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Gearing up for winter PART 3…

Hey everyone, we have posted about driving safety and about home maintenance to prepare for winter — and to finish off our series on “gearing up for winter” we are sharing information about extreme weather!

While there are benefits to being able to be outdoors enjoying winter activities, it’s important to be aware of the dangers of winter cold. This article posted on the Government of Canada website talks about extreme cold, and the factors that may make some people more vulnerable than others. It’s important to know about windburn, frostbite, and hypothermia, as well as how to mitigate these risks.

You can also be prepared for different kinds of winter weather (including storms). There is an article here that touches on winter storm preparedness, equipment, and cleanup.

Stay safe!

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World Mental Health Day

Hey everyone, October 10th is World Mental Health Day. The World Health Organization (WHO) is highlighting how our experience with the COVID-19 pandemic has raised our awareness of mental health challenges.

Most importantly, the WHO wants to raise awareness about a mental health challenge that impacts about 5% of adults worldwide: depression. Below you can find PDF factsheets about depression, and about living with someone with depression. The WHO has video testimonials on their website about mental health and support, check them out here. They also have an entire page for mental health resources for the public, check that out here.

1_depression_2021Download
2_living_with_someone_with_depressionDownload
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COMMUNITY INCLUSION MONTH: Let’s celebrate!

Hey everyone, we posted last week to kick off Community Inclusion Month. This week, we are exploring community inclusion through how we participate. COMMUNITY is one of the 7 keys to citizenship listed in Inclusion BC’s video. Everyone has a right to be included in their community. It’s part of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), check it out here.

Given that we are still battling the COVID-19 pandemic, we can consider how we want to participate in community while still keeping ourselves and others safe and healthy — such as getting outside into local parks (like the upcoming Spooktacular Pumpkin Walk coming up in Kelowna), or participating in an online community, like on the Inclusion BC Facebook page, through an event listed in the Family Support Institute’s Calendar for Connection (like the upcoming Halloween Howl), or alongside your favorite interests and hobbies (like on Pinterest) — or, in the comments section here, too!

Want to hear more about online communities? Let us know in the comments!

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Fire Prevention Week!

Hey everyone, it’s Fire Prevention Week! The National Fire Protection Association theme this year is LEARN THE SOUNDS OF FIRE SAFETY, and they have a great resource that helps explain the sounds you may hear coming from your smoke and/or carbon monoxide alarm. You can download it below. There is also a Frequently Asked Questions page here.

FPW21ThemeSafetyTipSheetDownload

There’s also this page with helpful ideas for those who may need a different kind of alarm.

The City of Kelowna has a great fire prevention webpage full of information and resources, as well as a helpful videos from the Kelowna Fire Department that explain smoke and carbon monoxide alarm requirements and maintenance, and kitchen fire safety. Check those out below!

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Gearing up for winter PART 2…

Hey everyone, we posted last week about being prepared for winter conditions when you drive — and this week we are sharing resources to prepare your home for winter conditions!

There are many lists of home maintenance tasks available online that will help you get your home ready for winter, like this one from CBC News, this one from the Government of Canada website about keeping the heat in, this one on the Home Depot website, or this one from the David Suzuki Foundation that focusses on making your home energy efficient for winter.

Most resources agree, by doing some proactive maintenance tasks in advance of freezing weather you can prevent damage and stay safe over the winter.

Stay safe!

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It’s COMMUNITY INCLUSION MONTH!

Hey everyone, October is COMMUNITY INCLUSION MONTH – so let’s celebrate inclusion in our communities!

All month long, we will be posting ways to celebrate inclusion, ways to build inclusion, and ways to explore the meaning of inclusion.

To get started, here are some places you can check out all month long for community inclusion month information, events, and posts: