Vaccinations for the Over 60 Crowd
At the YURA Café on September 12, Dr. Fran Wilkinson presented a brief overview of important vaccines for seniors and their likely availability. To view her presentation, which includes links to authoritative websites, please click here.
Using the HONK mobile app
On October 10, Tanya Thompson of York’s Parking Office demonstrated how to use the HONK Mobile App. Chris Russel and Jean Chan Kong of the University’s Information Security office also discussed anti-virus software for use on personal devices and the types of malware and fraudulent scams that are circulating,
Climate Distress: Helping Ourselves, Healing Our Planet
At the YURA Café on November 14, Dr. Harvey Skinner, founding dean of York’s Faculty of Health (and an active YURA member) and his colleague, Susan Harris, led an interactive online session that presented research findings on climate distress, introduced wellness practices for compassion and resiliency, explored how climate change is affecting us, and discussed what we can do individually for helping ourselves and collectively healing the planet.
Open Conversation
While the final YURA Café session of the 2023 year on Tuesday, December 12 was intended to be a general discussion about current happenings and plans for 2024, much of the discussion focused on the provincial auditor’s report on York University and concerns that it raises for retirees and the institution’s reputation.
YURA’s Role and Agenda
At the YURA Café on Tuesday, January 9th, YURA co-presidents Diane Woody and Steve Dranitsaris discussed the role of the YURA Executive, the YURA office, and some of the items that YURA has been dealing with, including the planning of events for the 2024 year. Participants also discussed matters on their mind that included the age-friendly study under Dr. Brad Meisner and novel experiences of the holiday season.
York U’s Sustainability Strategy
At the February 13th session, Mike Layton, York’s Chief Sustainability Officer, discussed with participants the University’s sustainability strategy, initiatives underway, and some of the challenges ahead in reducing the University’s carbon emissions. His slide presentation can be viewed by clicking here.
After Mike’s presentation, YURA members in attendance shared views on what an Ontario university campus might look like in 20 years, given constant technological advancement, changing work and research arrangements, and the costs of running ever expanding campuses.
Open Discussion
At the open discussion on March 12th, YURA members shared plans for travel and the summer months and discussed challenges of downsizing, exchanged commentary about health and personal safety concerns, including some of the more interesting scams that are circulating, and touched on the usual political items of the day.
Thriving in Retirement
April’s Café was a lively and interactive get-together that ran 90 minutes. Discussion focused on the theme of this spring’s CURAC conference: “Survive in retirement? No, thrive in retirement!” In turn, all participants shared how they are thriving in retirement. Very little was offered on the other side of the ledger other than the inevitable challenges of aging, including declining health, loss of friends and family, and keeping up with the pace of change.