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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, A pr il 15 ,2 02 1 | 4 FULL-SERVICE RETIREMENT HOME Located on the cusp of the Hamlet of Glen Williams 222 Mountainview Road North, Georgetown 905-877-1800 www.mountainviewresidence.com Mountainview Residence by the Glen The only family owned & operated retirement home in Halton Hills. On-site activities to foster social, emotional, physical and mental wellbeing. Mountainview Residents are fully vaccinated, all are in good spirits We are growing with our community. Come see our new designs starting summer 2021! You've worked hard to enjoy retirement, now it's our pleasure to make this the best time of your life in a family, friendly atmosphere. Our residents enjoy social meals (variety of food choices), along with discrete personal care services to support daily well being. Georgetown's trusted choice for hearing care 360 Guelph St., Unit 44 Georgetown (In the Knolcrest Centre) 905.877.8828 Armstrong Ave Delrex Blvd haltonaudiometric.ca Call now for a preview of the next generation of hearing aid technology! Experience the latest ininlatest the Experience Technology HEARING AID FREE consultation 90dayRISK FREE trial worlds upside down. As young ones in Halton Hills and across the region struggle to make sense of it all, the adults they rely on for support may be im- mersed in their own feel- ings of anxiety and frustra- tion. To illustrate the poten- tial impact of the pandemic on a family's mental health and well-being, the Halton District School Board held a virtual information ses- sion Monday (March 29) for parents of elementary students. "We know parents are struggling to balance work, child care, self-care while keeping worries, both yours and your chil- dren's under control. Young children may be oblivious to the facts of the situation, but they may still feel unsettled by the changes in the routine, or they may pick up on the fact that people around them are worried and up- set," said Noorie Soni, mother of two and a panel- ist for the event. Strict COVID protocols have created lots of chang- es to kids' daily routines, said board social worker Kim Menezes-Francispil- lai. "Children may be expe- riencing a sense of loss and isolation with virtual learning, and sometimes perhaps struggling with changing family circum- stances, maybe family health or a job loss." Start by listening to your child as they describe their thoughts and emo- tions. They will tell you how they feel. Help your child to look for positives, things to be grateful for, she added. "Mental distress can be recognized as a struggle whenever we or someone we know experiences nega- tive thoughts, feelings and behaviours that become in- tense and long lasting -- anything longer than two weeks -- or if it interferes with their ability to func- tion and meet daily goals," said Menezes-Francispil- lai. If you feel your child may be anxious or stressed, the first step is to go to your child's teacher, said Menezes-Francispil- lai. Additional supports in- clude the special education resource teacher (SERT) available at every elemen- tary school, the school principal or vice-principal, a child or youth counsellor, the school social worker, or reach out to community supports such as Reach Out Centre for Kids (ROCK) or Kids Help Phone. The board also of- fers online resources through hdsb.ca, she said. There are also publicly funded mental health sup- ports in the community at ROCK to support you and your young ones, said Shi- vani Patel, ROCK's access and system navigation lead. Live Answer allows families and service pro- viders to connect with ROCK's virtual walk-in clinic, crisis support, ser- vices for children under 6, and general information and resources, said Patel. Live Answer 289-266- 0036 is available between Monday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ROCK also offers Quinn, a virtual chat bot, available through its web- site rockonline.ca which also supports access to ser- vices. Quinn is available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. "It's a neat way for youth who have a hard time mak- ing calls for them to be able to chat with ROCK staff over this feature," said Pa- tel. ROCK also has a dedi- cated crisis service with a 24-7 crisis line 905-878-9785 for youth up to 18 and their parents and caregivers. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Parents may not realize the potential men- tal toll the pandemic is taking, not only on them but their children. In our ongoing effort to shed a light on this issue, we sat in on the Halton District School Board's virtual information session for parents of elementary school children to high- light how COVID may be impacting the family and offer some coping strate- gies. NEWS Continued from page 1 SUPPORT SERVICES AVAILABLE FOR THOSE IN NEED SCAN THIS CODE FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS Virtual schooling and a lack of regular socializing is leaving children susceptible to stress and anxiety. Melanie Hennessey/Metroland