The Oct. 21 Revelstoke Health and Wellness Fair at the Revelstoke Community Centre showcased a mix of public and private services in the Revelstoke area. I stopped by for a couple hours and spoke with a several health service providers who shared what they do. Here’s what I learned from four of them:
They have Bluetooth on hearing aids now
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PHOTO: Keara Farrell and Linda McCrae of the Canadian Hearing Centre displayed the products and services available through their First Street West clinic.
Do you have trouble hearing in noisy places? I could have sworn I did whilst chatting with Keara Farrell of the Canadian Hearing Centre, but then again it was quite noisy at the Health & Wellness Fair on Sunday. According to a checklist they provided, having trouble catching the drift in a noisy place is one of only two strikes needed to send you to audiologist for testing. “There’s more than one type of hearing loss,” Farrell explained, saying it’s a good idea to get a baseline test so doctors can better diagnose and treat the issues if your hearing deteriorates. Farrell said depending on the issue, there are lots of modern breakthroughs that can help you deal with the issues. It could be cleaning out wax (literally) or minor surgery. Of course the technological solutions have improved in leaps and bounds. Hearing aids are tiny these days, and they’ve been integrated with other technologies. Farrell showed me a model that uses Bluetooth that allows it to link directly into your cell phone or TV. Unfortunately, tests aren’t covered by basic provincial medical, but many private insurers do cover them. Basic testing starts at $40. The Canadian Hearing Centre Revelstoke Clinic is located at 305 First Street West.
You can do yoga on a horse
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PHOTO: Brittanya Beddington of Dynamic Massage Works operates a Big Eddy spa and yoga studio, in addition to a host of equine services. Here she's pictured practising yoga alongside her horse Shamsu.
Registered Yoga Teacher, Massage Teacher and Certified Equine Sport Therapist Brittanya Beddington called me a few months ago to drum up a story about her new yoga classes and equine services. I turned her down, citing a lack of a ‘news hook’ – like a big new retail yoga studio or something like that. There are lots of yoga teachers in town, I said. Well, I found my news hook when I met up with her at her Dynamic Massage Works booth at the fair – yoga on a horse! Why didn’t you say so? Yup, you do yoga with the horse, starting with posing beside the horse, such as doing handstands against it. Then you climb on top and work on simple poses, like laying on your back on the horse. Beddington says the feel of your spine against the horse’s rhythmically heaving ribcage is transfixing. Staring off into the sky is transformative. “It gives you immediate release,” she said. “It’s about deepening that connection with nature.”
Does the horse do yoga too? Sort of. Beddington is known in the local horse community for her horse sports therapy. How do you get a horse to stretch? Scratching its belly the right way can cause it to contract and stretch its spine. Tempt a horse with a carrot and move it around the right way to make it stretch its neck in various directions.
Beddington encourages yoga aficionados to come try horse yoga with her Polish Arabian horse Shamsu.
The emphasis on yoga on a horse is mine; Beddington also offers massage services, private yoga services in her Big Eddy studio as well as aromatherapy sessions. She’s starting a new yoga boot camp at the Revelstoke Community Centre in early November. The six-week course will focus on stretching, yoga and flow yoga with weights.
Service helps victims of crime and trauma
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PHOTO: Volunteer Stacy (last name withheld for security reasons), Revelstoke Police-based Victim Services Program Manager Luana Kaleikini and volunteer Kerstin (name also withheld) shared the work they do to help victims of crime and trauma.
Revelstoke Police-based Victim Services Program Manager Luana Kaleikini was coming off a busy and tragic weekend, including assisting with next-of-kin notifications following a fatal MVI on the Trans-Canada Highway on Friday. It’s one of many victim services herself and her volunteer team provide in the community. The services are provided to victims of crime and trauma. They include emotional support for victims, witnesses and family members affected by crime. Kaleikini helps victims negotiate the often technical and counterintuitive court system. She provides referrals to legal advice and counselling, financial assistance and other victim services. “It’s such an intimidating process,” Kaleikini said of the courts. She can help with things like understanding schedules and appearances and preparing victim impact statements. Other times, it’s just the basics. Kaleikini is a familiar site at the scene of traumas, such as the recent apartment fire on Victoria Road that left 12 people without a home. She starts with the basics – clothing and shelter for the night, then helps the victims access other support services, even finding a new place to stay.
New home care business supports seniors, families
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PHOTO: Linda McInnes and Hrvojka Mordus Bailey of Spectrum Home & Family Care explained some of the services available through their new home care company.