Welcome to the Club - Fall 2021

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Welcome to ...
THE Club
“Big or Small, JohnnyRemax
Sells T hem All”
John A. McCharles, Broker
Re/Max Sarnia Realty Inc. Brokerage
519-383-4812
johnnyremax@bellnet.ca
Jack-O'-Lantern
Loneliness
By Billy Yurchuk, General Manager, Wellings of Corunna
Believe it or not, in Ireland, where Hallowe'en began, the first
jack-o'-lanterns weren't made of pumpkins. They were made out of
rutabagas, potatoes, turnips, or even beets!
There is an old Irish legend about a man named Stingy Jack who
was too mean to get into heaven and had played too many
tricks on the devil to go to hell. When he died, he
had to walk the earth, carrying a lantern made
out of a turnip with a burning coal inside.
Stingy Jack became known as "Jack of
the Lantern," or "Jack-o'-lantern".
From this legend came the Irish
tradition of placing jack-o'-lanterns
made of turnips and other vegetables
in windows or by doors on Hallowe'en. The jack-o'-lanterns are meant to
scare away Stingy Jack and all the other spirits that are said to walk
the earth on that night.
It wasn't until the tradition was brought to North America by
immigrants that pumpkins were used for jack-o'-lanterns.
Loneliness and social isolation are a
common and serious, health risk, but
it isn’t always recognized as one. Some
people think that becoming lonely and
depressed is simply just part of growing
older. This is simply not true. The
capacity and need for friendship does
not decrease with age, and seniors with
healthy social networks can continue
living rich, full lives.
Loneliness isn’t just a feeling—it’s
a physical stressor that can adversely
affect one’s health. That’s the conclusion
that more and more researchers are
coming to as they study the effects of
chronic loneliness and isolation.
People who go through life without
much support and companionship from
friends and family are more likely to
suffer a variety of health effects, both
physically and mentally.
Lonely people are less resilient
than individuals with healthy social
lives. They’re more likely to become
ill, and they’re less able to cope with
mentally and emotionally stressful
situations. Someone who suffers from
chronic loneliness is at risk for lowered
cognitive function, mood problems like
depression, and addiction to alcohol or
drugs.
Loneliness can strike anyone at any
age. However, seniors are at especially
high risk for chronic loneliness and all
the complications that go with it. That’s
why preventing loneliness in seniors
should be an especially high priority
for caregivers and people with senior
family members.
Seniors are often unprepared to deal
with the boredom and isolation of postretirement
life. After retiring, many
seniors find themselves feeling idle and
unfulfilled unless they try to find new
productive things to do with their time.
Over time, these feelings of boredom
and isolation turn into full-blown
chronic loneliness. Chronic loneliness
is stigmatized, and many people don’t
want to admit that they’re feeling
isolated. Loneliness does not get better
on its own–fixing it requires a person to
change their attitudes and
habits, which is usually
difficult to do alone.
Asking for help, especially
emotional help, is a good
first step to combatting
loneliness and isolation.
I encourage you to
find social groups, group
activities, even move
to a place where it is
not lonely. Life is tough
enough. Just love and take
care of each other.
FALL 2021 Popular Slogans... M&Ms – Melts in your mouth, not in your hands. P A G E 17