Zoomer Week in Review

March is Fraud Prevention Month and police are giving special attention to grandparent, or emergency, scams. They have been around for years but now a growing number of people are falling victim and the amount of money they reported losing last year was over $9.2 million, up exponentially from $2.4 million in 2021. Libby Znaimer spoke with Det. Constable Kristin Thomas from the Major Fraud Unit at Toronto Police.

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Her approach is the opposite of No Pain No Gain. Miranda Esmond White is a former ballerina who developed Essentrics after enduring weeks and months in bed because of back pain. She says her system redefines gentle stretching and it can keep us fit and even reverse damage. We talked about her new book: The Movement Miracle

We set the clocks ahead an hour overnight, returning to daylight saving time. It’s no secret that a good night's sleep is important for overall mental and physical health and it fact, it’s been proven that irregular sleep can lead to heart disease and a host of other health issues. New research presented recently at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting suggests our bedtime habits could be key to a longer life. We reached sleep specialist Colleen Carney, director of Sleep Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University for reaction.

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The impact of fraud on the elderly can be more emotional than financial. We’re hearing more about fraud cases targeting older adults, like the grandparent and romance scams, and cybercrime. While the number of reported cases rose 40 percent last year, many more go unreported. But we rarely hear about the non-financial cost to the victims who are dealing with trauma, guilt, and shame that can linger far beyond the crime. We speak with registered clinical psychologist Laura Devlin to learn more.

At first it was dismissed as a conspiracy theory but this week both the FBI and the U.S. Department of Energy  concluded that an accidental laboratory leak in China most likely caused the coronavirus pandemic. Other government agencies believe the virus jumped from animals to humans and the authorities concede there is no consensus on the matter. That’s why we thought it was a good time to revisit our October 2021 interview with Toronto investigative journalist Elaine Dewar who wrote a book on the subject. She explained how she reached her conclusions in  “On the Origin of the Deadliest Pandemic in 100 Years: An Investigation. “

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When it comes to the subject of book banning, most of us think about the Middle Ages, or the Nazi Regime, or science-fiction but it is happening more and more often, especially in the U.S., where the volumes that have been challenged include Anne Frank’s ‘The Dairy of A Young Girl,’ and Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale. That’s why the Toronto Public Library system has become a book sanctuary offering special sections with 50 banned titles aimed at all age groups. Libby Znaimer talked with chief Librarian Vickery Bowles.

As we wrap up Black History month, you may be surprised to learn that tipping has roots in racism. After the US Civil War, tips or gratuities were an exploitative measure to keep wages down for newly freed slaves in service jobs. Skip ahead to modern day and the practice is expanding in the gig economy. But advocates for fair and liveable wages say the pandemic has "tipped the scale" in the fight for service workers to earn a decent living. .Christine Ross reached Saru Jayaraman, Director of the Food Labour Research Centre at UC Berkeley.

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The pandemic put all major international auto shows on pause but it’s not the only driver of poor attendance. Even before COVID-19, the once popular shows had been on the decline in popularity but not just with consumers. Automakers are turned off by the huge expense and like the rest of the world are going digital. Christine Ross reached Bernard Wolfe, Professor Emeritus of Schulich School of Business for some insight.

The bombshell that led to the resignation of Toronto Mayor John Tory underscores some long term trends affecting many in the Zoomer demographic: a lengthy marriage in trouble, a much younger woman, a relationship apparently born during a very intense and stressful time at work. Libby Znaimer talks with Family Demographer Rachel Margolis, of the University of Western Ontario.

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It seems unfair. Many manufacturers force consumers to use only their own proprietary services and components when they need to repair products they have paid good money for. The Right to Repair is the movement to change that. Libby reached Aaron Perzanowski, a Professor of Law at University of Michigan

It’s a conundrum for older people who want to age in place and their children: How to make sure a senior is doing well when family can’t always be there. A new report titled Special Delivery from the National Institute of Ageing finds that postal workers could provide the answer. The idea is a service where the workers would check in on clients who subscribe along their mail routes. Libby Znaimer talked with Dr. Samir Sinha, head of geriatrics at Sinai health and UHN, and a co-author of the report.

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Kitchen utensils. Books. A child’s shoe. These are some of the objects discovered during recent archaeological excavations on the site of the HQ of the WW2 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The discoveries were made at Mila 18 - also the name of the famous Leon Uris novel - and are shedding light on the lives of the hundreds of thousands of Jews confined to the area and the history of the 1943 Uprising. Libby spoke to Holocaust educator Tsvi Sperber after he toured the site.

The documentary, "First to Stand", tracks the cases and causes of Irwin Cotler. You know him as a Former Justice Minister currently serving as a Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism. Cotler, above all, is a renowned human rights lawyer who set a template for freeing political prisoners going back to his first case: Soviet dissident Anatoly Natan Sharansky who was imprisoned in 1977. Libby Znaimer reached Irwin Cotler in Jerusalem.

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She was a force of nature, a legend and an icon. Hazel McCallion was a rare politician who was beloved as well as respected. She also epitomized aging well, remaining engaged and relevant until she died last week at 101. Here we share some of the best of the interviews Libby did to mark her 100th birthday.

It sparked debate in recent weeks with word the US Consumer Product Safety Commission was looking to take action on hazards posed by gas stoves used in millions of homes. An outright ban is now off the table but the renewed concern has ignited debate in the US and Canada. So what should consumers do? We reached Dr. Jeffrey Siegel, a professor of civil and mineral engineering at the University of Toronto.

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It’s hard to believe and it’s happening more than you may think. Organized crime groups are behind a string of real estate frauds in the GTA. Thirty homes have either been sold or mortgaged without the real owners’ knowledge and experts say the majority of victims are boomers. So what can you do to safeguard against becoming a victim? Christine Ross spoke with Brian King, President of private investigation firm King International Advisory Group.

Elon Musk says it’s the reason he looks fit and ripped and there are unconfirmed reports the drug Ozempic enabled Kim Kardashian to fit into Marilyn Munroe’s dress for the Met Gala. The drug was approved to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity but its popularity on social media, and with celebrities, has led to shortages and a debate on who should have priority access. Libby Znaimer talked with Dr. Sean Wharton. He specializes in treating obesity and is medical director of the Wharton Medical Clinic.

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1-in-4 Canadians provide unpaid care for a friend or loved one and they spend a total of 5.7 billion unpaid hours doing that each year. Many struggle to balance care and paid work, and to manage burnout.   The Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence was recently launched  to give them a new voice. Libby Znaimer talked with ED Liv Mendelsohn.

It’s not unusual this time of year for people to make healthy resolutions around food. This year, there’s a new spin that is also good for the environment: cutting food waste, which averages 140 kilos per year. Libby Znaimer talked with leading health and wellness expert, Rose Reisman, about practical ways to rescue much of what usually ends up in your bin.

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He’s an Emergency Room doctor, author, and survivor of advanced stage 4 cancer. Dr. James Maskalyk has also recently been named executive editor of CMAJ. Libby caught up with him now that he has returned to work with a new perspective on practising medicine