Hey everyone, one of our home share providers passed along a neat Universal Precautions training video put together by an agency based in Massachusetts, you can check out this additional resource below! Thanks to Sherry T and Lindsay for passing this along.
COVID-19 vaccine fraud…
The Government of Canada has issued warnings to Canadians about COVID-19 vaccine fraud. There are reports of counterfeit COVID-19 vaccines sold on the internet and from other unauthorized sources.
- Do not take these fraudulent vaccines, as they may pose serious health risks. They are not effective at protecting you from the virus that causes COVID-19.
- Report the incident or source immediately.
- Refer to Government of Canada sources for accurate vaccine information.
The only way to access safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines is through your local public health authority (i.e. Interior Health).
You can find more information on COVID-19 frauds here.
NEW Mental Health Literacy Guide for Autism!
The Autism Mental Health Literacy Project (AM-HeLP) through York University have created the Mental Health Literacy Guide for Autism! The guide is designed to bring awareness to and share knowledge around issues related to Autistic mental health. Their website says that the guide is meant to be read by everyone — but most importantly by Autistic adults, family members, professionals, policy-makers and leaders.
There’s also a series of 6 animated videos made to go with the guide — here is the first video in the series:
You can also check out the guide here:
VIDEO: Getting a COVID-19 vaccine!
Health Care Access Research and Developmental Disabilities (H-CARDD) have included a great video (made in partnership with DramaWay) in their May 2021 newsletter about getting a COVID-19 vaccine! Check it out.
SOBC “Women in Sport” event!
Special Olympics BC (SOBC) is hosting a virtual forum called “Women in Sport” on May 31, with four featured speakers:
- Amanda Jones, UBC’s only full-time female strength and conditioning coach, will discuss Physical Activity.
- Lois McNary, Special Olympics BC’s Vice President, Sport, and member of the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame, will discuss Leadership.
- Kimberly Rutledge, psychology and biology student at UBC Okanagan, advocate for mental wellness, science, and inclusion, and the sister of SOBC–Kelowna athlete Kassidy, will discuss Sexual Health.
- Shelbi Snodgrass, counselling psychology master’s student and mental performance consultant, will discuss Mental Wellness.
Find more information, including the link to register, here.
VIDEO: Getting Ready for the COVID-19 Vaccine
Special thanks to CLBC for circulating this awesome resource from the Planning for People Network of Ontario.
Click here to watch a video in plain language about what it is like when people go to get their COVID-19 vaccine.
Mental Health Week
Hey everyone, we are marking the end of 2021’s Mental Health Week with this post of resources we found through the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA):
- Check in on your mental health (an online checklist)
- Identify when positivity turns toxic (and 4 ways to combat it)
- 7 steps you can take using words to help find your calm
- List of emotions beyond “fine” (to help you naming your emotions)
As well as other articles published for Mental Health Week, and more resources gathered together by CLBC.
Wellness Together Canada also offers resources tailored to coping with COVID-19. You can find more on their webpage here.
There is also a YouTube version of the Health Care Access Research and Developmental Disabilities virtual course for families and caregivers called “Mental Health for Adults with Developmental Disabilities during COVID-19.” You can find that series of videos here.
BE PREPARED: Make a Plan!
As part of our Emergency Preparedness Week series, we are focusing today on making an EMERGENCY PLAN — that means have a plan on what you will do right away when an emergency happens.
There is a list of details to think about on the GetPrepared website, and this is a great place to start making your plan. It’s also important to think about any accessibility or disability related needs.
There is a video here you can watch that will help you with your planning – check it out!
BE PREPARED: Build a kit!
As part of our Emergency Preparedness Week series, we are focusing today on building an EMERGENCY KIT — that means the supplies you might need right away to respond to an emergency.
There is a list of emergency kit items on the GetPrepared website, and this is a great place to start building your kit. It’s also important to think about details like: how you will access your supplies, if you will need to transport them, and how you will store them so you can find them easily.
There is a video here you can watch that will help you with your planning – check it out!
Emergency Preparedness Week!
It’s Emergency Preparedness Week from May 2 -8 this year, and the theme is Emergency Preparedness: Be Ready for Anything. The idea is to support Canadians to get better prepared for the range of emergencies that they could face in their region.
You can join the online social media challenge for a chance to win an emergency preparedness kit: share a tip or picture showing how you’re helping to make you and your family better prepared to cope during an emergency, and use the hashtag #ReadyforAnything. Here are some ideas: making an emergency kit with items found around your home, creating a family emergency plan, or becoming more informed about the hazards in your area.
There is more information about the social media challenge and about emergency preparedness here. You can check out some more resources to be better prepared:
