10 minute read
LIVING
Navigating an unfamiliar health-care system
Health and wellness decision-making tips for newcomers
Newcomers make a lot of decisions within the first few weeks and months after arriving in Canada. These range from initial settlement-related issues such as finding housing, schools for children, enrolling in language classes or skills training and making choices about employment. Being new to the culture, environment and not having the family support or networks, it can be extremely daunting and stressful to be responsible for these decisions.
During the settlement process, an important area that may often be ignored involves decisions about your health and wellness. Faced with an unfamiliar health-care system, long waitlists, cultural and language barriers, some newcomers postpone seeking help or consultations for health-care needs.
What may come as shock for some is that not paying enough attention to a health problem in the early stages could end up as a serious health condition or a mental health crisis that requires having to make important decisions in a new environment. This can be overwhelming – having to educate yourself about a serious condition and learning to navigate an unfamiliar health-care system.
Here are a few steps that can help you prepare to make good decisions about your health and well-being.
Learn about your province’s health-care system and how it meets the needs of its people. Research and learn from available resources, discuss with peers or seek support from settlement organizations and other ethnic community organizations. Some of the immediate needs and areas you may want to focus on are to finding a family doctor, learning about specialists, extended health-care coverage, role of emergency health services, walk-in clinics and public health programs. Learning about regulated professions and governing bodies can also help you make choices for other health needs such as dental services, psychologists, physiotherapy, etc. Having a good understanding of the system, options and services available can lay the foundation for making informed decisions.
Newcomers from different countries and cultures have different values, beliefs and expectations about approaching their health and wellness needs. To avoid being treated with a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, it is important for you to recognize your unique beliefs, values and preferences and be willing to share it with your health-care provider. It is also equally important to manage your expectations of care, which may be different from your country of origin. An example would be expecting to be seen immediately by your family physician if you think you need immediate care or help. Setting realistic expectations in situations beyond your control can also reduce self-blame for decisions that did not turn out the way you wanted.
Participate actively in decision-making for your health-care needs.
Discussing health and wellness issues with your health-care professional will make you feel valued, build trust, reduce stress, help you feel more satisfied with the decision-making process, and follow your treatment plans. Asking questions and accessing recommended resources or medical evidence will help you understand risks and benefits to make informed decisions. Seeking input from family members, faith leaders or trusted community members will also help integrate your beliefs in treatment recommendations and management. Learning about health-care policies system such as informed consent, role of substitute decision maker and laws like the Mental Health Act will also be useful to understand the role of patients and families in health-care decision-making.
As you navigate the health-care system and make health decisions for yourself and your family, it is important to be open to new approaches and methods, communicate effectively with your service provider and be flexible about choices. When your needs are unmet and you do not feel engaged or cared for, you may also have to make tough decisions that may involve changing your health-care professional, not consenting to a treatment or filing a complaint. Educate yourself to be an empowered client, consumer or patient.
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Nandini Tirumala is a mental health wellness coach, educator and advocate with 25 years of experience in Canada with a special focus on mental health support services for newcomers and immigrant families.
MANAGING OVERSEAS FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
How can immigrants stay connected with loved ones?
By Kaitlin Jingco
It was a tough blow to Jeyson Torreglosa when his father, the only person he knew in Toronto, was forced to leave Canada to head back to their home country of Spain.
It was 2013 and the then 23-year-old Torreglosa had managed to find a job in Canada, where his father had already been working for months. But after just a few short weeks of being together, Torreglosa’s father’s permit was up, and he was told he had to go.
“So now you find me alone here in this country with a language that I didn’t know how to speak,” says the Colombian-born Spaniard. “It was a big shock for me.”
And while it was hard to be without his friends and family, knowing what was happening in Spain and the tough financial situation his loved ones were facing, Torreglosa decided to stick it out for one year, working in Canada and sending money back to his family.
“I didn’t want to live without them. I missed them so much,” he says. But, he adds, “I knew that they needed it.”
“Leaving and going to a whole new country, especially if there is a language barrier, it can be very traumatic because it’s so different and you have to learn to cope,” says therapist Nancy Diaz from Inclusive Therapists, who specializes in working with immigrants, children of immigrants and
women of colour from Canada and around the world. Especially when you’re leaving behind friends, family or even romantic partners, she adds, “It’s heartbreaking and there is a lot of grief associated with that.”
One of the most difficult parts about dealing with that migrating experience is figuring out how to best interact with the loved ones who have been left behind, says Diaz.
For young Torreglosa who hadn’t planned on staying alone in Canada, calling home every day is what worked best for him – it kept him connected to his mother, father and two brothers whom he missed deeply, and it reminded him of what he was working for.
But Diaz doesn’t necessarily recommend daily calls for everyone. Since every situation and relationship is different, the therapist suggests starting off with some reflection.
“We have to actually examine ourselves as individuals and ask, What is it exactly that I want in my life? Why am I here? What do I want my life in this new country to look like?” she says.
Once you know the answers to those questions, you can better decide what you want your interactions to be, then you can have conversations with loved ones about boundaries, she continues.
“You don’t want to be resentful of that family member or partner because they held you back from really enjoying that time in the new country,” the therapist says. “It is tricky to find that balance, but it’s important.”
While Torreglosa always kept in close contact with his family in Spain, he also made a point to embrace Canada. He worked different jobs and eventually landed in construction, he played soccer, focused on spirituality and made new friends who spoke both Spanish and English. But he decided to return to Spain after one year.
What Torreglosa didn’t know was that this stint in Canada would not be his last.
In 2015, while back to attend a wedding of two friends whom he met while living in Toronto, Torreglosa met Colombian-born Canadian Juliana, whom he would later go on to marry.
above Jeyson Torreglosa with his wife Juliana & daughter Camila
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above Nancy Diaz
“I never thought I would meet Julie and be married here,” he says, reflecting on his vacation turned permanent move.
Unexpectedly back in Canada, Torreglosa had to again go through the experience of longdistance relationships with the friends and family whom he left in Spain. And while he still misses and wishes to be close with his Spanish loved ones, as a husband and now father, the 32-yearold isn’t able to chat as much as he did before.
“Now I call most Thursday nights. We do video calls. My daughter Camila gets so excited to see her yaya and yayo,” Torreglosa says of his parents. “They’re dying to meet Camila. That’s the hardest part – the fact that in your happy moments, you don’t get to live it with them.”
These struggles are all part of the trauma and grief that can come with being an immigrant. To make it through, Diaz recommends exploring and validating all of the feelings that come up. If possible, she also encourages immigrants to consider therapy, to connect with other immigrants from one’s home country, and to join in-person or virtual support groups.
“You’re uniquely you, and only you know what’s going to work for you,” says Diaz on how to best navigate immigration and long-distance relationships. She adds, “It’s also about not being too critical of yourself and not judging yourself if you do need more or less interaction with family members. Everyone is different.”
For Torreglosa, weekly calls balanced with time spent at work, church, and with Canadian friends and family allow him to stay connected with his loved ones in Spain while also enjoying his new home. What also helps is the knowing that he’ll see his family during a reunion in the new year, and the knowing that he’s made the right choice in moving to Canada.
“I love it here. I love the people. I love my wife,” he says. “I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere.”
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