Inside the Circle – October 4 2022

Healthy Hobbies are a great way to improve mental and physical health and well-being. Share a picture of you participating in your favourite Healthy Hobby for a chance to win a prize!

Healthy Hobbies can include:

• Reading
• Taking a walk
• Running
• Bicycling
• Cooking
• Drawing
• and much more

To participate in the challenge, submit 1 photo of you participating in your favourite Healthy Hobby to ksvirida@circleofcare.com by Wednesday, October 26 to be entered for your chance to win 2000 Applause points.

Points can be redeemed within the Applause application and can be used to purchase merchandise and gift cards. For more information about Applause, please check out the following information on our intranet.

Winners and all participant photos will be shared the week of October 31.

*Please note, if you would prefer not to have your photo shared in the October 31 Care Mail/Inside the Circle, please specify when you are submitting your photo.

On September 28, Circle of Care hosted our first in-person hiring fair since the beginning of the pandemic!

Interested PSW candidates had the opportunity to meet Circle of Care staff and learn more about the position. We also welcomed individuals to apply beforehand for an interview and ended the day with nine successful interviews!

Thank you to Allison Kujbida, Deep Lall, Chloe Leznoff, Shirley Barnes, Muna Sheerin, and Jane Yi for planning, coordinating, and hosting the hiring event! And thank you to all other staff who helped promote and highlight our first in-person hiring fair in two years!

This week is Mental Illness Awareness Week. It is an annual national public education campaign designed to help open the eyes of Canadians to the reality of mental illness. The campaign focuses on the key message that there is no health without mental health.

Statistically, 1 of 5 Canadians will personally experience a mental health problem or illness. Mental illness also indirectly affects all Canadians at some point, either through their own experience or that of a family member, friend, or colleague. ‘Mental health’ refers to your overall psychological well-being. It includes the way you feel about yourself, the quality of your relationships, and your ability to manage your feeling and deal with difficulties. The presence or absence of a mental illness is not a predictor of mental health; someone without a mental illness could have poor mental health, just as someone with a mental illness could have excellent mental health. Anyone can experience mental or emotional health problems – and over a lifetime, many of us will.

Understanding the characteristics that make up good mental health will help you determine how mentally fit you are. Click below to check on your health.

It can be rewarding to provide care for a loved one. It can also be overwhelming, confusing and stressful, especially when balancing a full time work schedule. Caregivers often feel obligated to take care of others, prior to taking care of themselves, which can lead to burnout, isolation and depression.

This webinar will include tips and insights on caregiver resources, support for caregivers and how to respond to grief and loss.

Date: Wednesday, October 5
Time: 1:00pm

There is no pre-registration required to attend the webinar, simply click below a few minutes before the start time.

Don’t forget, this upcoming Monday – October 10 is a holiday! We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

OCTOBER
October is Community Support Month

Oct 2-8: Mental Illness Awareness Week
Oct 3-7: Meals on Wheels Week
Oct 3-9: Active Aging Week
Oct 4-5: Yom Kippur
Oct 5: The Emotional Cost of Caregiving Webinar
Oct 9–16: Sukkot
Oct 10: Thanksgiving
Oct 10–14: Community Care Worker Week
Oct 11: Friendly Visiting / Telephone Reassurance Day
Oct 12–14: Accreditation Canada – On-site survey

Have you activated your Applause account yet? Sign up to receive 500 points for activating your account and another 500 points for giving out your first recognition.

If you have any questions about Applause, please reach out to our HR team at HRDept@circleofcare.com.

*Participate in October’s Healthy Hobbies challenge to be entered for your chance to win 2000 Applause points!
.

Flu illness can weaken our immunity, giving opportunity for other infections, and can also aggravate existing health conditions such as diabetes, lung and heart disease. Flu virus can also in some instances cause sever inflammation of vital organs, requiring critical hospital care.

Flu vaccinations are the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones against the flu and its potentially serious consequences. Receiving a vaccination has been shown to reduce the risk of getting sick in the first place as well as reducing the severity of illness in people with vaccinations who still get sick. Studies show that flu vaccines reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor with the flu by 40-60%.

Vaccinations can also reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalizations and are an important preventive tool for people with certain chronic health conditions like individuals with heart disease, and for individuals who are likely to be more vulnerable to serious flu illnesses, like babies, small children and older individuals.

Flu vaccines will start to become available over the next few weeks, and will be available at doctors’ offices, public health units and pharmacies.