Don’t forget to reconfirm Student Status!

To ensure your dependent children, age 22 to 25, continue to receive uninterrupted Health and Dental coverage for the duration of their formal education, be sure to update their student status with Great-West Life each year.

Is your Dependent Child eligible?

If you have unmarried, natural, adopted or step children, under the age of 22 and not working more than 30 hours a week, unless they are full-time students, they are eligible for coverage through your group benefits plan with Great-West Life. If your child is age 22 or over, they must be a full-time student to maintain coverage until age 25.

Is your Dependent Child considered a fill-time student?

A child is considered a full-time student if they have registered in an educational institution for 15 hours a week or more; sometime in the last 6 months. Your child is no longer deemed a dependent if they are being paid to attend an educational institution.

Does my dependent child have coverage while out-of-country?

If your child is considered an eligible dependent, they will be covered for unexpected emergency medical situation while out-of-country. An emergency is defined as a sudden, unexpected injury or an acute episode of disease. If your dependent child has a medical issue, the condition must be stable and controlled for 3 months prior to their departure from Canada in order to be eligible for coverage. Check with your doctor and Great-West Life if you are unsure. For a dependent who is not a student, no benefits will be paid for expenses incurred more than 90 days after the date of departure from Canada in the event of a medical emergency.

Is your child covered while studying abroad?

Your dependent child will remain on your Health and Dental plan for the duration of their education, or until they reach age 25 as long as approval is given by the student’s provincial health plan. For more information on your provincial health plan, visit http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/mhsip/index.html.

Keep in mind, any routine or non-emergency services or expenses such as chiropractic care or prescription drugs incurred out-of-country will be reimbursed at the reasonable and customary amount charged in your home province of residence.

If you feel your dependent’s coverage is inadequate and require additional individual coverage, plans purchased in Canada for students abroad can be significantly less expensive than plans available through post-secondary institutions. Red River College Employees have access to HUB International STRATA Benefits Consulting Individual Health Dental and Travel service which provides information and assistance in obtaining individual coverage. Contact HUB STRATA at 1-866-756-3281 or e-mail emerge@hubinternational.com for more information.

Supporting Your Wellness

The LifeWorks website contains useful tools and articles to help you and your family. You even have access to seminars at www.lifeworks.com.

Resources are available to help you resolve conflict and build strong relationships. This month the recommended Podcast is:

• Workplace Manners

STRATA Select Travel Discount Program

Through our affiliation with HUB International STRATA Benefits Consulting, we are able to offer our employees products and services at discounted or preferred rates through the Voluntary STRATA Select Program.

One of these products provides access to below-market hotel and car rental discounts while you travel. Hotel discounts are available for over 120,000 hotel properties worldwide with car rental discounts for over 800 car rental suppliers across 175 countries. For more information on these discounts or the Voluntary STRATA Select Program, please visit your STRATA Select website.

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Through the voluntary STRATA Select Program, you are eligible for discounts on a variety of products and services such as an Individual Life & Living Benefits consultation. Whether you are looking to supplement or replace group life and living benefits, or reviewing options for a loved one, a consultation with an independent insurance agent is your best choice.

With access to multiple insurance companies without bias, an independent agent will serve as your consultant and trusted advisor. With your best interests in mind, a consultant will analyze the full array of available products to recommend the best fit for you.

An individual life and living benefits consultation will include:

• A Comprehensive Needs Assessment – before recommending your best combination of coverage, service and value, your consultation will assess:
  • Budget
  • Coverage Duration
  • Family Medical History
  • Outstanding Debt Concerns
• Administrative Support – application process and completion of all required administration within applicable timeframes.
• Prompt and Personal Service – ongoing assistance with any questions, policy adjustments and claims as they arise.

Log on to your STRATA Select website for contact information and more information on other STRATA Select discounts.

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Supporting Your Wellness

The LifeWorks website contains useful tools and articles to help you and your family. You even have access to seminars and Podcasts at www.lifeworks.com.

LifeWorks contains the resources for managing stress, depression, addiction, and many other mental health issues that may be affecting your health and well-being. Check out this month’s recommended Podcast:

• Getting Help for Depression

Summer Sun Protection

It’s that time of year. Time to head outside and enjoy all of the fun summer activities. It is very important to take protective measures against heat-related illness and sun exposure while enjoying the outdoors. Here is some information and tips to help you stay safe in the sun this summer.

The Facts about Ultraviolet (UV) Light and Skin Damage: [1]

• Sunlight is strong and can cause skin cancer, premature aging of your skin and can be harmful to your eyes
• The two types of ultraviolet (UV) rays that can be harmful to you are UVA and UVB rays
• UV rays can get through clouds, fog and haze, and can be reflected by water, sand, concrete and snow

UV Index

The UV index is a useful tool that tells you the strength of the sun’s UV rays. Check the UV Index daily before going outside. When the UV Index reaches 3 or higher it is a good idea to protect your skin. The sun’s rays are the highest between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily.

Tips for Avoiding Skin Damage:[2]

• Choose to sit under a tree or an awning to avoid the sun. If you can see the sky from your shady spot, you may still need to use other methods to protect yourself from the sun’s rays
• Wear UV-protective clothing and a hat with a wide brim
• Wear sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection that wrap around your face, completely protecting your eyes
• Use SPF broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher
• Try to plan activities in the shade[3]
• Some medications may negatively react with sun exposure. Be sure to read the label and information leaflet carefully to find out if there may be side effects.

Heat related Illness

It is important to keep cool and drink plenty of fluids when spending time outdoors during the summer months. Heat related illnesses can affect you quickly, so prepare for the heat and educate yourself on the signs and symptoms of heat related illnesses. Visit the Health Canada website for more information on how to protect yourself from extreme heat.

Supporting Your Wellness

The LifeWorks website contains useful tools and articles to help you and your family. You even have access to seminars at www.lifeworks.com.

LifeWorks contains the resources to guide you in making healthy choices every day. Check out this months’ recommended Podcast:

• Becoming a Better Listener

Did You Know?

Through the voluntary STRATA Select Program, you are eligible for hotel discounts. STRATA Select has teamed up with Choice Hotels® to make travelling more enjoyable and convenient with a 15% discount. Choice Hotels® group of hotels includes Comfort™, Quality®, Clarion® and many more. With over 6,300 Choice Hotels® locations worldwide and 325 locations spanning across all provinces, you will be sure to find a conveniently located Choice Hotel for your stay.

Log on to your STRATA Select website for more information.

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[1] Sun and UV. Canadian Cancer Society. 2016. http://www.cancer.ca/en/prevention-and-screening/live-well/sun-and-uv/?region=qc

[2] Being safe in the sun. Canadian Cancer Society. 2016. http://www.cancer.ca/en/prevention-and-screening/live-well/sun-and-uv/being-safe-in-the-sun/?region=qc

[3] Protecting Your Family. Canadian Dermatology Association. 2016. http://www.dermatology.ca/programs-resources/resources/sun-safety/#!/programs-resources/resources/sun-safety/protecting-your-family/

I’ve got two young kids, a full-time career, a busy husband, and no parents or siblings in Manitoba. It’s it’s hard to juggle all the moving parts that come with a fast-paced life. I’m sure you can relate in your own way!

It is said that wellness is many things: a state of being, a skill, a journey. I’m writing this post to share my encouragement about what it takes (and doesn’t take) to “keep it together!” This is my first post on this topic.

I heard a working mom once reply to the question, “can we have it all?” by saying what we often hear: “Yes, sure we can! We just can’t have it all at once.” You know what? That comment falls a bit flat for me.

I’ve heard a response that resonates more deeply, which is “no, we can’t actually have it all – and when we are able to reconcile this truth and make peace with it, life actually gets happier.” Now, that’s a statement that challenges me and makes sense at the same time. Why? It’s not about settling. This is about realigning what your priorities actually are, being grateful for the things you do have, and finding peace and happiness as you are.

One big struggle I deal with on a regular basis is the lack of immediate family I have in Manitoba. I came to live in Winnipeg nine years ago with my husband, but we weren’t sure if we were going to stay after he finished law school here.

Well, we stayed. It’s not a surprise that my family didn’t follow us out here – after all, life continues for them back home, but I never realized just how much I would be longing for help, support and overall sharing of life’s ups and downs with our parents and siblings who live two and three provinces away. I openly admit that I envy other moms who tell me how their kids are going for a sleepover to Grandma and Grandpa’s house on the weekend or that a sibling is helping out when someone in the family is sick.

So when I look at this one example, can I have it all? Well, if “it” includes having family present in our daily lives, then no, I can’t – at least not in the clichéd sense, and that’s not likely to ever change.

But there’s a beautiful saying by Theodore Roosevelt that helps me with this and I want to share it with you — Comparison is the thief of joy.

What a good thing to remember. And if you are like me, I love my joy! So what a powerful thought to realize that comparison allows joy to be stolen.

When I find myself in the mire of comparison, I will sometimes have a bit of a “pity party” – which basically just means that I allow myself to feel upset without self-judgement. Sometimes, along with that, anger or resentment bubbles up in there – I know how to let that fade. It always does. But while it’s around, it’s an ugly feeling.

When we’re comparing ourselves to others,  it’s good to get in the habit of noticing it. Just to be aware what happens in that split second can be so revealing. We are conditioned to think that comparison is a motivational tool that propels us to improve our own situation, but  it’s also a dangerous mental habit. Is becoming “motivated” by the act of comparing yourself to someone actually worth your joy?

In sharing with you my thoughts in this area, I’m also happy to tell you that there is one aspect of my life where I’ve actually got this lesson somewhat figured out. It’s regarding what my kids are “supposed to be doing” at their ages (of 5 and 3). I often get asked, “so did you put your kids in soccer this spring?” “Are they in hockey yet?” “What about swimming?” “Kindermusik? It’s the must-have class this year!” It makes me chuckle when I enter conversations like this, because I have a clarity that brings me so much peace.

Here’s my clarity: I can only do with them what I can, and I can’t take both of my kids to many of those kinds of activities at the same time without being run ragged, so I am choosy. I also need my own time! And on top of this, frankly, there is simply no rush – I really can’t say this enough.

So for us, my 5 year old daughter had some dance classes about a year ago, and she had some swim lessons in the winter. Meanwhile, my 3-year old son hasn’t started a single “activity” yet. And you know what? It’s great. Both my kids are both active, joyful, social, super bright, funny, silly people who have talents and gifts – some of which are developing with mom and dad, some at daycare, some on their own – and others which will develop as time passes. I’m looking at piano lessons for my 5 years old this summer. Maybe. But you know what?  I’ll never look back and wish I hadn’t “missed the boat” on getting them into 3-year old soccer twice a week and that they’ve lost some critical developmental milestone from not having had the chance to kick a ball and eat a snack (the most fun part of soccer). I just know this.

I share this lesson with you to encourage you – if you’re feeling like your decisions are sometimes being driven by the “norms” you see happening in your peer group, take a step back and remind yourself that you forge your own norm, no matter what stage of life you’re in. Your circumstances are unique, your needs are your own, and someone else’s life trajectory will never be the same as yours, so your decisions don’t need to be the same either. It’s about letting go of comparison.

What are the things you find you struggle with comparing against others? Do you take comfort in anything I’ve shared with you? What has given you peace? How do you “keep it together?” Parents and non-parents alike, I’d love to hear your comments.

Have you experienced a Life Event?

When you elect a Health and Dental option, you are locked in at that level until the next re-enrolment period, which is every 2 years. However, if you experience a Life Event during a plan year that affects your coverage needs, you may make changes to your benefit options without waiting until the next re-enrolment period.

Any of the following is considered a Life Event:

• Acquiring a spouse
• Acquiring a child (birth, adoption or step-child)
• Gain or involuntary loss of similar coverage through your spouse’s group benefit program (for example, because of a change in your spouse’s employment status)
• Death of your spouse or child
• Your spouse or child ceasing to qualify for coverage (for example, through divorce or your child’s attainment of a limiting age)

For more information, please refer to your benefits booklet.

What do you do if you experience a Life Event?

If you experience a Life Event, contact Human Resource Services with your details no later than 60 days after the Life Event occurs. If the Life Event is not reported within 60 days your opportunity to change your Flex Option will be during the next re-enrolment.

Additionally, any time you experience a Life Event resulting in a change to your family status, you should review your beneficiary designation.

For more information on your Flex Options, refer to your benefits booklet.

Coordination of Benefits

Coordination of Benefits, or COB, is a benefit claim procedure developed by the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) for individuals covered under two or more Health and/or Dental policies.

Applying this procedure ensures that you and your dependents receive the maximum eligible benefits available from all policies under which you are covered. It also outlines the method used for determining where to submit your claims first.

An EOB (also called a payment summary) is a letter from the insurance company which is sent to you with the claim reimbursement. It outlines the amount of the expense and how much of it was reimbursed.  For drug claims paid via your drug card, your pharmacy receipt is considered your EOB.

Here is how COB works:

Your Own Expenses

1. Submit your claim to your Great-West Life plan.
2. If a portion of your claim is not covered by the Great-West Life plan (such as a deductible, coinsurance or an amount over a maximum), submit the EOB form from Great-West Life to your spouse’s plan (if you have family coverage) for reimbursement of the remaining portion.
3. If a portion of the claim is still not reimbursed, you may submit the EOB form from your spouse’s insurer to your Health Care Spending Account.
4. If your spouse has a Health Care Spending Account, this plan would be the last payor.

Your Spouse’s Expenses

1. Your spouse will first submit their own claim to their own insurer.
2. If a portion of their claim is not payable under their own plan, the EOB can be submitted to your Great-West Life plan, if you have family coverage.
3. If a portion of their claim is still not payable, the remaining portion can be submitted to your spouse’s Health Care Spending Account, if applicable.
4. The last payor for your spouse’s expenses is your Health Care Spending Account.

Your Dependent Child’s Expenses

1. If both your Great-West Life plan and your spouse’s plan include coverage for dependent children, the claims should first be submitted to the plan of the parent whose birth date is earlier in the calendar year. For example, if your birth date is February and your spouse’s birth date is August, the claim should first be submitted to your Great-West Life plan. (In situations where you and your spouse have the same birth date, the claim should be submitted to the plan of the parent whose first name begins with the earlier letter in the alphabet.)
2. If the first payor doesn’t cover the full expense, the EOB can be forwarded to the other parent’s plan. Regardless of the above rules, if the parents are separated or divorced, the first payor is the insurer of the parent with custody of the child, then the plan of the spouse of that parent, then the plan of the parent not having custody of the child and finally the plan of the spouse of that parent.
3. Health Care Spending Accounts are the final payors. To determine which Health Care Spending Account the remaining portion of the expense should be submitted to first, apply the birth date rule as described in step 1.

Supporting Your Wellness

The LifeWorks website contains useful tools and articles to help you and your family. You even have access to seminars at www.lifeworks.com.

LifeWorks has resources to help your family thrive, regardless of your family situation. Whether you’re a single parent, a new parent or raising teenagers check out the useful resources that LifeWorks has to offer! This month the recommended Podcast is:

• Holding a Family Meeting

Before I started gardening, I thought it was a nice pastime for sedentary folks.   Was I wrong !!!   8 years ago I moved into a new home & decided that on the May Long weekend I wanted to create a flower garden in a corner patch of my yard.   I’d never embarked on this type of activity before, so basically I winged it.   In a matter of 3 days, I dug up the space & charted out my flower patch; I hauled bricks from the store to the car to create the flower bed; shoveled a truck load of dirt into the garden. I was exhausted and elated at the same time!   My first DIY project was underway.       Then it was onto research of best plants to grow in that area – do I want annual or perennials? Or a combination … hmm, so many choices!   I especially enjoyed digging in the dirt, carefully planting my chosen gems

During the course of that summer, I proudly watched the flowers and plants grow & prosper, I felt a sense of accomplishment and happiness, which continues today as I’ve expanded into vegetables and herb gardens. I like the physical aspects of gardening as well as the stillness that I feel as I prune and pluck the weeds, at one with the earth.   I experienced the other side of the emotional spectrum as well – cursing the weather; disappointment when a prized perennial doesn’t return the next season; seeing my lilies get consumed by bugs seemingly overnight!

Check out this great article that captures all the fantastic health and wellness aspects of gardening – The Dirt on Gardening!

Nancy Cumbers

NAOSH, or North American Occupational Safety and Health week, is a continent-wide event spanning Canada, the United States and Mexico. It takes place May 1 to May 7 each year. NAOSH inspired my article for this week. You may be wondering,  ‘what’s that got to do with wellness’? And, which aspects of wellness would this apply to?

The NAOSH theme for 2016 is “Make Safety a Habit. What’s Your Reason?”

Just take a moment to think about your reason(s) for working safely, both at work and at home, and for staying well and tell us about them in the comments section.

My main reason is my family. I want to go home at the end of the day to be with my husband and my son. Working safely and being well go hand-in-hand. There are over 28,000 workplace injuries in Manitoba each year. If we all work together to stay safe, we can all be well on our way to contributing to reducing those injuries.
The College is holding multiple events this week to celebrate the many dimensions of wellness that NAOSH week touches upon, from your spiritual wellness to the environmental and social aspects, just to name a few.

Check out rrc.ca/NAOSH2016 for the events scheduled for this week and win some great prizes along the way for your financial wellness.

Have a great #NAOSHweek and stay happy and healthy!

RRC Slow Pitch is back again on June 9^th at John Bloomberg. The annual event has become a fan favorite of things to do to participate in the college community. It has grown and morphed into a place where you can stretch out your legs, get some sun on the face again and reconnect to some familiar faces.

Many people have many different reasons to come out and I’ve noticed they all seem to fit so well together. Some people come who of have played before, or haven’t played in years, who have never played or just want to be a part of the team. It seems to work so well. A single team could be over 20 plus participants with only needing about half that to play.

When I get asked to talk about active living benefits my mind automatically goes to how “I should do more sit ups” or “I should put down this cake.” I feel a lot of our ideas about things we want to change or improve on are seen from the negative. Who is this voice? I know some people did not sign up for slow pitch in the past because they thought they couldn’t play, not good enough or didn’t know how to play. After enough time of still wanting to participate, they come and see the environment and they find themselves trying a new sport, playing in some of the games or just bringing in a chair and cheering on their team. I find for myself active living is becoming less about the harsh judgments of how I think I see myself and if I belong, and more about the acceptance of who I am and where I’m at. If I’ve come away with anything from this event, it is not because I feel the need to have to step up to the plate with a bat but to step up to myself to realize I am the only limiting factor to my experience. That when I accept myself as I am, then others also tend to accept me. This event has shown me people don’t care how far I can hit a ball but that I am perfect just as I am and I can be as I wish to be when I just let myself show up.

Yes, of course doing a few arm throws or jog around the bases are good. You don’t have to worry about the cake because we won’t serve any, but what about active living as an inside job first? Find the doubter, remove all doubt. Working on finding yourself and seeing that you belong anywhere you want to belong. That you just being you, is the role on the team we are waiting to fill and you might find yourself perhaps doing far more then you could’ve imagined.

Click here for the registration form; http://blogs.rrc.ca/rebels/intramural-special-events/

Registration and payment is being taken at the cashier’s office and you can register as a team or as a single person. Registration deadline is June 3^rd at noon and is only $15.00 per person. This will book the facility as well as provide you with a lunch. Any registrations after June 3rd will be $20.00 per person. So come on out and give it a try anyway you want to.

Mario De Negri

Most people understand the negative effects that improper sleep quantity can have on their daily activities. We’ve all heard a fellow employee say how they just need their five or six hours per night to function well the next day. As adults are recommended by the National Sleep Foundation to get anywhere between seven and nine hours of sleep per night, it’s already evident we don’t get enough on a regular basis. What most don’t understand is that proper sleep quality is just as important as quantity and can be just as troublesome if not satisfied.

When deprived of the rejuvenating effects of sleep, the brain’s ability to process new information is compromised along with creativity, logic and judgement – not a set of skills anyone would like to go a full workday without! In addition to the impact on the brain, the rest of body takes a hit without sufficient sleep on a regular basis. The immune system is typically one of the first in the body to shut down when we feel stressed; people often lose sleep over stress as well so the connection between sleep and the immune system is a natural conclusion. Migraines and headaches are more commonly linked to people getting a lower quality of sleep, and those conditions greatly affect our productivity throughout the day as well. Poor nutritional choices are also more likely to occur when insufficient sleep is achieved which can lead to higher risk for heart disease and Diabetes.

Our bodies love to sleep, and why wouldn’t they? Throughout the stages of sleep our bodies get to relax every muscle and repair some damage done throughout the day, lower our blood pressure and restore energy to recharge our systems for another extended period of being awake. Without this time to recharge, our systems continue to deplete until there is eventually a complete and total shut-down. A couple of extra hours each night dedicated to maintaining proper physical and mental health through sleeping may allow us less free time during each day but will most certainly benefit us in the long run.

There are certain practical steps we can take to ensure our mind and body are ready for a solid night’s sleep:

• Create a sleep routine – go to bed and wake up at close to or the same time each day (even weekends, there’s no need to “catch up” if we consistently get enough).
• Make physical activity a consistent part of each day, but not within 3 hours of going to bed.
• Limit intake of caffeine, alcohol and nicotine in general but especially during the evening hours as these stimulants will work against our brain’s desire to fall – and stay – asleep.
• Make the bedroom a haven for the weary. Darkness, quiet, comfortable temperature and sleeping area are all essential to creating an environment for a great sleep.
• Turn away from the light – all light. Luminescent clocks, plugin nightlights and personal technology like phones, tablets and computers all contribute to keeping the mind in a state of constant awareness.

Find ways to help achieve the sleep quality and quantity you need to be your most productive self. If you can’t think of anything right now that’s fine, go sleep on it.

Paramedical Coverage

As part of Red River College’s group benefits, Benefit Eligible Employees may have coverage for the following professional services. Your coverage is based on your Flex Option choice.

• Audiologists
• Athletic Therapists
• Chiropractors
• Dieticians
• Massage Therapists
• Naturopaths
• Osteopaths
• Physiotherapists
• Podiatrists/Chiropodists
• Psychologists/Social Workers
• Speech Therapists

For detailed paramedical coverage information refer to your benefits booklet.

Mental Health Awareness Week

May 2^nd to 8^th is Mental Health Week. Mental Health Week is designed to celebrate positive attitudes and mentally healthy lifestyles.[1] Mental health is just as important as physical health and is key to being truly healthy. Mental health involves how we interact with the world around us and how we feel, think and act. Mental health is not about achieving the ‘perfect life’ by avoiding problems. Mental well-being is much more than the presence or absence of a mental illness; rather it is about living well and feeling capable despite challenges.[2]

Each person’s path to mental well-being is different and unique just as each person’s goals, challenges, talents and supports are. Maintaining your mental health requires effort every day, but the rewards are great! Everyone can achieve good mental health! Here are some tips and activities to apply on a regular basis to help you get started:

• Build a healthy self-esteem – Self-esteem is being able accept all of your abilities and weaknesses, and doing your best with your own unique abilities and talents. Build confidence by developing weaker areas and regularly reminding yourself of the things you’re comfortable and proud of.
• Build a positive support network – Social support is a very important part of mental health and people in our networks can offer many different kinds of support. Make time to just be with important people in your life.
• Get involved – You make a difference, and being involved in the things that matter to us provides a great feeling of satisfaction and purpose. Getting involved connects you with others, builds confidence and promotes personal growth. Read to children, help a neighbor or service on a charity board.
• Build resiliency – Stress is a normal part of life. Resiliency means coping well with stress, and other difficult situations that are a normal part of life. Build a resiliency tool kit that might include skills such as problem solving or developing support networks. [3]

For more mental health information including more tips and activities visit the Canadian Mental Health Association website.

Supporting Your Wellness

The LifeWorks website contains useful tools and articles to help you and your family. You even have access to seminars and podcasts at www.lifeworks.com.

It is important to take charge of both your physical and emotional health. Check out this recommended podcast:

Losing Weight Together!

[1] Canadian Mental Health Association. http://mentalhealthweek.cmha.ca/. 2016.

[2] Canadian Mental Health Association. Mental Health – Why is your mental health so important? http://mentalhealthweek.cmha.ca/your-mental-health/mental-health-fact-sheet/. 2016.

[3] Canadian Mental Health Association. Mental Health – Why is your mental health so important? http://mentalhealthweek.cmha.ca/your-mental-health/mental-health-fact-sheet/. 2016.