Newsletter

Coping with COVID-19

Our world is ever changing at the moment. The COVID-19 pandemic is presenting us with new challenges daily. It could be hard not to worry about how it will affect you, your family and life as you know it. Worry and anxiety are common at the best of times, so it’s natural to struggle when times are uncertain. Remember to take care of yourselves and be compassionate to those around you.

How to help your worry: (from PsychologyTools.com)

• Maintain balance in your life – reach out to someone online, phone or video call while still practicing social and physical distancing

• Speak to yourself with compassion – write down your negative or anxious thoughts and find a different way to respond to them

• Practice mindfulness

• Set a routine even when self-isolating to give structure to your day

• Stay mentally and physically active – doing rigorous housework or online exercise videos

• Practice gratitude to help you connect with moments of joy
• Notice and limit worry triggers -watching the news for more than 30 minutes? Checking social media constantly?

• Rely on reputable news sources – WHO, Public Health Ontario provide excellent updated information

• These are stressful times for everyone and treating each other with compassion, civility, and kindness are fundamental in staying healthy and safe

These are stressful times for everyone and treating each other with compassion, civility, and kindness are fundamental in staying healthy and safe

Staying Safe

For any interpreter currently providing face-to-face interpretation, please consider the following recommendations to stay safe and minimize your risks:

• Ask your Language Service Provider (LSP) or Healthcare Organization’s Language Service Department about alternatives to work remotely and virtually

• Ask your LSP or Language Service Department about masking and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) protocols to ensure you are protected

• Follow the screening protocols upon entry as required at each organization

• Practice proper hand washing, sanitizing and avoid touching your face

• Maintain physical distancing – this can be a challenge in clinical settings, so ask the healthcare provider to provide you a mask

• Be aware of your symptoms – some people may be in the early stages of being symptomatic and might not be aware, so masking may help to keep those nearby protected

• CANCEL your assignment immediately and DO NOT go to the hospital if you are sick or have symptom

• Ensure that you are provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as needed for your assignment

• Stay informed and stay safe

• Take care of yourselves and those around you

Interpreter Resources

These are stressful times for everyone and treating each other with compassion, civility, and kindness are fundamental in staying healthy and safe.

• Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for healthcare interpreters:  CCHI Commissioners discussed (in a webinar format) the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for healthcare interpreters individually and for the profession as a whole. You can watch the recording of the webinar here and access the resources page here.  

• Article dealing with discomfort and feelings of guilt and why it’s important to acknowledge the grief you may be feeling, how to manage it, and how we will find meaning in it (by Scott Berinato, senior editor at Harvard Business Review).

• Concerned you may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19? Visit the Ministry of Health website and taking their self-assessment.

• Temporary Transition to Remote Interpreting During Health Emergencies: Guidance and Tips for Language Access Stakeholders with Wilma Alvarado-Little, MA MSW (moderator), Nick Arce, MA, MS, CHI, CPXP (presenter), and Jody Prysock, MS, CI (presenter)

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