President’s Message
Marilyn Bossert | President, ARTA
Welcome!
Welcome to all new members who have joined ARTA over the past few months!
At the beginning of September, many retirees gather
for breakfast or brunch with their former colleagues
to celebrate both a rewarding career and the freedom
of a new life that is no longer governed by the clock.
Despite diverse careers, ARTA members are linked
by a common purpose: to ensure a healthy, active,
engaged, and vibrant lifestyle after retirement.
To discover a more complete description of that
lifestyle and how to reinforce it, visit our recently
updated website at arta.net. Click on Wellness
found in the blue horizontal bar or on the Wellness
icon that resembles a heart to connect to the Key
Sections in Wellness listed in the red bar to fi nd the
following dimensions of wellness:
• Physical Wellness — maintaining a healthy body
with good health decisions;
• Intellectual Wellness — lifelong learning, problem
solving, creating;
• Social Wellness — connecting and communicating
with others;
• Emotional Wellness — being aware and
comfortable with one’s thoughts and feelings to
maintain a positive attitude toward life;
• Economic Wellness — fi nancial awareness; and
• Spiritual Wellness — considering the meaning and
purpose of life.
Explore further to fi nd links to previous news&views
articles that explore the six dimensions of wellness.
Then sit back and revisit your wellness intentions. Do
you think you need to make any changes?
I recently attended a presentation by the Canadian
Deprescribing Network (CaDeN) on managing
medications safely. The following comments were
found in their sample toolkit of articles, fact sheets,
and brochures:
• Are seniors taking too many medications?
• The risk of harmful eff ects increases when you
take more medications. Possible harm from
medication can include drug interactions, memory
problems, falls and fractures, and hospitalizations.
• Deprescribing means reducing or stopping
medications that may no longer be benefi cial or
may be causing harm. The goal of deprescribing is
to maintain or improve quality of life.
• Medications are deemed inappropriate when the
risks outweigh the benefi ts and a safer drug or
non-drug therapy exists that can be used to treat
the same symptoms.
• Always consult with your doctor before stopping,
changing, or starting a drug.
• Questions to ask your doctor and your
pharmacist: Why am I taking this medication?
What are the potential benefi ts and adverse
eff ects of this medication? Can it aff ect my
memory or cause me to fall? Can I stop or reduce
the dose of this medication? Who do I follow up
with and when?
• Keep your medication record up to date.
Make a chart for yourself to assist in tracking
medications. Categories you could include for each
drug might include medication name, how much to
take, when to take it, the date you began taking it
and its intended duration, and some general notes
such as side eff ects and targets met.
This information and more can be found at
deprescribingnetwork.ca.
Life after retirement is enhanced when we
take responsibility for maintaining our
personal wellness. ●
news&views WINTER 2018 | 5