Help close at hand

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/12/2020 (1723 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Well, it’s over, Christmas Day I mean. I know it’s not what you had hoped for and I know that you had to make many sacrifices because of COVID-19. If you’re like me, there was no big family dinner, no personal visits from grandchildren. Gatherings of friends and family happened virtually this year, through Zoom technology. I’m not complaining, my family is all happy and healthy and we made the holiday the best it could be.

Some families have not been so blessed. Many have experienced temporary layoffs or permanent termination while others have been struggling with the demands of remote work, school assistance and restless children. Families have lost loved ones to the dreadful virus. Sometimes it seems issues just keep piling up and if you aren’t careful, things can get downright depressing.

For the past eight consecutive months, the mental health of working Canadians has been steadily declining. According to the Mental Health Index, a monthly measurement of mental health risk published by wellness firm Morneau Shepell, the psychological health of employees is at an all-time low. This revelation is especially concerning since it doesn’t include December, typically the most difficult month of the year.

It’s normal for people to feel stressed during the holidays but the year 2020 is different. People are already distressed about new “controls” in their life and now the lack of family support and isolation during the holidays has been just another blow. The challenge for everyone is that different people cope in different ways. Some immediately recognize the importance of looking after their mental and physical health during a stressful time. They take steps to eat well, exercise, attend outdoor activities, relax with a movie or finally find time to read a book.

Others are so frustrated and angry they reach out to less than healthy solutions to help them cope. With our liquor stores considered an essential service, some people find it easier to buy alcohol and try to drown their problems. For some, the pandemic has exacerbated existing problems with alcohol. Isolated from friends and family, and remote work the new normal, the problem is bigger, but less visible than it’s ever been. But in fact, pre-pandemic, substance use disorders including alcohol, cannabis and opioids already makes up 33 per cent of all employee mental health issues. The longer the COVID-19 crisis goes on, the higher that number might climb.

One of the biggest challenges with substance use disorders is that assistance is not always easily available. While one in 10 employees struggles with substance use, fewer than 10 per cent get help. Imagine how this is impacting employees over the Christmas holidays and imagine how it will spill over to the workplace in 2021.

So, what can a person do when everything is locked down and physicians and counsellors are also taking a well-deserved holiday? Just as technology plays a key role in hospital settings, technology is now reaching people right in their own homes. Just as technology has brought you Zoom meetings with family and friends as well as your workplace, so too can technology bring help to those that need it for their substance-use challenges.

Elliot Stone is the CEO of Alavida, the first digital substance-use management platform. According to Stone, while digital tools have quickly become the norm across many other health-care areas, when people think about treatment for substance use, they usually focus on traditional approaches such as weekly meetings and hospital settings. He suggested the shift during COVID-19 to digital tools means that people are starting to realize that digital tools can also be used for mental health and addiction.

Dr. Diane Rothon, Stone’s co-founder and medical director for Alavida, says traditional treatment methods create significant barriers for people, especially for those who have limited access due to their home location. She explains people don’t do well with recovery when they have been removed from their support network. Still other individuals face barriers such as long wait times and the high cost of in-patient treatment.

Stone says for the past five years, Alavida has been building a digital substance-use management platform that it offers through employee benefit programs. This enables employees and their families to access solutions that include screening, detection, assessment, treatment and aftercare support.

Stone indicated that the service also provides for various “touches” and check-ins to keep participants motivated. For instance, participants keep a journal and have access to educational resource units to maintain a continuity of care. According to Stone, research has shown this technology-based approach has resulted in an 82 per cent success rate.

Insurers and employers have quickly taken notice. Benefits providers, including Winnipeg-based TIPI Insurance Partners, an Indigenous-owned employee benefits company, recently announced that they are including the program as a covered benefit for their clients. In speaking to Nathan Ballantyne, TIPI’s CEO, he indicated a technology-based program was particularly important to remote communities because removing people from their support structures only exacerbates existing problems.

Years ago, physicians worked with paper-based medical charts all colour-coded and inconveniently stuffed on shelves. Today, technology plays a key role in managing hospital and clinic-based patient information that results in improved and more timely treatment. Now, technology is bringing health-care services right into our homes. At a time like Christmas 2020, when we all might feel a little more alone, it’s especially important that support is within reach, even remotely. There is certainly comfort in that and I am excited to learn what the year 2021 will bring us in terms of new health services inventions.

Source: Pandemic upends Canadians professional future with one in four considering a career change, Morneau Shepell, Dec. 9, 2020; Alavida Announces Deal with TIPI Insurance Partners, Nation Talk, Dec. 2, 2020.

Barbara J. Bowes, FCPHR, CCP, M.Ed., is the lead HR consultant with Legacy Bowes and is the author of eight books, a radio personality, a speaker, an executive coach and workshop leader. She is also chairwoman of the Manitoba Status of Women. Contact her at barb@legacybowes.com.