Fringe notebook: Festival impact, PTE venues, Plan V

Concern over closure

As advocates for seniors in Manitoba, CARP Manitoba (Canadian Association of Retired Persons) is deeply concerned about the closure of the Lions Club Charleswood Adult Day Club.

This closure will have a significant impact on seniors in the community who rely on the Adult Day Club for social connection, companionship, meaningful activities and stimulation. It will also place additional pressure on other Adult Day Clubs throughout the city, many of which are already experiencing increased demand and are now being required to establish waiting lists.

Families of affected seniors are understandably concerned that, without access to this important community-based support, their loved ones may eventually require admission to personal care homes. Adult Day Clubs play an important role in helping seniors remain independent, connected to their communities and living in their own homes for as long as possible.

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: I’ve been trying to learn to drive in busy traffic. My boyfriend said he would teach me, but he gets too playfully amorous while I’m trying to drive his new car in busier areas like downtown. He thinks it’s a big joke, but when I yelled that he was distracting me, he said, “Good.”

So I pulled over, slammed on the brakes and got out, thinking he would get back into the driver’s seat and drive us home, but he didn’t budge. He was being a real jerk.

I got back in, drove us to my place in silence, left the keys in the ignition and went inside and locked my door. Now we’re not talking and neither one of us is apologizing. What do you think?

— Still Mad, St. James

Canada needs a strong plan of action to tackle chronic kidney disease.

Canada is facing a looming health crisis that remains largely unaddressed and invisible at the policy and health system level. More than four million Canadians live with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and 50,000 currently receive dialysis or are living with a transplant, both life-sustaining but burdensome treatments.

With no cure, CKD profoundly impacts quality of life, contributing to lost income, overall poor health, and uncertainty about the future. The implications of CKD extend far beyond patients and families. CKD is now the 11th leading cause of death in Canada and one of our most expensive chronic diseases. Health-care costs exceed $11.7 billion annually, with most expenses incurred in the later stages of the disease, particularly dialysis and transplantation.

By 2050, the total cost burden of CKD is projected to rise to $17.6 billion and an estimated 6.2 million Canadians will be affected, driven by an aging population and rising rates of diabetes and high blood pressure.