But for people over age 60 or people with other health conditions like diabetes or cancer, COVID-19 can have serious complications.

According to Statistics Canada, more than 6.5 million people in Canada are over age 65, and millions of Canadians live with conditions that make them more vulnerable to illness.

For these members of our communities, catching COVID-19 might mean very serious illness, hospitalization and even death.

If you get sick, even though it might not be serious, who might you pass the infection to?

Dr. Susan Deering, attending physician at Sunnybrook’s Veteran Centre, says it’s important we all continue to work to reduce the spread of the virus so that we can protect these people — our parents, grandparents, neighbours and friends.

She says that by practicing these habits, we can protect others from COVID-19 much in the same way we protect ourselves.

Stay home / physically distance from others when you must go out

By physical distancing, we can reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community. This means reducing our number of close contacts to those who we live with, and keeping a physical distance of 2 metres from others when you must go out. Avoid non-essential trips out of the home. Go out for groceries once per week.

Remind older adults to stay home

It’s important to remind our older adult contacts that this virus continues to be a danger to them. We can help by offering to drop off groceries and essential items to their porch, or reminding them of the vulnerable person shopping hours at local grocery stores.

Check-in on relatives and neighbours

With life and routines disrupted, we are all at-risk for loneliness, and this is especially true for older adults. Give them a call, a FaceTime or send a card to let them know you are thinking of them.

If you are a caregiver:

If you are a caregiver to an older adult and thus continue to be in close contact, it’s important that you follow the tips below to help them stay safe.

Clean your hands

Our hands often carry viruses and bacteria to a virus’s port of entry – your eyes, nose or mouth. Wash every surface of your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds. Keep your hands away from your face.

Practice “respiratory hygiene”

Cover your cough. Do the sleeve sneeze. Cough or sneeze into a tissue (then throw that tissue out and wash your hands.)

Stay home when you are sick

Even if you have mild symptoms or a cold or flu, it’s best to stay home. This not only helps you rest and recover, it helps reduce the risk of spreading the virus through coughing, sneezing or touching shared surfaces with contaminated hands.

If you are supposed to visit Grandma but you aren’t feeling well, the best thing you can do for Grandma is stay home. Rebook your visit. Call or FaceTime instead.

If you have a cough or other symptoms and must provide care for your older or vulnerable loved one, please wear a mask to reduce the risk of your droplets spreading infection.

What’s in it for me?

Protecting others from viruses can save their life. If that’s not enough to motivate you, remember: reducing the spread of illnesses like COVID-19 means fewer people will need hospitalization for it, which in turn means our hospitals can still be available to you if you need your appendix removed or have a traumatic fall.

Wash your hands and keep staying home as much as you can right now: it’s a win-win (win) for you and for others (and for the healthcare system).

The post How can I protect seniors and at-risk people from COVID-19? appeared first on Your Health Matters.

Dr. Rachel Mitchell, child and youth psychiatrist, shares some important advice to help parents talk to children and teens about COVID-19

Be calm when addressing kids’ concerns

Dr. Mitchell says it’s important for parents to manage their own feelings of anxiety when speaking to children.

“When parents are calm, kids are more likely to be calm. Children often model their parents’ behaviour,” explains Dr. Mitchell. “This doesn’t mean parents can’t show any anxiety. Just speak calmly and openly with children. It’s a good opportunity to show kids resilience and that we can all cope with worry, which is a natural response to this kind of situation.”

Be prepared and be honest

Dr. Mitchell adds that communicating truthful information with children is very important and can be more reassuring than holding back.

“Be honest in your conversations. If you try to hold back from children and teens, they’ll probably be aware of that,” says Dr. Mitchell. “It’s instinctive for parents to want to protect their kids, but children are quite astute and they can sense if the full story isn’t being shared. It can be harder for them to manage the uncertainty or the unknown.

“Know the facts,” says Dr. Mitchell. “Also, meet children or teens at their level. This means using age-appropriate language, and for younger children, give concrete information rather than abstract explanations that may be difficult for little ones to understand.”

For teens she suggests speaking with them like an adult. Often, youth and adolescents have already seen or heard the most recent headlines and have a good understanding of an issue.

As well, be prepared for the conversation to come up again and sometimes unexpectedly. “Having one discussion doesn’t mean the topic won’t come up again,” says Dr. Mitchell. “Children will likely have more questions that they may ask at seemingly random times.”

Learn more about COVID-19: resources, updates and tips to protect yourself and others

Listen to what the child is asking

A key tip is to listen to what a child is asking about COVID-19, and answer those specific questions.

“Let the child lead the conversation and really listen to what is being asked,” explains Dr. Mitchell. “Don’t give them more information than what they’re asking for. Providing more details than they need may overload them or frighten them. Tell them only what they are asking, truthfully, at their level.

Acknowledging children’s concerns and addressing their questions will also help them understand that their feelings are valid.

Signs a child may have more serious concerns

While most children are able to cope with some anxiety with the help and comfort of their parents, family members and friends, some children may be experiencing excessive distress and may need professional help. Signs to watch out for include:

• Not sleeping
• Not eating
• Not talking
• Not leaving their room or unable to function
• Needing constant reassurance
• Not being comforted by parents

If a child is displaying these signs, contact your paediatrician or family doctor.

Resilience in difficult times

Although this is an uncertain time, demonstrating to children that you’re there for them and that there is support can help reassure them, even if you don’t have all the answers.

Parents can help empower children by sharing information about how to protect themselves and others from COVID-19, tips for hand washing or how COVID-19 is spread.

Letting children know that experts and officials are working together to come up with a solution can also help to reassure kids during COVID-19.

It’s a complex and challenging topic. When parents manage their anxiety, are honest and share facts in family conversations, this can help ease the anxiety of children and teens, and in an uncertain time, can help them feel hopeful and supported.

The post Unsure of how to talk to your child about COVID-19? Here are some helpful tips appeared first on Your Health Matters.

Cover off your food groups

Canada’s food guide recommends we eat a variety of different foods everyday, including fruits and vegetables, proteins and whole grains. Specifically, it recommends choosing proteins from foods that come from plants more often, limited processed foods and making water your drink of choice.

Create a checklist

Generally, here is a basic list of pantry and kitchen staples that are helpful to always have on hand:

Pantry

• whole grains (oats, brown rice, quinoa)
• whole grain bread/pasta
• high fiber cereal
• dried beans/lentils
• nuts/seeds

Canned/jarred items

• beans/legumes
• canned tomatoes
• low-sodium broth
• tuna/salmon
• olives
• nut butter

Freezer

• frozen vegetables
• frozen fruit
• lean meat
• fish

Fridge

• leafy greens
• other vegetables
• garlic and onion
• fruit
• yogurt
• milk/milk alternatives
• eggs

Oils/condiments

• olive/canola/nut/seed oils
• salt and pepper
• herbs and spices
• ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise
• soy, Worcheshire sauce
• vinegars

Buy only what you will eat

It might sound obvious, but in a time when many people are stockpiling whatever is available, fill your cart with only the foods you know you’ll be able to use. It’s a good time to think about buying nutritious foods that can be used in a variety of meals. For example, canned beans can be sprinkled on salads, cooked in chilis or added to pasta dishes as an excellent source of protein.

Use fresh foods first

To avoid food waste, prepare meals with fresh and perishable foods first. Try to keep a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables on hand, but if needed, know that the frozen varieties contain the same nutritional value as fresh. Frozen fruits and vegetables can also be more convenient in that they often require less prep time. And while canned foods can be tasty and convenient, keep in mind they may be packed with much higher levels of sodium.

Buy foods that keep

Certain fruits and vegetables have a longer shelf life, including apples, potatoes, cabbage, onions and many citrus fruits. When purchasing perishable foods, try to pick those that have longer expiry dates.

Cook and freeze in bulk

If you are cooking anyway, make a larger portion and freeze half for future use. Be sure to label all items with dates before putting them in the freezer.

Other tips

If you need to stay home for an extended period of time, it’s important to have regular balanced meals and snacks throughout the day and try to avoid mindless snacking. If feeling ill, many comfort foods can also pack a nutritional punch, like chicken soup, fresh smoothies, yogurt, honey, herbal teas and oatmeal.

Be inspired

There are endless books and online resources to find recipes for tasty and nutritious meals. One specific resource is Cookspiration, a site created by the Dietitians of Canada. You’ll find a handy menu planner, as well as ideas for every meal and taste.

The post Before you stock up on food, it’s important to do an inventory appeared first on Your Health Matters.

Be informed

There is a lot of misinformation circulating which can escalate stress and anxiety, so make sure you are getting your news and health updates from trusted, verified sources. Keep important phone numbers and web links close at hand, so if something happens, you know who to reach out to. Visit sunnybrook.ca/coronavirus for information and links from trusted sources.

Don’t panic

Arm yourself with trusted information, as this will help you adjust your level of concern to appropriately fit the situation. And while it’s important to stay informed with reliable information, know that overwhelming yourself with difficult news and headlines can increase stress and anxiety, and lead to unnecessary worry.

Take reasonable precautions

Be appropriately prepared rather than stockpiling or overbuying. That in turn can shortchange the supply for others and intensify feelings of panic.

It can help to remember that there are many things that are in your control, like practicing good hand hygiene and not touching your face, to minimize the risk of getting sick. Social distancing can reduce your risk of catching the virus.

Think about others

Call, message or email friends, family, neighbours and loved ones. Even if we are physically isolated, we are fortunate to have access to technologies that can virtually connect us so we don’t feel alone.

Practice good self care

In times of heightened stress, we all need extra rest and relaxation. Everyone will have their own favourite activity to unwind, so make that a priority over the days and weeks ahead. Try to maintain a healthy diet, get enough rest, and be physically active (even at home), as these factors can significantly impact overall mood and quality of sleep.

The post Has COVID-19 affected your mental health? Here are some tips that could help appeared first on Your Health Matters.

The infectious diseases physician and microbiologist is one of the key leaders in Sunnybrook’s response to COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. She is also a member of a local working group of scientists who are researching the virus and finding ways to better combat it.

Along with her colleagues, Dr. Mubareka recently received a grant that will allow the group to use next generation sequencing technologies to capture COVID-19 from patient samples and generate whole genome sequences in real-time.

“We want to develop a sensitive, real-time advanced sequencing approaches to help hospital labs better detect and characterize the virus.”

Faster generation of additional and accurate genomic data will improve diagnostics and help researchers better understand COVID-19, including how much virus is shed and whether this relates to disease severity or poor outcomes. This will then allow researchers to further explore key questions that are relevant to front-line healthcare providers and the public, like how the virus transmits, and for how long.

As all eyes are on the world’s infectious diseases experts and infection prevention and control teams as they try to learn more about this new pathogen and control its spread, Dr. Mubareka says she draws upon her own curiosity and uses that to drive her forward, for patients and the community.

“We are performing real-time science,” said Dr. Mubareka. “By leveraging existing projects and technologies, Canada’s microbiology, infectious diseases and genomics experts are all working together to improve our understanding of this emerging pathogen.”

For accurate and up-to-date information about COVID-19 please visit sunnybrook.ca/coronavirus.

The post Dr. Samira Mubareka: a leading expert in Sunnybrook’s response to COVID-19 appeared first on Your Health Matters.