The first Wednesday of every November is Stress Awareness Day!

Nov 2 2022

Here are some signs of stress:

Feeling overwhelmed.
Disinterest.
Being anxious, nervous or afraid.
High irritability.
Anger and impatience.
Loss of sense of humour.
Racing thoughts.
Avoiding loved ones.
Difficulty eating.

Some tips on how to deal with stress:

Speak up with loved ones.

Don’t close yourself off from people who love you. Despite being difficult to open up about your troubles, putting them into words makes them all the more tangible to deal with instead of letting them clutter in mental fog. And a big hug from someone you love will always feel good once you actually do it!

Dedicate time to unwind.

If you’re having long work days or chasing chores around your calendar, try and dedicate a day off and set your personal boundaries. Engage in what you love doing most – passions, hobbies or even try out a new school. Being able to stop and refuse things for your well-being is not egoistic. Quite the opposite in fact!

Take breaks from news and social media.

Keeping up to date is important. But if the news and the media are flooded with horrific things happening around you, you might want to switch off your devices for a couple of hours. If you want to take it a step further, a gentle reminder on social media apps about your mini break can help people understand not to bother you.

Engage your body.

Exercising won’t make all the problems go away, but getting physically active has been proven countless times to help in managing stressful situations and gaining a new perspective. It doesn’t have to be anything highly intense – you can go for a jog or try out some yoga. It’s a good pause-replay to reassemble what needs reassembling.

Breathing exercises.

There are countless breathing exercises you can engage in. Some are offered by licensed therapists and others are promoted by mindfulness-centred approaches. Whatever they may be, you might want to research and try a couple out. Chances are one will stick. But even if not, its okay! You’re trying!

Seek professional help if necessary.

Things don’t have to get really bad for you to seek out professional help. If you have the means or a financially helping hand, going to a professional for assistance is a sign that you intend to help yourself. It is far from a sign of weakness. You can also learn more professionally approved coping mechanisms and skills. So give it a go!

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PwC Malta formally launches its Salesforce practice in Malta

Nov 2 2022

PwC Malta is delighted to announce the launch of its Salesforce practice in Malta. During the past few months there has been a considerable investment made in technical resources and the recruitment of key experienced talent.

In addition, the local team has been integrated into PwC’s global Salesforce practice and has the ability to deploy particular expertise and industry knowledge as and when the need arises.

David Valenzia, Territory Senior Partner at PwC Malta stated, “Our Salesforce solutions team will enhance and complement our existing consulting capabilities and help us better meet our clients’ needs.

This is in line with our global strategy, The New Equation, which is to solve clients’ most important problems by delivering solutions which are human led and tech powered.”

Demand for digital transformation has increased rapidly over the past years and will continue to be a key strategic area of focus for many clients and public entities going forward.

Alongside its plug-and-play technology solutions built on Salesforce, PwC Malta believes that its broadened capabilities will further enhance what it can bring to clients and help them leverage their most valued asset – their customers.

Michel Ganado, Advisory Partner at PwC Malta assured that, “The firm’s business transformation capabilities and the new team’s strong expertise, will enable us to deliver a business leading ‘strategy through execution’ approach as the firm helps clients innovate and digitally transform their business.”

PwC is recognised by the analyst community as the leader in Salesforce implementations. PwC has consistently been honoured by Salesforce with their Partner Innovation Awards. Since our participation in the award programme in 2012, PwC has won a variety of 40 innovation and industry awards.

Javier Arriaga, Customer Transformation Lead at PwC Malta said, “Our global team is now ready to deploy and locally support cutting-edge customised solutions on the Salesforce platform across multiple clouds including Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Financial Services Cloud, industry specific clouds and various other integration tools. These solutions help organisations reimagine the customer experience, seamlessly ramp up sales and support their growth journeys.”

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Free contraceptives to be offered in 2023 reveals Health Minister

Nov 2 2022

Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Health Minister Chris Fearne revealed that the government will be offering free contraception to the public in 2023.

Fearne did not specify what type of contraceptives will be available. However, this comes after the Labour Party pledged the distribution of the contraceptive pill and intrauterine contraceptive device for free if elected.

The minister said that the roll-out will ensure better family planning for younger people and mitigate the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. These, said Fearne, dipped in numbers during the pandemic but resurfaced after measures were lifted.

The contraceptive rollout is expected to form part of a yet to be unveiled sexual health policy, with the government pledging the opening of more GU clinics.

The original sexual health policy was shelved in recent years with the government going back to the drawing board. A national sexual and reproductive health survey is also currently being conducted by the Social Determinants of Health Unit.

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Dar Bjorn celebrates 5 years since opening with surprise for Maria

Nov 2 2022

In celebration of the opening of Dar Bjorn, the first ever home for people with neurological conditions 5 years ago in Qormi, a special celebration was held outside the building.

Following Bjorn’s recent recovery in hospital, he was admitted once again last week for an operation which luckily was a success.

He was released a day before just in time to celebrate the 5th year anniversary of DAR Bjorn – 5 years since he had realised his dream.

Unbeknownst to some, a special surprise was revealed as a new plaque was revealed dedicating the home to Maria Formosa for her endless hard work and unconditional love.

Maria was visibly moved and Bjorn dedicated DAR Bjorn, the first ever home of its sort in Malta to his wife who has been by his side since day 1. Titled ‘Maria’s Chapter,’ the plaque thanks Maria for her “tireless work and great support.”

Present at the celebration was Bjorn, his wife Maria, Hon. Julia Farrugia Portelli, Natalie Briffa, Dr.Joseph Massini, Peppi Azzopardi, Peter Busuttil and all 13 residents of DAR Bjorn. The home houses patients suffering from various conditions such as ALS, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and many more.

After opening its doors in 2017, DAR Bjorn has given patients a sense of dignity and their families peace of mind and seeing the large volume of people requiring these services, a second DAR Bjorn will be opening its doors in the coming months.

Nothing but words of praise were given to Bjorn and his wife for their hard work. Qormi’s Mayor reiterated the positive effect this home has had on the town and its residents and how it is serving as an asset to our community.

Meanwhile, Julia Farrugia Portelli shared a personal story saying how important DAR Bjorn is as it gives its residents dignity and comfort. Peppi Azzopardi also spoke, praising the people closest to Bjorn and how much their help is valued, he ended by saying that Bjorn is the brains of the home while Maria is the heart.

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