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Jason Taff author of “Bipolar Life: A Journey Filled with God”
Jason Taff delivers an inspirational presentation!
The Family and Patients‟ Councils at Regional Mental Health Care collaborated to host a presentation by Jason Taff who shared his personal story of living with bipolar disorder and how having God in his life was important in his recovery journey. Our sincere thanks and appreciation goes out to Dr. Robbie Campbell who gave a brief overview of bipolar disorder as well as information on Peer Support and the impact of hearing personal stories. Jason spoke to a group of peers, family members, mental health professionals and students on March 9, 2011. He spoke about how important it is to have hope and dreams, and relayed the message of not giving up.
Jason is the author of “Bipolar Life: A Journey Filled with God”. This book is available in several local book stores or can be purchased by contacting Jason at [email protected] or visiting his website at http://jasontaff.tatepublishing.net/
If you missed hearing Jason‟s message of hope, you can access the webcast presentation (Bipolar Life) as it has been archived on the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) and will be accessible for one year at this website:
http://webcast.otn.ca/archives.html - TSM #: 15121168_Regional
Mental Health Care-London_Bipolar Life_Archived Only
Left to right: Christian Daboud, Patients’ Council Facilitator, Guest speaker, Jason Taff
and Family Advisory Council member Fay Beaton
Inside This Issue
1 Bipolar Presentation
2 Spring Time
3 Fire Safety Education
4 Flowers for Patients
4 Sending Patients an e-card
5 Mark Your Calendars
6 Poem – The Journey
7 Family Resource Centre
8 Calendar of Events
The Family Forum Newsletter
VOLUME 2
Spring 2011
THE FAMILY ADVISORY COUNCIL OF REGIONAL MENTAL HEALTH CARE
If you plant honesty, you will reap trust If you plant goodness, you will reap friends If you plant humility, you will reap greatness If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective If you plant hard work, you will reap success If you plant forgiveness, you will
reap reconciliation
Author Unknown
Page 2 The Family Forum Newsletter
On the light side!
A little girl had just finished her first week of school. 'I'm just wasting my time,' she said to her mother. 'I can't read, I can't write, and they won't let me talk!'
It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of the station. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking, and I saw a little boy staring in at me. 'Is that a dog you got back there?' he asked. 'It sure is,' I replied. Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then towards the back of the van. Finally he said, 'what‟d he do?‟
The Importance of Spelling
Operator 911: What‟s your emergency? Caller: My wife got attacked by a warthog, and I need someone in an ambulance to pick her up. Operator: Ok sir, can you give me your address? Caller: aahh, yah we‟re at 1-8-2-5- Eucalyptus Drive. Operator: Ok, sir can you spell that for me? Caller: aahh, I‟m gonna drag her on over to Oak
Street and you can pick her up there.
Community Fire Safety and Education at Town Hall Meeting on Unit Erie 1 – St. Thomas!
By: Susan O‟Brien As Connie tried to figure out what to present at the Town Hall meeting, we smelled cigarette smoke on our unit AGAIN! Exasperated she sighed; I wish we could bring the Fire Department and provide safety and fire education to our patients. A few calls later and we had Chief Fire Prevention Officer Todd and Fire Prevention Officer Leverton come to our unit on March 3, 2010. As they entered, they were greeted with the smell of cigarettes on the unit. They reminded us that it is the smoke that kills people, not the fire, and that nearly all of the fires are due to careless smoking. This can be caused by falling asleep while smoking, not completely extinguishing out the
cigarette or by an ember falling on easily burned material. Everyone is at risk including the fire fighters. We learned that these two Officers also go to the group homes and have the same discussion with the residents and that fire drills are done on a regular basis. We also learned that the Fire Department can lay charges and larger fines than what the Province has already mandated for smoking in a non designated area (DNA). Some clients were displaced by a group home fire that occurred about a year ago. On that night, 30+ clients spent the night back at RMHC-St. Thomas while beds were sought throughout the city. A couple of clients remained in hospital a little longer as there were no other vacant beds for them. The group home is almost back to full occupancy, but in the meantime, those wanting discharge were delayed.
As a prelude to the visit, we had Security Officers Peter and Chad speak to us on February 22, 2010 about the newly imposed fines of $305.00 if one is not smoking within the DSA. A By-Law officer (works for the city) is the person that serves and charges anyone that is violating the smoking laws. Officer Chad clearly identified the DSA‟s and their exact locations. We have noticed a higher compliance to using the DSA‟s, but we still have a few wrinkles to iron out. In the meantime, there are other options to help those who have strong cravings; individuals are encouraged to speak with their clinical team. We are grateful for the St. Thomas Fire Department for their time to come and speak to us and the security staff who clearly explained the rules and expectations so we can all keep safe. We also wish to thank Sherrie Abrantes who sent out St. Joseph Health Care lapel pins for Officers Todd and Leverton. We hope that in the near future we can have the Fire Department come out with their simulated “house on fire” truck so that we can all get an idea of just how quickly fire can spread and how dark smoke can be. We hope to coordinate with the municipality of Central Elgin and the Security Department to have a fire information day when the weather gets better.
Page 3 The Family Forum Newsletter
Front row left to right: Susan O’Brien, Francine Desroches, Connie Goncalves, Candace McIntyre Back row left to right: St. Joseph Security Staff Phil Golovchenko., Chief Fire Prevention Officer Bill Todd, Fire Prevention Officer Brian Leverton
You Don’t Bring Me Flowers
Anna Schuleit began wandering the grounds of the abandoned Northampton State Hospital while still a teen. The young artist enjoyed spaces that “allowed for solitude and daydreaming”.
In 1997, she returned to the old hospital and began drawing sketches, counting rooms, collecting paint chips, talking to former staff, and studying old pictures and records. She calculated that 9,900 haircuts had been given in 1959 alone.
In 2000, she broadcasted Bach‟s “Magnificat” from the ruined architecture, through 5,000 feet of sound cable and 106 loudspeakers, for twenty-eight minutes, to an audience of hundreds.
In all of her research, one fact stood out and inspired her: “I noticed that nobody received any flowers in Psychiatry.” She consulted the records and calculated that 28,000 patients had been committed to the hospital since 1912. Anna decided to “bring together all the flowers they had never been given.” She ensured that they were potted plants, not cut flowers, so they could be given away afterwards. She entitled her work, “Bloom”.
She “transformed hallways into rivers of flowers. The chairs in a waiting room looked like islands in a sea of flowers. An abandoned swimming pool, used to store furniture, was filled with 3,000 blue African violets. Floors in the basement, where the laboratories had been, were carpeted with live turf that came in rolls, like sushi. It was a crash course in colours – and for viewers, a font of tears for the departed and the forgotten.”
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2007/04/%E2%80%98a-place-that-can-be-wandered%E2%80%99/
Page 4 The Family Forum Newsletter
SEND AN E-CARD Did you know that you can send an electronic card to patients at
any St. Joseph’s site? Go to http://www.sjhc.london.on.ca/ and
follow the directions.
Mark your calendars
Half Day Research
Regional Mental Health Care is hosting the Half Day Research event on May 11, 2011 from noon to 4:30 p.m. at the St. Thomas site. The keynote speaker for the 7th annual Tony Cerenzia research lecture will be Dr. Mark Willenbring, specialist in the area of addiction. His presentation is titled “Transforming Treatment for Addiction: How Science Can Inform Practice.” Please join us for this very interesting lecture and hear about various mental health research projects occurring at Regional Mental Health Care. The poster displays are also a great opportunity to be kept apprised of mental health research.
Framing the Phoenix: A Mental Health Art Exhibition– 7th
Anniversary
This event is an art exhibition sponsored by the Mental Health Promotions Committee. “It is our hope that through art we will reduce the stigma of mental illness. Art is a wonderful venue to explore the recovery process of mental illness.” A call for artists has been issued and the deadline for art submissions is April 27, 2011. The art display from the artists will be featured from May 3 – 14, 2011 at 203 Dundas Street, London, ON. For further details, visit this website: http://www.london.cmha.ca/data/1/rec_docs/3135_FTP2011Callfor%20Submissions%20Flyer.pdf
Page 5 The Family Forum Newsletter
Breakfast of Champions raises awareness about the importance of mental health programs and strives to reduce the prejudice and discrimination that surrounds those living with a mental illness. The event also features the presentation of the „Mental Health Champion‟ award which honors an individual or organization that has made a significant contribution in the mental health care field.
When: Thursday April 7, 2011 Where: London Convention Centre Time: 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Tickets: $50 each (almost sold out) Contact: [email protected] 519-646-6000 x65853 Bursary seats may still be available, please contact Aleena Needham at CMHA [email protected] or call 519-434-9191
The Journey
One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice- though the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug at your ankles. “Mend my life!” each voice cried. But you didn’t stop. You knew what you had to do, though the wind pried with it’s stiff fingers at the very foundations, though their melancholy was terrible. It was already late enough, and a wild night, and the road full of fallen branches and stones. but little by little as you left the voices behind, the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds, and there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own, that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world, determined to do the only thing you could do- determined to save the only life you could save.
Mary Oliver, Dream Work, Grove Atlantic Inc,1986 and New and Selected Poems, Beacon Press, 1992
Page 6 The Family Forum Newsletter
The Tillmann Family Resource Centre offers a variety of services for families their loved ones and mental health professionals, including:
A resource library which contains current books, magazines, videos, audio tapes, and pamphlets on most mental illnesses
An opportunity to meet one-on-one with another family member who has had a personal experience with mental illness and the mental health system
Participation in a support group comprised of 5-10 family members affected by mental illness and facilitated by a trained family member (every second Tuesday)
A free seven week family education course offered twice per year (Spring/Fall) Speakers for community groups Membership on the Family Advisory Council A computer for family members to search for internet information on mental illness
We are located at Regional Mental Health Care London 850 Highbury Ave. N., Room A117 (down the left hallway off the main foyer of RMHC London).
The resource centre is open: Monday to Friday: 8 am - 4 pm (unless otherwise posted) Contact us at: 519 455-5110 Ext. 47440 or visit our webpage
http://www.sjhc.london.on.ca/mental-health-care/tillmann-family-resource-centre-and-family-advisory-council
Page 7
The Family Forum Newsletter
Attention Family Members!
Did you know that we offer a FREE support group to family members who are supporting a loved one with a mental
illness?
The Support Group meets every second Tuesday from 1:30 to 3:00, at Regional Mental Health Care. Interested in this group, call the Tillmann Family Resource Centre at 519-455-5110, Ext. 47440 for further details.
FREE 7 Week Family Education Course is being offered for family members and
friends who are supporting a loved one with a mental health concern.
Begins Thursday March 31, 2011 from 6:30 -9:30 pm Register early as seats are limited!
To register contact Laurel Lamarre at 519 -455-5110 Ext. 47440
If you are interested in donating to Regional Mental Health Care:
Contact Wendy Sanderson-Culley, Senior Development Officer At 519-646-6100 ext. 47433
Donations for the family resource centre can be directly to: St. Joseph's Health Care Foundation Attn: Dr. Wm. A. Tillmann Memorial Fund Resource Centre for Families 268 Grosvenor Street London, ON N6A 4V2
This newsletter is intended to be used as a communication vehicle by the Family Advisory Council at Regional Mental Health Care with families who share common interests and concerns. The information herein is believed to be accurate; St. Joseph‟s Health Care, London, the Family Advisory Council, and the author(s) cannot be held responsible for any errors. It is the responsibility of the reader to work with professionals when making any clinical decisions.
W I N T E R C A L E N D A R
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Upcoming Events
Here is a list of some upcoming activities happening involving
the Family Advisory Council or other groups to educate or assist
patients and their families. Contact the Family Resource Centre
at 519 – 455-5110 Ext. 47440
Family Education Course - March 31, April 7, 14, 21, 28
May 5, 12
Breakfast of Champion - April 7
Good Friday and Easter - April 22, 25
Family Advisory Council - April 11, May 9, June 13
Research Half Day - May 11
Framing of the Phoenix May 3 to May 14
Family Support Group - April 5, 19, May 3, 17, 31, June 14, 28
Canada Day - July 1
Page 8
The Family Forum Newsletter
