You all know Buddy. He's in his late thirties and living with us. He's fortunate. For many adults with disabilities there are group homes. Buddy chose to stay with us and we are fine with that. Keep in mind that those homes only work for those who have some skills and the ability to function within that facility by applying their skills. If an individual's faculties require a more intensive care then the solution is to send that person into a long term care facility. There were special centres for the handicapped. There were others for those requiring drug abuse treatment and those needing help with other psychological issues. Each had it's own resources and space allocation. And there were long term facilities designated exclusively for senior care.
However in order to save on staffing and space our government very quietly has changed the way all centres are to be used. From some time now they decided to just combine all of those units and allow the residents to be mixed together. That means a senior could be sharing a room with a psychologically challenged younger person suffering from a severe bipolar impairment. Even a criminal who can no longer be kept in prison due to a medical impairment will be in such a long term care place. As a bed becomes available clients are placed into spaces with no serious consideration of how the roommates match up in age or disability. And confidentiality makes it impossible to know what's wrong with one's roommate.
On Friday, March 30th, W5 aired a documentary highlighting what is really now happening in those care centres, the ones that get our government funding for the services they provide. The clients get very little in protection. In fact studies show that the abuse rate is four times higher there than anywhere else! And even the undertrained staff get harmed!!
I cannot bear the idea that Buddy or I might end up in a place like that. The only solution preventing that would be private in-home care. Who would be able to afford tho huge cost of that? Are there any insurance policies willing to cover that? Likely yes for a high price but I doubt pre-existing conditions would be considered insurable unless the policy clearly stated it does.
Are we being sent fearful messages like the one I saw to help make it better for those in care now or to push us more towards seeking spaces that will take payment for home care? And is this to shift our the tax contributions to lessen the number of long term care units? If so then what private heath care businesses are lobbying behind the scenes? What's really happening to our health care system?
The video provides you with information of how clients in those care centres struggle and how the government using our tax money refuses to hear that this situation is totally wrong. Clients should be selected to be with others of similar issues and age. Those who require similar care ought to be together. Integration can be useful but it needs to be constructive to the clients not just the budget. It seems to be going backwards with this issue. It appears to be creating monster institutions just like in the past, one that destroy the dignity of the elderly and the less abled. Back in the day we opted to have that changed citing cruelty to the clients mattered. Well it seems it no longer does. Cruelty is back and on the rise.
What's wrong with our elected officials? Have they gone deaf and blind? They chose not to acknowledge there's an issue. Perhaps they ought to be forced to share a room in such a place, to feel the pain they are creating on so many poor helpless folks?
The direct link to W5 could not be created from my mac. The link you get takes you to the menu page. You will need to manually go to the part of the CTV News subheading, find there W5 under News and click on W5 to get to the clip. The clip takes at least 20 minutes to tell the whole story The date is 12.30.03. A written version may be found under statistics but it does not have the harsh impact of the video.
What have you got in your area?
Monday, April 2, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Cholesteatoma
Buddy is enjoying the gorgeous summer like temperatures (and most unusual) that are presently in our area. The poor lad deserves a break. After trips to the family doctor, ER and the ear specialist we learn what is really going on.
It all began a month ago with what appeared to be a middle ear infection that apparently broke the ear drum. Several trips to the GP and one to the ER, we met up with an ENT and we learned that was not the case.
What he actually has is cholesteatoma which is a type of cyst that develops in the middle ear and may cause oozing from the ear when an infection occurs. Once the bacterial infection is under control, the next step will be to determine the method needed to remove the growth before it causes further damage. After an MRI, surgery is the only option.
I was told by a dermatologist that all the skin growth that happens on the outside of a person with psoriasis also happens to internal tissues. Seems to me this is to be the first indicator that it's doing just that. Though what's most puzzling about this ear event is it's timing. It became an issue while his external skin cell growth was in a remission that was bringing a smile to Buddy's face. He loved watching himself and rejoiced as his cleared up skin was appearing all over himself. When over 80% of your body is full of plaque and it drops away revealing the skin beneath it, that has an impact that I can only imagine! Alas those episodes never last more than three months. As of yesterday that lull is struggling. His arms and legs have flared up again. We are applying creams in hope of keeping this under control as long as it will allow us to. We do what we can every day. Each day is a new challenge.
But what's more frustrating is that in the past few days the ear drops seemed to be causing some sort of allergic type reaction but we weren't sure. Today that became most clear. It made his face and eyes red and itchy about one hour after his dose. For now he must take an Allerdryl and a cortisone tablet to become comfortable. Immediately the drops will be stopped and taken off his this list of safe drugs(topical ciprofloxacin antibiotic)to be allowed. Apparently other forms of that antibiotic are reported as causing some serious side effects to some folks so I am not surprised that the drops are disagreeing with him.
Still Buddy is very happy that the Florida like weather has come to him. WHY? He'd love to go to Florida. He's waiting to go.
For over two years now we keep hoping to travel to Florida but we are stalled by unexpected issues, mostly health ones; my eyes, hubby's heart and now Buddy's ear. We pray that the fall season will give us the break to make that getaway. HOPE keeps us all moving ahead. FAITH has us believing it will happen. Buddy will get better and his wish will be fulfilled.
P.S. Buddy monitors the daily and weekly weather reports with great intent, listening to hear that winter is gone. Once he loved those wintery days and he would toboggan, skate and ski. But no more. He claims he's grown too old, pointing to some white hairs on his whiskers and sideburns as he grins. Gotta love his humour!
What he actually has is cholesteatoma which is a type of cyst that develops in the middle ear and may cause oozing from the ear when an infection occurs. Once the bacterial infection is under control, the next step will be to determine the method needed to remove the growth before it causes further damage. After an MRI, surgery is the only option.
I was told by a dermatologist that all the skin growth that happens on the outside of a person with psoriasis also happens to internal tissues. Seems to me this is to be the first indicator that it's doing just that. Though what's most puzzling about this ear event is it's timing. It became an issue while his external skin cell growth was in a remission that was bringing a smile to Buddy's face. He loved watching himself and rejoiced as his cleared up skin was appearing all over himself. When over 80% of your body is full of plaque and it drops away revealing the skin beneath it, that has an impact that I can only imagine! Alas those episodes never last more than three months. As of yesterday that lull is struggling. His arms and legs have flared up again. We are applying creams in hope of keeping this under control as long as it will allow us to. We do what we can every day. Each day is a new challenge.
But what's more frustrating is that in the past few days the ear drops seemed to be causing some sort of allergic type reaction but we weren't sure. Today that became most clear. It made his face and eyes red and itchy about one hour after his dose. For now he must take an Allerdryl and a cortisone tablet to become comfortable. Immediately the drops will be stopped and taken off his this list of safe drugs(topical ciprofloxacin antibiotic)to be allowed. Apparently other forms of that antibiotic are reported as causing some serious side effects to some folks so I am not surprised that the drops are disagreeing with him.
Still Buddy is very happy that the Florida like weather has come to him. WHY? He'd love to go to Florida. He's waiting to go.
For over two years now we keep hoping to travel to Florida but we are stalled by unexpected issues, mostly health ones; my eyes, hubby's heart and now Buddy's ear. We pray that the fall season will give us the break to make that getaway. HOPE keeps us all moving ahead. FAITH has us believing it will happen. Buddy will get better and his wish will be fulfilled.
P.S. Buddy monitors the daily and weekly weather reports with great intent, listening to hear that winter is gone. Once he loved those wintery days and he would toboggan, skate and ski. But no more. He claims he's grown too old, pointing to some white hairs on his whiskers and sideburns as he grins. Gotta love his humour!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
The Help (part1)
The other day I decided to watch the movie 'The Help' and while it took me back to the very early '60's and discussions I had with my dad about the sad way people of colour were treated in the US, it also brought me to the role I played in helping others with their child rearing.
My parents were the first to get me to understand I play an important role in assisting in caring for the younger siblings. My 20 months younger brother had to be played with a lot. When my sister was born when I was 10, old enough to do a lot more than just play.
A daily event, I was taught how to sterilize bottles on the stove and fill them with boiled cooled water and measured formula to be put in the fridge for later. I was taught to clean cloth diapers and baby clothes made of cotton by placing them in a huge pot of boiling water with added soap. Then these had to be carefully and manually rinsed and hung to dry in our tiny one bedroom apartment. The sterilization had to be done for a period of over six months. This was to ensure the tiny baby would not pick up any harmful germs.
I was shown how to bath her properly and dress her too. She always smelled so nice that I loved this chore that I shared with my mom and dad. And there were the daily walks so that baby would get plenty of fresh air. I would walk beside my mom proudly as she pushed the pram. Sometimes she would take us to the nearby Woolworth's where she would stop for something. The pram and baby remained outside. Often a passerby would look at the sleeping infant and comment on how cute she was. I would beam with pride. Once in a while I was allowed to walk her without my mom's presence. I had to stay close by so I could be seen from the window of our place. Those were precious moments.
But there was a darker side to my help. My parents expected me to get up at night when baby awoke because I was closest to her room, the sunroom next to the living room where my brother and I slept on a pullout couch. It was my duty to let my parents rest for work. We were struggling immigrants in the mid '50's. I did as I was told even though there were tiny moments of resentment during some of those nights when she was hard to settle back to sleep.
I was the help. But there was a huge difference. I was made to feel very proud of what I was doing to contribute to the family well being.
My parents were the first to get me to understand I play an important role in assisting in caring for the younger siblings. My 20 months younger brother had to be played with a lot. When my sister was born when I was 10, old enough to do a lot more than just play.
A daily event, I was taught how to sterilize bottles on the stove and fill them with boiled cooled water and measured formula to be put in the fridge for later. I was taught to clean cloth diapers and baby clothes made of cotton by placing them in a huge pot of boiling water with added soap. Then these had to be carefully and manually rinsed and hung to dry in our tiny one bedroom apartment. The sterilization had to be done for a period of over six months. This was to ensure the tiny baby would not pick up any harmful germs.
I was shown how to bath her properly and dress her too. She always smelled so nice that I loved this chore that I shared with my mom and dad. And there were the daily walks so that baby would get plenty of fresh air. I would walk beside my mom proudly as she pushed the pram. Sometimes she would take us to the nearby Woolworth's where she would stop for something. The pram and baby remained outside. Often a passerby would look at the sleeping infant and comment on how cute she was. I would beam with pride. Once in a while I was allowed to walk her without my mom's presence. I had to stay close by so I could be seen from the window of our place. Those were precious moments.
But there was a darker side to my help. My parents expected me to get up at night when baby awoke because I was closest to her room, the sunroom next to the living room where my brother and I slept on a pullout couch. It was my duty to let my parents rest for work. We were struggling immigrants in the mid '50's. I did as I was told even though there were tiny moments of resentment during some of those nights when she was hard to settle back to sleep.
I was the help. But there was a huge difference. I was made to feel very proud of what I was doing to contribute to the family well being.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Thinking Day
February 22, I remember it as Thinking Day and Lord Baden-Powell Day. I was a Girl Guide from the age of 12 and remained a member until the end of my teenage years. My brother followed and became a Scout. And then little sister joined Brownies. We took being a member very seriously, striving to reach the highest levels. Check out our chords. But the awards in the background belong to a Scout troop.
We wore our uniform proudly on this day.
Today I post this in honour of a world movement that inspired many youths.
We wore our uniform proudly on this day.
Friday, February 17, 2012
MEME
Meme is a word that has not been a part of my active vocabulary. When I skimmed over it today while reading a blog I decided to take time to acquaint myself with it.
The more I tried to grasp its meaning the more I frustrated I became. Seems this word is evolving along with many others in this computer age.
I have learned that the term is used to propagate an idea or image over the internet. Does that differ from 'going viral'?
If you have grasped how the word really works maybe you can help me to a better understanding? Who knew I could be so confused trying to make sense of a four letter word?
I clicked on HERE to get to the meme in one blog. The meme is Skywatch Friday. At that host page I found many images. Clicking on an individual image sent me back to the blog and blogger that added it. I suppose this is another way to enjoy followers but I didn't trust myself to join too.
It seems the Skywatch Friday site does not appear to be macbook friendly. Their homepage display appeared distorted on mine. And that made me back away from joining.
Instead I decided to post one of my sky pics without the link.
Here's the harbour at St. John, New Brunswick in the Bay of Fundy in the fall of 2010. Any one cursing(lol 'cursing'; thanks Patti for finding my typo) any time soon?
For those of you who are in search of hearts there appears to be a partial image of one. Enjoy.
The more I tried to grasp its meaning the more I frustrated I became. Seems this word is evolving along with many others in this computer age.
I have learned that the term is used to propagate an idea or image over the internet. Does that differ from 'going viral'?
If you have grasped how the word really works maybe you can help me to a better understanding? Who knew I could be so confused trying to make sense of a four letter word?
I clicked on HERE to get to the meme in one blog. The meme is Skywatch Friday. At that host page I found many images. Clicking on an individual image sent me back to the blog and blogger that added it. I suppose this is another way to enjoy followers but I didn't trust myself to join too.
It seems the Skywatch Friday site does not appear to be macbook friendly. Their homepage display appeared distorted on mine. And that made me back away from joining.
Instead I decided to post one of my sky pics without the link.
Here's the harbour at St. John, New Brunswick in the Bay of Fundy in the fall of 2010. Any one cursing(lol 'cursing'; thanks Patti for finding my typo) any time soon?
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