The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

5 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,M arch 26,2020 insidehalton.com Ying Yang Chartered Professional Accountant Member of Canadian Tax Foundation (647) 989-1276 Oakville Office: (289) 291-3924 Toronto Offiffice: (647) 255-8049 yy@yangaccounting.ca For an affordable solution to your Business and Individual tax difficulties … Make an Appointment Today for a Free Confidential Consultation CRACRACRACRA PPPPrroblobleems?ms? Individual, Corporati &on & Trust Payrayroll, HST includiudingng Overseas & O& Offffshorshore Tax Issueax Issues Yang Tang Tang Tang ax Resolsolution 49% of Canadians give themselvesa grade of C or lower on howthey view their personalfinancial skills. Does that include you? Let'sTalk. 905-842-2100 Visit our website to sign up for a free consultation. Peter Watson MBA, CFP®, R.F.P., CIM®, FCSI Jennifer Watson MBA, CFP®, CIM® 220 Randall Street, Downtown Oakville 905-842-2100 www.watsoninvestments.com Thinking of retiring someday? Let's Talk. Visit our website to sign up for a free consultation. *Sour CIBC poll, February 2018 of Canadians don't have a retirement plan to achieve what they want in retirement.*90%Schedule a virtual meetingto review your wealthmanagement strategy. 905-842-2100 ext. 103 jennifer@watsoninvestments.com Seniors homes across the country have tightened visitation hours and broadened restrictions for the elderly as Canada's old- er population proves to be at the highest risk of con- tracting a fatal diagnosis of COVID-19. "We know now that you're at a higher risk if you're older than 60, espe- cially if you have other conditions like diabetes or are immunosuppressed, Said Alison Thompson, a professor of drug safety and health services re- search at the University of Toronto's faculty of phar- macy. "Everyone younger than 60 should do what they can to ensure they aren't creating more risk." Thompson and Nathan Stall, a geriatrics specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital, share how people can help the elderly navigate these perilous times. Here's what to do and, importantly, what not to do: LIMIT VISITATIONS Anything you can do to help the elderly maintain social distancing is cru- cial, said Thompson. This includes limiting your own contact with them. If the person you know is in a retirement home, you might consider staying home. "We know there's a symptomatic transmission of the virus, so just because you feel okay doesn't mean you aren't transmitting the virus yourself. It's not worth the risk." Some senior care facili- ties have closed visitations completely anyways, said Stall. But you should still be sure to find alternative ways to stay in contact. USE TECHNOLOGY The best way to keep in contact with an elderly person you know is to use technology, said Stall. "Use FaceTime, Zoom, whatev- er you need to in order to make sure they have every- thing they need and are feeling okay," he said.feeling okay," he said.f Social isolation comes with its own psychological implications, so it's crucial to stay in contact regularly when possible, said Thompson. "Isolation isn't good for your health to be- gin, so making an extra ef- fort to stay connected tofort to stay connected tof older people at this point and time is a really good idea." TAKE CARE OF CHORES IF POSSIBLE Staying out of contact with others is crucial, so if you can buy groceries for an elderly person you know, or if you can com- plete other tasks that in- volve venturing outside, that would be helpful in re- ducing their exposure to potential illness, said Thompson. If that isn't possible, Stall also notes that some stores have opened an hour early to give elderly people time to shop before it gets crowded. CALL ABOUT SYMPTOMS BEFORE SHOWING UP If your elderly parent or grandparent is experienc- ing sickness or mild symp- toms, make sure they call ahead to a hospital or walk-in clinic instead of showing up, Thompson said. ISOLATE YOURSELF For people under 65 years-old, the most valu- able thing you can do for an elderly person is to main- tain social distancing and keep away from large gath- erings, Stall said. "That's the most helpful thing you can do for grand- ma," he said. "Older adults have been victimized into thinking they need to be more isolated than the rest of us, when in reality we need to isolate ourselves to help them. When we panic- buy, when we jam the stores, when we go out on St. Patrick's Day instead of avoiding large groups,avoiding large groups,a we're putting them at risk more than ourselves." HOW TO HELP SENIORS NAVIGATE THE PANDEMIC Irene Krislaty looks out the window from her home in Sutton. As COVID-19 continues to spread around the globe, seniors are most at risk. Advocates are urging the public to stay at home and only go out for essentials. Torstar file photo JACOB LORINC NEWS