Name: Marie Vajda (she/her/hers)Job Title: Administrative Services ManagerYears of Service: 6Worksite: Penticton Health Centre  Community: South Okanagan Ancestral Territory: SyilxFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: “Don't stress. Take it one email, one request and one day at a time.” And “sorry—my crystal ball is broken!” After working in retail supervision and management for 10 years, Marie found herself at a junction when the company she was working for closed.  After going back to school, she found a job as a medical office assistant in a busy North Vancouver office. When her husband’s work took them to Prince George, she found a job as a medical software tester and trainer. Six years later, in 2017, the Vadja family moved to Penticton, where Marie found a position in administration at the Penticton Health Centre. What started out as a casual role became a permanent position. She was promoted to supervisor, then manager, administrative services.

As the snow falls, and we prepare to enjoy our favorite winter activities, it is important to remain prepared and stay protected from risky weather situations. There's always potential for freezing cold temperatures in the winter. Here's what you can do to ensure you and your family remain safe and healthy.

After a mild winter throughout the B.C. Interior, the snow we’ve been anticipating has finally arrived.  It’s an exciting time for ski and snowboard enthusiasts. It’s also a time when we pull out the shovels to clear our driveways, although hopefully not too often.  Shovelling snow can be an inconvenience, but may also cause injury, mainly to your back and shoulders. However, injuries can be prevented with the right approach.

If you find yourself forgetting names, misplacing keys or not remembering your granddaughter's birthday, it's natural to feel worried it could be a sign of dementia. As we explored in our previous story, memory loss and difficulties often come with age, but don't always mean you're developing dementia.  In this story, we explore how dementia is diagnosed, and what happens after a diagnosis, both for the individual with dementia and their family.

When you first walk into the Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy in Vernon, it’s like any neighbourhood pharmacy: it has your over-the-counter drugs for cold and flu season, your daily essential vitamins and prescription drugs. But behind the counter is something unique: a drug checking service for anyone to use. It's the first service of its kind offered at a pharmacy in the B.C. Interior.  “Drug checking services allow us, in the face of the toxic drug crisis, to monitor what is happening with the illicit drug supply. Otherwise, we don’t know until it’s too late,” noted Interior Health’s manager of harm reduction Jessica Bridgeman. 

Name: Adigo Angela Achoba-Omajali (she/her/hers)Job Title: Clinical Practice EducatorYears of Service:  12Worksite:  South Hills Tertiary Psychiatric Rehabilitation CentreCommunity:  KamloopsAncestral Territory: Secwépemc Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou Adigo Angela Achoba-Omajali is a clinical practice educator working out of South Hills Tertiary Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centre in Kamloops. Born to her mother Mary Ede Achoba (née Ukwenya) and her father Isaac Isa Achoba in Kaduna state in Nigeria, her origin is of Kogi state and she hails from the Ibaji kingdom. As a lover of travel, Adigo has lived in many countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, England and Bangladesh. She is a life-long advocate who is passionate about the work she does to ensure silent voices are heard through education. “Knowledge is power!” says Adigo. Leading with a positive mindset, she aspires to provide respectful, integral and inclusive care to every single person who needs it. 

Misplaced keys. A forgotten name or password. Forgetting a special occasion like a birthday. As we age, many of us start to worry memory loss means we are getting dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. It’s normal for us to be concerned. According to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, almost 40 per cent of us will experience some form of memory loss after we turn 65 years old. It’s a natural part of aging. Even if you experience memory loss as you age, the chances are still low, however, that it’s dementia. The World Health Organization estimates that 5–8 per cent of us will live with dementia at some point in our lives.

Name: Dwayne Schroeder (he/his/him)Job title: Health care assistantYears of service: 11Worksite: Three Links ManorCommunity: KelownaAncestral territory: Syilx OkanaganAdvice to live by: Live and let live Dwayne Schroeder has spent over 11 years with Interior Health as a health care assistant (HCA), but if he had his way that number would be a lot higher. “I wish I would have started earlier,” he said. After Dwayne’s previous career in the food industry ended, he was on the hunt for a new opportunity. His wife suggested he enroll in the Health Career Access Program because he is great with people. It’s clear that Dwayne was wise to follow his wife’s advice. “I did very well in the course and after graduation I was able to gain employment with Interior Health,” Dwayne said. “I have loved it ever since.”

Name: Marilyn Winters (she/her/hers)Job title: Registered NurseYears of service: 32 yearsWorksite: Kamloops Home and Community Health—North Shore Community: KamloopsAncestral territory: Whispering Pines/Clinton, T’kemlups, Simpcw, Secwepemc, Neskonolith, Adams lake, and Little Shuswap nations. Advice to live by: Let's not dwell on the problem, let's figure out a solution. Marilyn Winters has dedicated 32 years of her life as a health-care professional to the service of others and her community. After completing her degree from Thompson Rivers University, and becoming a registered nurse in 2012, Marilyn devoted her time, and passion, to helping and caring for her patients across the Interior Health region.