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February 2016

In February, the National Aboriginal Diabetes Association successfully co-hosted with the South East Resource Development Council the FTCS Community of Practice Gathering and the 2

nd Annual Conference on Bridging

Indigenous Knowledge with the latest information on commercial tobacco. This event was a success in many aspects from attendance, quality of presentations, and networking opportunities for delegates. The National Aboriginal Diabetes Association has many exciting projects on the go. Firstly, we are in close talks with the Southern Ontario Diabetes Initiative on hosting the 8

th

National Aboriginal Diabetes Conference in Thunder Bay. Please stay tuned to the NADA website at www.nada.ca for updates. Secondly, we are re-designing the NADA website according to feedback received from NADA members and partners. The new website will be clean, user-friendly and more dynamic with many resources and information easily accessible. The website is planned to be launched in the spring of 2016. Finally, we have many project ideas this year that will be designed to meet the needs of NADA members, ADI workers, health care professionals and people living with diabetes. Please stay connected with us through this newsletter and other means. We always welcome your feedback. Best regards, Alisher Kabildjanov Project Manager

NADA News Inside

From Executive Director

February is Heart Month

Karen Graham Blog

March is Kidney Health Month

Healthy Weights Connection Resources

Eight Weeks to Healthy Living Program

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Executive Director Message

National Aboriginal Diabetes Association www.nada.ca

Greetings…

A belated Happy New Year to everyone, as this is our first newsletter of 2016. A number of interesting events have occurred and 2016 is already looking to be an active and engaging year for the National Aboriginal Diabetes Association.

In mid-January, the National Aboriginal Diabetes Association’s Board of Directors met for a strategic planning session in Winnipeg. With the guidance of the Board’s Elder Joe Hyslop, and facilitator Carol Seto, the Directors and National Aboriginal Diabetes Association staff produced a new vision statement, mission, and goals for the Association, as well as re-established our values with new wording. These, along with new objectives and strategic directions, will all be shared with the publication of our strategic plan sometime in the spring of 2016.

Also in January, I was interviewed for the spring 2016 issue of Diabetes Dialogue, the official magazine of the Canadian Diabetes Association. The upcoming issue features an article on the renewal of the Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative (ADI), which was announced in July 2015, and I was asked for my insight as to how the ADI has helped individuals and communities.

In early February, I travelled to a conference of the Kidney Foundation of Canada BC & Yukon Branch in Richmond, BC, where I was asked to speak to a Gathering of Indigenous volunteers. It was great to meet with colleagues past, present and future that were in attendance, and many thanks to the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations for welcoming me to their territories once again.

February has also seen the release of the 2016-2017 Your Health Matters Calendar, developed by the Association and in partnership with 13 other organizations. The calendar is available on our website here http://www.nada.ca/your-health-matters-2016/, and provides general information in the form of statistics, graphs, pictures, recipes, etc, provided by each contributor to help readers make choices towards better health.

As Alisher mentioned on the cover page, the Association co-hosted the Federal Tobacco Control Strategy Community of Practice Gathering on February 9 in conjunction with the Southern Manitoba First Nations Commercial Tobacco Control Strategy’s 2

nd annual conference on February 10 &11.

Both events were well-attended and provided participants with information, tools and resources to initiate or continue commercial tobacco cessation work in their communities.

Also as Alisher mentioned, the Association is currently undergoing measures to overhaul our website. We launched a Request for Proposals and received several submissions by web designers to update the existing site. A decision on the winning bid will be made shortly and we can expect to have a new website sometime this spring. Coinciding with the new website will be a new logo for the Association, and we have published a call for submissions asking artists and designers to come up with a new logo that respects First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples across Canada. We are very excited to see what ideas may come forward.

All the best to you and yours Jeff LaPlante

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National Aboriginal Diabetes Association www.nada.ca

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February is Heart Month By Dr. Agnes Coutinho & John Sawdon

National Aboriginal Diabetes Association www.nada.ca

Aanii: “Cardio”-“vascular” diseases (commonly referred to as CVD for short) affect the heart and blood vessels. Our heart is actually a muscle which contracts about 100,000 times and pumps 76,000 litres of blood through our body each day! If you were to connect together all of the blood vessels in your body as one long tube, it would span about 96,000 km! To visualize what this means, we can compare this to the circumference of the earth which is roughly 40,000 km. The heart itself is just a little larger than the size of your closed fits, and if you ever wondered how much force the heart muscle produces, try squeezing a

tennis ball. This is about the force needed for the heart muscle to pump blood to the rest of your body. Protecting our heart and blood vessels is essential to survival. Luckily, even if heart disease occurs, current medical treatments and importantly lifestyle changes (especially exercise & healthy diet) enhance not only disease prevention but also healing. I have invited John Sawdon, Director of Education & Special Projects for the Cardiac Health Foundation of Canada, to summarize the risk factors and highlight the ways we can protect ourselves from CVD. Miigwetch, Dr. Agnes Coutinho.

Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease; Double Jeopardy

In celebrating Heart Month, our first task is to help create awareness about the necessary lifestyle changes that address the Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). This article discusses the link between Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease, the Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease and the lifestyle changes we can make that help us to reduce the risk, while managing this double jeopardy.

DID YOU KNOW?

People with Diabetes are 2-4x more likely to develop CVD compared to people without diabetes

People with Type 2 Diabetes have the same risk of having a heart attack as people without diabetes who have already had a heart attack

People with Diabetes can have a heart attack without ever realizing it

Stroke occurs 2x as often in people with diabetes and high blood pressure as in those with high blood pressure alone

Mini-strokes (also known as Transient Ischemic Attacks) occur between 2-6x more in people with diabetes

For each risk factor present, the risk of CVD is about 3x greater in people with diabetes as compared to people without diabetes.

All types of diabetes can lead to diseases within the heart and circulatory system. There are 3 types of CVD: those affecting heart and coronary circulation (Coronary Heart Disease); those affecting the brain and cerebral circulation (Cerebrovascular Disease); and those affecting the lower limbs (Peripheral Vascular Disease). The most common causes are damage to the blood vessels, such as atherosclerosis (hardening/narrowing of the arteries and formation of plaque) and hypertension (high blood pressure).

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National Aboriginal Diabetes Association www.nada.ca

What are the Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease?

Advancing Age- risk grows with age; men over 45 and women over 55

Diabetes

High Cholesterol (Dyslipidaemia) – high levels of LDL or low density lipoprotein (Bad) cholesterol as well as low levels of HDL high-density lipoprotein (Good) cholesterol. Also, high levels of triglycerides (type of fat in blood) is a risk factor by itself.

Genetic Background- if parents or siblings have CVD at a premature age (men before 55 and women before 65 years)

High Alcohol Consumption- excess alcohol heightens hypertension

Male Gender-have a higher risk

Menopause- Risk for women increases after menopause

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) - above 140/89, very high blood pressure raises risk for stroke

Obesity- excess body fat especially around the waist (belly)

Insulin Resistance- people with greater resistance to the action of insulin at the cellular level have greater risk for CVD

Sedentary Lifestyle- lack of physical activity

Smoking- a major risk factor for hypertension and CVD.

Major Lifestyle Changes to manage both diabetes & CVD The following are lifestyle changes that we can undertake in both managing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. ABCDE’s of chronic diseases:

A- A1C - Monitor and keep your blood glucose on track, it is usually 7% or less

B- Blood Pressure, aim for 130/80 mmHg

C- Cholesterol. Try to keep your LDL lipoprotein level to 2.0 mmol/L or less, and raise your HDL to over 40

D- Drugs. Follow instructions from your doctor for all the medication you take

E- Exercise, regular participation in physical activity is recommended for a minimum of 150 minutes per week, at a moderate or vigorous level, to achieve better health

S- Stop smoking. Smoking is directly related to blood pressure and atherosclerosis

S- Manage stress effectively. Yoga and Mindfulness have been associated with stress reduction which reduces inflammation. Developing meaning in one’s life through spiritual connections and mindful meditation can settle you and help you reduce stress in your life while gaining meaning and purpose. Cultural rituals strengthen personal motivation and commitment including providing the strength of community to help facilitate the change that you are pursuing. By reducing stress you reduce inflammation which is directly associated with both diabetes and

We know that a buddy system helps with the motivation to undertake aerobic exercises that might include walking, jogging, urban poling and potentially snowshoeing. By contacting a neighbour or announcing on the radio station, you may be able to motivate others in your community to start a walking, urban poling or snowshoeing club. This will move you towards your goal of becoming physically active. It also addresses one of the strongest research findings on motivation for physical activity, which includes having a support system and an accountability framework for your program.

This change could include increasing physical activity amongst the entire community beginning in the school, at the Community Centre and Health or Healing Centre and among the seniors of the community. We encourage you to celebrate Heart Month by initially making a small commitment by setting and accomplishing your goal. For those of you who have greater visions and want to do more, become the catalyst for change in your community.

John Sawdon Director Of Education & Special Projects, Cardiac Health Foundation of Canada

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How do I exercise when my joints are sore?

National Aboriginal Diabetes Association www.nada.ca

No matter how many times your doctor tells you that exercise is critical to help manage your diabetes, you won’t go for a walk if you have pain. I wouldn’t either. Pain stops you in your tracks. In my book, The Complete Diabetes Guide, I suggest practical ways you can manage pain and be active, and easy fitness plans that match your fitness level. You’ll read stories from everyday people who talk about their challenges and successes. Walking poles, bicycles and Tai Chi are some options to allow you to be active in spite of arthritis or back or joint pain. You weigh less in water, so if you have a pool nearby, swimming is one of the best low-impact exercises. Have you ever seen someone walking with walking poles? These are like ski poles but the tips of the poles are cushioned with rubber plugs for summer walking, with an option for spikes for winter walking. The great thing about using walking poles is they take weight off your back and joints. Paulette, who submitted a story for my book says “When a person is heavier especially, it’s helpful….There are many people who say “I can’t walk” but if they had these poles, they could.”

Photo Source: Complete Diabetes Guide Close-up of Handles of Walking Poles

Right now I am running a book sale special: I am gifting a $25 cash coupon towards the purchase of a set of Urban Poles for each box of books that you buy. If you are interested in ordering books before year-end, please let me know at karen@karengraham.ca. Here’s another tip for sore joints to make exercise easier. Before you exercise put a hot cloth on your joint, to loosen the joint. Then, after you exercise, apply a cold cloth (or ice inside a cold cloth) for 5-10 minutes. This helps reduce inflammation (swelling).

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St. Michael’s Hospital Study – Reaching out to Canadians Living with

Diabetes

The Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) and researchers from St. Michael’s Hospital are looking for people who have diabetes (Type 1, Type 2, gestational, pre-diabetes) or care for someone

with diabetes.

Your participation will help the CDA and researchers learn about your experience with diabetes.

To complete the survey, please visit: http://fluidsurveys.com/s/cda2015/.

Participants who complete the short online survey will be entered in a $100-draw with 1 in 30 odds of winning.

For more information, please visit the NADA website at:

http://www.nada.ca/st-michaels-hospital-study/

http://www.nada.ca/st-michaels-hospital-study/

National Aboriginal Diabetes Association www.nada.ca

If you have sore knees or ankles, exercises that allow you to sit while you exercise take weight off your joints. Then you can do short periods of exercise without pain, or with less pain. An easy option is to sit in your chair, turn on the music, and march while sitting. Or, try using an exercise bike, or better yet, a home recumbent bike that has a comfortable seat to sit on and back support. On www.youtube.com search “recumbent bike”. A cheaper option than a bike is a “mini exerciser” (or called a “mini peddler”). You can buy these through retail catalogues or at medical supply stores and they are generally less than $50. These are small enough to fit underneath a table. In The Complete Diabetes Guide, Milly tells how she developed a toe infection and as part of her treatment, started using a mini exerciser to increase circulation to her feet: “I started doing a couple of minutes in the morning after breakfast…Each day I tried to do a bit more. Now after a month I can do almost 10 minutes at a time…I haven’t had any more problems with my toes and I have less swelling in my feet and legs. Mostly I just feel better.”

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March is Kidney Health Month: Take Care of Your Kidneys! By Melanie Ferris

National Aboriginal Diabetes Association www.nada.ca

Did you know that March is Kidney Health Month? You may have heard that diabetes is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease. If you don’t have kidney disease, here are some ideas on things you can do to take care of your kidneys:

See your health care provider for a regular check up

Manage your diabetes

Have a healthy blood pressure

Know your family’s kidney health history

Take your medication as prescribed

Stop smoking

Eat healthy

Limit alcohol

Aim for a healthy weight

Be active. I If you’re in the Winnipeg area and would like to support kidney health in Manitoba, consider stopping by Wendy’s during the month of March. They provide proceeds from their chili sales to the Foundation, and on World Kidney Day (March 10), they have local celebrities serving chili over the lunch hour. Over the years, they’ve helped raise more than $1 million to support kidney health in Manitoba. The Foundation is also hosting a men’s fashion show called Manitoba’s Finest on World Kidney Day as well as a free kidney screening clinic at Siloam Mission (300 Princess Street) on March 3

rd from

10:30am to 2:30pm.

If you’d like more information about any of our programs, events, or services, please visit our website at www.kidney.ca/manitoba. ***** Melanie Ferris is the Foundation’s Kidney Health and Communications Manager. She also manages mobile screening clinics as for the province. If you’re interested in connecting with her, email mferris@kidney.mb.ca.

APTN news anchor Michael Hutchison served chili in support of kidney health on World Kidney Day in 2015.

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Healthy Weights Connection: Resource Development

By Tasha Shields

National Aboriginal Diabetes Association www.nada.ca

Healthy Weights Connection (HWC) has been developing resources to help facilitate collaboration among services providers. Partnering with Southern Ontario Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative (SOADI), HWC hosted its first webinar, “Engaging effectively with clients through social media” in September, 2015. The focus of the webinar was to support service providers to work with clients using social media. Social media has many free platforms that can be used to connect with clients and other organizations. Mitch Baird from SOADI presented information about how to better understand social media and how social media has changed how we interact with clients. By providing this information to service providers, they can better utilize existing resources to help share information about health and wellness with Aboriginal children and families, as well as with other organizations. Using social media to share information about resources and upcoming events with other organizations, services providers will ensure their clients will have access to more relevant information quickly and easily. HWC has hosted a second webinar on February 18, 2016 with the Pillar Nonprofit Network. This webinar explored how organizations could benefit from collaboration with other agencies, nonprofits and community partners. Discussion revolved around various types of partnerships and collaborations, and tips on how to get the most out of your working relationships. In addition to hosting webinars, HWC continues to develop factsheets on a variety of topics. These factsheets tend to focus on summarizing and amalgamating academic information, which is generally inaccessible for service providers as most do not have access to academic journals. By consolidating academic information into factsheets service providers can quickly absorb information that will be useful to them when planning programming for youth and families. Current factsheet topics include Social Determinants of Aboriginal People’s Health, Physical Literacy, Food Security, Food Literacy, Social Determinants of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health in Canada, and Type 2 Diabetes: Aboriginal Children and Youth in Canada. Our newest factsheet, Traditional Foods and Nutrition of Aboriginal Children in Canada highlights the nutritional, socio-cultural and physical benefits of following a traditional diet. It compares the nutritional content of some traditional foods to supermarket foods. By incorporating this information into programming for clients, service providers can help Aboriginal families plan healthier meals where access permits. HWC is looking to develop more factsheets, so if there is a topic you would like to see please email us at contactus@healthyweightsconnection.ca. We want to ensure the resources we are developing are useful for service providers working with Aboriginal children, youth and their families. For a complete list of factsheets and other resources please visit the Healthy Weights Connection website: www.healthyweightsconnection.ca/resources.

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WOMEN WARRIORS Eight Weeks to Healthy Living By Shelly Wiart & Dr. Sonja Wicklum

National Aboriginal Diabetes Association www.nada.ca

Women Warriors has begun in Lloydminster! Women of all ages are flexing their muscles, pumping up their heart rates and enjoying themselves doing it. The healthy living program is eight weeks long. Each week the session begins strong with a new and different type of exercise, and then, after feeling alive, motivated and empowered the group launches into a discussion about the mind, body and spirit, and the class ends with a nutrition session. Shelley Wiart, supported by the Lloydminster Native Friendship Center and volunteer fitness instructors from the area, ran a successful pilot program last spring and then teamed up with Dr. Sonja Wicklum (a family doctor and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary) in late summer to develop the present Eight Weeks to Healthy Living Program.

“I make a lot healthier choices in everything, I stopped drinking pop, I don’t eat chips, just trying to make healthier choices now. Now I’m a lot more aware of what’s actually in food and how to read labels. I learned a lot. It’s flowing down to my kids too, and my husband is on the mission to lose weight. It had a ripple effect.” - Ashley Crookedneck.

Women Warriors’ main focus is to help participants become more active by exposing them to an exciting variety of exercise classes including Zumba, Pilates, Piyo, Yoga, Turbo-Kick and many more, and supporting them in learning to track their exercise using a pedometer. Along with the weekly main exercise session Shelley also encourages participants to come to her Saturday morning open Urban Poling sessions. As a group, they are on a virtual race to Montreal – tracking every step, every day, as a team!

The mind, body, spirit component of each week is a chance for participants to discuss all items important to them as they relate to getting and staying healthy. The nutrition component incorporates a tool, called the CANdeck (Canadian Aboriginal Nutrition) that helps you track your food groups easily, ensuring nutrition fundamentals are in place – emphasizing eating fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, and fiber. The idea behind it is simple: if we fill our diet up with good things we will feel satisfied, be healthier and not be tempted by poor foods as often. There is also consideration of the socioeconomic and food security realities of the participants; food and meal suggestions are based on availability and affordability.

A little history…. Shelley Wiart trained for a half marathon for Team Diabetes in May of 2015 and was alarmed by the low number of Indigenous women accessing the fitness facilities in her community. She is Métis and her family has an intergenerational history of type 2 diabetes. Shelley and Sonja are passionate about healthy living and type 2 diabetes awareness and prevention. Women Warriors has attracted families, mothers and daughters.

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WOMEN WARRIORS Eight Weeks to Healthy Living

By Shelly Wiart & Sonja Wicklum

National Aboriginal Diabetes Association www.nada.ca

It makes sense that adapting healthier lifestyles, experiencing health in new ways, together, as families, in a safe and supportive environment would be an excellent step towards ‘healing’ for Aboriginal Peoples. The program is funded by a grant from the Alberta Government Parks and Recreation Division. There will be four sessions in 2016. There has been a big demand for the program and anyone interested can contact Shelley Wiart at (780) 872-0877 or by email Shelley@womenwarriors.club or Dr. Wicklum by email Sonja.wicklum@ucalgary.ca. Shelley and Sonja.

The National Aboriginal Diabetes Association and Urban Poling are planning to deliver the second part of the Step-Up webinar series. To register please contact Giselle at giselle@urbanpoling.com

National Aboriginal Diabetes Association 103-90 Garry Street

Winnipeg, MB, R3C 4H1 Phone: (204) 927-1224

Fax: (204) 927-1222

Get Involved

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National Aboriginal Diabetes Association

Board of Directors

Chairperson Secretary Dilly Knol, MB Virgil E. Nathaniel, MB Co-Chair Directors Yvan Michon, QC Melita Paul, NL

Leon Simard, MB

Treasurer Agnes Coutinho, ON

Troy Paul, MB

Past Chair Youth Director

Catherine Turner, BC Alexis Wilson. MB