getting back to school, sports and a full social calendarIt’s interesting that you bring up mental health. We know that the pandemic has been a stressor on mental health of our population. Prior to the pandemic, one in five people said they were struggling with mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. The Mental Health Commission of Canada did a survey and 84 per cent of respondents said their mental health had worsened over the course of the pandemic.
I’m also a parent — I have four kids going back to school on Tuesday. They’re excited about it. But as a parent, I’m also navigating this newness about where we’re at in this stage of the pandemic as a school season starts up.One in four Canadian children are behind on their routine childhood vaccinations. If that’s not addressed, we could see the return of previously eradicated diseases.
It’s still important to stay home if you’re sick. And even though we don’t have a mask mandate, wearing a mask indoors is still recommended when you’re with the elderly, or more vulnerable people, people who have multiple medical conditions, or even little ones who aren’t eligible for vaccines. With that advice, I think as parents and as physicians, we can go into the fall knowing that we’ve done well to get to the place where we are sending our kids back to school. People are having those social gatherings and a little bit more normal way of life. I know my family and I have enjoyed restaurants and going to the theatre and it’s not nearly as locked down as it was before. We have a lot to be grateful for.Emma Jones is a multimedia editor with Healthing.