Wellness & Well-being Highlights April 8
Wellness & Well-being Highlights
for the
Week of April 8, 2024
This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog highlights how a construction industry heavyweight made a 5-year commitment towards suicide prevention—to whether or not technology was/was not used to inflict brain injuries upon various US govt workers—to a topic I visited a couple of months ago regarding the improvements made concerning head protection in the construction industry. This week I would like to highlight the rise in alcohol consumption especially for those over 65. COVID is often blamed for this increase of substance misuse. The fact is that between 2020-21, according to the CDC, there were more deaths related to alcohol (~178k) than all drug overdoses combined! People over 65 were linked to 38% of that aforementioned total. There are many layers to this onion to unpeel but it is worth mentioning a few: in general, people are living longer; alcohol is viewed as a social “lubricant”; binge drinking is on the rise; and there more women in the workforce than decades ago. To be sure, we cannot ignore the data before us:
- older bodies cannot process alcohol as quickly;
- besides being affiliated with liver disease, alcohol is also linked to an increase in heart and cancer-related issues;
- while alcohol misuse exacerbates cognitive decline, it can also impede sleep, reaction time, and balance…contributing to falls; and
- alcohol interacts negatively with an array of prescription drugs…at times resulting in over-sedation.
The NYT article linked below advocates for the elimination of barriers for treatment noting that while the Mental Health Parity law of 2008 includes access to treatment for substance use disorders, Medicare does not apply. Having recently turned 65, I reflect on this topic with +45 years of experience. I am encouraged to see that this matter is being taken seriously as more and more conferences are holding mocktail events and/or “Friends of Bill” meetings as part of their agenda. So, here’s my ask: Let’s all do our part to NOT put vulnerable people into questionable venues for the sake of “conducting business” as usual.
Bechtel donated $7m to AFSP for Construction Suicide Prevention efforts
Operating Engineers focus on Mental Health
Psychological Safety in the Workplace
UK Teachers & Suicide Prevention
Supporting Someone w/ Anxiety Disorder
Floatation Therapy & Anxiety Disorders
Havana Syndrome & Brain Injuries (1)
Havana Syndrome & Brain Injuries (2)
Head Protection Improvements (1)
Head Protection Improvements (2)
Head Protection Improvements (3)
States Undercutting Fed Child Labor Laws
OSHA Inspection Final Walkaround Rule
Dartmouth / NCAA / Players Union
UK coming for US white-collar jobs
How much is needed in one’s savings to retire?
Upcoming webinars, etc.:
Resiliency during Financial Strain
NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact johngaal@moaflcio.org with related questions or comments.
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