Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Without emotional wellness, quality of life suffers



“If you hide from it, people aren’t aware you’re struggling,” says Patricia Cavanaugh, a retired Moncton lawyer and now an artist with, in my humble opinion, considerable talent — a gift she now shares with us. Ms. Cavanaugh spoke about her struggle with depression in a recent Brunswick News article and after reading it, I was compelled to reach out.

Ms. Cavanaugh will be showcasing another of her talents, singing at the fifth annual Beacon In The Night variety show and art expo on May 12th at the Jeanne-de-Valois auditorium on l’Université de Moncton campus, when people living with mental illness can shine - shine by sharing their talents via their art and their music, and shine a light on the need for raising awareness of mental health issues. The event was started by Dr. Patrick Marcotte, a psychiatrist at the Georges-L-Dumont Hospital Centre, with the goal being to break through the stigma attached to mental illness.

Mental illness, mental condition, emotional unwellness - a mixed bag. One area of mental health and wellness that often goes unexplored is the issues associated with parents of children with disabilities, siblings of children with disabilities, other relatives of children with disability, notably grandparents, who may distance themselves simply because they just don’t know how to interact with the new grandchild who may have profound deficiencies with regard to physical ability and possibly intellectual ability that affects learning. 

Emotional unwellness plagues parents who are given the news that the baby they just brought into the world will be significantly disabled with an uncertain outcome. Aren’t outcomes for all of us uncertain? Isn’t it the minute by minute experiences, day by day, week by week, year by year that contribute to shaping outcomes? Doctors and other clinicians must work more diligently at not imposing their value/belief systems on parents who are struggling with news of such magnitude. They must stop telling parents that their child ‘will be a vegetable and he should be put in an institution.’ Yet again, Dickensian attitudes are the go-to. It’s cruel and unusual punishment to already wounded Moms and Dads. 

Clinicians need to keep their eyes and ears open and ask better questions and pay attention to hesitations and masking. Teachers of school-aged children with disability need to pay attention to changes in a parent’s demeanor. Asking how Mom’s doing or how Dad’s doing can be very telling. If guard is down, a helping hand can be offered. Caregivers try to convince themselves and the rest of us that they can do it all. They can’t!
Very often, the primary caregiver is the one who is at most risk but she just won’t allow the facade to crack. She has to be strong. She has to learn all she can learn about the needs of her child. She remains silent, but her stress shows — shows in how she interacts with her partner, shows in how she engages with her other children who have no disability, shows in how she interacts with family and friends. Being silent diminishes quality of life for everyone who have the closest relationship to the mother who is trying to do it all and then some. 

Being silent is neither healthy nor productive and  has potential to harm those near and dear; perhaps not intentionally, but the errors and omissions associated with living a life that’s stressed to the max affects everyone, every day in every way.
When we think of mental illness or mentally ill, we think of the serial killer who goes on a killing rampage, or the serial rapist who lurks in the shadows for decades before being caught and punished or the unkempt person who’s teetering on the rail of a bridge about to leap off. Often, their back stories tell shockingly scary tales of lives lived in fear, while others present people who for all intents were ‘normal’ before their demons were visited upon their communities.
Events like Beacon In The Night are necessary pieces of the fabric of a community. They allow us to learn about what it means to live in fear, in blackness, in pain, in isolation. Worrying and wondering, and hiding our ‘real’ selves in careers that keep us busy and supposedly ‘on top of things’. Then reality slams us. It’s all a lie. It’s time to tell our truth  — being in a safe place with others who are also struggling allows us to do that.

If you have a truth to tell, grab a bestie or two and check out Beacon In The Night activities. New friends are waiting.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her aging Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca 


Tuesday, April 24, 2018

In my home it’s a dog’s life. I just pay the bills



I am a pet people; in fact, I have 2 — a 15 year old Australian Silky Terrier, considered geriatric given his advanced age, and a 8-9 year old Maltese, a sassy senior. Both are in excellent health though they could do with daily walks. I feel guilty about not being sufficiently accommodating, but there are other ways in which I am able to ensure they get sufficient exercise. While in the TV room, as I’m sitting on the floor with them, I toss various toys in a rousing game of fetch and return. Mr. Digby will fetch the toy and run off with it, depositing it in the living room at the other end of the house, run back to wait for me to do it again. Oops, he forgot to bring it back. Miss Lexie, knowing how the game goes, will make the mad dash to fetch the tossed ball or stuffed animal/plushy and bring it back, putting it down in front of me. The D-man grabs that toy and runs off with it, again to the living room. There’s method in my madness. He’s the one who needs the exercise!

Now that the nicer weather is here, I hope to be getting them out for proper walks, however infrequently; they’ll be tethered to my mobility scooter, though Mr. Digby simply will not tolerate having Miss Lexie join us; he gets very testy, and a testy terrier is never a good thing so I’ll take him out on his own, travelling on the shoulder of the road with him on the inside ‘lane’, inspecting grass and rocks. Motorists are very courteous and if one is passing, they leave lots of room. Even oncoming traffic slows down — no doubt amused by the sight of a tiny lady on a fire engine red scooter running the roads with a feisty canine companion. Left on his own in the house while I am out with his ‘sister’, Mr. Digby enjoys Jukebox Oldies; he’s a huge Connie Francis fan.

As with Moms and Dads and their children,  I try not to play favourites, but we all know that in every family that’s inevitable. Some canines are simply more challenging than others, more needy. Mr. Digby’s start in life contributes to his personality — he was a puppy mill dog, sold to a pet store, then sold to an owner who didn’t treat him well. When I adopted him, he was in foster care. Miss Lexie, on the other hand, was an owner surrender from a great home. Her ‘other mother’ visits from time to time. Miss Lexie is more predictable. 
Most people in my position who are on their own with no family nearby wonder about what will happen to their dogs when they are no longer able to meet their daily needs - feeding, exercise, grooming, vet visits, and so on. Were I living in the city, I’d have access to the assistance of ElderDog Canada: Fredericton Pawd. It’s a registered charitable organization, dedicated to aging persons and their dogs. 

ElderDog offers solutions to those concerns and their involvement is all voluntary. They are available to help you help your dog so you can stay together in the home you know and love. Volunteers will visit you and your pet in your home, take your dog for a walk, brush him, feed him and spend time with you and your dog. They’re available to have ‘that’ conversation so you can feel assured that all will be well with your pet should your circumstances change.

Should you require hospitalization, ElderDog will arrange for care of your dog until you are able to resume that role. If/when the time comes that you can no longer live in your home, ElderDog will assist you in finding a home for your canine companion so that you don’t have the added burden of stressing about what will become of your devoted four-footed friend should you no longer be able to care for him.

Currently, I am able to easily meet the daily needs of my canine companions. I am very fortunate to have a groomer who will come to my home to collect my dogs to beautify them in her home-based ‘salon’, taking really great care of Mr. Digby and Miss Lexie. Some time ago, I had a conversation with her about boarding them should I want to go away for a few weeks. She’s agreed to look after them. One less thing for this crotchety old broad to worry about! 

In the event that a long-term arrangement is required for my rugrats, I’ve already had conversations with a young nephew who’s agreed to step in. I reminded him that I have some ‘great stuff’.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her aging Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca