Reports

ANNUAL REPORTS

     2009-2010      2008-2009      2007-2008       2006-2007

(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
  

(From the Introduction) The following brief makes the point that, as is emphasized in “Out of the Shadows at Last”, mental health consumers are often more impacted by the stigma and lack of community, and often professional, understanding of their mental health issue than they are by the mental health disability itself.

It is absolutely critical for the “recovery” of persons with mental health issues that ways to give
“voice and influence” (i.e. empowerment) to consumers and their families be found and
incorporated into our formal mental health system.

This brief is based upon several documents which represent a tremendous amount of work and
time regarding mental health issues. These documents include “Out of the Shadows at Last”, “A
Recovery/Resiliency Plan for Mental Health & Addictions in Saskatchewan” and “Results of the
Canadian Mental Health Association (Saskatchewan Division) Inc. Consumer In-Patient Survey”.
The main thrust of the sections of these key documents is that mental health “consumers” and
their families, and by extension the very services which provide for them, are all negatively
impacted by the stigma and resulting discrimination it leads to.

The “Recovery Model” has as one of its main tenets the principle of consumer and family
involvement as a key part of the philosophy of “Recovery”.

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”.

Brief to the SK Police Commission:

     USE OF CONDUCTED ENERGY WEAPONS
     by Municipal Police in Saskatchewan (CEDs)

It is critical, in our view that a combination of effective and appropriate training for police officers in dealing with persons with mental health/illness issues and changes to policy re: the use of CEW’s, is essential to preserving the lives of those with mental illnesses, as well as the respect the police officers need and deserve to carry out effective policing in our Province. (From Page 9 on the pdf - read CMHA's recommendations to the Police Commission.)

VISITING THE MENTALLY ILL:Volunteer Visitors at Saskatchewan Hospital, Weyburn 1950-1965

(From the Executive Summary) All people benefit from recreation and social interaction, but that quality was scarce in the lives of patients in the two psychiatric hospitals, Saskatchewan Hospital at North Battleford and Saskatchewan Hospital in Weyburn. The main ‘therapy’ in the early years was hard work, so patients who were able worked at farming, and in the laundry, kitchens and maintenance of the facility. There was also an active occupational therapy program with arts, crafts and music at each facility. Many of the patients had too much unstructured time that was neither fun nor relaxing in the over-crowded dormitories and sitting rooms. The newly formed Canadian Mental Health Association in Saskatchewan was invited to begin a program of volunteer visiting at the mental hospitals. Soon the CMHA was hiring Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC) buses to take 30-60 volunteers at a time from Regina to Weyburn, and from Saskatoon to North Battleford. These volunteers organized birthday parties and seasonal celebrations, dances and family days, played cards and board games, and developed friendships with people who had been abandoned by or alienated from their families.