Study assessing physical, mental health effects of treating COVID-19 patients one of two U of A projects receiving federal funding
There’s heightened anxiety among physicians and jumps in depression among nurses, health-care aides and personal support workers, according to early data from a University of Alberta study. The study is looking into the effectiveness of safety measures to protect the physical and mental health of Canada’s health-care workforce treating those with COVID-19. Occupational epidemiologist Nicola Cherry,…
Alberta has capacity, experience to lead the way in the new field of ‘crisis psychiatry,’ say U of A psychiatrists
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that treatments for psychiatric ailments are as essential to maintain during a public health crisis as those for conditions such as cancer and renal failure, according to an editorial penned by a team of University of Alberta researchers in the Canadian Medical Association’s Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience. “The combination of the stress…
Embrace adversity, become more adept at challenges and seeing opportunity, cultivate positivity, develop more empathy
When you’re in upheaval, you tend to hit survival mode pretty quickly. Your life becomes focused on just getting through the day. Beyond that? You don’t have the time or energy to care. But now more than ever, you need to take advantage of what time you have for personal growth. When we’re challenged is…
Do we really believe that deception, dishonesty, manipulation and lack of accountability lead to peace, happiness and meaning in life?
If we look honestly at the media that much of the world consumes, we shouldn’t be surprised that we’re living in a time of crisis. One of the goals of education is to develop the capacity for critical thinking in young people. This doesn’t mean we condemn anyone else, but it does mean we learn…
Handwriting analysis requires comparing upstrokes and downstrokes, looking for patterns and discrepancies to form a profile of the writer
As a handwriting analyst, I often speak to groups on the value of learning to interpret someone’s handwriting as a strategy for improving communications and reducing conflicts on teams. After a recent event, several people indicated how impressed they were by the accuracy of the group analyses. Aside from being entertaining, one business man declared, “This is…
When you become accustomed to worrying, you have a constant stream of negative feedback and information in your brain
Worry can derail an entire day if you let it. But you have the power to stop it in just 30 minutes, freeing up the rest of the day to really live. The strategy is more straightforward than you might think. When you become accustomed to worrying, you have a constant stream of negative feedback…
Outdated Canadian labour laws need to reflect new evidence on how deeply grief affects us, says U of A researcher
It takes months, even years, to recover from the grief of losing a loved one, and Canadian legislation and workplaces need to start recognizing that, says a University of Alberta researcher. While many workplaces offer three days of paid or unpaid bereavement leave, it’s based on an outdated 1967 federal law in the Canada Labour Code…
Being online all the time can be exhausting, say U of A experts who offer tips for anyone working or learning from home
It didn’t take long for Rylee Sargeant to start feeling tired and headachy after she, like everyone else, was forced to work remotely when the pandemic struck in March. “Lethargic is how I’d describe it,” said the 21-year-old University of Alberta kinesiology student. She’s taking courses now and working an online summer job, and that…
Demystifying police work is needed to increase public support for major reforms, argues U of A sociologist
Two contrasting perspectives have emerged in response to recent calls to “defund” police. One perspective – espoused by some activists on the political left – holds that policing is fatally broken, can’t be fixed through any reforms and ought to be cancelled outright through financial asphyxiation. The second perspective argues that policing takes an outsized…
U of A researchers tap into experiences and ideas of people living with dementia to fill public information gap
Researchers have developed a new guideline to help people with dementia stay safe if they get lost, based partly on the experiences of those who are living with the condition. “By including people with dementia, it tells them they can be active agents in their own care and they can keep themselves safe,” said lead…
There’s heightened anxiety among physicians and jumps in depression among nurses, health-care aides and personal support workers, according to early data from a University of Alberta study. The study is looking into the effectiveness of safety measures to protect the physical and mental health of Canada’s health-care workforce treating those with COVID-19. Occupational epidemiologist Nicola Cherry,…
