Family Council
Newsletter
Fall
2013
a note
from the editor
Although I regret to see
The Family Resource Centre
is
NOW OPEN!
It is with great pleasure that I
announce the Family Resource
Centre (FRC) here at Ontario Shores
Centre for Mental Health Sciences,
Whitby (Ontario Shores) is now
open. The FRC, located at 700
Gordon Street, Whitby, Ontario,
L1N 5S9 - Building 7, Level 2, is
a dedicated therapeutic space
for families to receive and share
knowledge, access resources and
connect with other families for
support and encouragement.
Families play an important role in
their loved one’s recovery and this
dedicated space will provide both
knowledge and support in a warm,
child friendly environment.
Located next to the Ontario Shores
Library, the FRC includes a meeting
room, office space to allow for
one-on-one consultations and
small groups, a common area for
families and a children’s play area.
The family room includes an eating
area and families will have access
to computer terminals to find
reliable and accurate mental health
resources. In future we will have a
child-friendly computer station and
TV access.
This space will be managed by an
FRC Coordinator who will oversee
a group of trained volunteers. I
would like to acknowledge the
support and hard work of our
Family Council and the Ontario
Shores Foundation to ensure this
resource will be available to not
only families with loved ones under
our care but to the community at
large.
The FRC is open Monday to Friday
from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and also
Thursday evenings from 6:00 p.m.
to 8 :00 p.m. but we plan to expand
those hours in the near future.
the summer fading, I must
admit that I love autumn! I
appreciate the beauty and
also the feeling of moving
forward - getting back to or
establishing new routines
and goals... I hope you and
your loved one(s) will enjoy
the changing of the season.
With this issue, we will tell
you about the work we are
doing at Ontario Shores,
update you on the new
Family Resource Centre,
point you to some resources
for education & support,
hear from a patron of the
FRC and more!.
For more information call the FRC
Coordinator office at ext. 5970.
Sheila Neuburger,
Executive Vice-President,
Clinical Services
Sandy Matzen
[email protected]
Family Council Newsletter
a note
from the chair
To All Our Families;
I hope everyone had a great summer and an
opportunity for rest and relaxation. We are
now entering an exciting time of change and
growth. Here at Ontario Shores we are seeing
the opening of the Family Resource Centre ; a
place for loved ones to come together and share
time with one another in a warm, family friendly
environment. A place where you can connect
with others, find out about Family Council, ask
questions, gather information and learn about
the education programs being offered to families
and find support. Please take the time to visit the
Resource Centre, beside the library on level 2,
building 7. There you will find volunteers eager
to assist you, answer your questions and provide
information.
On the fourth Wednesday of every month Family
Council hosts an evening for family members
in the Conference Place. Each month we have a
speaker talking about various topics of interest
for families However this month we are inviting
family members to come and connect with other
families travelling the path of Recovery, share
their experiences and give suggestions and ideas
about the kind of support that is needed from
Family Council. Remember you are not alone we
are here to offer support. Family Council is here
to be a voice for you so please come and share
with us. I look forward to seeing you all.
2
Butterfly Affaire
Saturday
Sept. 21, 2013
Saturday September 21, 2013
Ontario Shores Centre for
Mental Health Sciences
700 Gordon Street, Whitby
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
700 Gordon Street, Whitby, ON L1N 5S9
Sponsorship
Opportunities
The Butterfly Aff
aire will be a celebration of
spectacular entertainment and abundance
of delicious canapes. This event is designed
to raise funds, build profile and assist in the
promotion of mental illness.
The Butterfly Affaire will raise funds in
support of Ontario Shores Centre for Mental
Health Sciences new Family Resource Centre.
The evening will also raise awareness of
mental illness and showcase our amazing
event sponsors. It will contribute to reducing
the stigma associated with mental illness
and provide memorable, entertaining and
engaging experiences for those who attend.
Pat Hofsepian
If you wish to purchase tickets please contact
Susan Remmer today at 905.430.4055 x.6575
or [email protected]
Limited availability.
Family Council Newsletter
LINKS
CORNER
3
Hope is a Thing
with Feathers
by Emily Dickinson
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
•
www.ontarioshores.ca
Find out what’s happening currently at
Ontario Shores, hear positive personal stories
from staff, volunteers and patients, check out
upcoming events & more!
•
•
•
www.schizophrenia.com/family/60tip
60 Tips for Helping People who have Schizophrenia
www.mooddisorders.ca
List of upcoming events and support programs
www.womenshealthmatters.ca
Latest health news for women served by Women’s College
Hospital. Check out the ‘Mental Health’ section under ‘Health
Centres’
•
www.crct.org
Community Resource Connection of Toronto. Geared to
newcomer communities, but speaks to many issues concerning
families living with mental illness. Downloadable brochure
available in several languages.
•
www.dmhs.ca/files/guidebook2.pdf
Printable copy of ‘Pathways to Recovery’, a Guidebook for
families navigating the Mental Health System in Durham Region
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
CARE to SHARE?
We would love to hear your inspirational story about caring for your loved one with mental
illness! Do you have an image you’ve captured, a picture of artwork you’ve created or a poem
you’ve written that conveys your journey? Please send me your story (up to 600 words) and/
or pictures for consideration to publish in a Family Council Newsletter. Comments about this
newsletter or suggestions for future issues are welcome.
[email protected]
Family Council Newsletter
4
feedback from a Family Resource Centre Patron
The Ontario Shores Family
Resource Centre will fill a long
awaited need for families in the
local community or those who
travel a distance to visit with their
loved one. Having a home-like
neutral private space – located
away from the wards – to sit,
visit and share is essential in
maintaining our relationship with
a balance of hope and mutual
respect. In my twenty year
history of supporting my brother
in the community and stays at
Ontario Shores, I thought I was
aware and educated on current
mental health issues and changes
in order to be an effective family
support, and had been able to
balance my personal and work life
with his needs and my parents’
needs. 2004 was a revealing year
for me as I was able to clearly see
the toll taken, devastation in my
own life and for my future. The
belief that if I just did a little bit
more, worked a little harder or
was a little smarter, - tomorrow
would be better - had failed me,
even though I ensured my family
members were safe and receiving
care. In 2011 and 2012 I was
struggling again when I started
attending the family education
series. Hearing other families’
daily struggles made me realize
I was not alone in struggling to
balance generational demands,
and sort through the quagmire
of one person’s situation with
the conflicting issues and rights.
Knowing that an ACT team can
help support your loved one
medically and socially to live
independently was a breath of
fresh air, and allowed me to try
to work on my brother’s financial
issues.
When I think of advice I might
give to others I suggest that
understanding your loved one’s
behaviours in context and
documenting that at the time is
NEWS
In June 2013, the Mental
Health Commission of
Canada released the much
anticipated “National Guidelines
for a Comprehensive Service System
to Support Family Caregivers of
Adults with Mental Health Problems and
Illnesses”.
FLASH
http://www.
mentalhealthcommission.ca
Each of the 41 recommendations in this document focus
on the goal of improving services for family caregivers.
Connect with us at ontarioshores.ca
important for you to be able to
review when writing a synopsis of
a series of events or issues when
you might be emotionally taxed.
This information recorded at the
time of events can be important
for the health care team, or when
trying to present information in
a limited time frame to a Consent
and Capacity Board, etc. The
Family Education Series session
on financial issues brought me
up to speed on our family’s
major weakness – financial and
future planning. The focus of our
attention had been on how he
is today and what will happen
tomorrow.
In short, the support I received
through the Family Education
Series and the Family Resource
Centre was very helpful to me and
I expect will be for others as well.
Thank you.
Carla Brechin
In the conclusion of the document it states,
“Family caregivers make significant contributions to
the well-being and recovery of people with mental
illness, as well as to the society at large.... There is ample
evidence that supporting family caregivers benefits all
stakeholders, including people living with mental illness,
family caregivers themselves and both the mental
health system and society as a whole.” p43
The new Family Resource Centre at Ontario Shores is a
cost effective and innovative way to meet many of the
recommendations in the “Guidelines”.