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>> Today we're going to talk about the emotional impact of COVID-19. This webinar is about 50 minutes long, if you have questions because there are so many people on the webinar which we're really thrilled about, please type your question in the box and Suzanne is helping me out there and let me know that there's a question. I'd like to start by saying that this webinar is for you. We know that there are a lot of people out there who are struggling.

And we want to spend time to talk about what you may be experiencing. And what you may be feeling and what you are likely going through. In today's webinar, we'll look at the many stressors you're likely faced with both personally and professionally as transition specialists, housing specialists, peers, ILC staff or really anyone who's working to assist others during this COVID-19 pandemic. We'll look at a wide arrange of reactions and emotions that you might be experienceg. You likely won't be experiencng all of them, but you may be experiencng some or many of them. It's important for us to identify and acknowledge what you're going through. And what you're feeling. So that's going to be the first half of the webinar.

The second half we'll look at some tips and strateges and copng mechanisms, resources and ideas that we can all use to help us deal with the current situation. And help us to maintain our own emotional wellness during this new and very difficult time. Next slide.

Next slide.

The first thing that I want to stress is that everyone

responds differently. You may be experiencng what feels like a titlewave of distressing emotions or you may be cing very well with little distress.

Will is no right or wrong way to feel. Your feelings are your feelings. How we respond to a crisis depends on many factors, things like our personal situation, our age, if you're 20 something you're going to respond differently than somebody who's 50 something. It also depends on your personal tendencies, are you a worrier or do you let everything just roll all your back? And in the case of COVID- 19, I think you're also impacted about how close to home this hits. As well as whether or not you have an underlying mental health issue, medical issue, substance abuse issue, any of which will impact the challenges you're dealing with and the emotions you're experiencing. Next slide. So what makes COVID-19 different?

We've all been through a crisis unfortunately. At some time during our lives things like floods and the hurricanes of 2011, car accidents, being the victim of a crime, or a medical diagnosis, and of course the death of a loved one. Usually what makes the situation a crisis or not a crisis depends on the individual. Take divorce for example. To some people it's a huge crisis, and to others it might actually even be a relief. How you respond to a crisis is individual. But this is different. The COVID-19 global pandemic is a definng moment in all of our lives.

Usually definng moments are different for all of us. Experiences that are unique to only us. Things like when you get married or have a baby, or it might be getting your dream job or your first apartment.

Usually these experiences, these definng moments in our life are individual to us. But sometimes something happens that impacts a whole community, or a whole country, or with COVID-19 the whole world. 20 years from now when someone says COVID-19, we will all remember what we experienced, how we felt, and how this all turns out.

Regardless of how it impacts us personally, we will never forget the spring of 2020, and neither will people around the world.

On top of everything, we're living through a global pandemic. New York is the epicenter. We're at the center of the storm. So it's no wonder so many people are struggling emotionally. COVID-19 has also changed our entire way of

life, and it changed overnight.

COVID-19 has turned our world upside down. You hear the world -- the word unprecedented constantly. We have unprecedented numbers of people ill, unprecedented restrictions, unprecedented means new or never experienced. COVID-19, the issues caused by it and the worldwide response to it is new to everyone everywhere.

And where COVID-19 there's so much uncertainty. There's so much we don't know. Usually there's somebody out there that we can call on who does know. But with COVID- 19 the doctors, the leaders, the experts, the people that we turn to for answers they don't have the answers. For all these reasons and more, COVID-19 is very likely different than any other crisis you've ever gone through.

Next. I think it's really important to talk about what's going on in your life right now.

What you may be experiencing, your reality. And again, everyone's reality is different.

But the first step to emotional wellness is looking at the real day-to-day stressors that you're dealing with to identify these stressors and to acknowledge them. To start with, most all of us are working from home.

And that alone can be extremely stressful. Many of you weren't setup to work from home and you didn't have the tools to work from home. Some people didn't have computers. Many didn't have a printer. And most don't have a scanner that can be used for the kinds of things that we use them for. Some people were trying to work off their phones.

And some people didn't have internet access. Isolation. This is huge. If you live alone you're undoubtedly feeling isolated. We are all basically stuck with whoever we're living

with. We're stuck inside and if you're living alone this can be very difficult. People are generally not solitary beings and isolation can be very taxing on us and our mental health.

And even if you live with ten other people, you can still feel isolated. I'm sure you've heard of the saying alone in a crowd.

Isolation is very difficult and there are many people feeling ice that -- isolation now for many different reasons. And the flip side of isolation is that suddenly everyone in your family is home pretty much 24/7. I think we all love our families.

But a little time to our self is really nice. And now for many

of you it is very difficult, if not near impossible to have any time for yourself. Many people are dealing with child care and remote schooling. Suddenly out of nowhere you're a teacher.

And I don't know about you, but fractions and algebra were hard the first time around I cannot imagine teaching those concepts to a child. And we're all caretakers. And more than likely because you're a caretaker, you're the ones who are taking care of and manageg everything and everyone in your household. So many people are also having financial issues.

Maybe somebody in your family has been laid off or furloughed or maybe you're fearful that that's going to happen. People are warred about paying their rent affording food, paying bills. You're likely having difficulty getting supplies, an many are having anxiety over having to go into the store which we're totalled constantly is filled with germs and contamination yet we have to go there.

Whoever we'd thought we'd be told to wipe down our groceries and Lysol our coats.

This is the kind of things that people with dealing with. And you're going through this and all of -- excuse me -- you're going through this and more.

And for the most part, you're usual copng mechanisms and supports aren't available. And to top it all off, everyone in every part of your life is going through a similar experience with similar stressors.

What I'm hearing personally and professionally are things like I am so sad. I'm completely overwhelmed. People are horrified at what's going on.

They're anxious and they're depressed and they're stressed. People are saying things like I am numb. I'm so jumpy. I'm panicy, I'm exhausted, yet I can't sleep. I'm so afraid.

And angry and ticked off. I can't focus. I cry all the time. I just feel so alone.

These are the types of feelings that I hear from staff, from family, from friends, from the news, the internet and reports.

The point that I'm trying to make is that people he have where are struggling in one way or another. That being said, I also want to point out that I do believe that most people are struggling in one way or another. Everyone is different.

And you may not be feeling any those things. And that's

okay too. It's okay to be okay. The next few slides I'm going to focus on some common and difficult feelings and emotions that people everywhere are experiencing. And it's important again to spend some time focussing on these because that's people's reality, that's your reality, and my reality.

Maybe not all of them, but at least some of them I would dare to bet for most of us that's our reality. And the first step to healing is acknowledgeg you know what it is that we're dealing with. The first is fear an uncertainty. Fear is a emotional response to a perceived danger or threat and COVID-19 brings so many dangers and threats. People are afraid of catching the virus, afraid of giving a loved one the virus, afraid of loved ones catching the virus. People are afraid of losng their jobs or their health insurance, of not being able to provide for their family. People are afraid to go out. They're afraid of of contaminatng themselves or contaminatng their family. And fear of not being there for people that we love. And I bet most of you, if not all of you are fearful for your participants. Both participants in the nursing home and in the community.

As transition specialists, housing specialists, peers, or any other role within the ILC, you've all personally touched the lives of so many people.

You've worked with them and listened to them. And you care about them. And I am sure many, many of you are afraid for them.

Afraid for what they've gone through, for what they may go through. Afraid of how this will effect them in their future.

So all of this, the changes in our lives, our fears, brings us sometimes overwhelming sense of uncertainty. And although we live with uncertainty every day we don't know if we'll get that job that we want, or that promotion, we don't know if we'll ever meet someone's stressful -- I'm sorry -- we don't know if we'll ever meet that special person or if we'll even like the haircut that we're planning, but with COVID-19, the immense scale of the problem it's a global pandemic, remember and the potential consequences that all that could happen can be overwhelming. There's so much we don't know. And all this uncertainty weighs greatly on most of us. Next slide.

Stress and anxiety, many people are experiencng higher or much higher levels than stress and anxiety than they usually

feel.

I hear over and over my stress level is through the roof. I am so stressed out. Both stress and anxiety can be a normal healthy reaction. At times it's actually the stress response that helps to protect us from harm. However, too much stress or chronic stress and high levels of anxiety are not healthy. Stress and anxiety can end up interfering with your every day life and can lead to physical and psychological issues like depression, and anxiety and emotional distress.

Stress and anxiety can also lead to making more or unhealthy choices that we wouldn't ordinarily make. Choices that could impact your life. The very nature of everything that we're living with, you a the changes and all the ramifications is more than likely going to cause increased stress and anxiety. So if you are experiencng any of these feelings, I guarantee you are not alone. I'm sure if I were doing this in person I'd say a lot of people nodding their heads in agreement. Boy am I stressed, and yes, am I anxious.

Next slide. Part of what we're going to do later is to talk about how we cope with all these feelings that we're feeling. Whether we talk about stress or fear or anxiety or grief and loss which we're going to talk about in just a moment, everything is more difficult if you're not able to access and use your usually ways of coping.

Because of the COVID-19 virus and the changes that it's brought about if your usual routine includes things like going to a gym or going to a religious service, going to support groups, attending a book club, if you relax by going shopping or going out for an evening with friends, or going to a sporting event, or a dance class none of these things are available to you right now.

Even calling your best friend to vent may not be available. Your friend might be busy with schooling or child care, or out hunting for hand sanitizer and toilet paper. Or who knows what. The point is is that your friend may not be there for you the way they normally would be.

Most of the community and social supports that we've relied on aren't available to us right now. And this compounds and magnifes all those feelings that we're feeling.

Next slide. COVID-19 has caused so much grief and loss on so many levels and in so many different ways. There are

different kinds of loss from profound personal loss to systemic and global loss.

COVID-19 has triggered all of these losses and more. And because of this we are grieving.

If you're experiencng any of the feelings we talked about you're likely also experiencng grief, grief is a natural and normal response to loss. And if you are grieving, again, I know that you're not grievng alone.

I can guarantee you that. We're working on a separate webinar dedicate solely to grief and grieving and we'll let you know more about that once we get it schedule. It's important to point out that there are many types of loss that can lead to grieving. And like I said, COVID-19 has led to so many of these different types of loss.

There's personal loss, the death of a family member, a friend, a loved one. Went we think of grief this is what we think of, we think of someone we love who has died. And thousands have died in New York State and across the country and around the world. Death is difficult enough but due to COVID-19, death and dying is made more difficulty difficult by the fact that our usual supports and rituals we rely onto get us through the death of a loved one aren't there, or they're so changed that they're unfamiliar and strange. There are no funerals or wakes or memorial services as we've known them.

There's no hugging, no visits, people might not even want that casserole or cake you'd like to drop off for fear of contamination. We may not be able to say goodbye to our loved one. We may not be able to tell a dieing loved one how much we loved them in person. There are no hospital or nursing home visits, and no sitting by the bedside to be with our loved one at the time of their death.

Currently we are not able to be there for others in the way we would like to be, and they're not able to be there for us. All of this makes a difficult situation even more difficult.

Next. Nursing homes have been hit particularly hard by COVID-19. You all know nursing homes and you know the challenges of living in a nursing home or having a loved one in a nursing home. And it's been extremely difficult to hear what's happening in nursing homes due to COVID-19.

Sometimes I have to turn the channel. As the on the ground staff who are actually carrying out our mission, many of you are or will be feeling grief for our participants, grief for

those who are died. Some of you have had numerous people on your caseload who have died from, due to or during the COVID-19 virus.

You're likely feeling grief for your participants who are now struggling with increased health issues when previously they were doing great, well on their path to returning home and now they're ill.

We're having grief for our participants who have waited and waited for that apartment. Only to get the call that they finally are being offered a unit, but they can't take it because home care services can't be arranged. And the building manager won't hold the apartment. Because there are hundreds of other people who will take it. And we're feeling grief for those people who are in the nursing home, scared feeling alone and calling you pleading with you.

Sometimes demanding with you that you get them out of there. All of this is bringing up a great deal of grief for a lot of people.

We're all also likely to have personal grief over how this virus has changed our lives.

People are missing grad which is and birthday parties, showers, weddings, celebrations, you've looked forward to for years.

And now, they're being cancelled and changed and interrupted or somehow marred by COVID-19. And most definitely we're grievng the loss of normalacy, the loss of the world as we know it, of our lifestyle, our routines our sense of peace and well-being.

And people all over the world are feeling this. All over the world people are saying I just want things to go back to normal.

Next. There are different kinds of grief. And it's important to mention that there are different kinds of grief. I've listed quite a few here. I'm not going to go through them all because I think they're all touched on and discussed in other parts of the presentation, but I do want to say that it's important to realize that we've all experienced loss in many parts of our lives through this COVID-19 virus. They may be very big losses, or they may be relatively minor or seemingly insignificant losses but grief is a normal reaction to what we're experiencing. So if you're feeling grief it's perfectly normal to be feeling this way.

Now, as if all of this wasn't enough, now, I'm going to talk

about guilt. Guilt is the last specific feeling I'm going to discuss in detail before going over some strateges to help us cope with all of this. Like grief, people are having very strong feelings of guilt.

Personal guilt over not doing enough whether it's in regards to parenting, or trying to teach our children, being short with our sweetie, or simply your inability to do it all and to do it with none of these overwhelming feelings I'm talking about. Sometimes we expect ourselves to suddenly rise to the occasion. And fix everything for everyone. And people often feel very guilty when they can't be Superman or superwoman. Professionally many people are feeling guilty over what was or was not done.

Feeling guilty that you weren't -- you were not able to get that participant out of the nursing home. And now look what's happened. People are feeling guilt that they did get the -- that the -- the individual out of the nursing home just in time but now, they're not able to stay in the community because they can't find and keep the services they need to be safe.

A lot of people are also going through the if onles as I call them, if only they stayed in the nursing home, if only I got them out of the nursing home, if only they found an aide that was a good fit for them. Many times as professionals and human beings we have a false sense of responsibility. As human service professionals and natural caretakers, we often feel responsible and take responsibility for taking care of and fixing situations that are well I don't understand our control. COVID-19 is bigger than all of us. It's bigger than anything you did or you did not do. And carrying a false sense of guilt can have a profound impact on our well­ being. I have to also mention that some people with feeling guilty because they're not distressed, how can I be feeling okay? How can I like working from home? How can I be so calm and okay when everyone else is so upset? And again, it's okay if you don't feel these things. That's perfectly normal as well. Each person is different. There's no right or wrong when it comes to feelings.

So what we have with all of this is a multi layered, mixed very complicated barrage of feelings sort of like a salad bowl of feelings if you can picture that or even at times an avalanche of feelings. With all these feelings it's important for us to look out for the common signs and symptoms of

distress.

Next slide. Although it's perfectly normal to have all these feelings, especially during a pandemic, you need to watch out for symptoms of emotional distress, symptoms that mean that you need to do something to help yourself in coping. There are red flags that something needs to be done.

Things like worrying constantly, anger, having a short temper, frequent bouts of crying, feeling where he isless, edgey, nervous, jumpy, tense, changes in your appetite, if you can't eat anything or you're eating everything in sight, that could be a red flag. Your energy level an activity level. If you have difficulty concentratng or sleeping, if you're having might mayors or upsetting thoughts and images. If you're having physical reactions like headaches, body pains, stomach problems, skin rashes, all of these things. And of course the worsening of chronic health problems, you don't want that.

Or an increased use of alcohol, tobacco or drugs. And you need to stay tuned to the intensity and the duration of these feelings. It's one thing to feel something once in a while, it's another to feel it every single day. Or anywhere close to that. These are all signs that we need to do something to address how we're feeling. And how we're managing. These feelings are red flags that you really need to do something for yourself to reduce this stress and anxiety.

Next slide. It's also important to mention that if you have pre-existing health, mental health or substance use issues you're going to need to monitor yourself closely. This is an especially difficult time for anyone in these situations.

Make sure to stick to your treatment plan, contact your providers as needed, and make sure to reach out because it's very likely that most of your usual meetings and groups and supports are available to you in the same way that you're used to having them be available.

Next.

Because of everything we've talked about, it's important to find and develop and practice positive ways of coping. We have to make a concerted effort to take care of ourselves emotionally. The same way we need to take care of ourselves physically. I was telling the transition specialists on our call yesterday you know, with physical health we're

told constantly to call the doctor, you know, get something treated, but for emotional health, we're frequently told to buck up, or don't worry about it, it will go away. And if you broke your arm, if you woke up and your arm was killing you, you would never expect yourself to buck up an get over it. You'd go out, you'd seek help, you'd get treatment, you'd go to therapy, you'd take medicine if you needed it. And mental health is no different. Mental health is no different.

If we are experiencng symptoms that tell ourselves we're in distress we need to take better care of ourselves. And we need to get the help that we need to do that. This is a very individualized process. What ends up working for you is going to be different than what works for me. We all have to find ways to help ourselves heal, to lower our stress and anxiety, to relax, and re energize our body and our spirits.

Next slide.

The good news with all of this is that there are so many different copng ideas and suggestions and techniques that we can try and use to help ourselves get through all of the stress and all of the uncertainty in our lives at the moment. And remember, that this is a process. I keep saying this because it's important.

It's a process. And in my opinion you have to try many different possibilities before you find something that is definitely going to work for you. And actually that's part of the fun, trying different --

different techniques and different things that might be helpful. And I think that's necessary to figure out what it is that's working for you.

Next -- oh, the first set of suggestions that I have for you are some tips for working remotely. I've talked about these a lot. And I know that the other -- on the other calls we've talked about these a lot.

So I'm not going to go over them individually, but I think it's really important to include them. Working from home can be stressful. Many of you are not setup to work in home, you're not used to working from home.

And it can be -- it can be very stressful. So these are some tips that may help. And hopefully you're already doing these, but if not check them out they may help. The next two slides are suggestions, ideas and tips for how you might take care of yourself. Start with making sure that you're taking care of your body. Exhibit R eat healthy well-balanced

meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep and take a shower and get dressed. Working your PJs are great for a day or two, but not for two months. Stay active. We may have restrictions but we can still do an exercise routine. Go for a walk. Do an exercise video on YouTube, whatever your level is.

I guarantee you there's something that will work for you. Try yoga, dance around the house, do some yard work. Pick up sticks. Whatever it is, make sure to do exercise on a daily basis.

And connect with others. This is so important. Connect by phone, by video chat, Skype or Zoom. Join an online book club or having V dinner with a friend via Skype. Write a letter. I received a letter from an old friend just the other day and it made me so happy I couldn't believe it. And I wrote her a letter back and I loved it.

It's a way to communicate. But whatever it is find a way to connect with other people.

Distract yourself. Do something that takes you away completely from your responsibilities.

Something that's relaxing and fun and interesting to you. Find something you get lost in, and do it. And very close related to disextracting yourself is what I've always called a happy plan. Come up with a bunch of activities that make you happy. And right them down. And then when you feel yourself getting blue or slicing down in terms of your emotional health pick something out and do it. Even if you don't want to do it. Do it any way. Because once you get started, you'll very likely feel better. These things don't have to make you jump for joy. But they should be uplifting activities that either take your mind off things like your distracting yourself or make you happy. Things like cuddlng your pet, taking the dog for a walk, listening to music, exercise, looking at videos, watching an old TV show, doing a puzzle

, sing. Whatever helps to you lighten up even a little, add that to your list.

And do something for yourself each and every day. Something healthy, something that brings you peace and enjoyment. Put a flower next to your desk or have a cup of coffee and watch the birds. Whatever it is do it for yourself. And do it daily. So many times we're busy taking care of everyone else, we forget to take care of ourselves. And

that's so important.

Creativity, this is my personal favorite copng technique. Try something creative. An adult coloring book, painting, collage, make a scrapbook or do some home projects. Some people say that they don't have any creativity, but I think that they just haven't found it yet.

So pick something out, creative and give it a try. Take up gardening indoor or outdoor. I watched a news show that said all the home gardening stores are getting sold out of plants.

There's something therapeutic and soothng about tending to and nurturng plants. So give that a try. If you're a beginner make sure to start with an indestructible plant.

You really don't want a wilting plant on your hands during all that you're going through. Try journalling. Writing can be a powerful and effective way to releaserelease pent up feelings and frustrations. No one needs to see it and you don have to worry about spelling or grammar, if it makes sense or in full sentences. This is just for you. It's a release. And give yourself a time out when you need it. When you feel yourself getting stressed and rewed up, if possible, give yourself permission to take 30 minutes or even 10 minutes to step outside, go for a walk, read a chapter in your book.

Grant yourself time to cool off. You deserve that.

And please get accurate information. We all hang onto every tidbit of news pertaining to COVID-19. Which under the circumstances is really understandable. But make sure you're getting your information from a reputable and reliable source. As great as your brother or your friend or your neighbor may be, they are not necessarily reliable reputable sources to your information and neither is Facebook or Twitter, or other social media forms.

Get your information from a reliable source. And on that same note, I would suggest that you spend time unplugged. As much as it's tempting to have the TV or news on frequently so we don't miss any new information you really should limit the media information, briefings, news that you're watching. No one should be glued to the news. And if this is an issue for you you may want to limit your media consumption, just let yourself watch the nightly news or whatever you pick, whatever you want to choose but don't watch it all.

Just get the recaps. You don't knee the blow by blow. And

remember to be tolerant with yourself and others. Most of us have all kinds of things going on. And our emotions are in high gear, we're stressed and generally no one is at their best during times of fear and chaos. And lastly, focus on what you can control. You can't control the virus, but you can wash your hands and wear a mask and you can't meet your sister for lunch but you can call her on phone. And you can go down the hall and chat with your co-worker but you can definitely call them or shoot them an email.

Next slide.

If you haven't tried mindfulness exercises, you really should give them a try it's the perfect time especially since you can't get to some of those other things that you would like to do like shopping or taking your exercise class, or going out with your friends. Mindfulness techniques can help people to relax, to be more aware of their body's needs and to remain calm.

Relaxation techniques help you learn to be in the moment, not worrying about the future, and not regretting the past. These practices help us to focus on the here and now, to just be.

There are all kinds of mindfulness exercises many with a specific focus. Things like guided imagery, meditation, guided relaxation, deep breathing, some have music, some don't have music. When I was in sole work school I took a class and they made us try these. And to be honest I wasn't a fan. I couldn't sit still. I can't get my mind to rest. And it took a long time. But by the end of that class I had to admit that these really did work. And I use many of these to this day.

There are all kinds of resources on the internet. You can also just Google any of these and you'll come up with all kinds of responses. Allow yourself to grieve. Finally and perhaps the most important, remember to allow yourself time to grieve.

Be easy on yourself and be good to yourself. Regardless of your situation on what -- or what you've been through, COVID-19 has had a huge impact on all of us. It's a global pandemic that has turned our lives upside down. Like we said earlier people are struggling, people are grieving, so many different losses on so many different levels. Grieve is a process --

grief is a process, it's a journey, it is not a road race.

It's often compared to a roller coaster ride with many ups and downs and it takes time and sometimes it's no easy. Grief is individualized and unique to you. It looks and feels different to everybody. And just like feelings there's no right or wrong way to grieve.

Although there are many theories about how we grieve and grief, the most well-known theory is the one by Elizabeth Kubler Ross with the five stages of grief, denial, anger, bargaining, anger depression and now there are added stages like hope and reconstruction and meaning.

Personally I don't think there's any one theory that can tell us how we grieve but I do think that most people seem to experience at least some of these stages. They're not necessarily in any order. And they're definitely not linear. Remember grief is a process, it's a roller coaster. And most people feel better one day then they'll feel worse the next day and then the day after that they'll feel better and so on and so forth. And over time you find yourself feeling better and better. Make sure to take care of yourself. Seek out personal contact with others virtual face-to-face or phone­ to-phone support with people who care about you. And utilize some of the techniques and suggestions we've talked about. And if you continue to struggle with grief or stress or sadness or anxiety or emotional -- any emotional reaction please seek help.

There's no reason absolutely no reason to suffer in silence. Call your medical doctor, go for therapy or counseling. Most insurances cover counseling.

And you can usually do it now with telehealth and you never even have to leave the house.

If you belong to a faith-based organization, now might be a good time to reach out. You've all helped others probably most all of your lives, and if you need help please reach out. Over and over I have heard people say I wish I could do more. Well I want to assure you that you're already doing it. I am so impressed by all that you have done and all that you continue to do. So from all of us here thank you, thank you for calling participants to make sure they're okay, for listening to people who are angry and upset, and scared, and may even be yelling at you. Thank you for figurng out a way to get people what they need. I've talked to numerous people who said during our conversation, this participant needed this or that. And my first thought was yikes, but in

the next breath they went onto tell me how they fanagled a way to get that person what they needed. Thank you for agreeing to work from home even though it may have been difficult and for finding a way to make it work. Thanks for staying safe, for being there for your colleagues. For reaching out when you need help, and for being there when others need help. For all the care and understanding that you've shown the people we serve and those we work with. Thank you.

This is a listing of some free resources. That can help you to stay emotionally health these.

I encourage you to give them a try. I also encourage you to use Google. Google any of the topics we've talked about and you'll very likely find all kinds of resources. If you find something that's particularly good send me a link and I'll share it with everybody. Next slide. Here are some hotline numbers that you can call to get assistance with emotional issues specifically related to COVID-19. Again, were used to reaching out for physical assistance when we need it, but we're not -- we're not used to reaching out for emotional support. And we really need to do that. If you're feeling difficulty, emotional distress please try these -- any of these help lines. We have the COVID-19 emotional support hotline, the national disaster COVID help line, the national suicide prevention lifeline, the domestic violence lifeline and the substance abuse mental health national help lines.

I've also included a hospice locator. If you go to this link it will locate a hospice close to you. And many of the hospices we're finding out are having difficulty keeping up with capacity but most can help you to find resources in the community. So it's a good resource.

Next slide. Some more resources. Make sure to check with your employee assistance program if you have one. Reach out to your medical provider.

It all is linked. Check out your health plan for a message health services counseling therapy. And if you're feeling like you ever may harm yourself, if you're at your wit's end, if you're ever feeling suicidal please call 911 immediately and get assistance. I encourage you to reach out, try the things we've talked about, and keep reaching out and keep trying until you get the assistance that you need. If you have any questions feel free to contact me again I'm Laurie Carter and I'm the open door social work coordinator. So thank

you for joining us. And does anyone have any questions they would like to discuss today?

>> Had suzanne I want to say thank you very much Laurie there was a very comprehensive, well thought out webinar and I do appreciate it, and I'm sure that the people online appreciate it as well. I will apologize to anybody who got bumped off. We had a limit that we weren't aware of on our go to webinar.

So we'll be addressing that and fixing that. But I do encourage you if you have questions feel free to type them into the question box. It should be on the right-hand side of your screen. If you don't see a place for questions there should be an arrow. There's a question asking if the slides will be made available? And yes, the slides as well as the recording of the webinar will be available on the website that will probably happen later this week if you just go to [indiscernible] ilny dot org.

Does anyone else have other questions? -- is saying not a question but she'd like to say thank you to all of you who put this together. It was excellent. .

>> Thank you, Sara.

>> And another question: --

would like to know if we could have a follow-up to this webinar maybe in two months.

>> Yeah. Definitely. I can definitely -- we can definitely make arrangements for that absolutely. That's an excellent suggestion.

>> Yeah.

>> Thank you.

>> Yeah. I agree. And --

>> Just before we go on for one second Suzanne I think too that's especially important because talking about all of these feelings, you know, if you right now are feeling upset f it's brought up a lot of emotion, you know, that's perfectly normal. It's going to. And the first step to healing is to acknowledge and get all of these feelings out.

And identify an acknowledge what you're feeling. So I think a follow-up would be great.

>> Yeah, I agree -- asking how do you assist those in the nursing home if you are feeling too -- if you too are feeling overwhelmed and isolated?

>> Well, that's a good question. And I think to start with we

can only do the best that you can do. But I think when someone's in a nursing home, usually what they're feeling is fear, and anxiety.

And we can validate what they're feeling, we can tell them that we care we can reassure them as to what we are able to do. We can't promise they're not going to get the virus but we can promise that we're here. And you can call and we will -- we will work with you as soon as we're able to get back in the nursing homes. And that you're already working with them the best way that you can not even being at the nursing home. You know, that you're still working towards these things. I said very difficult and take care of yourself.

We're so warred and fixiated on taking -- I think taking care of ourselves it will come naturally to doing all of the things that you were doing before in terms of reassurng and working with people. It's not an easy job that any of you have and I have great respect for all of put.

>> All right. And Tammy says thank you this was amazing. AndAnd --

>> Thank you.

>> And Lisa is saying another follow-up would be great -­ saying great job very important topic. And.

>> We can send out those links.

>> Yeah, I'll actually make sure we get them into your powerpoint cope and that will be on -- I think that will be the easiest way to do it.

>> Yes, I apologize I completely forgot all about that. Understanding copy and paste them but the links would be a lot easier.

>> Yeah, we can do that. And then -- says from all of your -­ thank you for all of your support to the TS and -- says what is the site again for someone with emotional issues that have gotten even more distressed?

>> Well, I think certainly certainly the COVID-19 help line and also the National Disaster COVID-19 help line. Both of those two. I think are good.

But if somebody, you can also call your doctor. That's also a first step. You can call your doctor, get an appointment, you can do many, many offices are doing telehealth. And you know, you can help them -- or let them help to, you know, assess what it is that you need. And you can also look at your health insurance and ask for counseling. Because that can be very helpful, but I would -- my first steps would be to

try the COVID-19 emotional support hotline. And the national disaster COVID-19 help line.

And I can't stress enough, if people are ever feeling that you are in a danger of becoing so distressed that had you're a harm to yourself please call 911.

>> Another suggestion in the follow-up maybe we can have strateges to be attached yet detached.

>> Oh, excellent.

>> Yes.

>> I like that.

>> And salary perez says thank you as does -- as does -- and

and then Mandy says suggestion for local centers to have their own little coffee chats either before the workday or after the workday just to chat, just to chat or collaborate, make a Zoom or Skype game, trivia questions about Medicaid or something to laugh.

>>Absolutely.That is -- that is great. Really I'm really loving these suggestions. That is so important. It's a way to take care of yourself, it's excellent.

>> Yes.

>> And Kimberly and Alice are saying thank you, Marcy says she's heard some companies are waivng co-pays for mental health counseling right now.

>> Yeah, that's great there is a co-pay usually with mental health counseling but if they're being waived that's even better.

>> And Terry is saying thank you as is Irving. And I think that's all the -- the questions.

Yep. I think that's everybody.

Wait a minute [inaudible] saying thank you.

>> Well, you're very welcome, everyone. I'm happy to share this information with you.

>> Is there a specific site for mental health issues -- asking?

>> Well, I think the substance abuse and mental health national help line, that -- that site would be the best. And I believe it's on the -- it's on the slide.

>>Okay.And like I said, we'll make sure that those are links there.

>> Just go backwards for a second Suzanne, if you can, right there, stop there. Yeah, yeah, that is a website. It's the 1, 2, 3, 4, a 5th one down and it's the substance abuse and mental health services administration. There's a number

but also a website right there. And that's a good place to start.

>>Okay.And Peg and Herbert are saying thank you and he's asking me to go back to the yoga one. Here's the yoga one. I think that was salary.

>> Yeah, you really have to try a few of these. You know and try them for a while. Now's a perfect time. We can't get out and do other thing. Who know you may find up a great way to relax and destress.

>> All right. Well, thank you very much, Laurie I think we've gotten to the end of the questions. And again this recording will be available on the website later in the week.

Thank you very much.

>> You're very welcome.

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28115 NYAIL Work during COVID 19 1-2 PM ET Transcript

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