then drain the leftover coffee-coloured effluents into the sewer system.”Read More
Assisted-dying bill is now law after clearing final hurdles:
“The Liberal government’s much debated and often criticized assisted dying bill is now law. The bill received royal assent Friday afternoon after passing a final vote in the Senate earlier in the day. The bill was voted through after a final bid by senators failed to expand the scope of who qualifies for a doctor-assisted death..”Read More
Feds try to quell retirement fears, but winter is coming: Neil Macdonald
“Retiring into penury, or not being able to retire at all, is becoming a raw fear for millions of Canadians. The reasons are multifold. Real estate prices, especially in the lunacy of markets like Toronto and Vancouver, are rising at several times the rate of income growth. People are stretching themselves to the point of extreme financial fragility to come up with a down payment and cover the monthly mortgage instalment.”Read More
Inventive green solutions offer environmentally friendly burial alternatives:
“A business in Smiths Falls, Ont., that uses a high-pressure caustic solution to dissolve human remains — and then discharges that fluid into the town’s sewer system — is the latest initiative by companies and consumers to find a more environmentally friendly way to handle the bodies of the deceased.”Read More
Report alleges China killing thousands to harvest organs:
“Chinese hospitals are conducting far more organ-transplant operations than the country has officially acknowledged, according to a lengthy new report that raises troubling questions about the source of human body parts used to heal China’s elite and the foreigners who pay high prices to receive new kidneys and livers.”Read More
Eating more animal protein increases risk of death, plant protein reduces it:
“People who eat more protein from plants and less from animals may live longer even when they have unhealthy habits like heavy drinking or smoking, a large U.S. study suggests.”Read More
Retirement planning: How to make sure you have enough money:
“How do you ensure you have enough money saved for the retirement of your dreams when you don’t know how long you will live? The wisest advice, according to financial experts, is to budget conservatively because it’s always better to have some money when you die than no money while you’re still alive.”Read More
Driving and dementia: A delicate balance:
“Drivers with mild impairment in their cognitive ability — but who haven’t been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or any other kind of dementia — are much more likely to commit major driving mistakes than healthy drivers. In some cases, the error rate is triple.”Read More
Quebec waiter arrested after seafood puts allergic customer in coma:
“A waiter was arrested Wednesday for serving salmon to a highly allergic customer in a case one expert says could be a Canadian first. A resident of Gatineau, Quebec filed a formal complaint against the server at a restaurant after he says he nearly died from his meal.”Read More
More than 100 Canadians have opted for assisted death since law passed:
“Doctors and nurse practitioners have helped hasten the deaths of more than 100 Canadians since the federal law governing medical aid in dying was passed in June, 2016.”Read More
Ambulance brings man from B.C. to Saskatchewan to fulfil dying wish:
“To what length would you go to fulfil a loved one’s final wish? For one family, checking off the final item of their father’s bucket list meant a 2,000-kilometre road trip from Victoria, B.C., to Saskatchewan, so Jim Jeffery, 95, could be laid to rest at his old farmhouse. Jim Jeffery of B.C. returns to Moose Jaw.”Read More
Organ donation rates up in Canada but could be higher:
“Organ donations overall rose by 23 per cent over the last decade in Canada, but 4,600 patients are still currently waiting for the life-saving or live-improving gift, according to a report from Canadian Blood Services. Deceased organ donation rates are highest in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.”Read More
Drawing Conclusions: Breaking down how the RESP works
“This is a Globe & Mail video that shows how an RESP works.”Read More
Savers must adjust retirement plans amid low interest rates: Poloz
“The governor of the Bank of Canada says Canadians must be ready to readjust their retirement expectations in the face of continuing “ultra-low” interest rates. “I realize this may be cold comfort to those people who have to adjust retirement plans to a lower-for-longer world,” Poloz said. “But the difficult reality is that savers must adjust their plans.””Read More
B.C. author W.P. Kinsella ends his own life under assisted-dying legislation:
“W.P. Kinsella, the B.C.-based author of Shoeless Joe, the award-winning novel that became the film Field of Dreams, has died at 81. His literary agency confirms the writer had a doctor-assisted death on Friday in Hope, B.C. Kinsella suffered a head injury when he was in a car accident in 1997. Three years after the accident, he said he had no interest in writing fiction and was spending his days playing Scrabble on the internet.”Read More
Assisting in brother’s death both ‘awful’ and ‘an honour’ for sister left behind:
“Michele Jack keeps coming back to what it was like to mix the cocktail of medication her brother had to drink to end his life. The purple hue. The terrible taste. Her story is about a different type of grieving, opened up by a change in Canada’s laws. It is the struggle of someone who has helped a loved one with terminal cancer end his life.”Read More
‘Saddest-photo’ couple reunited after being forced apart:
“An elderly couple forced to live apart against their wishes has been reunited at a Surrey, B.C. facility. Wolfram Gottschalk has been moved into the same seniors’ care home where his wife Anita is living, nine months after they were separated.”Read More
‘Gravely sinful acts’: Edmonton archbishop defends no funerals in assisted deaths:
“The Catholic Bishops of Alberta and the Northwest Territories issued new guidelines that say priests should not conduct ecclesiastical ceremonies for people who have died in “high-profile” assisted deaths. The guidelines also say that families who want to celebrate the assisted-death decisions of their loved ones should be denied church funerals.”Read More
‘Robin Williams was fighting ‘terrorist within his brain,’ widow says in essay:
“Susan Schneider Williams says her late husband was initially diagnosed with Parkinson’s, until the autopsy revealed the actor was more specifically suffering from Lewy body disease, a little-known and severe form of dementia.”Read More
Elderly man charged with killing ‘soulmate’ wife may have dementia, court hears:
“A forensic psychiatrist said in court that when he examined the 85-year-old he thought he was being spoken to by a doctor because of a skiing accident and did not understand where he was, or why he was at court.”Read More
How long can people live? New study suggests there’s a limit:
“The record for the world’s oldest person is 122 years and the odds of shattering that record are slim, according to an analysis published Wednesday in the journal Nature.”Read More
More than half of Canadians don’t take Ottawa’s offer of free money for school. Do you?
“Ottawa offers thousands — that’s right, thousands — of dollars to help families defray the cost of tuition. But most of us just leave that money on the table: the most recent data from Statistics Canada shows the participation rate is less than half.”Read More
Trip to dentist leaves Edmonton girl, 4, brain damaged, in pain:
“Amber Athwal loved to dance. But she’ll never dance again. Now she lies in bed semi-conscious, curled up in pain. The four-year-old was beyond excited, looking forward to the first day of kindergarten on Sept. 7. Instead, she went to the dentist that day and has been in hospital ever since. The little girl was left brain damaged after she stopped breathing in the downtown Edmonton dentist’s office for an undetermined amount of time.”Read More
Auto insurance rule change costs injured man millions in rehab support:
“An auto insurance rule change that took effect the day an Ontario man suffered severe injuries in a crash has left his family on the verge of bankruptcy as he goes through an expensive and drawn-out rehabilitation process. Adam Bari was mistakenly pronounced dead by police when his motorcycle was T-boned on a rural road on June 1. Investigators concluded he was not at fault in the crash.”Read More
Bunnies hop their way into residents’ hearts at Yellowknife seniors’ home:
“Two big footed, long-eared volunteers are helping out at a seniors home in Yellowknife. Rabbits Kobe and Kenya are the newest additions to Aven Manor’s pet therapy program, where animals are brought in to spend time with the seniors. The two were recently surrendered to the NWT SPCA in Yellowknife. The organization says the two are a bonded pair and can’t be separated.”Read More
Capital gains tax break becomes part of a double whammy when home prices fall:
“Monthly real estate numbers released Friday show the price of the average Canadian home rose again in September, up almost 10 per cent in the past year. But if and when that trend reverses and prices turn flat or start to fall, the investment advantages of owning a home can take a dramatic turn for the worse. The reason is tax.”Read More
Mother warns ‘party drug’ users after daughter dies from drinking too much water:
“A Winnipeg mother says her 23-year-old daughter died from drinking too much water after she used the illicit drug MDMA. By piecing things together with information from Leanne’s friends, she learned her daughter took, at most, one pill of MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, and then didn’t feel well. She said people checked on Leanne until everyone went to bed. The next morning she wasn’t breathing and her friends called 911. “I got a call from Concordia Hospital saying my daughter was in a coma and if I had a driver to take me there,” she said. Leanne was in the coma for two days before doctors told the family she was brain dead.”Read More
Parents find son’s lifeless body after pharmacy switches sleep medication for toxic dose of another drug:
“Eight-year-old Andrew Sheldrick went to bed on Saturday, March 12, after his mom gave him what she thought was his usual dose of medication for a sleep disorder. When his dad went to wake him in the morning, he found the boy dead. A coroner’s report concluded Andrew had not taken Tryptophan, the sleep medication he’d been prescribed, but Baclofen, a muscle relaxant drug used to treat muscle spasms caused by conditions such as multiple sclerosis. The coroner found the boy had almost three times the dose of Baclofen in his system that would be toxic to an adult, and no trace of the sleep drug Tryptophan.”Read More
Jehovah’s Witness who died giving birth understood risk of refusing blood:
“Quebec’s Health Minister says he has proof a 26-year-old Jehovah’s Witness woman who died during childbirth at a hospital near Quebec City understood the risks of refusing a blood transfusion, but insisted one not be performed. Éloïse Dupuis died of a hemorrhage on Oct. 12 at Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis Hospital after giving birth by caesarean section. Her son survived the birth.”Read More
You’re never going to retire — and here’s why:
“You’re never going to retire. At least not in the way we have come to perceive retirement. For a while there, we had a pattern. You went to school, you worked and then you retired for a handful of years before your eternal demise. Well, that pattern is broken. We live longer and fewer of us have company pensions to see us through those final years.”Read More
‘My life is a nightmare:’ Windsor man, 27, wants legally assisted death:
“Adam Maier-Clayton lives in constant pain and wants to die. The 27-year-old business school graduate has battled anxiety, mood disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder since he was a child. He says his debilitating pain feels like parts of his body are being burned by acid. Despite a host of treatments, some of them experimental, his agony has only worsened in recent years.”Read More
Restrained and medicated senior spends months ‘warehoused’ in hospital:
“The son of an 86-year-old woman says his mom spent months “warehoused” in hospital, moved to five different units, and was restrained so often that her mental and physical illness worsened. After living successfully in a home for seniors with similar issues for years, her family says she was “kicked out” and then “warehoused” in a hospital general ward, often chemically and physically restrained in her bed.”Read More
‘I love digging’; 89-year-old man digs his own grave:
“One day I was digging graves and I just thought I’d do my own if I lived to be 90, so I’m 90 years of age and it’s already done,” he said. Eighty-nine-year old Jimmy Kickham’s 90th birthday is on Thursday, and he’s in good health, so there’s no urgent need for the hole.”Read More
Why I’m donating my brain for concussion research: Bob McKeown:
“Co-host of the fifth estate – and Grey Cup winner – knows more about brain injury in CFL than he wants to. But we never called them concussions. They were “dingers” or “getting your bell rung.” No one ever used the contemporary term “minor traumatic brain injury.” “Read More
Dying girl convinces judge to let her body be frozen:
“U.K. court clears way for teenager’s remains to be preserved in U.S. facility. The teenage girl’s instructions were direct: She didn’t want to be buried, but to be frozen — with the hope she can continue her life in the future when cancer is cured. “I want to live and live longer and I think that in the future they may find a cure for my cancer and wake me up,” the 14-year-old wrote to a British judge before her recent death.”Read More
People with Down syndrome answer uncomfortable questions:
“Can adults with Down syndrome live on their own? Can they have a job? Can they drive? Can children with Down syndrome learn to read or ride a bike?
These are some of the difficult questions on the minds of prospective parents who have just been told their unborn child will likely have Down syndrome.
The questions are answered in 40 unscripted YouTube videos featuring adults and children with the developmental disability.”Read More
Renewed calls to review assisted death rules after Montreal man charged with murdering wife:
“Advocates and law makers are renewing calls for changes to the rules surrounding doctor-assisted dying after a Montreal man was charged with second degree murder in connection with the death of his long-suffering wife.”Read More
Long-winded speech could be early sign of Alzheimer’s, says study:
“Rambling and long-winded anecdotes could be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease, according to research that suggests subtle changes in speech style occur years before the more serious mental decline takes hold.”Read More
Dismay as Alzheimer’s drug fails in clinical trials:
“A drug that was seen as a strong contender to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease has failed to deliver in the final stage of clinical trials. The results, based on 2,000 patients with mild dementia, are a significant blow because there are currently no treatments to slow the effects of Alzheimer’s.”Read More
Former teen idol David Cassidy says he has dementia:
“Former teen idol David Cassidy said on Monday he was suffering from dementia, a day after weekend performances in California in which he forgot his words and appeared to fall off stage raised concern about his health. The former Partridge Family singer and actor, 66, told People magazine he was fighting dementia, a disease that his mother also suffered from.”Read More
1,300 Canadians have died with medical assistance since legalization—here’s one man’s story:
“On Friday Jan. 6, Rob Rollins and his husband John MacTavish woke up just as they would any other morning. John got his brother Bobby MacTavish, who is unable to speak or walk, ready to go to his day program. But this time, before he left, Bobby spent about an hour with Rollins in his bedroom. The two were saying goodbye.”Read More
Glen Campbell’s final album, Adios, set for spring release:
“Guitarist and singer Glen Campbell plans to say goodbye with a final album, titled Adios, recorded shortly after his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2011. Campbell, who turns 81 on April 22, is in the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease and is currently in a nursing home in Nashville.”Read More
Calgary mother hopes photo of dying son will deter others from doing fentanyl:
“A Calgary mother is hoping a photo of her lying on a hospital bed with her dying son will help steer others away from using the deadly drug fentanyl. “My son was not an addict, he made a mistake that cost him his life,” Sherri Kent wrote on the Facebook post, which has been shared more than 86,000 times.”Read More
What happens to Aeroplan and other reward program points when you die?
“Aeroplan is “capitalizing on someone’s grief” by charging a fee to transfer points from a deceased member’s account, says the family member of a woman who died leaving 250,000 Aeroplan points behind. And even though the fees can be significant and travel booking potentially restrictive, compared with some other loyalty programs, Aeroplan has one of the better policies for dealing with points in the account of someone who has died.”Read More
‘A terrible shock’: Man whose wife died calls for increased access to palliative care:
“She had breast cancer for four years and entered the final stage of the disease about six months before she died. By that point, her breast cancer had metastasized to her skull, causing pressure, and she received chemotherapy in an attempt to ease her symptoms. What she needed, and we needed, was a deep conversation about what to expect in the final weeks and months. As it turned out in our case, it was only five days.”Read More
How science found a way to help coma patients communicate:
“In recent years, thanks to the invention of fMRI, we have made extraordinary breakthroughs in understanding the mental life of people trapped in the grey zone. We have discovered that 15% to 20% of people in the vegetative state, who are widely assumed to have no more awareness than a head of broccoli, are in fact fully conscious, even though they never respond to any form of external stimulation.”Read More
Do-not-resuscitate requests rarely tracked in Canada:
“Shahnaz Azarbehi wants to die on her own terms, but she says her wishes aren’t being taken seriously. The 67-year-old Toronto resident is in good health. But if she is ever in a serious accident or gets really sick, she wants everyone to know she does not, under any circumstances, want to be resuscitated.”Read More
Better palliative care essential as Canada considers medically assisted death for youth, pediatricians say:
“The Canadian Paediatric Society is urging improved palliative care for children and youth as a key part of preparing for the possibility of legalizing medical assistance in dying for certain patients under age 18.”Read More
‘Anything But Sorry’: What to say when a baby is born with Down syndrome:
“For Ed and Mary Casagrande, the birth of their middle child, Emma, was a moment of celebration. The Casagrandes were told when Mary was five months pregnant that their baby had Down syndrome. Now, four years later, Emma continues to be a bright light in their family. “She brings joy to our family every day. She lights up a room anywhere she goes. She is a blessing. She completes our family”.”Read More
Gregory Petsko at TED2008; The coming neurological epidemic:
“Biochemist Gregory Petsko makes a convincing argument that, in the next 50 years, we’ll see an epidemic of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, as the world population ages. His solution: more research into the brain and its functions.”Read More
Lisa Genova at TED2017; What you can do to prevent Alzheimer’s:
“Alzheimer’s doesn’t have to be your brain’s destiny, says neuroscientist and author of “Still Alice,” Lisa Genova. She shares the latest science investigating the disease — and some promising research on what each of us can do to build an Alzheimer’s-resistant brain.”Read More
Samuel Cohen at TED2015 London; Alzheimer’s is not normal aging — and we can cure it:
More than 40 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to increase drastically in the coming years. But no real progress has been made in the fight against the disease since its classification more than 100 years ago. Scientist Samuel Cohen shares a new breakthrough in Alzheimer’s research from his lab as well as a message of hope. “Alzheimer’s is a disease,” Cohen says, “and we can cure it.”Read More
Inheriting money from abroad? Understand the rules:
As Canada’s population becomes ever more global, with immigrants bringing wealth from all over the world, a new kind of problem has emerged for estate planners and financial advisers. When estates are bequeathed inside Canada, the laws are often straightforward on what needs to be done, with a proper will and an executor being at the top of the list. But when one or more other countries come into play – as is so often the case with immigrants to Canada – the rules of the game become increasingly muddled.”Read More
How to write a ‘fur kid’ into your will:
Although some pet owners may be shy about admitting it publicly, many Canadians are writing provisions for pets into their wills. “My husband and I feel strongly that Ruby deserves to be taken care of in the same way we take care of our human child,” says a Toronto psychologist, who has also specified that they’d like Ruby to remain with their daughter. “It just seems natural to keep them together, as Ruby and Kara are like sisters of different species.””Read More
Find the upside to downsizing a lifetime of treasures:
For Kay Brundage, 88, the hardest thing about downsizing from a two-bedroom condo to a compact seniors’ residence in Toronto’s Don Mills neighbourhood was finding new homes for her oversized possessions. “For a month, I never went anywhere without starting every conversation with ‘Does anybody want a 90-year-old piano?'” she says.”Read More
What to ask before you choose a guardian for your children:
Lack of time. That’s one of the reasons why busy couples don’t draft wills and pick guardians for their children should the worst happen. Yet there’s another, even larger, issue: How should a guardian be chosen in the first place?”Read More
AC/DC co-founder and guitarist Malcolm Young dead at 64:
Malcolm Young, who founded the Australian rock band AC/DC along with his brother Angus, has died at age 64 after suffering from dementia for several years. Malcolm Young was a songwriter, backing vocalist and rhythm guitarist for AC/DC, a hard rock and heavy metal band that was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.”Read More
Parkinson’s patient forced to battle bureaucracy around assisted death:
In a small apartment in Toronto, an intimate gathering of family and friends is ready to celebrate a life well lived. And a woman’s triumph in determining when, and on whose terms, her life would come to an end. The guest of honour is 64-year old Nancy Vickers.”Read More
Woman who suffered brain injury communicates with mom for 1st time since 1996:
In what her mother calls a “Christmas miracle,” a Nova Scotia woman who suffered a catastrophic brain injury in a 1996 car accident communicated one-on-one with her mother for the first time in 21 years. Louise Misner said her 37-year-old daughter Joellan Huntley used eye-motion cameras and software on an iPad to respond to a comment from Misner about her clothes.”Read More
After 3 decades in a coma, Victoria police officer passes away:
A Victoria police officer who has been in a coma since a car crash in 1987 died on Wednesday night. Const. Ian Jordan was seriously injured in an on-duty car collision with another police vehicle on Sept. 22, 1987, according to the Victoria Police Department.”Read More
Grey Matters: Seniors needs a voice in government:
It’s quite remarkable that our federal government is still failing to consider how its decisions will affect our seniors. One example: Pensioners’ financial security remains at risk, with no commitment from the government other than a vague budget promise to “obtain feedback from pensioners, workers and companies” on how to protect Canadians’ pensions.”Read More
Do you really want to live forever(ish)?:
Aubrey de Grey thinks the first humans who will live to 1,000 already walk among us. But is postponing death a good thing? The hotly debated question among longevity experts, in fact, is not whether we’ll celebrate significantly more birthdays but how many more.”Read More
‘Like dorm life, but way better’: These students are living with seniors and loving it:
After years of living in dormitories and sharing student apartments with multiple housemates, grad student Ivy Manouchehri was looking for a different kind of living experience. We spend so much of our lives in our university student bubble,” she says. “To me, that’s not growing as much as you could grow as a person.” She applied for a spot at Oakcrossing Retirement Home in London, Ont. Twenty-six-year-old Ivy lives with two other fellow music students, and 62 seniors.”Read More
‘There was no hesitation’: Why a couple married 73 years chose doctor-assisted death together:
Through nearly 73 years of marriage, George and Shirley Brickenden did nearly everything together. On March 27, they died together at their Toronto retirement home, holding hands, surrounded by family. George, 95, and Shirley, 94, became one of the very few couples in Canada to have chosen — and to have been allowed — to die together with medical assistance. And they’re the first such couple to speak publicly about it.”Read More
Husband in legal limbo after watching wife who was denied medically assisted death kill herself:
David Dunn knew his wife, Cecilia Bernadette Chmura, 59, had suffered from unbearable fibromyalgia pain for more than 20 years and that she planned to kill herself after being denied medical assistance in dying. But it wasn’t until Dunn heard the buzzing of a coffee grinder as Chmura crushed up her pain pills in the next room that the reality hit him. “I mean, this was my soulmate that I had known since we were 14 years old. And so I was in disbelief. I don’t want you to die,” Dunn told CBC News Monday.”Read More
Beyond bionics: how the future of prosthetics is redefining humanity – video
Bionic technology is removing physical barriers faced by disabled people while raising profound questions of what it is to be human. From DIY prosthetics realised through 3D printing technology to customised AI-driven limbs, science is at the forefront of many life-enhancing innovations.”Read More
Buzz Aldrin sues children, alleging misuse of his finances:
Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin is suing two of his children and a former business manager, accusing them of misusing his credit cards, transferring money from an account and slandering him by saying he has dementia. The 88-year-old Aldrin said in the complaint that despite revoking the power of attorney he had given his son, Andrew Aldrin continued making financial decisions for him.”Read More
Ontario judge refuses family’s appeal to keep brain dead woman on life-support:
An Ontario court has rejected a Toronto area family’s plea to keep their 27-year-old daughter, who has been declared brain dead, on life-support. Her parents were seeking an order to keep her on a mechanical ventilator, arguing she continues to show signs of life and that her Christian fundamentalist beliefs say she’s alive as long as her heart’s still beating. “There is no legislation that requires physicians to consider an individual’s views, wishes or religious beliefs as factors to be considered in the determination of death,” the judge, wrote in her decision.”Read More
For richer or poorer – Sharing CPP with a spouse at divorce means never getting it back:
John Aitken was married for 30 years. When the marriage ended he and his ex-wife Sheena agreed to split the Canada Pension Plan credits accumulated during their time together 50-50. But Sheena got ill and died last year before John claimed his CPP when he turned 60 in December. Aitken “should have been told, ‘You are giving up this pension for good. It’s no longer yours. It’s hers from this point on. And she may live 40 years or four years but it doesn’t matter to you.”Read More
Lack of inheritance tax is making inequality worse, think-tank study suggests:
The gap between the haves and the have-nots is getting wider in Canada — and the country’s lack of an inheritance tax is a big reason why, according to a new report from the left-leaning think-tank Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. While slightly less than half of Canada’s super-rich were self-made, creating businesses that came to be worth hundreds of millions, the remainder inherited much of their wealth, before they themselves were able to grow it.”Read More
Stem cells: great expectations
There is genuine scientific excitement over the concept of using the body’s own cellular building blocks to regenerate damaged or ageing organs. “Regenerative medicine” is the scientists’ preferred terminology. And although it is still very early days, the lab work and limited experiments so far carried out in animals – and humans – have not disappointed.”Read More
Stem cells transformed into brain cells to treat Parkinson’s disease:
Brain cells that die off in Parkinson’s disease have been grown from stem cells and grafted into monkeys’ brains in a major step towards new treatments for the condition. The breakthrough raises the prospect of transplanting freshly grown dopamine-producing cells into human patients to treat the disease.”Read More
‘Give me the damn car’: Red tape keeps grieving widow from driving clunker:
After 56 years of marriage, Margaret McArthur’s husband, John, died suddenly in March without leaving a will. She found herself stuck with a clunker she couldn’t legally drive — or even give away — after being told she had to pay more than the car is worth in legal fees to transfer ownership.”Read More
Ontario man with dementia on crusade to plan his own death:
A London, Ont., man in the early stages of dementia wants the right to end his life with medical assistance when his condition gets worse. But unless the law changes, he will not be eligible for an assisted death. Assisted death is not available to children or people with mental illnesses. Most importantly, the law makes no provision for advance requests — effectively excluding people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The individual must confirm their wish to proceed at the time of the assisted death.”Read More
Heart treatment could have saved her husband’s life — but it wasn’t available in central Alberta:
When Grant Hay, 55, returned home from a gruelling day at work feeling nauseated and short of breath, his wife took him to the hospital in nearby Rocky Mountain House. Doctors quickly realized he was having a heart attack and he was treated with clot-busting drugs. Most heart attack patients in central Alberta are given clot-busting drugs and sent to Calgary or Edmonton for the life-saving treatment. But they don’t always make it in time.”Read More
How early-onset Alzheimer’s is forcing me to embrace the moment:
My name is John Alex McDonald. I am 66 years old. I am recently divorced and have a 12-year-old son. I had a fulfilling career as a schoolteacher. After retiring, I was thrilled to become the primary parent for my young son for the next decade. Then, things started to change. At first, my relationship with my wife began to show cracks. These cracks would eventually lead to the end of our marriage. Stress was taking hold of me; I became impatient and had to work to control my anger.”Read More
Electrical implants, intense rehab help 3 paralyzed patients take steps again:
Three people whose legs were paralyzed for years can stand and take steps again thanks to an electrical implant that zaps the injured spinal cord — along with months of intense rehab. The milestone, reported by two teams of scientists working separately, isn’t a cure. The patients walk only with assistance — holding onto a rolling walker or with other help to keep their balance. Switch off the spinal stimulator and they no longer can voluntarily move their legs.”Read More
Dragons’ Den
Driving Miss Daisy Seniors Service:
Improving the quality of life for seniors and those with disabilities through accompaniment and companionship, including personal transportation services. Tara Armstrong and Bev Halisky from Delta, BC, a mother-daughter duo believe their service is the key to driving home with some Dragon dollars.”Read More
Back to the land: Some people believe cremating our dead or burying them in caskets is an insult to nature. Were humans meant to be recycled?
Mary Farrar was raised Anglican, and growing up, she got used to the idea that when someone dies, they were to be embalmed, placed in a casket and lowered into a brick or concrete grave vault. But when it came time for the 77-year-old to think about burying her husband, Edward, the old ways no longer felt natural.”Read More
Hidden camera reveals how bank employees mislead and upsell on pricey credit card insurance:
Marketplace took a hidden camera inside some of Canada’s biggest banks to investigate how they offered credit card balance protection. Financial experts say the product is pricey, carries numerous conditions to qualify for coverage and often doesn’t pay out.”Read More
Canadian Tire tells wife of ailing customer to pay his $18,000 debt, despite credit card insurance:
Almost 30 years ago, George Graves signed up for a Mastercard at his local Canadian Tire store. He was also sold insurance on that credit card, designed to help with payments in the event a cardholder loses their job, becomes disabled or gets sick. In the months following her husband’s stroke, Jolante Graves says he became unable to recognize her and couldn’t read or write. She says employees from Canadian Tire Bank repeatedly phoned her at home, demanding she pay her spouse’s outstanding credit card bill, which was about $17,000. She had not co-signed for the credit card, and had no obligation to pay it off.”Read More
Want to calculate your risk of heart attack or stroke? This new online tool will help:
Ottawa researchers say their new online calculator can give an idea of a person’s chance of having a stroke or a heart attack within the next five years. Their research, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, says the calculator lets people accurately predict their risk of both hospitalization or death due to cardiovascular disease.”Read More
Homeless Edmonton man discovers rare Disney art in ‘ratty old plastic bag’ is worth thousands:
A homeless man in Edmonton recently learned that an old Disney art print he found in a dumpster is actually a rare and valuable piece of art. The man, who goes by the name Adam, found a framed animation print from the 1942 film Bambi while dumpster diving. He sold it for $20 at the local antique store Curiosity Inc. Later, the shop’s owner discovered it was worth a lot more than 20 bucks. So he set out to find Adam, and give him his fair share.”Read More
Saskatoon widow has her husband’s tattoos — and the skin they’re on — preserved:
Some people put a photo of their departed loved ones above the living room fireplace. Others spread the deceased’s ashes. Saskatoon tattoo shop owner Cheryl Wenzel’s late husband and business partner Chris left her with far more unconventional instructions. “He wanted to have his tattoos removed and displayed to the whole world,” said the 40-year-old widow. “He would always say, ‘Why get all these hours of tattoos put into me [and] nobody can see them? Why get buried with them?'”.Read More
Mind-blowing music in attic reveals the life one man locked away:
This story starts with an ending. Pat Maloney passed away in the late summer of 2016. He’d been facing terminal cancer, and died at home in the village of Arden, Ontario, with his wife, Joanne Pickett, by his side. Their final years together were some of their strongest. “We became the best of friends,” she said. “We just spent such great time together. We took road trips, we talked a lot… We did all of the things that we hadn’t taken the time to do before.””.Read More
When a friend died at 38, I thought that would be my allotted time, too:
A woman I was very attached to died young, at 38. She had been married to a man she loved, had three small children and many talents that were beginning to bear fruit. I was younger than she was when she died; now, I’m much older. For a long time I considered her 38 years a sort of goal. If that had been her allotted span, surely that limit could also be mine. So I thought of my life as if it would not last longer than 38 years.”Read More
‘I wanted to end it all, but surviving and thriving is the lesson I pass on’:
At 24, he wanted to kill himself. Now a novelist, he teaches the readers of his books – and his children – how to get through when the future looks bleak. On a September day in Ibiza, the air scented with sea and pine, Matt Haig – then 24 – walked to a cliff edge planning to kill himself. He stopped one step away.”Read More
How the world smiles – uncovering the secret to collective happiness:
At 24, he wanted to kill himself. Now a novelist, he teaches the readers of his books – and his children – how to get through when the future looks bleak. On a September day in Ibiza, the air scented with sea and pine, Matt Haig – then 24 – walked to a cliff edge planning to kill himself. He stopped one step away.”Read More
Aretha Franklin died without a will:
Aretha Franklin, who died this past August at the age of 76, did not leave a will. Her four sons and other family members are thus left to find out how much the Queen of Soul was worth, and to divide it up. The process could take years and is likely to play out in public. Estate law experts expressed surprise but not shock that a wealthy person like Franklin would put off a will until it was too late. One of the singer’s attorneys said he urged her repeatedly to draft one.”Read More
He married her in a ‘campaign’ to take her money: How a woman with dementia fell into a predatory marriage:
Three years after her aunt’s dementia diagnosis, Donna Devore-Thompson — the older woman’s power of attorney — got an alarming call from the bank. Her aunt, Donna Walker, had been withdrawing large sums of money, and a man was “hanging around. Walker’s shocked family eventually took the man to the Supreme Court of British Columbia, accusing him of preying on a vulnerable woman and pursuing a predatory marriage.”Read More
‘We were able to get one over on death’: Author describes finishing novel for friend who died of breast cancer:
After the writer Vanessa Lafaye died, Rebecca Mascull found a novel way to celebrate her friend’s life and work — she finished Lafaye’s final novel, a follow-up to Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. “The lovely thing about being able to finish Miss Marley for her was that we were able to get one over on death, if you like, and let her last vision live forever in that book”.”Read More
Montreal man convicted of manslaughter for killing wife who had Alzheimer’s:
A jury has opted for the lesser of two possible verdicts suggested by a judge, finding Montrealer Michel Cadotte guilty of manslaughter for the 2017 death of his ailing wife. Testifying in his own defence, Cadotte said he killed Lizotte because he couldn’t stand seeing his wife continue to suffer. The court heard that Cadotte had made inquiries about how to seek medical assistance in dying on his wife’s behalf in 2014. He was told Lizotte would be ineligible because her death was not imminent, and she was not coherent enough to consent — key criteria under Quebec’s law.”Read More
Baby boomers face a new, lean inheritance reality:
When the worst of the market downturn hit in 2009, financial adviser Sloan Levett saw people walk into his Toronto offices in dire need of help. Some of them had seen as much as 25 per cent of their investment capital evaporate in less than a year. As people live longer, many are finding they also need to spend more of the money they intended to leave behind. And indeed Canadians are living longer: When the most recent census data was published in May, the numbers carried some surprising revelations about the extent to which the country is greying. The number of people older than 100 rose to a record 5,825 people last year, a 35-per-cent increase from just a decade ago.”Read More
‘Basically rotting alive’: Family shocked by massive bedsore threatening man’s life:
For months, Linda Moss and her two sisters took shifts at their father’s bedside in a hospital in Burlington, Ontario. But while they sat and held his hand nearly every day, an unseen wound festered beneath his bed sheets. A bedsore had been silently forming on Bob Wilson’s backside, eating away at his flesh until it left a gaping hole bigger than a football. “He was basically rotting alive, and we had no idea.”Read More
10 of the strangest wills of all time:
Leaving instructions for what should happen to your finances after your death is a serious matter – but for some the temptation to cause mischief or raise a smile from beyond the grave is too much to resist.Read More
Organ donation after medical assistance in dying offers possibilities:
Each year, more than 2,000 Canadians receive organ transplants from posthumous donors. The growing popularity of medical assistance in dying (MAID) means that more donor organs might become available. A new guideline published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) helps navigate the legal and ethical challenges.”Read More
Patient ‘rotting alive’ from bedsore dies, Burlington hospital launches action plan:
Bob Wilson, whose family said he was “basically rotting alive” from a bedsore at a Burlington, Ont., hospital, has died at age 77. Wilson was in palliative care when he died Saturday, according to his daughter, who said doctors and the coroner told her his primary cause of death was a bedsore infection that got into his bones and blood.”Read More
Separating couples in long-term care: Some nations call it inhumane, in most of Canada it’s routine:
Across Canada the situation is varied, but most provinces do not have long-term care homes that can accommodate a spouse who does not have severe health needs. Even when both spouses need care, they can still be separated based on the availability of beds. The story is very different across the ocean in Sweden, where elderly couples have the right to live together when one of them goes into long-term care.”Read More
Estate Planning for U.S. Citizens in Canada:
Consider Rajit, an elderly single US citizen who lives in Montreal. His estate is made up of his principal residence worth USD $2 million, an RRIF worth USD $2 million, and a Canadian stock portfolio worth USD $2 million. When he dies his estate will be subject to a Canadian deemed disposition and the US estate tax. The US estate tax is imposed on US citizens in Canada. The total value of Rajit’s estate will be used to calculate his estate tax liability. There is, however, a lifetime USD $5.43 million (the 2015 amount) estate and gift tax exemption. At death, the first USD $5.43 million of his estate is exempt from tax. The remaining USD $570,000 will be subject to the US estate tax.”Read More
Estate Planning for US Citizens Living in Canada:
For US expats living in Canada, as either permanent residents or dual citizens, careful estate planning takes on heightened importance. If you are a US citizen living in Canada, you will not be preparing a traditional estate plan. To address the cross-border tax issues and ensure the enforceability of your estate planning documents, you (or, more accurately, your lawyer) need to have a clear understanding of what laws apply. In the US, estates and trusts are a matter of state law. This means that each state has its own laws that govern the establishment and effectiveness of wills, trusts, and other estate planning tools. Gift and estate taxes apply at the federal level, but of course there are certain state-level taxes that apply to income and property as well.”Read More
Probate of Canadian Estate With US Assets: How the US-Canada Tax Treaty Works:
Executors probating Canadian estates that include US real estate or other assets subject to the US estate tax system, need to know how the US-Canada Tax Treaty may work to their benefit. Just as important, they have to understand how to timely “invoke” the treaty, so that the tax benefits they are entitled to accrue to the Canadian estate and aren’t lost.”Read More
US Federal Estate Tax Exemptions 1997 Through 2019:
Estate taxes don’t affect everyone. That is because the US federal government offers an exemption that allows estates under a certain value to pass property to heirs tax free, and that exemption is very generous. It has increased consistently since 1997 while the estate tax rate has significantly decreased.”Read More
IRS rules on US Charitable Contribution Deductions:
This article generally explains the rules covering income tax deductions for charitable contributions by individuals. You may deduct charitable contributions of money or property made to qualified organizations if you itemize your deductions. Generally, you may deduct up to 50 percent of your adjusted gross income, but 20 percent and 30 percent limitations apply in some cases.”Read More
Expand right to assisted dying, daughters plead after father takes his life:
Jacques Campeau saw no other way out. Three times, the Laval, Que., man applied for medically assisted death. All three times, he was rejected. In June, he killed himself. Campeau’s daughters are now speaking out, urging the provincial government to reconsider the criteria for access to medical aid in dying, especially when it comes to the clause pertaining to “end of life.”Read More
Jeffrey Epstein’s will set up trust fund to shield $577m fortune days before death:
The will that disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein signed just two days before his jailhouse suicide puts more than $577m in assets into a trust fund that could make it more difficult for his dozens of accusers to collect damages. Estate lawyers and other experts say prying open the trust and dividing up the financier’s riches is not going to be easy and could take years.”Read More
Dutch court clears doctor in landmark euthanasia trial:
A Dutch doctor has been acquitted in a landmark trial that prosecutors and health professionals hope will help clarify how the country’s 2002 euthanasia law can be applied to people with severe dementia. The doctor was cleared of any wrongdoing in carrying out euthanasia three years ago on a 74-year-old woman, who was given fatal doses of drugs despite some indications she might have changed her mind since declaring in writing that she wanted euthanasia.”Read More
Montrealers who challenged assisted dying laws see ruling as ‘ray of hope’:
Nicole Gladu and Jean Truchon, the two Montrealers who challenged Canada’s assisted dying laws, say a ruling that deemed parts of the provincial and federal laws too restrictive should be seen as a victory for those who struggle with debilitating conditions. “Now, it’s really a matter of personal decision. It’s up to me or it’s up to Mr. Truchon or other people like us to decide if we prefer the quality of life to the quantity of life,” Gladu said.”Read More
Belgian Paralympian chooses to end own life after battle with incurable spinal disease:
Paralympian Marieke Vervoort said when the day arrived, she had signed the euthanasia papers and was prepared to end her life. That day came Tuesday in her native Belgium, her death confirmed in a statement from the city of Diest.
Vervoort, who was 40, won gold and silver medals in wheelchair racing at the 2012 London Paralympics, and two more medals three years ago in Rio de Janeiro.
In an interview attended by The Associated Press at the Paralympics in Rio, Vervoort described living with unbroken pain from an incurable, degenerative spinal disease.
She talked of sleeping only 10 minutes some nights, described severe pain that caused others to pass out just watching her, and detailed how sports kept her alive.”Read More
BC man is one of the first Canadians with dementia to die with medical assistance:
A When Canada’s medical assistance in dying law was passed in 2016, the widespread assumption — among doctors, lawyers, patients and even MAID providers — was that it excluded those with a dementia diagnosis.
Gayle Garlock decided to challenge that assumption. On Aug. 26, the Victoria man became one of the first Canadians with a dementia diagnosis publicly reported to have received MAID.
His case is a sign of a growing consensus that a dementia diagnosis does not necessarily preclude eligibility.
“In my opinion, the majority of providers in this country have come to the conclusion that patients with dementia can be assessed for an assisted death, that some of them may be eligible in certain circumstances, and if that is the case, they’d be willing to help them,” said Dr. Stefanie Green, the head of the Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers (CAMAP).”Read More
Canadian leaders should defend human dignity in life — not just death:
During the French language debate, Lise Pigeon was one of a handful of ordinary Canadians who was granted the opportunity to ask a question of the six federal party leaders.
She began her moment in the national spotlight with a self-introduction calibrated to make her listeners squirm: “I’m 63 years old. I have multiple sclerosis.… I can’t walk anymore. I am in pain, I wear adult diapers, I have bedsores and that’s not the end of it.”
Everyone – the party leaders and journalists, the live audience and perhaps millions of viewers nationwide – all of us together, took in her question: “In order that you, your loved ones, and all of us will one day have the right to die with dignity, will you promise voters, yes or no, to soften the current [medical assistance in dying] legislation… without… creating additional obstacles?””Read More
Indigenous elders facing ‘endless’ demands as role expands:
Elder Weenie’s approached for help daily — and he doesn’t say no. The Cree man from the Sweetgrass First Nation, west of the Battlefords in Saskatchewan, has practised cultural healing work for about 35 years, spending the last decade in the Regina area. “It’s busy. Sometimes you get tired but still you have to push yourself,” he said. “That’s the meaning of this work: once you’re committed you’ve got to commit to it.””Read More
Alex Trebek chokes up reading heartfelt Final Jeopardy message:
Unflappable Jeopardy host Alex Trebek’s smooth demeanor was given momentary pause Monday when he suddenly encountered a heartfelt message from a contestant. For Monday’s Final Jeopardy challenge — which asked: “In the title of a groundbreaking 1890 exposé of poverty in New York City slums, these 3 words follow “How the ” — competitor Dhruv Gaur didn’t have the correct response in mind.”Read More
Calgary funeral home sued over body-dragging incident shown on CBC News video:
A Calgary funeral home is being sued by the brother of a man whose body was dragged along the floor of a trailer parked outside the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Alberta (OCME). Raymond Pizzey of Abbotsford, B.C., is seeking $50,000 from McInnis & Holloway Funeral Home for “significant emotional distress” he says he suffered after watching a CBC News video of an incident involving his younger brother Bryce Sather’s body.”Read More
Zombie debt will haunt more Canadians as scourge of indebtedness rises: experts:
Be warned, old debts can be resurrected. Canadians with old debts beware: a momentary slip or lack of knowledge of your legal rights could result in past debts rising from the dead and coming back to haunt you. Zombie debt — old accounts that may have been written off as “uncollectable” and which have passed the statute of limitations — is expected to increase due to Canada’s high level of consumer indebtedness, say insolvency experts.”Read More
Nearly a million Canadian bank records sent to IRS:
The number of banking records the Canadian government is sharing with U.S. tax authorities under a controversial information-sharing deal has increased sharply, CBC News has learned. The Canada Revenue Agency sent 900,000 financial records belonging to Canadian residents to the Internal Revenue Service in September — nearly a third more than it sent the previous year. The records were for the 2018 tax year.”Read More
‘Slosh, slosh, slosh’: the maddening, twilight world of medical waiting lists | Neil Macdonald:
Our treasured health care system is corrupt, in the sense that not all of us are treated equally. When Bill Bagyan was woken earlier this month, lying in a hotel room he’d paid for himself after making yet another drive to Ottawa from his home in Kingston, and was told told in sorrowful tones by a hospital staffer that he was once again being bumped from surgery, the first thing he thought of was climbing the stairs to the roof and jumping off. His second thought was to go get a shotgun. But then his mind cleared of what he calls the stupid things flying around his brain, and he told himself “that’s just not me.””Read More
Father of Broncos player who died says Alberta organ donation bill needs work:
The father of a Broncos hockey player whose organs were donated after he died in a catastrophic bus crash says a presumed consent bill before the Alberta legislature is a good start but has a long way to go. “There’s way more that needs to be added to the bill,” Toby Boulet said in an interview Monday.”Read More
Before I die: a day with terminally ill patients | Death Land #2:
Guardian journalist Leah Green gets up close to death to find out how we can come to terms for what is waiting for us all. In this video, she explores how people react and what they want when they know their life is ending. We are asked to contemplate how we live our best lives and how do we make sense of what happens in our lives. Knowing that we won’t be here forever forces us to make meaning of the time that we do have. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZdDXNmD9wk “Read More
As people live longer than ever, there’s danger in counting on an inheritance to fund retirement:
Freedom 65 seems a distant dream for many Canadians as numbers paint a picture of a debt-laden, savings-averse country with some anticipating an inheritance to fund their retirement dreams. These people, it turns out, may instead receive an unwelcome surprise, experts say. As people live longer, presumed benefactors may spend much of their money, choose to donate or even acquire new heirs through a second marriage – among other potential hiccups.”Read More
Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe ‘left $10m but no will’:
Zimbabwe’s former President Robert Mugabe died with $10m (£7.7m) cash in the bank, a legal letter from his daughter quoted by state media says. But he appears not to have left a will, according to the family’s lawyer. Mugabe, who died in September aged 95, was ousted in 2017 after 37 years in power.”Read More
Doors drummer John Densmore: ‘It took me years to forgive Jim Morrison’:
When he was at the centre of the US counterculture, he lived in terror of his bandmate. Yet after the singer’s death, he fought ferociously to protect his legacy. But, he says, he still regrets not calling out Morrison on his abusive relationships with women.”Read More
Families sending relatives with dementia to Thailand for care:
British families are sending elderly relatives with dementia overseas to Thailand in a small but growing trend. Researchers visiting private care homes in Chiang Mai have found eight homes where guests from the UK are living thousands of miles away from their families, because suitable care in their home country was impossible to find or afford.”Read More
Dementia is the plague of our time, the disease of the century:
People talk of dementia as if it were a time bomb. In truth, the bomb went off long ago, but quietly, privately, out of sight: a hidden demolition job. Men and women who live with dementia are often missing people – forgotten and denied by a society that values independence, prosperity, youth and success and turns away from vulnerability. They are the reminders that we get old, we decay; death comes to us all in the end. Of all the illnesses, it is the one we now most fear.”Read More
‘In the blink of an eye’: After a whole family dies on Flight PS752, what happens with what’s left behind?:
Razgar Rahimi was a sessional instructor with the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Ontario Tech. His wife, Farideh Gholami and their three-year-old son Jiwan Rahimi all died aboard Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752. When Shaho Shahbazpanahi went to check in on the home of his close friends while they visited Iran, no one could have predicted they would never return — and that he would bear the responsibility of figuring out what to do with the pieces of their lives left behind.”Read More
Who should get a medically assisted death? Canadians get 2 weeks to weigh in on new limits:
Hurrying to meet a looming court deadline, the federal government has given Canadians two weeks to weigh in on how far to extend access to medical aid in dying. Online consultations, which begin today, take on potentially contentious questions such as whether to change the standard 10 day “reflection period” patients are supposed to wait, whether to make psychiatric evaluations mandatory for all patients and whether the doctor or nurse practitioner should be obligated to consult the patient’s family or loved ones.”Read More
Pair of young Manitobans, ages 17 and 24, die from flu complications, families say:
A 17-year-old high school student and 24-year-old woman have died in Manitoba from the flu, according to their respective families. Blaine Ruppenthal, a Grade 12 student at Kelvin High School in Winnipeg, died after suffering medical complications. He went into cardiac arrest twice and was rushed to St. Boniface Hospital, where he was put into an induced coma and received hypothermic therapy, according to a Facebook post from his cousin.”Read More
Why the federal rush to amend assisted dying legislation is risky:
Look all ways before crossing the street – that’s the advice we give to children. Frankly, that’s also the best advice federal Justice Minister David Lametti could follow before responding to a Quebec court ruling that pushes the federal government to broaden access to medical assistance in dying (MAID).”Read More
Canadians want expanded access to medical assistance in dying, says Lametti:
Justice Minister David Lametti says he thinks Canadians want more access to medical assistance in dying in the wake of a court ruling that struck down elements of the federal law. Lametti told CBC Radio One’s The House on Thursday that’s the message emerging from roundtable discussions with stakeholders across the country and nearly 300,000 responses to an online questionnaire that closed Jan. 27 — the largest number of responses the department has ever received during a public consultation.”Read More
From depression to dementia, inflammation is medicine’s new frontier:
It’s now clear that inflammation is part of the problem in many, if not all, diseases of the body. And targeting immune or inflammatory causes of disease has led to a series of breakthroughs, from new treatments for rheumatoid arthritis and other auto-immune diseases in the 1990s, through to the advent of immunotherapy for some cancers in the 2010s.”Read More
Mexico: defender of monarch butterflies found dead two weeks after he vanished:
A Mexican environmental activist who fought to protect the wintering grounds of the monarch butterfly has been found dead in the western state of Michoacán, two weeks after he disappeared. Homero Gómez González, a former logger who managed El Rosario butterfly reserve, vanished on 13 January. His body was found floating in a well on Wednesday, reportedly showing signs of torture.”Read More
Mass cervical cancer vaccine rollout could save 62 million lives in next 100 years:
More than 74m cervical cancer cases and 62m deaths could be averted in the next 100 years if 78 of the world’s poorest countries rapidly deploy HPV vaccinations, cervical screening and cancer treatment, two new studies have projected.”Read More
Landmark study to transform cancer treatment:
More than a thousand scientists have built the most detailed picture of cancer ever in a landmark study. They said cancer was like a 100,000-piece jigsaw, and that until today, 99% of the pieces were missing. Their studies, published in the journal Nature, provide an almost complete picture of all cancers. They could allow treatment to be tailored to each patient’s unique tumour, or develop ways of finding cancer earlier.”Read More
He jumped off a nine-storey bridge and lived, now he’s working to end ‘man up’ mentality:
Josh Beharry should be dead. “I was putting myself out of my misery,” he says. “I ended up in the hospital. I’d broken six ribs, I had five hairline fractures in my skull and the wing part of my vertebrae, and several contusions.” Very few people jump off a bridge, plummet nine storeys, and live to tell the tale. In Beharry’s case, he’s used it as his motivation to help other men talk openly about their struggles with mental health.”Read More
Blues’ Jay Bouwmeester undergoing tests after cardiac episode:
St. Louis defenceman Jay Bouwmeester was hospitalized and undergoing tests early Wednesday after suffering a cardiac episode and collapsing on the bench during the first period of the Blues’ game against the Ducks. “Thankfully, with the quick response of our medical trainers, Anaheim medical trainers and their team physicians, they were able to stabilize Jay,” Armstrong said.”Read More
Montrealer’s company turns ashes of the dead into diamonds:
If you ask Adelle Archer what she does for a living, there might be a brief pause before she answers. The former Montrealer and McGill graduate founded a company that turns human and pet remains into lab-grown “cremation diamonds.” The company, called Eterneva, is based in Texas and has been operating for a little more than a year.”Read More
The cost of dying: How a spike in cremation rates is changing the funeral industry:
Over the past two decades, cremation has become the norm in Canada. According to the Cremation Association of North America, which uses data from provincial vital statistics departments, the cremation rate in Canada has risen from 48 percent in 2000 to 72 percent in 2018. And the association expects the rate will keep increasing over the next few years.”Read More
Blue Jays legend Tony Fernandez dies at 57 from stroke, kidney complications:
Fernandez, a five-time all-star and one of the greatest infielders in Blue Jays history, has died, according to a statement from the team. He was 57. The 1993 World Series winner had battled kidney problems for several years. He was first hospitalized with polycystic kidney disease in 2017.”Read More
Truck crash kills Yellowknife man trying to fix flat tire, say police:
A 45-year-old man from Yellowknife is dead after a multi-vehicle crash on the side of Highway 3 between Yellowknife and Behchokǫ̀, N.W.T. The two pickup trucks were parked on the side of the highway, with a flat tire on a trailer. A semi-truck heading toward Yellowknife stopped on the other side of the road to offer help, according to an updated RCMP press release sent Wednesday afternoon. Police say shortly after, another semi-truck going westbound crashed into the parked pickup trucks — hitting a man who was outside of his vehicle working on the trailer. The man died at the scene.”Read More
Human composting could be the future of deathcare:
It is viewed as a fitting end for a banana skin or a handful of spent coffee grounds. But now people are being urged to consider human composting and other environmentally friendly “deathcare” options. Washington recently became the first US state to legalise human composting and UK funeral directors are reporting a surge in requests for green burials and other more sustainable alternatives to burial and cremation.”Read More
A greener way to go: what’s the most eco-friendly way to dispose of a body?
Burial uses too much land; cremation releases too much CO2. So what about composting our loved ones – or even dissolving them? More than three-quarters of Britons now choose cremation over burial, a process that, on average, releases 400kg of CO2 into the atmosphere per body. Cremation fumes also include vaporised mercury from tooth-fillings, accounting for 16% of the UK’s mercury emissions in 2005, along with other toxic emissions from burnt prosthetics and melted bone cement used during common surgeries such as hip replacements.”Read More
Quebec suspends plan to make assisted dying open to people with mental illness:
The Quebec government has backed away from its plan to allow medically assisted death for people with mental illness until it holds more extensive consultations on the controversial issue. Health Minister Danielle McCann announced last week that the government would comply with a Quebec Superior Court decision that struck down the “end-of-life” requirement in Quebec’s law on medical assistance in dying (MAID). The same judgment invalidated the “reasonably foreseeable natural death” requirement of the federal Criminal Code.”Read More
Canadians want expanded access to medical assistance in dying, says Lametti:
Justice Minister David Lametti says he thinks Canadians want more access to medical assistance in dying in the wake of a court ruling that struck down elements of the federal law. “There does seem to be a clear tendency that Canadians are largely in agreement that we ought to expand the possibility for medical assistance in dying beyond the end-of-life scenario,” Lametti said.”Read More
Bitter family feud pits multimillionaire landlord against his children:
It was a modest wedding at Ottawa city hall. The bride wore a white lace dress and had her younger sister by her side. The groom was in a wheelchair, accompanied by two of his oldest friends. That was December 2018. Now, more than a year later, the 91-year-old groom, who’s worth an estimated $27 million, is locked in an extraordinary legal dispute with his son and daughter over his decision to marry a 55-year-old woman he’d met a few months earlier — and who is now set to inherit one-third of her husband’s fortune.”Read More
Trial over fatal drunk-driving crash will determine whether party hosts were liable for underage teens’ safety:
This trial will determine whether the couple that hosted the Saturday-night party is, in any way, legally responsible for what happened to their teenage, underage guests: the death of one and the catastrophic, life-altering injuries of the other. In doing so, it will answer a question that’s gone relatively unanswered in Canadian law: Can adults who have minors drinking on their property be held liable for disaster caused, or suffered, by their underage guests after they’ve left?”Read More
Violinist plays Mahler and Gershwin as surgeons remove brain tumour:
A patient at a British hospital played Mahler and Gershwin on the violin while a tumour was removed from her brain so that surgeons could preserve her ability to play music and honour her 40-year passion for the instrument. To prevent any damage to her violin skills, Keyoumars Ashkan, consultant neurosurgeon at King’s College Hospital in London, came up with a plan: they would map her brain, open the skull and then get her to play as they removed the tumour.”Read More
Luke’s legacy: Brandon family hopes to raise awareness about organ donation following son’s death:
Aimee Hatcher says her son Luke had a big heart and was the type of kid who would give the shirt off his back to a friend in need. Knowing that, she said, made the decision to donate his organs after a tragic accident a lot easier. “I think the decision to donate Luke’s organs was really prompted by him, by knowing what he was like as a kid,” said Hatcher. “He was very kind-hearted and we knew that this was what he would want.””Read More
Seniors study aims to find out if medical cannabis can ease common ailments of aging:
Mike Walker can no longer have a simple conversation with his wife. It was just four years ago, at the young age of 52, when Karen was originally diagnosed with dementia. She no longer speaks, and also suffers from agitation and physical outbursts with aggression, which can be common with the disease. “If I can’t fix her, at least give her a better quality of life. If she can relax … it’s all you can hope for with this disease. If I can get that, then that’s closer than what we had last month.””Read More
Living without Peter:
I’ve learned a lot about grief in the past three and a half years. Among the many bruising lessons is that grief never ends, and it comes with a lot of guilt. This becomes a brutal mix when you’re a widow who’s dating.”Read More
Expanded rights to medical assistance in dying are pointless without better support for MAID providers:
Is expanding the legal right to medical assistance in dying (MAID) worth anything if there are too few physicians and nurse practitioners willing and able to provide it? The federal government recently held public consultations on MAID, gathering opinions to inform its response to a Quebec court ruling that found the “reasonable foreseeability of natural death” criterion in the federal Criminal Code to be unconstitutional. However, opening access to MAID for a wider range of patients could have the unintended consequence of diminishing the number of health care professionals who are willing to provide the service, thus worsening access overall.”Read More
Faced with incurable cancer, this Winnipeg couple took a leap for love:
Just two months before getting married, Sean and Aly Tam were sitting in a doctor’s office. It was supposed to be a routine checkup. Instead, the doctor told Sean he had familial medullary thyroid carcinoma. Sean had beaten cancer before, but this one was different. It’s a rare and aggressive form of cancer — with no cure. “[The doctor] told me that I had a year to four years [to live], that now was the time to see the people you want to see, to hang out with your friends and family, and check things off your bucket list,” said Sean.”Read More
She was excited about her transplant, but ‘absolutely terrified’ for donor sister:
When Lexie Libby wheeled herself into her sister’s hospital room, she saw how frail Emma was and couldn’t hold back her tears. Just days earlier, Emma Libby had donated her left kidney to Lexie — a gift that saved her life. “It was tough for me after she’d done such an amazing thing to see her so down and out,” Lexie said. The Sylvan Lake, Alta., sisters had waited nearly two years for the transplant surgery. And after all the obstacles they’d overcome together, neither could believe it had finally happened.”Read More
‘She wanted to do that for me’: Woman with power of attorney takes thousands from 97-year-old with dementia:
A woman with power of attorney who took tens of thousands of dollars from a 97-year-old woman with dementia had criminal charges against her withdrawn, in a case critics say exposes gaps in the justice and banking systems that leave the elderly and infirm vulnerable to financial abuse. “There’s a reason it’s called power of attorney,” said Kavina Nagrani, chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s Elder Law section. “It’s a very powerful document.” A power of attorney gives someone the right to make decisions for you if you are no longer able to take care of matters yourself. In many cases, they have near unfettered access to your finances.”Read More
Woman who took thousands from 97-year-old with dementia owns expensive lakefront cottage, downtown condo:
A woman who said she took tens of thousands of dollars from a 97-year-old with dementia because she needed the money owns a waterfront cottage that a neighbour says is worth as much as $1 million. Theresa Gardiner, 73, took a total of $78,000 from the accounts of Christine Fisher, then 95, between April and August 2018, including a cheque for $20,000 she wrote to herself. Gardiner had power of attorney for Fisher. Police charged Gardiner with six counts of theft in July 2019 but the Crown withdrew the charges in November when Gardiner agreed to pay $20,000 in restitution. The Crown said it was “duty-bound to withdraw … if there is no reasonable prospect of conviction.”Read More
New bill could lessen tax woes for Canadian residents with U.S. citizenship:
Thousands of Canadian residents forced to pay income tax in both Canada and the United States could be about to get some respite. Legislation has been tabled in the U.S. House of Representatives that would exempt Americans living in countries like Canada from having to pay tax on income earned outside the United States. North Carolina Republican Congressman George Holding said he tabled the Tax Fairness for Americans Abroad Act because the current system imposes an unfair burden on those with American citizenship outside the U.S.”Read More
Edmonton Oilers forward Colby Cave placed in medically induced coma:
The Edmonton Oilers say forward Colby Cave is out of emergency surgery after suffering a brain bleed. The Oilers said doctors removed a colloid cyst that was causing pressure on Cave’s brain on Tuesday. Cave remains in a medically-induced coma at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. Earlier Tuesday, Cave’s wife, Emily, said on Instagram that doctors were “fighting to keep him alive” in surgery. She called Monday and Tuesday the worst days of her life.”Read More
B.C. to allow electronic wills:
British Columbia is proposing legislation that would enable courts to accept wills that are signed electronically and witnessed remotely. Under proposed changes to the province’s legislation governing wills and estates, courts would be able to accept wills that are created on a computer and signed and witnessed electronically.
“This modernization initiative was underway before the pandemic, but Covid-19 has made the reasons for these changes obvious to all British Columbians,” said the province’s attorney general.”Read More
N.S. woman’s attempt to stop husband from medically assisted death continues:
They’re both still wearing their wedding rings, but he’s moved out and they aren’t speaking. A Nova Scotia couple’s marriage of 48 years splintered over a dispute about the husband’s wish to die with the help of a physician. At the end of July, Katherine, 82, went to Nova Scotia Supreme Court to stop her 83-year-old husband from going ahead with the procedure that would end his life. Her request for an injunction has yet to receive a full hearing, but by filing with the courts, she forced her husband to cancel his planned death on Aug. 3.Read More
Assisted dying bill to be reintroduced today as court deadline looms:
For those deemed to be near death, the government is proposing to drop the requirement that a person must wait 10 days after being approved for an assisted death before receiving the procedure. It would also reduce the number of witnesses required to one from two. As well, it proposes to drop the requirement that a person must be able to give consent a second time immediately prior to receiving the procedure.Read More
I got irritated by my dad’s cluelessness with gadgets – but maybe it is the technology that’s to blame:
No one needs 45 buttons on the TV remote, but phones, computers and ovens have all become overly complicated. And it’s excluding the people who would get the most out of the latest advances. The biggest tragedy is that so much of it could be so helpful for many more older people if only they were able to use it easily.”Read More
Husband, 83, dies with medical assistance after wife’s court bid to stop him fails:
A Nova Scotia man whose wife tried to stop him from having a medically assisted death has followed through with the procedure, which was delayed by court proceedings for the past two months. He was approved and scheduled for medical assistance in dying (MAID) this summer, but his plans were put on hold when his wife, 82-year-old Katherine Sorenson, applied to Nova Scotia Supreme Court to stop him.”Read More
Apple blocks widow from honouring husband’s dying wish:
An Ontario widow is locked in a four-year battle with Apple over online material she already legally owns. Carol Anne Noble of Toronto wants access to an Apple account she and her husband shared — but was under his name — so she can fulfil a promise she made to him before he died. But instead of giving her the password she’s forgotten, the tech giant is demanding she jump through complicated and expensive legal hoops to satisfy what experts say is an outdated American law.Read More
Who was this mysterious ballerina from the viral Swan Lake video?:
A video showing a former ballet dancer afflicted with memory loss gracefully dancing to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake from her wheelchair has gone viral. The elderly woman, identified as Marta Cinta González, moves her arms in elegant arcs as the orchestral brass intensifies. She flutters her hands to the tune of the music and gazes at her surroundings with vibrant eyes, as though she had been transported back in time.”Read More
Vancouver family heading to court in $1.5M inheritance fight with SPCA:
A Vancouver family is headed to court to contest almost $1.5 million the SPCA stands to gain in the estate settlement of a deceased relative. According to Gina Hancock, her great aunt Eleena Murray’s will written in 2003 granted the B.C. SPCA the residue of her estate, putting it in line to receive $1.46 million, or about 80 per cent of the $2 million estate. However, Hancock says Murray composed a handwritten note on her 99th birthday in May 2017 limiting the amount the animal protection agency would receive to $100,000. Murray died five months later without changing her will.”Read More
Joe Murphy’s fall from NHL champion to homelessness — and brain trauma’s role:
Former National Hockey League player Joe Murphy should’ve been enjoying a comfortable retirement. He was a former first overall pick — the first U.S. college hockey player to ever be drafted first overall — won the Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers in 1990, and enjoyed a 15-season professional career in which he made millions of dollars. But when Rick Westhead went looking for Murphy in 2018, he didn’t find him in a house or apartment complex. He found him living homeless and destitute in Kenora, Ont.Read More
When Jim Carrey was told he had 10 minutes to live, this is what he did:
It was January 2018, and Jim Carrey had just been told he only had 10 minutes to live. The actor and comedian was in Hawaii, on a call about his semi-autobiographical novel, when his assistant, Linda, FaceTimed him from the other side of the island with the news. “She said, ‘There are missiles coming, and they’re going to land in 10 minutes. This is real.’ And as she was strenuously clutching her iPhone, she accidentally took a screenshot of my face,” remembers Carrey in a q feature interview with co-author Dana Vachon.”Read More
‘I’m out of the lemonade business’: Michael J. Fox on the day his optimism ran out:
Michael J. Fox was lying on his kitchen floor with a crushed arm, unable to reach the phone to call for help, when his optimism finally ran out. It was 2018, and the famously upbeat Canadian-born actor was having a terrible year. For nearly three decades, Fox has battled Parkinson’s, a brain disorder that strikes the nervous system and leads to difficulty with the most basic actions such as walking and speaking.”Read More
‘My jaw dropped’ Ontario woman says of $12K ambulance bill in Nova Scotia:
Ontario resident Madelyn MacNeill is healthy and so didn’t expect she’d be rushed to hospital for emergency surgery while visiting her parents in Nova Scotia during the summer. Nor did she expect the almost $13,000 bill for ground and air ambulance transportation that arrived weeks after she returned to Ontario. It’s a cautionary tale for anyone travelling between provinces, especially during these COVID-19 times.”Read More
Nazi art dispute goes to US supreme court in landmark case:
A 12-year wrangle over a rare collection of medieval ecclesiastical art sold by Jewish art dealers to the Nazis in 1935 will arrive in front of the highest court in the US on Monday, in a landmark case defence lawyers say could open the floodgates for restitution battles from all over the world to be fought via the US. The supreme court will hear oral arguments on whether the dealers’ heirs can sue in US courts to retrieve the church reliquaries, known as the Guelph Treasure or Welfenschatz, from Germany.”Read More
‘It was a little awkward’ – how Rick Schatzberg shot his old friends topless:
Rick Schatzberg had a dark epiphany a few years back, when two of his friends died in quick succession, one from a heart attack, the other from an overdose. “When two people you know and love die within six weeks of each other,” says the photographer quietly, “you realise that death is not just something that happens to other people, to the unlucky people. It’s something that is suddenly very present.”Read More
The Estate Tax May Change Under Biden, Affecting Far More People (Note: applies to US Citizens/residents only):
Tax policy used to be fairly boring and predictable. But in the past decade, it has become dynamic in a way that tax advisers don’t like: It changes with the political party in power. That means it’s increasingly hard for individuals trying to make long-term decisions around their earnings, savings and giving. The biggest potential long-term change involves the estate tax. But in contrast to previous changes, the tax code could be modified in a way that affects everyone who has something of value to leave to heirs.”Read More
Like Uber, but for cremations’: I created a $2m funeral startup – and became a monster:
The company I founded in my 20s exploited vulnerable people for profit. I was a merchant of death, and a charlatan. And so I stopped. I stopped raising irresponsible venture dollars, and maybe let some other misguided, or unguided founder spend every day of their life working with people who are having the worst day of theirs.”Read More
‘I pray God takes him first’: why do some US states want to execute the dying?:
Gerald Pizzuto is near death, but it’s unclear whether the cancer or the state of Idaho will get to him first. For more than a year, the 65-year-old has been in hospice care on Idaho’s death row, and his medical records say he has “begun experiencing memory loss and mild disorientation associated with the death process”. But on Thursday, the Idaho attorney general’s office confirmed the state’s plan to execute him on 2 June, for the 1985 murders of two gold prospectors in the mountains north of Boise.”Read More
Halifax woman calling for more protections on RRSPs after husband’s sudden death:
A Halifax woman is calling for more protections on some retirement saving plans after her husband Tim’s’s sudden death left her and their teenage daughter faced with the prospect of losing the majority of the couple’s life savings. It turned out that Tim’s registered retirement savings plan — worth $685,000 — had a listed beneficiary that wasn’t his wife. Despite his will, which left everything to his wife, the bulk of their savings was designated to Tim’s mother. But there was also another blow: the RRSP would not only go to the beneficiary, but the estate would then be left to pay the tax bill. In her case, that would have been 54 per cent of $685,000.”Read More
85-year-old with Alzheimer’s sold Bell products and services he can’t use after visit to The Source:
Ross Miller, 85, thought he needed a new TV last October, so he went to The Source — a consumer electronics store owned by Bell Canada. But he got much more than he intended. A sales rep signed Miller to two-year contracts for Bell Fibe TV and a new cell phone with data and a warranty plan; sold him a cordless phone, landline and tablet; and signed him to another two-year contract for high-speed home internet. Miller, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, isn’t clear what happened. He already had a cell phone, which he doesn’t use, didn’t know what a tablet was and doesn’t understand the internet.”Read More
85-year-old with Alzheimer’s sold Bell products and services he can’t use after visit to The Source:
Ross Miller, 85, thought he needed a new TV last October, so he went to The Source — a consumer electronics store owned by Bell Canada. But he got much more than he intended. A sales rep signed Miller to two-year contracts for Bell Fibe TV and a new cell phone with data and a warranty plan; sold him a cordless phone, landline and tablet; and signed him to another two-year contract for high-speed home internet. Miller, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, isn’t clear what happened. He already had a cell phone, which he doesn’t use, didn’t know what a tablet was and doesn’t understand the internet.”Read More