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Computer or Car Insurance…Gigabytes or IRB…

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

It is widely known in my industry that the people of Ontario generally don’t understand their auto insurance coverage – until they need it.  For example, when buying a new computer you might look at screen size, megabytes, RAM, GIGs, processor, operating system, anti-virus software and extended warranty.  But when buying car insurance do you look at the coverage for housekeeping, NEB, IRB, attendant care, med/rehab, liability, and care giving?  No?  So, it begs the question: why are you paying for something you don’t understand?

In a brilliant display of smoke and mirrors, your auto insurance company (via the Insurance Bureau of Canada – IBC) pulled some tomfoolery in 2010.  They didn’t increase your car insurance premiums, but dropped your coverage significantly.  So, in essence at renewal you got half (or less) of the coverage for the same price.  That is like spending the same money on your previous computer to now only get the monitor.  

So, being an educated consumer, I “bought up” and paid extra for the same coverage I had before the changes.  I am one of less than 1% of the population that did so.  Now, IBC is saying they are going to drop rates by 15%.  Well thank you oh noble insurers.  That will give me the same coverage I had before 2010 (because I bought up) for the same price (because of the rate reduction).  So, I am back to where I started, but the other 99% of the population are getting 50% of the coverage for 85% of the price.  They are still at a significant loss.

In a recent MBA class we talked about risk.   Driving a motor vehicle is the # 1 most unsafe activity when compared to 29 other activities people perceive to be risky (including smoking, drinking, extreme sports, risky professions, flying, etc.).  So, if driving is our riskiest activity, signifying a high probability of injury, why are consumers so unaware of their coverage?   Is it because we don’t think we will get in an accident (the “it won’t happen to me phenomenon”), or because insurance is “mandatory” we just purchase on price?

I find it strange that people take the process of buying a computer more seriously than the process of renewing insurance – especially when driving is the riskiest thing we do daily.  In a PC World survey (2012), 63% of people indicated they bought a computer “extended warranty” yet research repeatedly shows that the $16B spent yearly on extended warranties is a waste of money.  Compare this to the less than 1% of people that bought an “extended warranty” (i.e. extra coverage) on their car insurance.  Buyer Beware!  It is time that Ontario drivers start to understand the product that is car insurance so they can ensure they have appropriate coverage for an appropriate price.

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Always Forgetting Where You Put Your Keys? Tips To Improve Your Memory

Do you have trouble remembering where you left your keys?  Is it hard for you to remember the name of the person you were just introduced to?  We live in an age of information overload and it is becoming increasingly difficult for many to keep their memory sharp.  This article by Good Housekeeping discusses excellent tips to keep your mind sharp and improve your memory.

Good Housekeeping: Tips To Boost Your Memory

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Memory Mantras

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

Being an Occupational Therapist can also be a curse when it comes to parenting.  As an OT, the goals are always functional independence.  As a parent, I am no different.  I remember a video I watched in OT school.  This was of a boy (young adult) with cerebral palsy and he was putting his coat on.  The video was probably 20 minutes (or it felt that long).  As I watched this boy struggle with his coat for what seemed liked eternity, I wanted to jump through the TV to help him.  Clearly with some help this could be done faster and easier.  But in the end, it was not about that.  It was about independence.

As parents, it is often faster and easier to do things for our kids.  Or, we feel the need to continuously protect our kids from failure by ensuring that we are their second brain.  But is this the right choice when the goal is to create people that can manage on their own?

I have created two memory mantras that are used in our house to ensure my kids are seeing the big picture and are developing some executive functioning (note I also use these mantras with my clients who suffer from memory impairment):

When leaving the house our mantra is:  WHERE AM I GOING AND WHAT DO I NEED?  When my children ask themselves this question, they need to stop and think “I am going to X and thus need Y (water, shoes, birthday present, tennis racquet, money)”.  This prevents them from showing up at X unprepared.

When leaving a place in the community our mantra is:  WHAT DID I COME WITH AND WHAT DO I HAVE?  By asking themselves this question, they quickly realize that they came with X and thus need to bring X home (coat, shoes, water, bag, lunch).  This prevents them from leaving things behind.

The success is in hearing my children repeat this to themselves when on their way out the door.  Recently, at a sporting event, we heard a teenage boy blame his mother for forgetting his water.  She was profusely apologetic and rushed out to find him a drink.  My children (younger) turned to me and said “shouldn’t he remember his own water”?  My thoughts exactly.

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Lessons of Confidence from an Overhand Serve

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

I see a huge similarity between coaches and therapists.  Are therapists not just coaches of rehabilitation?  A recent experience with organized sport reminded me that as coaches (and therapists) we need to believe in our clients and often we believe in them more than they do.  Yet, it is only through believing in them will they be able to develop the confidence to succeed.

I was at a provincial volleyball tournament with my daughter.  She is 12.  All season she has been working on her overhand serve.  She is the tiniest kid on the team and all year was continuing to build the strength required to execute this serve successfully.  Just before the tournament she starts landing these in practice.  All tournament she was getting her overhand serve over and in.  Then, they are playing the bronze medal game.  She gets to serve twice and misses both times.  Two points for the other team.  Game point and she is serving.  Knowing her struggles, she serves underhand, they win the point and the first game.  In the second game she tries her overhand serve again and misses.  The score is now 23/22 for them and she is serving again.  She looks at her coach and he says “give’er” (code for serve overhand and give it all you have).  She does, and lands her serve and one point later they have won the game and the medal.

I was brought to tears reflecting on this.  Her coach had more faith in her than she had in herself.  Given the choice, she would have played it safe and served underhand.  But he knew she could do it, and was more interested in her own development as a player, then in the impact of a missed serve on the game.  That is a great coach.

As a therapist, I use this as a reminder regarding my role.  I find that my clients will thank ME for “everything” and I have to remind them that I didn’t do anything, THEY did.  I just believed in them and provided them with encouragement, strategies and tools to be successful. My daughter’s coach did not serve overhand in the final seconds of an important game, but he gave her the strength to believe that she could. That is our role as parents, coaches and therapists:  believe in those we are leading and they will obtain the ability to believe in themselves and later in others.  That is truly paying it forward.  

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Time to Donate

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

Do you find or make time for television, personal reading, social media, meditation, exercising, or hitting the spa?  Then perhaps you can find time in your schedule to donate blood.

As a health care professional I am reminded daily that blood is a lifesaving resource.  In fact, it is likely that most, if not all, of my clients were a blood recipient at their time of injury.  Yet, according to Canadian Blood Services there is a problem.  As per their website, less than 4% of Canadians donate blood, while over 60% of people are eligible to do so.  Reasons for non-donation include people having a fear of needles (a legitimate an insurmountable problem for many), but most people simply say they “don’t have the time”.  Yet, Canadian Blood Services has estimated that as early as 2014 they will have a blood crisis as loyal and repeat donors (mostly seniors) will start exceeding donation age and will become recipients making the already large gap between low supply and high demand even larger.  This gap will be worsened by the baby boomers over the next two decades.  It is time the next generation takes on this important responsibility. 

This Friday, June 14th, is World Blood Donor Day.  As someone that has never donated (under the category of “no time”) I have since realized that I make time for other things that I consider less important, so it is time for me to become a donor.  I am doing this for several reasons.  One, I have memories of my grandfather, a war veteran, wearing his red blood-drop pin.  I always noticed his pin, worn proud on his lapel, and the thought of becoming a donor reminds me of him.  Two, I have no fear of needles and can make the time because this is important to me.  Three, Canadian Blood Services has made this easy – there is a donation center less than 5Km from my home and I was able to book an appointment online.  Four, as a parent I want to model this behavior for my children.   And five, I recently lost a client who told me that he needed 14 units of blood at the time of his injury and this was a “record”.  His passing has motivated me to finally make the time for this important contribution.

My plan?  Take a book, relax, and take an hour to myself while giving back at the same time.  Based on my blood type after donating I will give myself a big A.