COVID-19 has had a major impact on families including job loss, reduced incomes, and online schooling.

‘Building Family Resilience’ was the theme for this week’s Wellness Wednesdays, an initiative of the Division of Health, Wellness and Family Development (DHWFD).

Earlier today, DHWFD staffers, Senior Social Worker Nicola Carrington and Business Development Officer Jason Nancis, spoke on Tobago Channel 5’s Rise and Shine about the pandemic’s impact on wellness including a lack of socialization and, for some, a lack of resources.

“A lot of persons would have experienced a sense of isolation. What this has done is make a lot of people feel withdrawn, hopeless, and it basically changed the way we started viewing other persons. A lot of people had to return to living with their parents and that changes the structure and dynamic of the family,” said Carrington.

Apart from social changes, the health representatives also highlighted the economic effect of the pandemic. Nancis indicated that families had to move towards making the necessary shifts.

“We have got to change or adapt some of the things we’re accustomed doing into what we can now do, and that includes our finances. So, persons who may have lost their job, may not be able to afford going to the grocery every Friday, or the lavish meals, or the frivolities, the pizzas and the fried foods. So we really need to examine now, how do we separate needs from wants,” said Nancis.

According to Carrington, families that bounce back after a crisis such as job loss or death, are showing resilience. She encouraged parents to lead by example as children are well aware of family dynamics.