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  • Mental Hygiene – Make it Part of Your Routine

    Public mental health is considered one of our greatest public health challenges. As we have progressed in caring for several physical health issues in this modern era, mental health remains highly prevalent with no sign of it letting up. Canadian society has come a long way in facing the realities of mental illness. Great strides have been taken to encourage folks to talk about mental health challenges, not to be ashamed of them, and make concerted efforts to destigmatize this whole issue. Bell Media’s “let's talk” day is a great example. In addition, more initiatives have been undertaken to make mental health services accessible to the public. Ontario’s Telehealth network has emphasized making mental health accessible to rural communities. Our Crocus Care Solutions clinic has been a leader in getting people the mental health care they need. But what can the person do to support their mental health? Historically, many concrete recommendations have been given to the public to help various dimensions of our health. For example, the Canadian Dental Association recommends everyone brush their teeth for 2 minutes twice daily. The Canadian Sleep Society recommends the average adult target 7-8 hours of sleep per night and avoids nicotine, alcohol and caffeine before bed. Furthermore, in alignment with the World Health Organization, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity to support general and cardiovascular health. Public health organizations give numerous specific health recommendations to the general population. But what about mental health? In this regard, there is still a significant gap where although we are much more open to talking about and providing services for mental health, we are not offering specific guidance to the public in how to support their own mental health. In analogy, this is like raising awareness about dental cavities without telling people to brush their teeth. Enter the concept of mental hygiene. The term “hygiene” simply means conditions or practices conducive to health. Therefore, to extend that idea, mental hygiene refers to practices that are conducive to supporting mental health. This concept was recently validated in an academic journal that describes the concept more in detail. You can access the article here. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/26320770211000376 So what is mental hygiene? It refers to the simple idea of taking care of your mind on a day-to-day basis, just as we do with the rest of our bodies. We shower and brush our teeth daily; we try to get good regular sleep, and we get regular physical activity to maintain our physical health. We need to apply the same principles to our minds. Our mind, like our body, requires regular maintenance for optimal functioning and maximizing our ability to enjoy life and navigate the many challenges we all face. We all tend to over-think. Sometimes we can express this as the hamster wheel in our mind that goes on non-stop, or in other words, the non-stop ‘blah blah blah’. Certainly, practical thinking is beneficial and important, but we are talking about the non-practical thoughts that swirl around in our mind. We know from psychology research that when there’s too much of this, we tend to have a lower mood, more anxiety, less resilience, and generally be more vulnerable to mental health issues. Again as an analogy, dental plaque build up on our teeth is common to us all, and not a big deal. But when dental plaque becomes excessive, we’re more vulnerable to problems with our teeth. Good dental hygiene, that is, good day-to-day maintenance, doesn’t eliminate dental plaque, but it does minimize build-up and the chances it becomes excessive and problematic. The same goes for our mind; wondering about non-practical thoughts and a bit of hamster wheel is nothing of concern, but when this pattern becomes excessive, our susceptibility to mental health challenges increases. And so, regular day-to-day maintenance of our mind, or in other words, mental hygiene, helps reduce the tendency for these patterns to become excessive and negatively impact our mental health. So what are mental hygiene practices? Mental hygiene can take on many forms. They are essentially evidence-based practices that have been demonstrated to support mental health. Examples include: gratitude exercises, deep breathing techniques, mindfulness meditation, pro-social prayer, journaling, self-directed cognitive behavioral therapy exercises, positive psychology exercises, and nature exposure. Please check out this link for specific guidance on different practices https://www.theroyal.ca/patient-care-information/about-mental-health/mental-hygiene-challenge-yourself-take-charge-your-mental-health, and be sure to download the free toolkit. It offers concrete instructions on different mental hygiene practices that can be done, along with quick instructional videos. So what exactly is the recommendation to the public? The recommendation is for folks to engage in 10 minutes a day of mental hygiene. The wonderful thing about mental hygiene is that you can make it your own. Whether you do 10 minutes all at once, or whether you do 2 minutes, five times throughout the day, or 5 minutes twice, or even 1 minute ten times, it’s all up to you and what works for you. And also, you can even combine and mix the different practices depending on what you connect with. For example, a 2-minute prayer with 3 minutes of gratitude exercise and 5 minutes journaling would be a good example of excellent mental hygiene. Mix it up, make it your own, and make it practical so it can become part of your daily life. A recent survey study showed that for those who did 10 minutes a day of mental hygiene for 30 days, their average mental well-being scores increased by 25%. Remember, you don’t need to wait for a bad day to do something good for your mental health. In other words, we don't shower only when falling in the mud. So although it’s good to help our minds during those bad days, we want to go beyond and incorporate mental hygiene in our daily lives. Be proactive, take care of your mind like you do the rest of your body, and give yourself the best chance at enjoying life and encouraging flourishing health. The article was written by Mr. Guillame Tremblay, a Nurse Practitioner who is one of the co-authors and researchers of Mental Hygiene. Edited by Ibrahim Ismayilov, Registered Psychotherapist.

  • Post-Partum Depression or Baby Blues?

    During pregnancy, women's bodies will circulate more estrogen and progesterone hormones. These hormones can play a protective function against depression during pregnancy. Many women recall the pregnancy to be a happy time in their life. The cause of Post-Partum Depression is unknown; however, it is thought that the drop in the levels of hormones post-delivery may cause depressive symptoms. For a woman to receive a diagnosis of postpartum depression, the symptoms must start after delivering the baby and last at least two weeks. All of the following signs and symptoms must be present for a diagnosis: depressed mood decreased interest in activities known as anhedonia, decrease in energy, changes in sleep such as insomnia or oversleeping known as hypersomnia, weight gain or weight loss, reduced concentration, disturbed self-esteem or self-concept such as feeling guilty or worthless, and feeling either agitated or slowed (psychomotor agitation or retardation). Finally, a woman must also feel either actively or passively suicidal or have thoughts about not wanting to live. In most cases, the physician will also order the bloodwork as some new moms experience low thyroid post-pregnancy, which can cause depression. If this is the case, the physician will likely prescribe a thyroid replacement medication. Once the thyroid levels are stabilized, the depression will also likely subside. Now, it's essential to not confuse Baby Blues with Post-Partum Depression. Baby Blues is a natural reaction to the postpartum adjustment. It will not be a significant problem for the new mom. The baby blues is not considered the past postpartum depression. So how do we differentiate Baby Blues from Post-Partum Depression? Baby Blues will last less than two weeks and typically start 2 to 3 days after giving birth, affecting 80% of women who deliver the baby. On the other hand, Postpartum depression is more severe. It typically starts within a month after having a baby and sometimes may begin within one year after delivery. It affects 5 to 7% of women and is moderate to severe in intensity. This kind of depression will last longer than two weeks, and suicidality will be more pronounced. Women who experience harmless baby blues are not experiencing suicidal ideation. Once a woman is diagnosed with postpartum depression, she will require some treatment. Depending on the severity of depression, psychotherapy will be offered, and consideration may also be around prescribing antidepressants. However, one concern is if a woman is breastfeeding her newborn, which can be pretty nerve-wracking for a new mom. However, the physician will typically prescribe an antidepressant appropriate for breastfeeding moms. The psychotherapy that is effective for postpartum depression is interpersonal and cognitive behavioral therapy, on either individual or group basis. Both interpersonal therapy and CBT have significant evidence behind them. Interpersonal therapy will focus on the role transition aspect. The therapist will work with a new mom to help her transition into her unique and more demanding role. CBT will likely focus on recognizing the symptoms of depression, identifying cognitive biases and distortions, designing a behavioral activation plan, and engaging in the cognitive restructuring of cognitive distortions. Psychoeducation is an integral part of both therapies. It involves educating a new mom on her symptoms, prognosis, and treatment options. These types of psychotherapy are expected to be very helpful for mild to moderate postpartum depression. In these cases, medication will likely not be prescribed. On the other hand, a severe case of Post-Partum Depression will likely require both psychotherapy and antidepressant. In addition, the severity of depression can be assessed by a qualified practitioner using psychometric testing such as Edinburgh postnatal depression scale. In very severe cases involving thoughts of suicide, a woman may be hospitalized in a facility. In the hospital-like facility, she will remain for the period of treatment and stabilization, after which she will likely be discharged home with support. Some women will want to try natural treatment modalities for their Post-Partum Depression. Unfortunately, there is not enough research backing these treatment methods. For example, some women may find a yoga class, exercise and acupuncture session helpful. Some women will try kinesiotherapy, physiotherapy, and music therapy. However, research shows that light therapy is not appropriate for Post-Partum Depression. At Crocus Care Solutions Inc, we provide interpersonal and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to women experiencing Post-Partum Depression. The treatment is done using work insurance or private payment. We also offer psychotherapy for new moms who are refugees with a valid Interim Federal Health Plan (IFHP). This includes the claimants who have not received their permanent residency yet, and are not covered under OHIP. In addition, we provide direct billing for refugee claimants. In some instances, direct billing may be done. In these cases, the client will only cover the applicable co-pay portion. However, there are many resources available to women in Ontario. For example, the local public health departments have programs that support women with Post-Partum Depression. Sources: Ibrahim Ismayilov, Registered Psychotherapist, wrote this blog post. He used his knowledge and clinical experience as well as the article by ATHRYN P. HIRST, MD, AND CHRISTINE Y. MOUTIER, MD, called "Post-Partum Major Depression" published in 2010.

  • Assessment of Emotional Issues and Sexuality of LGBTQ

    There are different views on sexuality in other parts of the world. Canadian society accepts LGBTQ members well and treats them with dignity and respect. However, it is illegal in some other countries. Sexuality is also a big part of psychotherapy assessment and treatment. For example, we often provide psychotherapy for clients who suffer from depression, body dysmorphia, and PTSD. They also identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, or queer (LGBTQ). According to the social determinants of health, the issue of sexuality becomes even more complicated with a client who suffers from a mental health disorder. It is more significant if one has refugee status or another precarious immigration status. However, most refugees go through considerable stress related to their sexual issues even before coming to Canada. According to the Washington Post, Homosexuality is illegal in countries such as Yemen, Iran, and Mauretania come on Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Somalia, UAE, and Afghanistan. We often see in our practice how clients have been traumatized following interaction with the law enforcement officials back in their home countries. Homosexuals are frequently victims of torture, stoning, public humiliation, stigmatization, bullying, social isolation, and out casting. The individuals who were afraid to disclose their sexuality back home, where the law and society are against them, will be scared to admit that they are homosexual in Canada. Our job as mental health professionals becomes even more critical during assessing sexuality with the newcomers. First and foremost, it's essential to establish a solid therapeutic alliance, so the clients will be comfortable disclosing these issues to the therapist. It's imperative to explain that healthcare-related matters are confidential in Canada. In my practice with refugee clients, I often observe that clients are scared to come forward with personal health information. They're afraid to be diagnosed with a mental illness, fearful of the repercussions. It is also a significant issue among youths in Canada. LGBTQ youth often become the target of bullying and social isolation. The experience is so profound, but often this leads to self-harming behaviour. So, it's crucial to reassure the purpose of a visit and that the assessor is trying to help someone who needs help. In assessing sexuality, it's essential to collect information about gender identity, meaning how one identifies currently with their gender and sexual orientation. Exploration of one’s sexuality also includes past experiences with the same sex, when the attraction started, and what were the early experiences and traumas. It's essential to screen for comorbidities such as PTSD, body dysmorphia, and eating disorders. Studies show that homosexual men often have comorbidities such as major depression, social phobia, and alcohol or drug dependence. In addition, they frequently screen positive for mood disorders and anxiety disorders that affect their quality of life and contribute to disability. A study from the UK also shows how profoundly the youth are affected by sexuality-related issues. More so, the study showed that the social determinants of self-harm and suicidality are a real issue in LGBTQ youth populations . The study found that youth affected by homophobia and unable to talk about their emotions had a greater chance of planning and attempting suicide. It was the stress associated with hiding their LGBTQ identity. It's essential to administer psychometric tests as part of objective measures. However, there are not many tests that help assess sexuality. For example, I have adapted several tests at our clinic that help with that. These tests are essential for clients and crucial as a part of their psychotherapy assessment report. However, the therapist must also be skilled in other objective assessment techniques. Constructing the timeline of events is very important. Therefore, it is essential to be observant when dealing with youth, especially if there are any cuts on the forearms, as it would indicate self-harming behaviour. For example, adolescents sometimes want to hide their self-harming behaviour, and they may cut their thighs. It's essential to screen for hidden signs of domestic abuse and intimate partner violence. Does your client appear scared, subdued, or are they disheveled? It's essential to design the proper treatment plan to help the client accept their sexuality and move forward with life. If a trauma component is associated with clients presenting symptoms, it's essential to offer trauma therapy. However, talk therapies such as CBT and interpersonal psychotherapy are often helpful. They help clients navigate role transitions and adapt cognitive skills to deal with their intrusive thoughts. For example, how exactly will the treatment look? For example, suppose one uses interpersonal therapy. In that case, one may focus on the role transitions aspect or perhaps even interpersonal disputes in some instances. For example, let's say a person is trying to accept themselves in their new role as a young lesbian. For example, suppose it's a transgender youth trying to fit in the society. Conclusively, the role transition aspect of interpersonal therapy will be vital in this case. The individual trying to adjust to a new, stressful role with many unknowns attached to it. For example, suppose this is a Individual who has recently become a homosexual to their family. It may have caused a particular strain in their relationship, especially if the family comes from a strict, conservative or religious background. It may have already caused disputes between the client and the parents and siblings. Therefore, it is necessary to address these issues in the context of the interpersonal conflict of IPT. We will help the client adjust and accept themselves, help them maintain and improve their interpersonal relations and recruit the necessary support networks that will act as protective factors for the client. #Pridemonth #LGBTQ #LGBTQcommunity #LGBTQCanada #Traumatherapy #Psychotherapy #Mentalhealth #IPT #CBT #Transgender Sincerely Ibrahim Ismayilov for CrocusCare Solutions Inc. Your #dailytherapist Sources: Ibrahim Ismayilov used the references listed below and his experience and knowledge as the Registered Psychotherapist and health administrator to write this blog. Bearak, Max, and Darla Cameron. “Analysis | Here Are the 10 Countries Where Homosexuality May Be Punished by Death.” The Washington Post. WP Company, December 1, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/13/here-are-the-10-countries-where-homosexuality-may-be-punished-by-death-2/. McDermott, Elizabeth, Elizabeth Hughes, and Victoria Rawlings. “The Social Determinants of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth Suicidality in England: A Mixed Methods Study.” Journal of Public Health 40, no. 3 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdx135. Wang, Jen, Michael Häusermann, Vladeta Ajdacic-Gross, Peter Aggleton, and Mitchell G. Weiss. “High Prevalence of Mental Disorders and Comorbidity in the Geneva Gay Men’s Health Study.” Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 42, no. 5 (2007): 414–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-007-0190-3.

  • PTSD Avoidance, Intrusion, how to heal? The answer: Trauma Therapy

    Years ago, someone was in a car accident on an icy road in Ontario and was deployed in combat in Iraq as a soldier. They witnessed death, rape and other atrocities, or their loved ones faded away from lung cancer. It’s also possible that a person was a refugee or a victim of domestic abuse, whose persecutors demolished his house, this was many years ago, when his parents were going through a nasty divorce during early childhood or adolescence? The child was often left unattended, cold and hungry? Time passed, and this person felt frustrated and depressed; he felt angry and in despair. However, he thought things were getting better for him, and he resumed his daily activities, school and work. He felt that he was doing better after six months. But something changed. This person started avoiding going to the grocery store when it's hectic and now feels uneasy in crowds. He avoided certain people that reminded him of the past trauma. He felt shy meeting new friends and thought he was awkward around people. He thought he was just introverted and went on with life, missing out on meeting new friends, networking contacts and meeting his future life companion. His sleep became disturbed. Sometimes he woke up, and his heart was beating fast, and it was difficult to go back to sleep. Every other night he had various nightmares. These nightmares did not seem relevant. However, the person felt tired after not sleeping well at night. These avoidances and intrusions are very simple and easy to miss. We get accustomed to living with them. They're essential to consider when we're dealing with PTSD. So how do we treat this condition that many people experience in their lifetime? Well, we have to start with the assessment of the condition first. Psychotherapists assess the client who went through "criterion a." Criterion a traumatic event that a person went through that was terrifying in nature, or they witnessed their loved one go through that event. It can be illness, threats, disputes, physical injury, or sexual assault. We will look at the avoidance that a person engages in and how disturbed sleep is. It will include a thorough sleep assessment. Do you go back to sleep and wake up after half an hour of feeling miserable? Do you wake up in cold sweat after nightmares? Or are you simply feeling tired after sleeping nine hours without any obvious cause? We will administer psychometric tests to measure these intrusions and avoidances. Once we have established that someone has the symptoms of PTSD, we will offer a psychotherapy treatment plan. Often Psychotherapists who treat PTSD are referred to as trauma therapists. Trauma therapists typically provide one of several psychotherapy treatments, such as prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive processing therapy, EMDR, or cognitive behavioral therapy with an exposure component. but how do I go about choosing my trauma therapist? Do you want someone who will understand you, who is passionable? I like to remain professional when providing trauma therapy. However, I also understand that there is a need to relate to a client personally without crossing professional boundaries. I like to make clients feel at ease and be very personable with them to feel that I care about their experience and that I am available. If I needed a trauma therapist myself, I would like someone who is empathic. However, everyone is different, and some clients prefer a more formal medical approach. You want somebody specializing in trauma treatment and has a certificate attached to their name. This blog will consider the treatment called prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD. It's a very structured approach, where a Psychotherapist follows certain steps. In the initial treatment steps, the Psychotherapist will collect information about the specific trauma or traumas that the client went through in the past. The goal is to identify one index trauma. This trauma will be most disturbing to the client. The more disturbing the trauma, the more effective the treatment can be if administered appropriately. Having identified the trauma, the therapist will move on to collect in vivo exposure items. These are the activities that the client used to enjoy in the past. However, they can no longer engage in them due to high anxiety and stress levels. We will use subjective units of the stress scale or SUDS to measure this avoidance to see how disturbing they are to a client. We want to make a list of 18 to 20 items if possible. However, we can also start with just five or six items. During the psychotherapy sessions, we will engage in imaginal exposure. Imaginal exposure involves a client causing their eyes, imagining that the trauma is happening again. And describing what is happening at the moment, specifically paying attention to sensations they were experiencing. The task itself will be disturbing, and the therapist will check in to see the disturbance levels at the time of recall. We will also ask the client to record the sessions and listen to them at home as part of the homework. Another type of homework will assign an in vivo exposure hierarchy. For this type of homework, we will start with the items that the client avoids that are not as disturbing. We will ask the clients to engage in these activities between the sessions, which are usually one week apart. With time, the SUDS levels will reduce. The client will engage in more tasks that they used to avoid in the past, the anxiety will lower as well. Once we break the vicious cycle, the client will feel less depressed and become more functional. There is significant research behind this treatment methodology. It has been used widely with soldiers who have experienced combat trauma, sexual assault, victims of car accidents, and many other types of PTSD. The research shows that this method is effective and safe. The client will typically require 18 sessions, the other one and a half hours long. The psychotherapy sessions will not feel great at first. There will be some anxiety coming to the sessions, and your therapist can address these issues. However, it should get better with time, there will be hope for achieving the set goals. Finally, the therapist needs to provide some documentation of the trauma assessment, the treatment progress, and what strategies worked for specific clients. We will often measure suds initially and then compare them as the treatment progresses throughout the 18 sessions. We will also measure PTSD with psychometric tests such as PCL-5 or a trauma inventory. At the end of the sessions, we will compare and see how the PTSD levels have reduced with treatment. We offer prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD at our clinic, crocuscaresolution here in Ottawa both in person and virtually. We accept clients both in Ottawa and outside of Ottawa. We often get phone calls from the Toronto and GTA area and are always happy to help clients if it's a good fit. Until we meet again, and for now, take good care of yourself and your loved ones. Sincerely #DailyTherapist #Crocuscaresolution #RegisteredPsychotherapist Ibrahim Ismayilov Sources: Ibrahim Ismayilov, Registered Psychotherapist who learned these concepts in his clinical practice and taking a course in prolonged exposure therapy and reading book By (author) Edna Foa , Elizabeth A. Hembree , Barbara Olasov Rothbaum , Sheila Rauch

  • Anxiety Coping Strategies

    We constantly think. Scary thoughts may lead to anxiety feelings and behaviors. Try these simple strategies to manage anxiety: Talk to a friend or a family members, tell them how you feel. They may reassure you or give you a valuable advice. Go for a walk. Going for a walk can be very therapeutic. It can manage stress, anxiety and improve your sleep. Write a journal. Writing a journal about your thoughts and feelings can be therapeutic. Once you have written in the journal, try to read it back. Sometimes this will help reflect on what you wrote and help you understand that the problem is not as significant as you initially thought. Talk to a professional. If anxiety is overwhelming you, you should seek help from a qualified professional such as a counselor, psychotherapist or psychologist. Your family doctor can also help you with advice and medication.

  • Tips to manage Degenerative Disk Disease

    Degenerative Disk Disease (DDD) is the osteoarthritis of the spine. This disease develops with age from stress on the spine and due to spine becoming less flexible as we age. It manifests as pain in the neck "cervical spine' or lower back "lumbar spine". Pain may travel from your lower back to the thighs and buttocks. Some people also experience weakness, numbness and tingling. Your doctor may diagnose DDD after ordering x-rays or other tests. How to manage DDD? Stretching & Physiotherapy (TENS, Ultrasound, Massage, Manual Therapy, etc) Chiropractic treatment Medications - both over the counter pain relievers and prescription medications Most people with DDD feel relief when they are moving or stretching. Look up online stretching exercises and try them out yourself. You can also book a physiotherapy session at our clinic and our physiotherapists would be happy to help you manage DDD!

  • What is Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Management (IASTM)

    Our physiotherapists recently took courses in IASTM and I decided to write a little about IASTM to help our clients learn a little about this physiotherapy technique. IASTM can be done with a special tool called M2T blade. IASTM is not a painful or invasive procedure. It can only be performed by a physiotherapist who is trained in IASTM. Typically, the physiotherapist will apply pressure over specific points on patient's body with the M2T blade in an effort to stimulate fibroblasts and scar adhesions also known as "fibrous tissue". At Crocus Care we our physiotherapists provide treatment with M2T blade. This treatment is covered by most insurance standard private payments so there is no need to pay extra out of pocket. Conditions treated with IASTM: Epicondylitis Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Neck, back, hip, ankle Pain Rotator Cuff Tendinitis Tendinitis (rotator cuff, patellar, tibialis, heel, achilles) DeQuervain's Syndrome Myofascial Pain Muscle sprain and strain Bursitis Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy - RSD Surgical and Traumatic Scars

  • What to do after a work injury.

    If you or someone you know was involved in a work related injury they may need lots of help. Work related injuries happens every day. Depending on the industry you are in the likelihood and the type of injury will vary. For instance nurses are prone to having neck pain and they are exposed to violence from patients more frequently. Construction workers are more prone concussions. After any injury make sure you report it to your management. Every workplace has a a health and safety representative or a manager who deals with work injuries. It’s important to report your injury to your manager and/or health and safety representative immediately. They will advise you about your next steps. Often times you will need to seek medical help. In that case you may need to go to the hospital or see your family doctor. If you require physiotherapy or rehabilitation treatments due to your injury you will need to open a claim with the Workers Safety and Insurance Board. The steps are as follow: 1. Notify your employer of the work related accident or occupational disease you have. 2. You employer will fill out WSIB Form 7 within three days. 3. Seek medical help. Your genera practitioner (family doctor or nurse practitioner) will fill out WSIB Form 8 "Health Professional's Report". Your treating practitioner will decide what to do next. He/she may refer you to see another professional, undergo diagnostic testing or see a Physiotherapist or Psychologist. We will be glad to accept you as a client at our clinic for physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychology, and nurse practitioner services. If you would like to receive help from us (free of charge to you) then please call us or email us. If you are a family physician or nurse practitioner feel free to refer the client to us, we will handle their care and help with all the related documentation. 4. You will need to fill out WSIB Form 6 "Worker's Report of Injury/Disease". We can help you fill out and send this form to WSIB at our clinic for free. 4. Report your injury to your union and/or private benefits company as you maybe eligible for collateral benefits. How we can help for free? Services for patients and referring doctors! At our clinic we guide you and/or your family doctor/nurse practitioner through the whole process. We start, help fill out and submit all the necessary forms to open and maintain a medical claim for you with WSIB. We don't charge your or your doctor for our services. We can also provide: physiotherapy, chiropractic, psychology and nurse practitioner services at our clinic. We will take on your case and communicate with your doctor and WSIB regularly to keep them updated about your progress. #workinjury #freehelpworkinjury #WSIB #WSIBclaim #freeadviceworkinjury #freeadvice

  • What to do after a car accident?

    If you or someone you know was in a car accident you may need to take several steps in order to get better. First, always be safe and seek medical help if you or someone else is hurt. Its always a good idea to go to the emergency department for a check up or to see a family or walk in clinic doctor right away. Second, make sure you exchange insurance information with the other party who was involved in the accident. Leaving the scene of accident without exchanging insurance information may be considered at the very least as "hit and run" and may cause you many problems. If someone is physically hurt and you leave without exchanging information or without helping them then there may be a criminal or negligence case brought against you. Third, report the accident to your insurance and police. You can report the accident to insurance by calling them. You can report the accident to police directly with the officer who is present at the scene or by going later to a collision reporting center. Police officer may come and check on if you were taken to the hospital by an ambulance. Be sure to ask the police officer to provide you with the "badge number" and "accident report #". You may not need to use it now, however, chances are in the future you will require this information. Fourth, if you are hurting then find a physiotherapy & rehabilitation clinic that will treat your injuries. Our clinic provides many services for car accident victims such as physiotherapy, massage, acupuncture, disability certificate, psychological assessment and psychotherapy, occupational therapy, home care, medical devices, etc. In addition to that we handle all your insurance related paperwork and we regularly keep in touch with your insurance adjuster and family doctor to help you get better. Fifth, you may need to find a personal injury lawyer who will represent you. For example, you may want to obtain a settlement in the future or sue the other party for pain, suffering or loss of opportunity. This may sound easy, but its often more challenging than most people think. Some lawyers don't take at fault drivers, some only help clients with brain injuries, some specialize in bike accidents. At our clinic we review your case and match you with the right lawyer that is most likely to accept you as a client. Moreover, the lawyers who work with us don't charge you any fees while your case is not settled. Sixth, when you have a moment document the details of the accident and injury mechanism for future need. Think about this, time, date, intersection, car that you were in. How was the car hit and how did affect you? Did you hit your head? Did your neck suffer a whiplash injury? Did you feel immediate pain? Try to document as many details as possible as this may be important in the future. If you have a camera or phone camera then take pictures of the car as well as any physical injuries on your body such as bruises, bleeding, bumps, lumps, etc. Keep in mind that we help clients, lawyers and healthcare professionals with all their accident related issues for free. Call us now or email us and we will be happy to help! #freehelpafteraccident #helpafteraccident #whattodoafteraccident #freeadvice

  • Application for Accident Benefits (OCF-1)

    If you or someone you know were involved in a car accident as a driver, passenger, cyclist or pedestrian you might need to fill out the "Application for Accident Benefits". This form is currently 8 pages long and you may need to add attachments on additional information in order to complete it. Although this form is meant to be completed by the car accident victim it is very complex and uses technical jargon which frequently confuses even the professionals who don't have experience in the field of personal injury. It is absolutely vital that you and your doctor or lawyer spend time to complete these form properly. Small mistakes and omissions may prevent you from accessing important medical and rehabilitation services in a timely manner. Big mistakes may have more dire consequences. First, you will need to determine which insurance company is responsible to provide you with the "Accident Benefits". Think it is simple? It turns out that it is very confusing. For instances, you were the passenger in your friend's car and she made an accident. You are also a secondary driver of your mom's car and are mentioned in her insurance policy. You may think that your friend's insurance policy will cover you? Well, in Ontario it will be the responsibility of your mom's insurance policy to provide you with the Accident Benefits as you were listed in her policy, and your mom's insurance "has the priority". Now, most likely your and your mom's insurance will not increase as it is neither one was at fault of the accident. After you did everything described above you need to call the insurance company that is responsible for the claim (phone # can be found on the insurance slip or googled) and open an "Accident Benefits Claim". Be ready to answer a series of questions from the insurance adviser on the phone. Most importantly, at the end of your phone call make sure to ask the adviser to provide you with the claim number and right this number down. In most cases the insurance adjuster will be assigned to your case within 1 business day. Now, its time to fill out the OCF-1 "Application for Accident Benefits"! Part 1 is "Applicant Information". Pretty straight forward except the part that asks you about your dependents for financial support or care. These are normally your children who depend on you for financial support and care under 16-18 years of age or disabled or elderly adults (relatives) who depend on you. For example, an elderly parent or disabled partner would qualify. Skip part 2 if you did not hire a personal injury lawyer to represent you. If you did, then include their information in part 2. Part 3 is tricky and you may need to consult someone before filling out as the details provided here are very important. For instance, if you were at work when the accident happened (e.g. taxi driver, travelling nurse, deliver person) then you will most likely not qualify for accident benefits at all! However, if you are a taxi or uber driver, who was coming home from work and was not officially on duty then you will qualify for benefits, however, it is important to properly explain this in the OCF-1! If you have any questions related to this or any other part of the OCF-1 feel free to call or email us and we will be happy to help you with this for free. Part 4 helps determine which insurance company is responsible for paying for your accident benefits. Part 5 deals with your "status" and can be a little confusing. As such you may be considered: employed, retired, self-employed, caregiver, student. How do you figure this out? Sometimes it is straight forward and sometimes it can be very confusing. Part 6, 7, 8 are the logical continuation of Part 5, which are even more detailed. To summarize: Do your best to fill out the OCF-1 but don't worry if its too challenging, you can always find help with this. At our office we help clients, doctors and lawyers fill out tens of OCF-1s per month! We find it that if English is not your first language you may have difficulty filling out this form on your own. Also, depending on your skill with completing forms you may need someone to help you fill this form out. At our clinic we use specialized software that helps us quickly and efficiently fill out this form. Additionally, our staff is very experienced in these matters and can assist you with OCF-1 or any other insurance related form. We don't charge you or the insurance company for this service. Why do we do it for free? Our vision is "Care at its best!". We want healthcare to be just as easy and fun as using free internet services. Imagine if you had to pay for google email or to read a newspaper online. We believe that all healthcare and related social services should be free just like Facebook and google are free! While we help our clients, doctors and lawyers with these and other forms we do our best to build a trusting relationship with them. We hope that after we fill out your forms for free you will decided to stay with our clinic as a client or referring provider or lawyer (our services are covered by your insurance and you don't need to pay out of pocket). If you are a family physician, nurse or any other professional who is trying to help their client fill out these forms we will help you as best as we can to make this process easy for you. We will offer to do it for free for your client. In any case, we would like to hear from you and help you! #healthcareshouldbefree #freeservicesforaccidentvictims #supportingourdoctors #supportingandempoweringpatients #OCF1 #accidentbenefits

  • What is the Accident Benefits package?

    When someone is involved in a car accident in Ontario they can open a claim for “Accident Benefits” with the insurance company. The insurance company will mail you the “Accident Benefits Package” which will consist of several forms such as OCF-1, OCF-2, OCF-3, OCF-5, OCF-10, OCF23, etc. You may need to submit some or all of these forms to your insurer in order to claim “Accident Benefits”. Although they may seem confusing and extensive, it is important that you and your healthcare provider take time to fill these forms out properly. Even small mistakes and omissions may prevent you from accessing various benefits that you may need. We spend time and effort to help our clients fill out these forms properly. As such clients, doctors and lawyers rely on us to help them with these forms. Read more about different OCF forms in our blog! Keep in mind that we help clients, lawyers and healthcare professionals fill out all the OCF forms that they may need for free! Call us today to find out more! #OCF #AccidentBenefitsPackage

  • What is an OCF and how do I get one filled?

    OCF stands for “Ontario Claims Form”. This are the official forms created by the government of Ontario to help car accident victims apply for certain benefits also knows as AB or “Accident Benefits”. There are many different OCF forms that are used by clients and healthcare providers. For example OCF-1 is the Application for Accident Benefits, and OCF-18 is the Treatment and Assessment Plan (referred to as "TAP" by insurance adjusters) that is normally prepared by a physiotherapist or psychologist prior to starting treatment. Read more about different OCF forms in our blog! Keep in mind that we help clients, lawyers and healthcare professionals fill out all the OCF forms that they may need for free! Call us today to find out more! #OCF #OCF1 #OCF2 #AccidentBenefits #AB #OCF18 #OCF23 #OCF3 #InsuranceClaim

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