Estimates suggest that, in any given year, about one in
every five people living in Canada will experience diagnosable mental health problems
or illnesses. These can occur at any time of life, affecting infants, children
and youth, adults, and seniors. No one is immune–no matter where they live,
what their age, or what they do in life. This means that just about every
family in the country will be directly affected, to some degree, by mental
illness.
Having known too many friends and families who have lost someone
they love who struggled with Mental Health challenges, we are excited to see
Mental Health, particularly Youth Mental Health, getting positive attention and
support.
Mental health and mental illness are two terms that are
often used interchangeably, which causes confusion as they are very different. Mental health is the sense of
well-being; it refers to how an individual is able to interact with other human
beings. Good mental health is a state of well-being in which a person is able
to cope with everyday events, think clearly, be responsible, meet challenges
and have good relationships with others. Mental
illness, on the other hand, refers to specific, diagnosed disorders and
mental ailments.
Young people experience higher rates of mental illness and
substance use than any other age group, and may face challenges in accessing
the services they need to improve their well-being.
Unfortunately, healthcare¾including mental
healthcare¾is
not user-friendly and does not come with a road map in British Columbia. People
often enter the healthcare system during a time of crisis and do not know who to
turn to. If you break your arm then you go to your local ER, but if a teenager has
suicidal thoughts, who do they and their family turn to?
Foundry
– Help Arrives for our Youth
The North Shore just announced the opening of Foundry, one
of five communities across British Columbia—Abbotsford, North Vancouver,
Kelowna, Campbell River and Prince George—that were selected to develop a
one-stop shop for youth to access primary care, mental health care, addictions
support and social services. The hope is that Foundry will encourage early
help-seeking by creating a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere where youth and
families can receive rapid access to care.
“With Foundry, young people
and their families can find help, hope, and support. It is
where young people can forge new connections, abilities, and
pathways. Foundry is a foundation for health and wellness.”
Foundry is a group of community agencies, government, donors,
youth and young adults, and families coming together to improve the wellness of
BC’s young people through a province-wide network of integrated health and
social service centres for young people ages 12-24. Foundry centres provide a
one-stop-shop for young people to access mental health care, substance use
services, primary care, social services and youth and family peer supports striving
to reach young people earlier to help with issues before they become
bigger and impact relationships, school, work or other aspects of life.
Where to find
Foundry? As of today (September 2017), Foundry centres are open in
Vancouver, Kelowna and North Vancouver and are being built in Abbotsford,
Campbell River and Prince George. Foundry North Shore will offer
five core services: primary care, mental health services, substance use
services, and youth and family peer support and navigation as well as social
supports (e.g. vocational and housing services).
Senior
Mental Health
Having good mental health throughout life does not ensure
immunity from severe depression, Alzheimer's disease, anxiety disorders or other disorders in the senior years of life. According to The Mental Health Commission of
Canada: by 2041, seniors will have the
highest rate of mental illness in Canada. 1 in 4 seniors already lives
with a mental health problem or mental illness, and as this population grows, so
too will the need for services. As Canadians live longer, our
approach to mental health must account for the number of seniors living with
mental illness and dementia. It requires a shift from acute, hospital-based
care to a more cost-effective community-based model, one that supports seniors
and caregivers where they live.
Seniors face overlapping stigma: the stigma of living with a
mental illness, as well as the stigma of being older. Further public awareness
and education are needed to combat the negative stereotypes associated with
ageing and mental health problems or mental illness. Although considered common
in older adults, mental health illnesses should not be viewed as typical or
inevitable consequences of growing older.
Dementia is a progressive degenerative illness of the brain
that includes several symptoms, such as loss of memory, impaired judgment and
loss of reasoning abilities, as well as changes in mood and behaviour. As of
2016, there are an estimated 564,000 Canadians living with dementia; plus about 25,000 new cases diagnosed every year.
By 2031, that number is expected to rise to 937,000, an increase of 66 per
cent. Dementia is often complicated
by delirium, an acute confusional state, affecting perceptions, attention,
orientation, emotions and level of consciousness.
The WHO Health Evidence Network reports that integration of
acute hospital and community care has been shown to improve outcomes following
hospital discharge for seniors with mental health issues. Home based support
services for people living with or at risk for mental illnesses, including
dementia are offered in the place where an older adult lives. Home care staff
is in a unique position to provide support and respite to family caregivers and
should be supported to do so according to the Guidelines for ComprehensiveMental Health Services for Older Adults in Canada.
Signs
and Symptoms of Mental Illness
We all lose our keys at times and wonder Is this just
normal ageing, or is this Mental illness?
Mental Illness does not typically happen over-night, usually friends and
family members notice subtle changes or feel something is wrong before their
loved-one is diagnosed with a Mental illness. Learning about the symptoms and
indicators can help you help those you love.
If you notice more than one of the following signs or
symptoms, you should discuss this with your family physician or follow up with
a mental health professional today.
- Withdrawal — Recent social
withdrawal and loss of interest in others
- Reduced functioning — An
unusual drop in functioning, at school, work or social activities, such as
quitting sports, failing in school or difficulty performing familiar tasks
- Problems with Concentration — Problems
with concentration, memory or logical thought and speech that are hard to
explain
- Increased sensitivity — Heightened
sensitivity to sights, sounds, smells or touch; avoidance of
over-stimulating situations
- Apathy — Loss of initiative
or desire to participate in any activity
- Feeling disconnected — A
vague feeling of being disconnected from oneself or one’s surroundings; a
sense of unreality
- Illogical thinking — Unusual
or exaggerated beliefs about personal powers to understand meanings or
influence events; illogical or “magical” thinking typical of childhood in
an adult
- Nervousness — Fear or
suspiciousness of others or a strong nervous feeling
- Unusual behaviour – Odd,
uncharacteristic, peculiar behaviour
- Sleep or appetite changes — Dramatic
sleep and appetite changes or decline in personal care
- Mood changes — Rapid or
dramatic shifts in feelings
Signs
and Symptoms of Dementia
Dementia and Mental Illness can occur concurrently, but one
will typically present before the other. Dementia is a collection of
symptoms that can occur due to a variety of possible diseases. Dementia
symptoms include impairments in thought, communication, and memory.
Signs &
Symptoms
- Subtle
short-term memory changes — Trouble with memory can be an early symptom of dementia. The changes
are often subtle and tend to involve short-term memory. An older person may be
able to remember events that took place years ago but not what they had for
breakfast.
- Difficulty
finding the right words — Another early symptom of dementia is struggling to communicate thoughts. A
person with dementia may have difficulty explaining something or finding the
right words to express themselves. Having a conversation with a person who has
dementia can be difficult, and it may take longer than usual to conclude.
- Changes
in mood — A change in mood is also common with dementia.
If you have dementia, it isn’t always easy to recognise this in yourself, but
you may notice this change in someone else. Depression, for instance, is
typical of early dementia. Along with mood changes, you might also see a
shift in personality. One typical type of personality change seen with dementia
is a shift from being shy to outgoing. This is because the condition often
affects judgement.
- Apathy — Apathy,
or listlessness, commonly occurs in early dementia. A person with symptoms
could lose interest in hobbies or activities. They may not want to go out
anymore or do anything fun. They may lose interest in spending time with
friends and family, and they may seem emotionally flat.
- Difficulty
completing normal tasks— A subtle shift in the ability to complete normal tasks may indicate that
someone has early dementia. This usually starts with difficulty doing more
complex tasks like balancing a check-book or playing games that have a lot of
rules. Along with the struggle to complete familiar tasks, they may
struggle to learn how to do new things or follow new routines.
- Confusion — Someone
in the early stages of dementia may often become confused. When memory,
thinking, or judgement lapses, confusion may arise as they can no
longer remember faces, find the right words, or interact with people normally.
Confusion can occur for a number of reasons and apply to different
situations. For example, they may misplace their car keys, forget what comes
next in the day, or have difficulty remembering someone they’ve met before.
- Difficulty
following storylines— Difficulty following storylines may occur due to early dementia. This is a
classic early symptom. Just as finding and using the right words becomes
difficult, people with dementia sometimes forget the meanings of words they
hear or struggle to follow along with conversations or TV programs.
- A
failing sense of direction— The sense of direction and spatial orientation commonly starts to
deteriorate with the onset of dementia. This can mean not recognising
once-familiar landmarks and forgetting regularly used directions. It also
becomes more difficult to follow a series of directions and step-by-step
instructions.
- Being
repetitive — Repetition
is common in dementia because of memory loss and general behavioural changes.
The person may repeat daily tasks, such as shaving, or they may collect items
obsessively. They also may repeat the same questions in a conversation
after they’ve been answered.
- Struggling
to adapt to change — For someone in the early stages of dementia, the experience can cause fear.
Suddenly, they can’t remember people they know or follow what others are
saying. They can’t remember why they went to the store, and they get lost on
the way home. Because of this, they might crave routine and be afraid to
try new experiences. Difficulty adapting to change is also a typical symptom of
early dementia.
If you or your loved one is experiencing memory problems,
don’t immediately label it ‘dementia’. A person needs to have at least two
types of impairment that significantly interfere with everyday life to receive
a dementia diagnosis. If a person is
experiencing several at one time, and the symptoms are causing challenges in
their ability to work or relate to others, he/she should be seen by a mental
health professional.
If you are struggling to support a friend or family member
in the community with a mental health challenge or dementia, call Shylo today
for an in-home assessment and support ideas.
For escorted rides to your healthcare appointments or to simply
run errands, call Rides By Shylo
Resources and Helplines
Health and Seniors Information Line 1-800-465-4911
Excepts from:
