Do you feel like your use of technology (social media, news outlets, email) is out of your control?  Do you feel distracted or unable to focus due to constant digital interruptions?  Would you like to start this academic year off by establishing a new relationship with technology?  If so, please join us for a Digital Detox inspired by Cal Newport’s book Digital Minimalism: Choosing Life in a Noisy World. Portfolio/Penguin, 2019.

During this six-week session, participants will consider their relationship with technology, set their own rules of technology engagement, and support one another as we detox from the technology that runs our life.  Sessions will be held on Mondays from 3:30–4 p.m., beginning Sept. 12.  Space is limited to the first 25 that sign up, so commit to a better relationship with tech today.

To register for this program, please contact Erin Lee Schneider at erin.schneider@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, HR

This is the fourth year of Drake’s Walktober step challenge with Des Moines University (DMU) and Wesley Life  Each site has won the challenge (and coveted trophy) once, which makes this the tie breaker year.  To bring the trophy back to the Drake campus, we need your help, by joining the Drake Walktober step challenge team.

You will receive a journal and instructions to track your daily steps both on and off campus during the month of October.  Any movement that records steps will count toward the total. Along the way, you will receive fun facts and have a chance at individual prizes. This event is open to all faculty, staff, and students.  Send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu to register.  Registration deadline is Friday, Sept. 30.

— Linda Feiden, HR

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness month. Some points to consider:

• Many suicide attempts take place during a short-term crisis, so it is important to consider a person’s access to lethal means during these periods of increased risk.
• Access to lethal means (such as a firearms and medication) is a risk factor for suicide.
• Reducing access to lethal means saves lives.

There are steps you can take to make your home safer from self-harm and suicide. While many of these tips will seem obvious (and others perhaps not reasonably achieved), safety measures are often and easily overlooked—like a smoke detector that doesn’t work, the flashlight with dead batteries, or an expired fire extinguisher. Periodic safety checks are worth the thought and effort—even if some add a bit of inconvenience.

Weapons and dangerous objects: Research shows that having a gun or weapon in the home increases the risk of dying by suicide.

• Guns should be stored unloaded in a locked safe. Bullets should also be locked, but in a separate place.
• Gun safe keys or a combination to the lock should be kept only by the adults in the house.
• Consider purchasing trigger locks for guns.
• When children and teens go to friends or relatives’ homes, ask about gun ownership and storage.
• Limit children’s access to knives, razor blades, and other sharp objects.

Medications: Parents and caregivers should be in charge of the medications that are kept in the home.

• Secure all medications, both prescribed and non-prescribed (over the counter).
• An adult should hand out and control all prescribed and over the counter medications to children.
• Keep track of all bottles of medication as well as the number of pills in each container, including those prescribed as over the counter medications (such as pain relief, allergy pills, vitamins, and supplements, etc.) for the household (prescribed pet medications included) in the home.
• Dispose of all expired and no longer used prescribed medications by bringing them to your local pharmacy or fire station.
• Ask the parents of your child’s friends how their medications are stored in their home.

Drugs and alcohol: If substances that can be abused, like alcohol, are kept in the home, they should be monitored and locked.

• Keep track of bottles of alcohol and lock them away. It is not enough to put these items “out of reach.”
• If marijuana is kept in the home, lock all forms of it in a lock box that only adults in the house have the lock or combination to.
• Talk with the parents of your child’s friends about how they store alcohol or marijuana in the home.

Other toxins/hazardous materials: Other items can be used for self-harm and suicide.

• Keep your vehicle keys with you at all times or consider locking them in a lock box when not in use.
• Limit access to toxic household cleaners, pesticides, and industrial chemicals away.
• Limit access to ropes, electrical wire, and long cords within the home.
• Secure and lock high level windows and access to rooftops.

Although, it is not possible to make a home completely safe, following these suggestions can help reduce the risks and chance for a suicide attempt. If anyone in your home is talking about suicide, engaging in acts of self-harm, or researching suicide, they should be urgently evaluated by a qualified mental health provider.

Read More

Suicide Safe Your Home – Suicide Prevention Alliance

Reduce Access to Means of Suicide – Suicide Prevention Resource Center

12 Things Parents Can Do to Help Prevent Suicide – Healthy Children.Org

Safe Home Environment – Veterans Affairs

— Maureen De Armond, HR

If you have never explored Drake’s Employee Assistance Program through Employee & Family Resources, now is a great time to do so.  They offer a wonderful range of resources—including confidential counseling, free webinars, podcasts, a blog, self-assessment tools, and a free mobile app.

Their services also include financial and legal consultation, child/elder care resources, and life coaching. You may reach EFR by phone (800-327-4692) or visit their website.

Special Note: Representatives from EFR are available to attend a department or staff meeting (in-person or virtually) to highlight their resources and help answer any questions.  They will present to groups of any size.  If you would like EFR to speak during one of your meetings, please send an email to Dave Bent, EFR Account Manager, at DBent@EFR.org or phone 515-471-2381.

— Linda Feiden, HR