The consequences and the impact of Covid-19 on the physical and mental health of our members, the most vulnerable age group, are far from being over. At the present time, it is estimated that the pandemic could be around for quite some time.
A friend recently explained to me how difficult it was for him to manage his confinement to the point that he didn’t know how long he would be able to cope with his situation.
Wikipedia reports that the last pandemic, the Spanish flu, affected nearly one third of the global population during the late twenties, killing more than 50 million persons.
It must be said that we are better equipped to lead the fight to eradicate this virus. Vaccines should solve the problems or at most reduce the risks. So we have a long way to go without knowing what lies ahead.
In the meantime, we suggest you benefit from the free services offered by our Employees and Retirees Assistance Program (EAP). These services are offered to all our pensioners as well as their spouses, be they members of the association or not.
You can access these resources on the CBC Pensioners National Association’s website at www.cbcpensioners.ca. Scroll down to the section Our Programs and choose EAP Resources Centre. Then click on Learn More to access all the relevant information.
The EAP website is on the CBC iO portal and is accessible by using the username pension-iO (the letter ‘O’) and the password services0 (the number).
The EAP’s main page offers two options: a telephone conversation with a professional and a wealth of information.
- Telephone conversation with a professional: the possibility of obtaining advice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by dialing 1-866-838-2025 (toll free line). This is a confidential and professional service that offers advice and elements of a solution to questions such as depression and anxiety, family or marital problems, financial or legal problems, addiction (alcohol, gambling, substance abuse, Internet), physical health, and interpersonal conflicts. The consultations are free of charge for a maximum of up to 5 hours for all questions except for financial and legal problems where the limit is 2 hours. If you are referred to resources outside the scope of the EAP, charges may apply. In such cases, check with your insurer to find out what kind of coverage you have and if these charges are can be reimbursed.
- Wealth of information: Be sure to have a look at all the free sections: Covid-19 Resources, LifeSpeak, EAP Fridays and EAP Newsletter. The Organik portal is not available at the present time. A few examples: the EAP Newsletter, published monthly, deals for example with a series of quite interesting questions such as life balance, financial health, healthy lifestyle and resilience. Each question is dealt with from three angles: Your Life, Your Work and Your Well-Being.
The Covid-19 section deals with questions such a Psychological Health, Stress and anxiety, personal finances, sleep and depression.
These questions and many others will surely arouse your curiosity. And don’t forget that these sections can have been updated since your last visit. It’s worth your time to check out the site. Who knows, you may find the answer to your questions or to questions you haven’t asked so far.
Donald Langis
EAP Representative