Perspectives from the Field: Recognizing the Importance of Health

A service provider with a transitional house for mothers and children involved with the child welfare system in Saskatchewan has noticed the emotional toll social isolation has taken on the mothers that reside at the home. Mothers are becoming more anxious, tired, and bored as isolation continues with limited accessibility to community supports such as Narcotics Anonymous meetings, parenting classes, and other peer support groups.

The service provider is also concerned for the physical health of the residents, themself, and their family.

“Getting residents to follow our in-house covid protocols is difficult… such as washing their hands, wearing masks, not having visitors come by, and not going out for non-essential reasons … I have had more anxiety about getting sick because of the population I work with. We have women and children and those kids are going to daycare and school which are higher risk places for viruses … I have missed at least 8 business days of work and had to use health and wellness days up because I was in isolation following covid testing,” they said.

People have been acknowledging the differences between how communities used to operate while ill as opposed to how our communities operate during COVID-19. The service provider has recognized how much communities rely on front line and essential workers. They hope that COVID-19 has taught the community the importance of our health as a collective people and that we will all begin to take precautions and restrict our social engagements while sick, even with a cold or a flu.