Throughout a full life with family and a demanding career, I did my best to stay fit, eat well and keep on top of health issues. But I did not think at all about bone density issues, even though I learned much later that I had a family history of osteoporosis.

When I was in my late 40s, I had the great good fortune to be referred to a wonderful gynecologist, who sent me for bone mineral density tests. I was under his care for about 14 years and I know that he had a transformative impact on my life. The other good stroke of luck I had was to be referred to the Bone Density Program (now the Centre for Osteoporosis and Bone Health) at Women’s College Hospital (WC) in Toronto.

It was then I first learned that I had bone density issues and would need to do all I could to manage this for the rest of my life. I wanted to avoid the serious effects not doing so could have on my health, mobility, independence and quality of life. I learned that I had osteopenia (now called low bone mass), a condition that begins as you lose bone mass and your bones start to get weaker. I learned that it is very common as you age. And I learned that people who have osteopenia are at a higher risk of having osteoporosis. But I was determined to try to stop my bones from deteriorating further if I possibly could.

So what did I do? And how have I tried to deal with this over the last 20 plus years?

First of all, I tried to find out all that I could about osteoporosis and bone density, to really understand what was happening to my bones and to understand how I could try to manage my own condition. I found an excellent source of information and self-management advice online at the Osteoporosis Canada website.

I knew I had to focus on diet, exercise and regular monitoring of my bone density. I drink lots of milk and eat yogurt, canned salmon with the bones, leafy greens and lots of fruit and vegetables. I try to make sure that I have protein at each meal through my day. I’m pretty good at managing my caffeine intake to the recommended level though not always as good at keeping to the recommendation on wine intake! I eat very little added salt or sugar and try to follow Osteoporosis Canada’s recommendations on calcium (getting it from my diet) and Vitamin D (through daily supplementation). Magnesium, vitamin K and potassium are also good for bone health. I try to get these through my diet. I’m really lucky that these are my favourite types of foods anyway, which makes it easier. And I’ll own up to never meeting a good French fry I didn’t like and potato chips are a big weakness!

I try to stay very active and to focus on weight-bearing high impact exercise. I love walking with my dog, Poppy, and usually find through my Fitbit that I walk between 12,000 and 15,000 steps in a regular day. I play tennis when I can and ski in the winter. And I do try to include both core work and strength training with free weights or using my body weight in my regular workouts. Sometimes I don’t get to those workouts when I’m really busy, to be truthful, but I know how important these are so I always seem to get back on track!

For many years, I took an osteoporosis medication on the recommendation of my doctor but then came off it some years ago when my bone density seemed to stabilize. I try to stay up to date on new available drugs.

Sometimes, in spite of all this, I have been discouraged when I lost bone mass from bone mineral density (BMD) test to BMD test. My husband Tom was great when this happened. He would say: “Just think how much worse it would have been if you did not do all the things you do to help yourself!” And, of course, he was right.

So where am I now after all these years of trying to manage my bone density challenges? As of my last test in October 2020, my results proved that my bone density has remained generally stable – which puts me in the low to moderate fracture risk category. This is great news for me, since when my mother was in her 70s, she broke her pelvis as a result of low bone density. My mother did not have the great advantage of the knowledge that is available to us all now. But I do and I plan to try my best to have this come out differently for me.

In summary, what is working for me are a bone healthy diet; regular weight-bearing exercise along with strength training; ongoing consults with my healthcare provider; and keeping up to date and taking advantage of the excellent information available on Osteoporosis Canada’s website.

Written by Mary Mogford

Osteoporosis Canada Supporter

I am 75 years old. Six months ago, I thought that “zoom” was a word that little boys and girls used when they were playing with toy cars. However, since the COVID-19 lockdown began, the word has taken on quite a different meaning when, like thousands of others, I turned to Zoom, an online video communications tool to stay in touch with others. There are many other such tools, but Zoom is the one I am most familiar with and it is used by many organizations and individuals.

I have participated in Zoom meetings for work, with book club members, with friends, and to continue my involvement with various organizations to which I belong. I don’t know how to set up a Zoom meeting, but I have gotten pretty good at being a participant.

At first, I was anxious. I didn’t know if the link would work, if I had to download the app, which devices would work (I have a smartphone and a laptop). I didn’t know how to mute or unmute to take part in the discussion; how to turn off the video if I was having an awful hair day (that happened a lot). I didn’t know how the “raise hand” function worked. I got frustrated and confused when everyone talked at once. I didn’t know what “chat” was for, and when I did figure that out got very irritated with participants who kept chatting and distracting me from the presenter. I read disturbing stories about hackers, privacy concerns and unwanted guests interrupting meetings. But now that I’ve become more familiar with Zoom, I realize my worries were unfounded; Zoom is an effective way to stay personally and professionally connected.

During these challenging times, Osteoporosis Canada has increasingly turned to virtual tools like teleconferencing, videoconferencing and other Internet-based applications. For instance, support groups, educational sessions and other events are now being offered virtually, often via Zoom. Are you interested in participating but nervous about how to get started? Read on for some helpful hints, based on my experience, that may help you feel less anxious about accepting the next invitation to an Osteoporosis Canada Zoom event.

• The organizer of the event will send you an email with a description of the event, a link and possibly a password. If a password is given, take note of it; you will need it. The purpose of the password is to prevent unwanted guests from taking part and to protect your privacy.
• When you click on the link, if this is your first time you will be asked if you want to download the app. You do not need to do this in order to join a meeting. If you click yes, the download will be very quick. You also do not need to have a Zoom account to join a meeting.
• If required, you will be asked to enter the event password. Then you will be prompted to “join meeting,” and there you are.
• For those who do not have Internet access, or whose access is very spotty, a telephone number will be provided that allows you to phone in. If you are using a desktop computer, laptop, iPad or tablet, or smartphone, choose Internet audio for sound.
• Depending on your device, somewhere on the screen you will see several icons: a video camera to show your image, a microphone if you want to speak, an icon of a couple to indicate participants. When you click on that icon, a list of all the participants will appear, along with more icons. One important one is the blue hand image, which you click on to indicate that you want to speak. The host will keep track of raised hands and let you know when it is your turn. To mute your microphone, which you should do whenever you are not speaking to avoid interrupting others with background noise, or to turn off your image, click on the icon. A red line through the icon will indicate that it is turned off. When it is your turn to speak, make sure to unmute.
• If possible, find a quiet space for your Zoom meetings; let housemates know so they don’t  wander accidently into your screen space; keep your device stable; and if you need to move around turn your video off to avoid distracting other participants. Try to have good lighting so your face is visible and don’t sit in front of a bright window.

There are many reasons to learn to feel comfortable with Zoom: connection with family and friends, education, entertainment. One of the most important is to take care of your health. There is no need to wait until the pandemic is over; exercise programs, private physiotherapy sessions, counselling sessions for mental health and appointments with your healthcare provider(s) can all be offered through such platforms as Zoom.

For tips on how to have a successful virtual healthcare appointment, click here.

This is a very basic introduction to using Zoom. The Internet has many well-illustrated websites to help you. Google Zoom for Seniors, Help with Zoom, or just Zoom as their website has tutorials. Good luck and have fun. You know the saying – it’s never too late to teach an old dog (like me) new tricks.

WRITTEN BY

Tanya Long
Senior Manager, National Education
Osteoporosis Canada