April is Mobility Month

Walsh’s Pharmacy maintains that people in our community deserve the best health support services, programs and advice that health care providers can make available. These columns help to provide that sometimes the best medicine can simply be a good dose of knowledge.

We’ve all heard the expression, “April showers bring May flowers”. April does bring showers, and May certainly the flowers. April also signals the start of the outdoor season when the days seem warmer, the scent of Spring is in the air, and many of us simply have had enough of Winter and want to get started on our outdoor activities.

For those with mobility issues, however, getting around can be quite a challenge. And you don’t have to be a senior to experience these day-to-day challenges. Fortunately, there are a number of organizations, as well as various ways or means to help maintain an independent lifestyle and, at the same time, living a healthier, more active everyday life.

Outdoor activities involving any sort of recreational pastime such as short walks, gardening, even shopping, combined with other moderate exercise and supplement programs can add a sense of well-being as well as personal sense of satisfaction that can be so important to a health maintenance agenda. Walsh’s Pharmacy, through our health and lifestyle centre offers a broad based assistive device, safety products and exercise therapy programs to help get started.

We also have accredited staff members who can also assist in helping to make an effective choice related to blood pressure, circulation, and compression needs; as well we can provide professional guidance on the selection of a cane, walker-rollator, and even a lift chair. 

While many of today’s seniors are generally healthier and more physically fit than seniors of previous generations, many older Canadians still experience limitations on their activities. In part, these limitations can be associated with the normal course of aging- from arthritis to reduced vision. Activity for most people can be compromised if a person has difficulty hearing, seeing, walking, climbing stairs, bending, reaching, or doing similar activities. And these limitations don’t necessarily, and only, apply to seniors; they can affect people of any age.

Just recently, our home health care division, Walsh’s health & lifestyle centre, launched its newest health initiative- a health and lifestyle catalogue containing well over 3,000 home healthcare products covering categories from special needs household helpers to water bottles which can be specially ordered and delivered directly to a purchaser’s home. With this addition to our customer programs, we are even more confident in meeting the health-related needs of our community. This 240 page catalogue is available in-store, free for the asking. 

Always check with your health care provider to ensure that any exercise regimen that you embark on, in any form, is right for you.