Parents may be used to having their homes toddler proofed, however, with the festive season many go out visiting and we could use a short refresher on keeping our little visitors safe. Here are a few tips from Parachute who have great injury prevention tips and reminders.

• At the start of get-togethers, agree on who is going to watch the kids and for how long. Otherwise, family and friends may believe someone is watching the young ones, when no one is doing so.
• Toddlers are curious and active so it’s natural for them to want to explore a decorated tree and its ornaments. It’s safest to have your tree out of reach (e.g., a tabletop tree) or in a room with a safety gate so the child can see but not touch it. Even for preschool children, it’s best to have soft, unbreakable decorations, such as those made of felt.
• Candles are one of the most common causes of household fires. If you must use candles, place them in sturdy holders that won’t tip, away from flammable materials and well out of the reach of children. Always extinguish candles before leaving the room.
• Keep purses and bags away from toddlers reach as they may hold dangerous items, such as medicines or a lighter.
• Gas fireplaces can burn little hands when the glass barrier is touched. Safety gates can keep your child at a safe distance. Consider not using the fireplace when young children are around.

From Health Services

Voluntary Benefits

Through Red River College’s affiliation with HUB International STRATA Benefits Consulting, employees have access to a suite of voluntary products and services offered at discounted or preferred group rates.

Why does Red River College offer a voluntary benefit program?

We offer our employees a comprehensive benefits program and are committed to enhancing and aligning this program to meet the needs of our employees.

What is Group Home Insurance?

The Co-operators Group Home Insurance program, depending on the type and amount of coverage chosen, shelters you from financial loss due to theft, unforeseen events such as fire or vandalism or personal liability that may occur if someone is injured while visiting your home. The group insurance is tailored to you!

What do the Co-operators offer?

The Co-operators group insurance program offers Red River College employees group home insurance that is tailored to meet your needs. By being a part of the Co-operators group home insurance program, you have the opportunity for the following value-added benefits:

• OneStep™ – 24/7 claims service that never sleeps and handles most claims in as little as one call.
• Flexible payment options – choose the day, method and frequency for your payment deductions.
• Claims guarantee – claims counseling and no increase of premiums if you decide to pay a claim out of pocket.
• Service Review Panel – regional panels of client volunteers that offer impartial review for claimants who may be unsatisfied.
• Automatic Coverage – for most new insurable items until the next renewal date without changing the premium.
• Blanket Limit Coverage – complete coverage of up to $2 million for building, contents and outbuildings, and additional living expenses.

For more details on the Co-operators group home insurance program, or to get a free, no-obligation quote, call 1-800-387-1963 or visit www.cooperatorsgroupinsurance.ca.

Tips to Submitting Online Claims

To use Member eClaims, you must be registered for GroupNet™ for Plan Members and signed up for Direct Deposit of claims payments.

How Member eClaims Works:

You will see a ‘Submit a claim’ link under the Claims section once signed in to GroupNet™ for Plan Members. Claims can be submitted following these steps:

1. Select Type of Claim Submission Method
– If coordinating regular benefits and the HCSA, select Health, Drugs, Vision & Dental Plan Type.
– If only submitting a claim to the HCSA, select the HCSA/Medi-Dent Account Plan Type.

 2. Select Type of Claim
– If you answer ‘yes’ to the question to reimburse any unpaid portion from your spending account, the claim will automatically be considered under the HCSA.
– If the claim is submitted only to the HCSA, you must select the check box that acknowledges you understand the claim will not be applied to any Health, Drugs, Vision or Dental plan.

3. Enter Provider information.
4. Select a Patient.
5. Enter in the Expense Details.
– If you answer ‘yes’ if the claim has been submitted to or paid in part by another group plan, you must enter the amount paid by the other insurance carrier in the box “Other Insurance Paid”.
6. Read and Agree to the ‘Terms and Conditions’ and the ‘Claim Summary and Consent’ sections.
7. View or Print the Confirmation and Summary of your online claim.

Once your claim has been adjudicated, you will receive confirmation via an email notification or text message to your mobile phone.

If your Great-West Life ID card is lost or misplaced, replacement cards can be requested online through the GroupNet™ for Plan Members site.

Tips to Completing Paper Claim Forms

 For many employees, submitting claims for reimbursement can be confusing; from deciding which form to use, to where to find the required information. Submission of incomplete forms can cause delays in processing and payment.

The following are some tips to assist you when completing and submitting Great-West Life claim forms:

• All Health claims, including Vision claims, are to be submitted on a Healthcare Expense Statement.
• All Dental claims not submitted electronically by your Dentist are to be submitted on a Dentalcare Expenses Statement. Some Dentists may also use a Canadian Dental Association claim form, which is also acceptable.
• Claim forms can be found on Great-West Life’s website.
• Indicate at the top of the form if you would like this claim applied to the Healthcare/Dentalcare plan only, Health Care Spending Account only, or both.
• Your Plan Member ID Number is your RRC Employee number and can be found on your Great-West Life ID card.
• Attach all original receipts to the claim form. If you are coordinating with a spouse’s plan, attach the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) received from their insurance company.
• In the event a receipt is not available when purchasing glasses or contact lenses, Part 9 of the Healthcare Claim form can be completed by your Optometrist, Optician, or Ophthalmologist to be eligible for reimbursement.
• The claim form must be signed by the Employee, not the person(s) for whom the claims are being submitted.
• Make a photocopy of the claim form, receipts and any other attachments in the event the claim is lost in the mail. Originals will not be returned.

Direct Deposit for Claims Payments

You can have your benefit cheques automatically deposited to your account by Great-West Life using Direct Deposit.

With Direct Deposit, there are no payment delays due to mail disruptions, no chance of cheques being lost or stolen, and no need to deposit your cheques in person.

Great-West Life will deposit cheques directly into your account with any credit union, trust company or bank in Canada. There is no charge for this service.

If you sign up for Direct Deposit, you will receive an e-mail notification when your claim has been paid. You will also have access to an online Explanation of Benefits.

Remember for faster claims submission, you can submit your own claims online through GroupNet.

Its that time of year! The leaves have fallen, we’ve quickly changed into our parkas and mittens, and most importantly the thoughts of a winter vacation at a warm destination are filling our dreams….. Here are a few resources to make that dream a reality:

• First things first, if you are an adventure traveller you are usually thinking about destinations that are not usually for the faint of heart!These are also likely destinations where the Canadian Government has issued travel warnings – best to check first at travel.gc.ca. Even if you aren’t thinking about trekking through North Africa, there could be a regional advisory for the country you are planning on visiting. Some Caribbean countries have regional advisories you might not be aware of, but usually they are along borders and away from the popular destinations.
• You have the destination! Now what kind of traveller are you? If you’ve visited any of the popular tropical destinations, accessible via Winnipeg, you’ve likely stayed in an all-inclusive resort. Why not try a vacation rental this time around and live like a local? Sites like AirBnB and Trip Advisor Vacation Rentals manage listings of private homes around the world. Need a little more adventure? Try a tour with options ranging from 5 star lodges to camping out under the stars. Taking an organized tour with a reputable company is a sure way to immerse yourself in the culture of the country you are visiting. Browse through hundreds of opportunities with Adventure Centre, a Canadian tour broker that promotes only reputable tour companies. Many tour companies cater to families too!

Read More →

As the weather gets colder, and the days get shorter, it gets easier to go home and curl up in blanket with a bowl of your favourite comfort food. With that thought in mind, this past weekend I cracked open my recipe books and a few websites to make a few tried and true foodie favourites to have on hand for a quick supper or munchies for TV night.

First on the list was a vegetarian lasagna, full of veggies and feta cheese. I also love kettle corn, so I made a pail of it – yes I said a pail of it. Other items on my culinary to do list are breaded chicken fingers, butter chicken and many – many cookies like chocolate chip, oatmeal, ginger snaps and Oreos. It’s great to have snacks on hand to avoid the fast food trap, and for impromptu entertaining. Feel free to check out a few of my recipe favourites and make your own cornucopia of comfort food this winter.

With the flu clinics over at the Notre Dame Campus there are still numerous ways to receive the flu shot. The flu shot is still available on a walk in basis at the Health Centre in room HM-08 on the NDC campus.

You can also get your flu shot on a walk-in basis at the Health Office based at 306 Paterson Global Foods building.

The Health Centre recommends that staff and students print and complete the immunization consent form (sections A-D) that is available at on the Health Services website. It is also recommended to phone the applicable Health Centre ( NDC 632-2238, PGF 631-3386) before coming in for a flu shot so that they can advise you on when it is best to come in. Remember as with any clinic depending on circumstances you may have to wait if the clinic becomes busy and there is a 15 min waiting period after you shot.

Although WRHA Winnipeg Mass Flu Clinics are now closed, it is not too late to get the flu shot from your regular health care provider or from your local community health office. A list of locations and phone numbers of public health offices that can give you the flu shot is available on the WRHA webpage (http://www.wrha.mb.ca/healthinfo/a-z/influenza/clinics.php).

If you are looking for more information to help you make the decision whether or not to receive the flu shot this year, please visit the following blogs found on the RRC Wellness blog page (http://blogs.rrc.ca/wellness/). These blogs address common questions and concerns regarding influenza and vaccination against the flu in an easy to read and compact manner.

• “If you think flu season is coming up…you’re right!”
• “How is the flu vaccine made? Is it safe?”
• “Myth or fact? – What is the truth behind flu season?”

According to the Government of Manitoba the peak incidence of influenza occurs during the months of December and January each year. Although it is only October it is always a good idea to get the vaccinated against influenza early in the flu season, as it may take up to two weeks to build the required antibodies that will protect you against the flu.

From Health Services Practicum Nursing Students Alexis and Thomas

Each year many myths surround influenza and the decision whether or not to get vaccinated. In order to make the best and most informed decision whether or not to get the flu shot, it is important to understand what information is based on fact, and what is a common misperception or “myth”. Here are five of the most common myths about the flu and flu vaccine:

Myth #1:  The flu vaccine can give you the flu.     FALSE

The flu vaccine contains only deactivated or “dead” influenza virus. This means that the vaccination against the flue cannot cause you to catch influenza. Influenza nasal sprays may be referred to as “live attenuated influenza vaccines” as they do contain live flu virus, however it is important to note that these viruses are engineered to remove the parts of the virus that actually make people sick. The reason this myth is still around is because people often mistake the side effects of the vaccine (such as a runny nose or sore throat lasting for days) as them having caught the flu.

Myth #2: The flu is annoying but it’s harmless.  FALSE

As stated in our first blog “If you think flu season is coming up…you’re right!”,
people commonly mistake the “stomach flu” and the common cold as influenza. In reality influenza is much more serious than either of these conditions. The flu
will not only sideline you from school or work for up to two weeks, influenza hospitalizes 200, 000 people/year in the U.S, and it kills almost the same number of people per year as breast cancer kills! Influenza is more than annoying… It is potentially deadly.

Myth #3: People who are young & healthy don’t need to worry about getting vaccinated against the flu.   FALSE

While it is true that a young and healthy person will likely fully recover after the flu, no one is protected against influenza without the getting the flu shot.
Being young and healthy does not make you immune to the harsh symptoms of the flu or how long you will suffer from it. If you do not receive the flu vaccine you’re at greater risk of catching the flu, meaning you are more likely to suffer from sudden onset fever, coughing, headaches, sore throat, runny nose and extreme fatigue for up to two weeks! Students and staff need to be aware that catching the flu will mean missing numerous days of both school and work. This can all easily be avoided by getting the flu shot! Another important reason for individuals to get vaccinated is that influenza is easily transmitted to your loved ones. Even if you are healthy, your young children, chronically ill family members or friends, and the elderly have a greater risk of catching the flu, suffering from its symptoms, and are at greater risk of actually dying from the flu!

Myth #4: Flu shot protects me against influenza for years.   FALSE

As stated in our second blog “How is the flu vaccine made? Is it safe?”, the flu virus undergoes seasonal genetic drifts that change the identity of the virus each flu season, and allow it to go undetected by your immune system. Vaccination against the flu is specifically targeted at the strains of the influenza virus that are believed to circulate during this flu season only. This means that the immunity you received from being exposed to the flu or getting a flu vaccine in previous years will not be effective in the next flu season (or in following years).

Myth #5: The flu shot is the only way to protect myself from the flu. FALSE

Each year researchers do their best to design the influenza vaccine to target the most common strains of influenza circulating in the world. Sadly, this does not mean that the strains the vaccine protects you against will be the strains that you actually encounter-you may still get the flu even though you got the flu shot. One of the major benefits of getting vaccinated against influenza is that you may only suffer  mild to moderate flu symptoms rather than severe symptoms as a result of the protection you do receive from the flu shot! It is also very important to wash your hands often, cover your cough, and avoid individuals who appear sick to protect yourself as the influenza virus spreads easily through coughing, touching and sneezing. By keeping your hands clean and away from your face and mouth you can also decrease your risk of getting the flu.

For more information concerning the flu and influenza vaccination check out the
previously posted influenza blogs on the RRC Wellness Blog page, or visit WebMD to learn about more myths.

For dates and times of flu clinics held at RRC please visit the Health Services webstie for more information and to download the needed form to take with you to the clinic. Clinics start at Stevenson Aviation Oct 22, NDC Oct 23,24,25, EDC Nov 1 and LTC Nov 7,8. There is no cost for getting the flu vaccine.

From Health Services Practicum Nursing Students Alexis and Thomas

Let’s talk about Sleep!

Transitioning to college life can be tough and may contribute to loss of sleep and fatigue. Sleep debt is the cumulative effect of not getting enough sleep. It is what leads to mental and physical fatigue.There are a lot of choices to make when you enter post-secondary education. Choices that might help you balance your demand include whether to work, how many classes to take, and how long study time should be. There are two main reasons for lack of college student sleep:

• Late night studying
• “Social” commitments and late night partying

You can’t give up either of the above on a consistent basis. But your body needs sleep on a consistent basis, and this conflicts with the trappings of a successful and fun college life. Here are some tips and information that can help you with sleeping as a College student.

• Did you know that everyone has their own unique sleep needs? You should be able to go to sleep at the same time, get up at the same time and feel rested during the day. Find out how much sleep you need by trying to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night for a week, see how you feel and adjust from there. No need for naps. It may take a week to adjust, being sleep deprived students that you are, but you can do it. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get 7-9 hours of sleep at night.
• According to the National Sleep Foundation hitting SNOOZE does not help. It actually makes you more tired throughout the day. The snooze button is one of life’s little luxuries. At best, it’s a psychological crutch. At worst, it’s throwing off your brain chemistry for the day. As well, it’s certainly not helping you get any real sleep; you do not make it back to REM sleep that helps you feel rested. Set your alarm for when you need to get up, get up and give yourself time to get ready without being rushed!

Are you often feeling “run  down”  Did you know?

• Being sleep deprived impacts the immune system. Our ability to fight off infections becomes more difficult. This puts us at risk during cold and flu season, which is now!
• The heart and lung function is adversely affected by lack of sleep and is associated with worsening chronic lung and heart disease and high blood pressure.
• A common myth: Watching TV helps you sleep. This is untrue as TV is stimulating and can interfere with falling asleep.

Tips for sleep:

• Turn off your cell phone. Pick a time, like after 10pm to turn off your phone so its not a distraction
• Set yourself clear boundaries. Keep a regular sleep wake cycle, tell yourself you will only stay out so long, and stick to it.
• Have a study buddy. You can keep each other on tract and on time.
• Exercise. Daily activity can help you get a deeper more restful sleep during the night. Experts generally recommend exercising at least 2-3 hours before bed. However, everyone is different, so try to fit exercise into your schedule where you can. For tips on exercise see our previous blog.
• Put your computer to sleep. Bright screen savers can be distracting and keep you from sleep.

If your fatigue does not improve with consistent restful sleep, seek medical advice as you could have a medical condition resulting in your fatigue. For depression, sleep apnea, anemia or diabetes to name a few.

For more information on sleep tips see BedTimeNetwork or American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Researchers believe lack of sleep may contribute to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety in College students. For more information on mental health and sleep see Mental Health Canada.

Services at Red River College such as counselling, tutoring and academic support check out the RRC student services website click here. These services can help relieve some of the burdens causing you to miss out on sleep.

Visit us next week for info on stress and tips for dealing with it.

From Health Services U of M Practicum Nursing Students

Alexis and Candice

Physical activity improves health and wellbeing. According to Health Canada it can reduce stress, strengthen the heart and lungs, increase energy levels, as well as help you achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends that individuals get at least two and a half hours of exercise a week, keeping an emphasis on getting moderate to vigorous physical activity broken down into sessions of ten minutes or more. As students we know the challenges of incorporating exercise into a busy schedule. Between the classes, studying, travel time, work, families and other commitments it often seems like there is not enough hours in the day. The idea of healthy living often falls to the wayside. According to a study done by McMaster University, regular exercise tends to steeply decline among youth as they move to university or college. Researchers found a 24% decrease in the 12 years from adolescence to early adulthood, with the steepest decline occurring during the transition to higher education. That is not good for young adults who need all their energy for school and home life!

Keeping physically active is key to a healthy lifestyle but remember it is best to check with your doctor before starting a new routine. If you have any chronic illness such as diabetes, asthma or heart disease it is important to consult a physician before starting. We have found some tips on how to incorporate exercise into your daily life, all of which we have tried and found have worked for us.

• When waiting for a bus, a ride to work or to start school every morning, try exercising.
  • It gets your blood flowing and makes you feel more awake. Simple exercises such as calf raises are easy.
  • If you want to increase the intensity of your workouts you can try doing squats or lunges. Check out the American Council on Exercise for detailed instruction on how to do these properly.
• Take more trips.
  • If you have to bring the two garbage cans to the road make two trips to the curb instead of carrying both cans at the same time.
  • You can park farther away from the store, which will result in more walking to and fro.
• Use apps to help you workout. Yes there is an app for that!
  • Apps by Runtastic help you stick to a workout routine and they’re FREE. Some keep track of how many sit-ups or squats you do while another can track how far you’ve run and how many calories you’ve burned.
  • If you can’t find time to fit a workout in, track your daily activity is by using the Runtastic pedometer. This app tracks how many steps you walked as well as how many calories you’ve burned in a day.
• When you’re watching television, get up and move during a commercial break.
  • During a commercial break get up and do 20 jumping jacks, sit-ups or lunges.
  • By doing so you are getting on average 15 minutes of exercise when watching an hour-long television show.
• Sneak in workout.
  • If you have an hour lunch break take the first 30 minutes to eat and the next 30 minutes to walk around campus or do three flights of stairs. This will boost your energy for the rest of the day.
• Utilize various resources within the RRC community. To learn about various facilities on both the Notre Dame and Exchange district campuses visit here. RRC Athletics and Recreation Services offers a variety of fitness classes, personal training and fitness assessments. For more information on any of these programs call (204)-632-3030.
• Acknowledge that you are awesome for exercising!
  • Any sort of exercise, regardless of the intensity or duration, benefits your heart, muscles, mind, and overall healthfulness. Anything you can squeeze into your day is great. Aim to never leave a workout thinking anything other than, “I’m super proud of myself for what I did right there—I’m the best”

Stay tuned next week, as we will be discussing the importance of sleep and giving tips on how you can feel more energized throughout the day. We appreciate any feedback or comments about what we have discussed or what you would like us to talk about.

Health Services EDC Practicum Nursing Students Alexis and Candice

From AAA&I

In last week’s blog you were informed that getting the vaccine does not guarantee that you will not get sick – but why? First of all, there are many strains of the influenza virus. If you do get the flu shot but come into contact with an influenza strain that was not in that season’s flu vaccine, the vaccine does not protect you against it. The vaccination only protects against 3-4 of the common influenza strains. Anyone with a chronic illness, the elderly, and very young children have weaker immune systems. As a result of their weaker immune system these individuals may not produce the same desired immune response to the vaccine as a healthy adult, and as a result are still at risk of getting the flu. That being said however, the immunity that they do get from receiving the vaccine is still better than not receiving the flu shot at all. By receiving the flu vaccine the chronically ill, elderly and very young may be able to prevent the virus from causing more damage it could have otherwise caused if they were not vaccinated.

A little about the virus…

There are different types (also called “strains”) of the influenza virus. Each year these strains undergo genetic drifts, which are minor changes in its genetics. Our immune system operates by identifying specific antigens on the influenza virus. These antigens are the elements that trigger your body to build up an immune response, resulting in future immunity. Since our body’s immune system is very specific, even small changes in these antigens can allow the virus to escape being detected. This means that you will need a new flu vaccine each year.

What is in the vaccine and how is it made?

First, researchers identify which strains of the influenza virus we are most likely to encounter this season by  looking at what influenza viruses are circulating around other continents (such as Asia). The most common circulating viruses (usually 3 to 4 strains) are selected and are injected into chicken eggs. Once the viruses have multiplied in the eggs, they are collected, killed, and made into the vaccine. The influenza virus used in vaccinations is DEAD, meaning you cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine! Each batch of flu vaccine is tested numerous times to ensure proper concentration, that the desired “antigen” (the element that triggers your body to build immunity) is present, sterility, and most importantly safety. Once the vaccine is approved by the manufacturer, the vaccine is submitted to Health Canada to make sure it is both safe and effective. Health Canada also performs on-site evaluations of the vaccine manufacturing process and requires samples for testing in Health Canada laboratories. Vaccines are only ready for use after they are approved by Health Canada. Health Canada is responsible for continuous monitoring of vaccine safety and any side effects once the vaccine is distributed for use.

Make sure to check out next week’s blog that clears up some of the common myths about the flu and the flu vaccine!

From Health Services Student Nurses Thomas and Alexis