Zoomer Week in Review

So you think you know how to raise children? But a lot has changed since you last diapered the kids who are now becoming parents - not to mention emotional minefields like grandparent wars! That's why Sunnybrook Health Sciences is offering a prenatal course for grandparents to be. Libby Znaimer talked with patient educator Kelly Grier. AND He spends much of his time doing something old-fashioned -...

Parents are not only helping their kids buy their first home, more than one in three say they’re also chipping in for rent. That’s according to a recent poll that followed another study on housing affordability, which found nearly half of parents plan on helping their children buy a place while one in four already had. None of this shocks Steve Ranson, President and CEO of Home Equity Bank and the...

18.1 million new cases and 9.6 million deaths last year alone. Those are the latest numbers on the burden of cancer around the world. Libby Znaimer talked to Dr. Aaron Schimmer head of research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre to learn what it means for us. AND Badass Beauty Queen is a documentary about the saga of Anastasia Lin, 2015's Miss World Canada. Her family in China was threatened a...

The national Capital Commission lists its condition as critical. The problem with 24 Sussex Drive is that prime minister after prime has refused to spend money on renovations - presumably to avoid being accused of wasting taxpayers dollars on themselves. Now the Conservatives are blasting Justin Trudeau because the cost, estimated at $10 million in 2008 has skyrocketed to 34.5 million for a reno o...

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history 50 years ago, July 20, 1969, during a decade that was as much about the space race as it was music and changing social norms. Former Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk shares his recollections about the Apollo 11 landing and predicts where men and women will go next, and when! AND About 50-million people worldwide are living with dementia and Alzheimer’s is t...

So you’re finally taking that big trip on the bucket list only to find that you’re sharing your experience of ancient sites and breathtaking landscapes with hordes of other tourists. You may also be hurting the locals by using up their resources and pricing them out of the market. That was partly Libby's experience on a recent trip to Greece. It’s a fairly new phenomenon called "overtourism" and L...

The internet CAN be the wrong place to look for love is you get caught in a romance scam, now among the biggest threats online for seniors looking for human connection. It ranks up there with the more reported on scams like the CRA Scam, where an agent posing as an employee of with Canada Revenue Agency demands money for unpaid taxes. Durham Regional Police Sgt. Deb Anderton is an expert in these...

Companies don’t give ageism the same attention as other forms of bias according to Forbes Insight survey. And the numbers suggest that age discimination is alive and well in the U-S with 2 out of 3 employees over 45 have witnessed age discrimination. Author and executive coach Bonnie Marcus is currently writing a book about women over 50 in the workplace. Christine Ross reached her by phone. And Z...

This week the federal government unveiled its long-awaited dementia strategy which focuses on prevention and help for caregivers. But it will take more research to conquer the disease and that's why Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging received 46-million dollars to investigate the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of dementia. Dr. Howard Chertkow is leading more than 300 researcher...

Marie Henein is one of the most renowned lawyers in the country. Recently she took on the government, successfully defending former Vice-Admiral Mark Norman on breach of trust charges. But it was her defense of former CBC host Jian Ghomeshi that put her in the national spotlight. After that activists tried to stop her from speaking on campus… accusing her of promoting rape culture... which why she...

The report of the inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women was released earlier this week and the most startling conclusion was that the violence against these women amounts to a genocide. The prime minister was heckled when, at first, he refrained from using that word. Within 24 hours, he said he accepted the finding. Many others do not, and the use of this term has caused more debate t...

It’s a philosophical question as much as a practical one: Can money buy health? It’s the subject longevity and wellness guru, Dr. Mark Liponis, will tackle at IdeaCity later this month. And his experience makes his perspective truly unique. AND More and more patients are choosing medical assistance in dying as a means to end their suffering and to have what can be considered a good death. But the...

More than half of Canadian households maintain a garden and we spend about 4 billion dollars doing it. But this season's weather is throwing a curve. With heavy rains and floods and cold that won't quit, Libby reached out to Gardening guru Mark Cullen for some advice. And It's something every level of government has promised to do and almost everyone would agree with: making our environment access...

May is Vision Health Month. Have you had your eyes checked lately? There's a lot to look out for beyond seeing if you need stronger readers... as Libby found out for herself... Dr. Ritesh Patel of the Ontario Association of Optometrists dropped by to talk about it And Has the legalization of marijuana made you canna-curious? Zoomer Media has teamed up with entrepreneur Derek Riedle of "Civilized"...

We talk to the inimitable Dr. Ruth Westheimer about the documentary "Ask Dr. Ruth" about the tiny Jewish grandmother who became an unlikely pop culture icon. It's not just about sex. For, Westheimer this was the right time to open up about her past as an orphan of the Holocaust. AND Many of you are probably enjoying or about to enjoy a special Mother's day brunch. And chances are, the way you rais...

For 34 years the iconic comic strip ran in nearly 1400 newspapers becoming a humourous touchstone for women in a changing times. The real Cathy Guisewhite stopped by the studio to talk about her new book “Fifty Things that aren’t My Fault.” AND Paul Ehrlich’s 1968 book “The Population Bomb” gained wide acceptance with the dire prediction that millions would starve as we competed for scarce resourc...

"If You Can Read my Mind" is a song you, and many Zoomers, listened to growing up, and can still be found here on AM 740, but it's also the title of a new documentary about the life, career, influence of the Orillia-born superstar. On the line to talk about it with fill in host Bob Komsic are writers and directors Joan Tosoni and Martha Kehoe. And - What's the first thing you do when you forget so...

More and more older Canadians are interested in medical cannabis because of its potential to ease pain and improve cognitive function. CARP - a new vision of aging - is partnering with Spectrum Cannabis ... a wholly owned subsidiary of Canopy Growth Corporation. They will offer tailored educational initiatives for the more than 320-thousand CARP members ...who will received a 20% discount on strai...

She’s a beloved politician, a trailblazing woman and now a cover model at the age of 98... She’s on the cover of the May issue of Zoomer Magazine and has the distinction of being the oldest cover subject ever. Libby talked with the indomitable Hazel McCallion. And - Comedians Steve Martin and hometown guy Martin Short have no intention of retiring although their show alludes to it in the title: “N...

In a first in North America, every resident of Nova Scotia could soon become an automatic organ donor. The province is proposing legislation, to adopt ‘presumed consent’ around organ donation, which means everyone is deemed a donor unless they opt out. Families will continue to be consulted about their loved ones' wishes and those under 19 and people without decision-making capacity would be exemp...

Imagine if new information doctors learn from treating a cancer patient here could be immediately available to help tailor a treatment for someone in St. John or iqualouit? That’s the idea behind $150 million item in Last week’s pre-election budget. The money will create a Marathon of Hope Cancer network in the name of Terry Fox so cancer centres, from coast to coast, can share data to personalize...

For years, daily low-dose aspirin was being prescribed as a magic bullet to prevent heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular disease. Older Canadians were advised to undertake this regimen whether they had heart problems or not. Now there is evidence that the risks outweigh the benefits. The American Heart Association released the new guidelines and Libby reached Dr. Marc Ruel at the Ottawa...

An unprecedented one-in-six Canadian adults is living alone - Whether by choice or circumstance. Statistics Canada found more than a quarter of Zoomers over 65 are solo dwellers - a number that’s actually declining in part because men are living longer. Nora Spinks CEO of the Vanier Institute of the Family unpacks the trend. And - Can you spot a real from a fake? Apparently, many of us can NOT! A...

First he became the world’s leading advocate of the slow movement. Now best selling author Carl Honore’s new book Bolder is a call to action for us all to redefine aging, which is our philosophy here at Zoomer Media. He joines Libby to talk about it. And – Although Zoomers have the potential to age better than ever before, older parents are also feeling the financial squeeze. A new study by RBC fi...

This week, the provincial government announced sweeping changes to modernize Ontario’s 60 billion dollar health care system. It’s creating a new super-agency by consolidating local and provincial health networks like Cancer Care Ontario, to create a central agency. Libby speaks with Christine Elliott, Minister of Health for Ontario, on what the changes mean for Zoomers. And – As the federal govern...