ANNUAL REPORTS

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(From the Introduction) One of the few things I recall from my high school physics class was the law of inertia: “A body at rest has a tendency to remain at rest; a body in motion has the tendency to remain in motion.” One of the things that older adults particularly value is our ability to maintain enough activity to look after ourselves in our own homes and enjoy an interesting and satisfying life. Active bodies and minds are essential to a level of health that allows us to enjoy life as long as possible.

The purpose of this paper is to look at the question: what are the barriers for older adults with mental health challenges being involved in recreation? It will also suggest possible actions to overcome or reduce some of those barriers. The paper is written for older adults who experience mental illness and the organizations, agencies, and groups that might offer recreational opportunities.

MENTAL HEALTH SECTOR SURVEY

The purpose of the study was to build on the work from the Saskatchewan Mental Health Sector Study, Final Report of 2002/2003 (click here to read the Executive Summary of this report, commonly called The Conway Report), by focusing on the role of community-based organizations in the voluntary sector in the mental health sector. The research focus examined the following:

• Current and future role(s) of community based organizations (CBOs) within the mental health sector and the barriers in fulfilling those roles,
• Current status of collaboration within the mental health sector, particularly the involvement of CBOs, and perspectives on lessons learned/best practices that support collaboration for effective service delivery,
• Perspectives on preparatory education for professional and paraprofessionals in the delivery of mental health services working within community based organizations, and
• Desired future for effective mental health services in Saskatchewan
  
  

A RECOVERY/RESILIENCY PLAN FOR
MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTIONS IN SASKATCHEWAN

“Recovery/resiliency” refers to both internal conditions (i.e. attitudes, experiences and processes of change of individuals who are “recovering”) and external conditions (i.e. circumstances, events, policies and practices that may facilitate recovery). Together these internal and external conditions produce the process called recovery/resiliency.

Key internal conditions that facilitate recovery/resiliency are:
• Hope
• Healing
• Empowerment
• Connection

External conditions start with human rights, or a “positive culture of healing” and recovery/resiliency-oriented services. Key to that positive culture of healing is the development of collaborative relationships between consumers and providers.

Treatment, rehabilitation and support remain important elements of the recovery/resiliency model. People receiving these services will continue on with their ordinary lives, recovering from the illness as much as possible. “Where full remission is not yet possible, recovery-oriented care offers access to the technologies, tools and environment accommodations to incorporate illness or disability as only one component of a multidimensional existence and multi-faceted sense of personal identity”.

TRANSITION

TRANSITION, an annual publication of the Canadian Mental Health Association (Saskatchewan Division) Inc., is edited by Ted Dyck. The author of four books of poetry and numerous periodical publications  crossing many genres, Ted also operates WorDoctor, a writing editing service, and compiles an online literary magazine. A former editor of the literary magazine Grain, he has edited three essay collections and two books of poetry and conducted workshops in fiction, nonfiction and poetry. He is a skilled communicator having worked as a conference organizer and teacher of English for over twenty years in diverse settings such as Marburg University, Germany; Aurora College in  the Northwest Territories; and Red Deer College. Highly regarded by his peers, Ted has won awards for both his writing and his teaching.

TRANSITION publishes two kinds of works: those directly about mental health issues; and those about the individual's personal experience of those same issues. Both kinds of works celebrate lives in transit – lives of change, growth, and transformation. We solicit original, unpublished articles, as well as fiction, non-fiction, poetry, book reviews, and visual art (black and white) that represent current mental health issues in our province and reflect on their impact on individuals.

We especially encourage new and emerging writers to submit their work.

We now accept submissions continuously.

CONTINUOUS SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR TRANSITION

1. TRANSITION is published twice a year by The Canadian Mental Health Association (Saskatchewan Division) Inc.  Subscription by joining CMHA (SK) at $15 per year.
   
2. Send original, unpublished articles, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and visual art that represent current mental health issues and reflect on their impact on individuals.
   
3. Maximum manuscript lengths: articles – 15 pages; all other prose – 10 pages; poetry – 10 poems or 10 pages, whichever is less; visual art – 10 pieces.
   
4. Reprints and simultaneous submissions (to several magazines) are not considered.
   
5. Turnaround time is normally one issue or 6 months: do not send a second submission before the first has been reviewed.
6. Payment is $25.00 per printed page ($12.50/half page); $20.00 per published visual art work; and $100.00 for cover art.
7. Electronic submissions are preferred (full contact information). Submit manuscripts in Word or WordPerfect format (12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced, 2.5 cm margins) as e-mail attachment to: contactus@cmhask.com
8. Send hardcopy manuscripts (typed, one-sided, 12- point, double-spaced, 2.5 cm margins), together with self-addressed, stamped return envelopes with sufficient postage, to: TRANSITION, 2702 12th Ave., Regina, SK S4T 1J2