Eminem And The Road To Sobriety

Many invisible illnesses face severe scrutiny from the general public. Not least of these is addiction, an illness frequently maligned as little more than a selfish sign of weakness and poor impulse control. Over the years, we have worked tirelessly to try and dismantle this misconception in how we support our clients. But the shame of addiction and relapse is so profound, few people like to make their addiction public. Which is why it’s so important when celebrities, those at the forefront of the public’s consciousness, are outspoken about their addiction. In April,...

LTD Surveillance During the Summer

A long term disability claim usually comes as welcome and long overdue relief. Once you start receiving those benefits, you no longer need to worry about holding down a job or finding the income to support yourself during your recovery. However, you do need to be wary about what you do once you start receiving benefits. Insurance companies will use surveillance techniques to try to obtain evidence that suggests that you are not truly disabled. If they find what they’re looking for, they’ll also use that evidence to try to invalidate your claim and terminate your claim....

Chronic Pain: Invisible but Very Real

At first, Josie was grateful. She had walked away from the crash relatively unscathed, and the injuries she sustained healed over the next few weeks. Any car accident could be harrowing, but she was a young and otherwise healthy college student and had been able to bounce back without too many lasting consequences. Or at least, that’s the way it had seemed at the time. She would eventually learn that the collision had done more permanent damage than she had initially realized, though it would still be several years before her symptoms truly started to manifest. It began...

Canadian Armed Forces Denied Disability Benefits For PTSD

As we well know, invisible illnesses are mired in stigma from both the general population as well as insurance companies. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), an often misdiagnosed and heavily misunderstood invisible illness, frequently leads to denied disability claims as a result. Though studies suggest it affects at least 7 in 100 Canadians, we have limited data on the illness and just how many Canadians are living with it without help.  Sam, a 43-year-old member of the Canadian Armed Forces, is just one of them. After years of working in the field, helping her...

Seeing the Beauty in the World: How Dakota Johnson Deals with Depression

In many ways, it’s never been easier to talk about mental health. People from all walks of life have been increasingly candid about their struggles with mental illness, and that, in turn, gives other people the strength they need to share their own experiences.  However, there is still a certain amount of stigma associated with depression. Many people still (wrongly) believe that the condition is in some way a barrier to success as if those with depression will not be able to reach the same heights as those without. Thankfully, it’s getting more difficult to maintain...

What Happens After an LTD Settlement? Relief

It had been Ryan’s dream to be a professional football player since he first laid eyes on the gridiron as a young boy. Following years of dedication, hard work, and a few college championships, Ryan, now 34, found himself playing ball as a semi-pro quarterback in the NFC. He was well on his way to the CFL when his dreams were shattered by a devastating back injury he sustained during practice. The years of hard work and pressures of the sport had taken a toll on Ryan’s body and his mind – and he had been struggling with recurring bouts of depression over...

A Day In The Life With Lyme Disease

Lyme disease has recently been brought into the public eye by celebrities such as Avril Lavigne, Shania Twain, and Justin Bieber. It’s an often misdiagnosed illness due to the misconception that it’s easily detectable by a bullseye-shaped rash that only actually appears in roughly 50% of cases, and because the symptoms of the condition (over 50 of them) can occur within days, months, or even years of infection. What’s more is that few people understand just what happens to someone diagnosed with Lyme disease.  Lilly, one of our recent clients with Lyme disease, was...

How To Safely Seek Medical Attention During COVID-19

Currently, it can be difficult to know how to go about seeing your physician for anything non-COVID-19 related. The current government mandates for how to handle symptoms of the virus have been clearly laid out. But what do you do if a pre-existing condition is worsening? Or what if you find yourself with new symptoms and need to see your family doctor or go into the emergency department of your nearest hospital? We’ve put together some guidelines and advice from several different clinics and hospitals to help guide you through your various health care needs during these...