The answer should be yes. Not "how can I get my loved one help?"

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Please document his actions and attitudes

David is on a track to potential discharge in March of 2016.  I won’t go in to the ins and outs of his program.

I don’t necessarily agree with discharge at this point.

David has been having difficulties the last two days.  And a couple of times over the last month.

If his care and issues aren’t properly documented, my fear is that he will not get the care that he needs.  His behaviors are escalating.

Please, don’t do him any favors by not documenting his care.  If he does something, please document it.  It is the only way to ensure that he is getting the care he needs.

We saw this in his last placement where things weren’t documented in the lodge/cottage/residence.  He ended up being discharged against doctors orders because Medicaid said he needed to go home since he wasn’t making any progress and was not regressing either.

Document, document, document…

Merry Christmas.

Visiting David

Last week we didn’t get to see David because two of us were sick.

This week, I am still not feeling well, but we went anyway.

He was in a mood.  Not sure why.  He wanted to play basketball, and I couldn’t.  He wanted to play badmiton, and I couldn’t.  Part of it was because the other residents were in the gym.  To me there is an expectation of privacy.  I shouldn’t be part of their world directly because I am not staff.  Just like they shouldn’t be part of mine.

Regardless, unless staff tells me it is okay, I am not actively participating in activities with kids I don’t know.  And even if I had the okay, not sure how comfortable I would be.

So David was in a mood.  Refused to eat.  Didn’t want to cooperate.  Asked every five minutes what time it was.

He also talked about restitution.  He evidently lost something, and has to pay restitution.  Six hours of community service within the residence.

When it was time to go, he took all of our lunch trays back to the residential kitchen.  Then went to the gym.  No goodbyes, no “see ya later”  just left us.

Staff did the same.  We ended up setting off an alarm when we tried to leave.  That was interesting.

Now is the time – For a National Conversation about Mental Health

Now is the time for a National Conversation regarding mental health.  With our congressional leaders in Washington, D.C., we may have difficulty getting on the dais.  Why? Because an individual presenting testimony to any committee regarding Mental Health, may not always speak to the same platform as varying members of Congress.

What does that mean?

Most of the members of Congress appear to follow the party line.  In order to effectively foster legislation to enhance the care that the mentally ill receive, we need to be able to reach across all party lines.

It isn’t a Red or Blue issue.  It is a human issue. Those who live with mental illness need regular, consistent and substantive help, not just when they are in crisis.

We shouldn’t use the mentally ill to gain votes.

In reading the proposed Murphy Bill H.R. 2646, there are many things I find disturbing.  One of the big things I find disturbing is the section regarding Protection and Advocacy.  Why would you limit the ability of Protection and Advocacy agencies to help the mentally ill?  Abuse and Neglect aren’t the only two areas where this population is in need of assistance.

Representative Murphy, I would welcome the opportunity to speak with you or one of your bill’s co-sponsors.  I don’t know what the answers are.  I don’t know that your legislation is or isn’t the answer.  What I do know is that we aren’t doing enough.  What I do know is that your bill jeopardizes many things that the American’s with Disabilities Act grants.

House Speaker Paul Ryan had it right when he called for Congress to address mental health issues.  On that we can agree.

 

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