CARDIAC ATHLETIC SOCIETY EDMONTON

Heart Murmurs
January 2011

 

2011 MEMBERSHIP DUES FOR CASE PAYABLE

One impact of our changes is that there no need for a special class of membership for those who exercise. Thus, the CASE membership for 2011 will be $15.00 for a family and, as before, our Honorary Members are not charged a membership fee.

One major benefit of CASE membership is you obtain the 20 percent "Corporate Membership" discount on most City passes to exercise at KSC and other City recreation facilities. Additionally, CASE will continue to offer services to the membership such as social and educational events and the newsletter.

JANUARY EDUCATION PROGRAM

The next education session will held Monday, January 31, 2011 at 7 p.m. in the Card Room at the South East Edmonton Seniors Centre (SEESA) 9350 82nd Street, Edmonton Our guest speaker will be Ruth West, the Dietician at the Grey Nuns Cardiac Rehabilitation Centre.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT

Just to be consistent with our year of constant change, a number of our most experienced Executive Members have resigned from the Executive.

The first to go was Glen Gregory who resigned from his position as president in September after years of excellent management and leadership of the Executive. The promotion of Ron Torgerson has left the position of Vice President vacant since that date.

Barry Latham has been the strength behind the executive for a number of years and has been instrumental in keeping us focused and involved in many roles. He has served this year as a "Member at Large" to the Executive and his advice and support will be greatly missed.

Jim Hammond has been our Social Director for some years and has been instrumental in organizing the annual Barbeques and Christmas Parties. He has written to us that he has resigned and recommends that one or two volunteers are needed to sustain these popular activities. He has given as sincere thank you to all those who have helped him present these events.

Randy Bell is resigning as the Program Director who has organized the Education and Self Help Sessions for this year. We offer Randy thanks for his efforts.

We urgently need volunteers committed to building the social and educational side of CASE. In looking to the future of CASE, we should not be bound by what activities we have provided or the way we have operated. New ideas on the role of CASE and the services it could offer will be encouraged!

VOLUNTEER FOR THE MAZANKOWSKI HEART INSTITUTE

The University Hospital Foundation will be hosting our 5th Annual Heart Pledge Day on Thursday, February 10th, 2011 from 6AM - 10PM.

630 CHED and SHAW TV will be broadcasting live from the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, raising funds to support cardiac advancements and research at the MAZ. This exciting event will feature interviews throughout the day with cardiac patients, physicians and volunteers.

To make this event a success, they need about 50 volunteers to work 2 to 3 hour shifts. Volunteers will be answer the pledge-line telephones, fill out pledge forms and post donor recognition hearts on the Heart Wall, on the day of the event.

If you can help out contact Jeanine E. Alvarez, Special Projects, University Hospital Foundation at 780-407-3699 or e-mail: jeanine.alvarez@albertahealthservices.ca

ON MOVING ON.

Well we made the move and have worked out at the Kinsmen Sport Center for a few weeks despite challenging weather and driving conditions. Considering the environment, attendance has been good - pretty much at the same level as we had last fall. The spaces are different that what we were used to. The mirrors in the program room are encouraging a lot of sucking in of stomachs which after Christmas is probably a good thing.. Some of our stretches on the volleyball court are more challenging since we do not have the walls to lean against. Other random observations:

á      Water fountains actually work as do the showers!

á      The facility is much cleaner although rather more noisy than the School for the Deaf...

á      Walking or jogging is for a longer distance and tends to provide more exercise than we had before.

á      There is more variety in the exercise equipment we can use and what we use is in much better condition.

á      Many members appear to be using their membership at other times to expand their exercise programs. Yoga, aquasize, weights and using fitness equipment seem to be popular added activities.

Lynn is proposing to do a survey of the members to more clearly determine our needs, desires, likes and dislikes about the exercise program.

The fee for membership in CASE will stay unchanged at $15.00 for 2011 and is now due for payment since the financial year begins on February 1, 2011. The Executive is considering changing the financial year to correspond to the calendar year.

We are starting work to develop a new brochure to promote membership and participation in the exercise programs.

NOTES FROM OUR NOVEMBER SPEAKER

Our speaker was Antigone Oreopoulos who has been conducting research at the University of Alberta examining the relationships between heart health and obesity. Research has shown the Body Mass Index (BMI) may not be an ideal measure of risk of heart failure.

Either a very high BMI or a very low BMI can be indicative of a high risk of death but not necessarily a death resulting from heart failure. Recent research findings suggest that the ideal BMI for an individual will tend to increase slowly with age: people over 65 years of age with a BMI somewhat above current targets tend to live longer than those with lower BMI readings. The reasons for this are not necessarily clear however, the additional weight may offer the elderly somewhat greater protection possibly through greater bone density and protection in case of falls.

A key point may be not so much in the total body weight as in where that weight is being carried. Fat concentrated in the belly and around the organs appears to carry greater risks than overall weight carried over the whole body.

Measurement of this more risky weight is more challenging than simply standing onto a scales. Antigone discussed how body composition could be measured. Methods can include tests administered by laboratories including MRI scans, the water displacement reference method and the DEXA scan which is most commonly used for bone density testing for osteoporosis. All are complex and can be expensive if the patient has to pay for them. Other methods include 'skin fold calipers' but it does not measure internal or 'visceral' fat well.

She demonstrated a more accessible method which included a scale that electronically provides that provides a high tech analysis of the fitness level of the user. It can measure the percentage of body fat, body water, muscle, bone weight and total weight.

The most dangerous fat is 'visceral fat' associated with the internal organs. She observed that an increase in BMI should be considered a normal aspect of natural aging and suggested that a BMI between 25 and 35 for the elderly was perhaps ideal. For men it should be somewhat lower in this range and for women it may be in the upper part of the range. Her conclusion was that a emphasis on physical fitness may be much more critical than weight loss for the older patients.

HEARTS AND FLOWERS

If you are aware of any member who has taken ill, has been confined to their home, or has been hospitalized, please e-mail this information info@edmontoncase.org or call at Donna Haugh at 780-463-0644.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

 

Event	Date	Time	Place
Social Breakfast	Wed. Jan. 26	9:00 AM	SEESA
Education Self Help Session	Mon. Jan. 31	7:00 PM	SEESA
Social Breakfast	Wed. Feb. 23	9:00 AM	SEESA
Education Self Help Session, A Night at the Mazankowski Lecture Series Heart Healthy Living (phone 780 407 4273 to book)	Wed. Feb 23	7:00 PM	Mazankowski Heart Institute
Social Breakfast	Wed. Mar. 23	9:00 AM	SEESA
Annual General Meeting	Mon. Mar. 28	7:00 PM	SEESA
Social Breakfast	Wed. Apr. 20	9:00 AM	SEESA
Annual Barbeque	Fri. June 24	4:30 PM	Malmo
Christmas Social	Sun. Dec. 4	4:30 PM	Malmo

 

Notes: SEESA:            The South East Edmonton Seniors Assoc.   address is 9350 82nd Street, Edmonton

            Malmo:            Malmo Community League                       address is 11525 48th Avenue Edmonton

            Mazankowski Heart Institute                                             address is 8840 112 Street, Edmonton