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Mental illness effects millions of Canadians
More than heart disease or type 2 diabetes
- 6.7 million or 1 in 5 people in Canada living with mental illness.
- 1.4 million or 1 in 25 people in Canada living with heart disease.
- 2.2 million or 1 in 15 with type 2 diabetes.
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Mental Health & Its Impact
The workplace can be a strong contributor to mental well-being, giving people the opportunity to feel productive and achieve their potential. Yet it can also be a stressful environment that contributes to the rise of mental health problems and illnesses such as depression and anxiety. With most adults spending more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, and with many youth holding part-time jobs, addressing issues of mental health at work is vitally important for Canadians.
The total cost from mental health problems and illnesses to the Canadian economy is significant.
- The study commissioned by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) makes it clear that the economic cost to Canada is at least $50 billion per year.
- Health care, social services and income support costs make up the biggest proportion of these costs. But it also cost business more than $6 billion in lost productivity (from absenteeism, presenteeism and turnover).
- Over the next 30 years the total cost to the economy will have added up to more than 2.5 trillion.
The impact of mental health problems and illnesses is especially felt in workplaces and among working aged people.
- People in their early and prime working years are among the hardest hit by mental health problems and illnesses.
- About 21.4% of the working population in Canada currently experience mental health problems and illnesses, which can affect their productivity.
- Mental health problems and illnesses account for approximately 30% of short - and long-term disability claims, and are rated one of the top three drivers of such claims by more than 80% of Canadian employers.
For more information on mental illness, visit Mental Health Commission
of Canada www.mentalhealthcommission.ca.
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| It's Flu Season! Stop the Spread of Germs
Fall is the season for many things - crisper weather, bright colour leaves and...the flu. You can stop the spread of the flu by practicing the following good health habits:
- Get a flu shot.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing.
- Clean your hands.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
- Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress,
drink lots of fluid and eat nutritious food.
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Stress
It's For Everyone!
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Just the mention of the word stress gets people's attention pretty quickly. That's because stress affects everyone - it is universal. Stress cuts across every economic, social and cultural boundary, so learning to understand it and manage it is important for everyone. If stress is not managed properly, it can have serious negative health consequences - both physically and mentally. In the workplace, if employee stress is not managed properly, it's not only individual health that is jeopardized. Consistently high levels of employee stress in the workplace can also jeopardize an organization's bottom line.
Excessive stress, as well as other mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, are estimated to cost the Canadian economy billions of dollars each year in lost productivity. Helping employees manage stress levels and maintain work-life balance can reduce these losses, as well as prevent more serious problems in the long run. Source: Desjardins Insurance www.desjardinslifeinsurance.com |
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Don't Be A Turkey About Food Safety
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Thanksgiving is a wonderful time where family and friends get together to rejoice and celebrate over a sumptuous meal. Unfortunately, safe food preparation is often lost among the frenzy of grocery shopping, getting the house ready and greeting guests. This Thanksgiving take a few minutes the day before you cook to create a food safety plan and organize your kitchen for safe food preparation.
 Remember these helpful tips: - Raw food should be stored at a temperature of 4C or lower to prevent the rapid growth of bacteria.
- Ideally thawing should be done in the refrigerator, though sealed packages can be thawed in cold water.
- Keep raw food away from ready to eat food, this is particularly important to remember in the preparation stages.
- Wash your hands, plates, utensils, and work surfaces as you
go to avoid cross contamination. - Knowing the proper internal temperature of the meat you are preparing is critical when it comes to safe eating.
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Fire! Be Prepared, Make a Plan
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 Many homes and lives are lost to fires each year. Take the time to look for, and eliminate, fire hazards in your home. Start with the following:
- Do you have rules about smoking or lighting candles in the house?
- Do you have smoke detectors between the living areas and sleeping areas of your home. Do you test them once a month and change the batteries once a year?
- Is the electrical wiring in good repair?
- Are matches and lighters kept in a safe place,
out of the reach of children? - Are flammable materials safely stored?
Prepare! Even with the finest prevention program, your family must always be ready for a fire. Everyone should know what to do in case of a fire. This includes knowing where the fire extinguishers are and how to use them.
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Signs & Symptoms
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First Aid
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Skin red to pearly white or charred
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Position casualty at rest
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Pain in mild cases, no pain if severe
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Cool the affected area
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Blisters
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Apply dressings and bandages
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Moist skin, dry leather if severe
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Check circulation
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The 7 Degree Celsius (7◦C) Rule
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With fall here and winter just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about getting your car ready to take on the cold-weather mornings and harsh winter driving conditions. There are a variety of things you should do to ready your vehicle, but one of the most important things to consider is whether to get winter tires.
 If you think all-season tires will be sufficient to get you through this coming winter, you may want to remember the 7◦C rule. At 7◦C, all-season tires begin to lose their elasticity, resulting in reduced traction. Even on those chilly fall mornings your all-season tires may not be as reliable as winter tires, and when the temperature drops below zero the traction of all-season tires is seriously compromised. Numerous studies have shown that at these low temperatures, vehicles equipped with all-season tires take longer to stop than vehicles equipped with winter tires because, winter tires are designed to retain their grip at lower temperatures. So keep in mind when it comes to winter and your tires, it's not just about the snow, it's about the temperature too.
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Don't Forget to Take Breaks
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 Research shows that outside of regularly scheduled exercise sessions, active people sit as much as couch potatoes - an average of 64 hours a week. Have you heard the term active couch potato? An "active couch potato" is a term coined by Australian researcher Genevieve Healey, Ph.D., of the University of Queensland to describe exercisers who sit most of their day. If they aren't careful, she says, active couch potatoes face the same health risks as their completely inactive counterparts. Marc Hamilton, Ph.D., professor and director of the inactivity physiology department at Pennington Biomedical Research Center states "Your body is designed to move, sitting for an extended period of time causes your body to shut down at the metabolic level." When your muscles, especially certain leg muscles, are immobile, your circulation slows. So you use less of your blood sugar and you burn less fat, which increases your risk of heart disease and diabetes." In a 12-year study of more than 17,000 Canadians, researchers found that the more time people spent sitting, the earlier they died - regardless of age, body weight, or how much they exercised. Scared straight out of your chair? Good. The remedy is as simple as standing and taking activity breaks. Interrupting your sedentary time as often as possible and making frequent posture changes is important. Even breaks as short as one minute can improve your health. Source: Runner's World |
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Mental Health & Its Impact
It's Flu Season!
Stress It's For Everyone!
Don't Be a Turkey
Fire! Be Prepared
The 7 Degree Celsius Rule
Don't Forget to Take Breaks
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