eirace Review —

‘tal capacities to take care of them- selves, Some are. able. to lead a fairly competent daily existence despite their problems, others

require medication to control . their conditions, and some can-. not function outside an institu-”

tion. And then: there are those ‘who

fall ‘somewhere in between,

those who would not be served well by the restricted existence offered in an institution but who also aren’t able to get along en- tirely on their own, In Terrace

some of these in-between people

live with their families or relatives, some. live semi- independent lives with the occa- sional help of mental health pro- fessionals, and others live for varying lengths of time at Osborne Home.

Osborne Home is one of three major programs run in Terrace -by the Ksan House Society. Shirley Palahicky -is the. ad- ministrator and director for the program. .

The 10 spaces at Osborne

Wetnesay, October 25, 1989. 9. :

sborne Home — a fin

people who suffer from men: - illnesses- have: varying ®

Home are nearly always filled —

there is a high demand here for the service,. ‘The objectives of the ‘program | are’ therapeutic, . . Palahicky says, with the goal of

‘giving residents the best possible :

assistance in returning to a:life

of maximum “independencé. Some, however, become . long-, . ‘term residents..

’ Osborne Home was “founded. in the mid-1970's.with a bequest ‘from the Osborne family. The

higher -level of demand for the home’s service, a group residen- tial setting, began a few years ago with the provincial govern- ment’s policy swing toward

-decommissioning large mental

institutions like Riverview. Residents were often returned to their home communities and placed in small group homes supervised by professionals,

with life skills and employment .

programs figuring large in the overall therapeutic strategy. The existence of Osborne

‘Home, Palahicky says, offers an option somewhere between total

care of the mentally ill person by family, which often creates

Information session for bone marrow donors

_ The plight of two-year-old Laura Beaton, a Kitimat girl dy- ing of leukemia, has prompted the. Canadian Red Cross to hold information. sessions in Kitimat for people interested in being registered as bone marrow donors. .

Recent publicity about Laura caused an avalanche of inquiries from the Northwest at Red Cross House in Vancouver, The information sessions are sched- uled for tomorrow evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Mount Elizabeth Theatre in Kitimat and 10 a.m. the following morning in the same location.

Doctors have determined that a bone marrow transplant is the only hope for Laura, Leukemia is a cancer that affects the blood cell-producing areas of the mar- row, and a transplant can supply the victim with healthy tissue and hope for recovery.

The Canadian Red Cross par- ticipates in the world-wide Un-

the TSIMSHIAN

y >” TRIBAL COUNCIL | Cordially Invites You To Attend Their

| 2ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE

_ Prince Rupert Civic Centre _ Auditorium, Prince Rupert, B.C.

NOVEMBER 2, 3 & 4, 1989 |

related Bone Marrow Registry. Potential donors are genetically classified through a blood test and entered in the registry, where their names and geretic

markers are filed. A donor's

genetic markers. must match those of the recipient exactly or the recipient’s body will reject

the transplanted marrow. The ©

odds of getting an exact match vary from one in 450 to one in 750,000. No match has yet been found for Laura. _ The donation is a surgical pro- cedure that involves removing marrow from the donor by .use of a special hypodermic needle. The donor tissue is then injected into the recipient’s bone. The criteria for donors is the same as those for blood donation. Further information on the Kitimat sessions is available from Penny Jamieson at Red Cross house in Vancouver (879-9400) or ._Monica Peacock in Terrace (638-1586).

DAILY FROM 9:00 A. M. to 5:00 P.M.

~ serious. stress - and ‘burn-out

problems, cand: ‘the - complete.

separation of ‘being institu- tionalized.. ina distant urban

by Mental Health: ‘through the Ksan House Society. ..

A cat and 18° chickens:

‘come to Osborne: Home are vic- ‘tims of schizophrenia, an illness that causes personality changes ‘resulting in feelings of suspicion and alienation. It is a hereditary disease. that. usually manifests

itself between the ages of 17 and

29, The nature of schizophrenia makes its victims withdrawn, wary and hard to motivate. For

Palahicky it’s a challenge in in-

novative programming. . Residents are given assistance in life skills — cooking, laundry, housekeeping, the detailed glue that holds daily living together

— in combination with recrea- |

tional outings, occasional bouts of employment and a chance to

get involved in the Therapeutic.

Work program run by Terrace and District Community Ser- "vices. Guests at Osborne Home can go to the Kin Kamp at Lakelse Lake during the sum- mer, work out in recreational

programs in local school gymns,

‘they’ve gone horseback riding,

taken dips at the Mount Layton .

Hot Springs, they attend com- munity events, and at home to

keep things lively there’s a resi- ,

‘.dent cat and: 18 chickens. (‘‘They aren’t laying yet — we just got them four weeks ago.’’)

But Palahicky notes that the

center. The. ‘program is funded ~ primarily. by, Merital | Health, :

with additional 1 monies from: the

.> Ministry of Social Services and housing... The core. funding - covers only the cost of opera- tion, mainly salaries for the ad-

On average, Palahicky says, ~ four out“ of five people ‘who,

recreational | programming - is. more of an occasional’ luxury: than a constant. There is no. os reliable workers in the right kind = = of. setting, employers. are relues 2. fo tant to take what they perceive ee

recreation budget. The. program is’ funded

ministrator, three full-time and

-two permanent part-time

employees and eight staff that are.on call, and maintenance of the building and. supplies. ‘“*Money is definitely a problem,” Palahicky says. Although Osborne Home owns a van, the vehicle.is presently out of service and there is nothing i in

the budget for repairs. Most

recreation for the guests has to be paid for through creative bartering arrangements, like of- fering cleaning services in ex-

change . for. admission to ac- tivities and events.

“The bullé-in disincentive Schizophrenics are, due to the

nature of the illness, somewhat - reclusive. and don’t react well to: changes in. routine. Guests at: ‘Osborne Home are generally a difficult group to motivate, but. one thing Palahicky says they all . * respond to is employment and. ‘the prospect of making money.

A degree of financial in- dependence can make a day- and-night difference in attitude.

Placing someone. who has.a disabling mental illness in even temporary employment can be a daunting task due to the prevail- ing public attitudes about such

y people, ‘Although schizophrenics “and others with mental disérders °°"

can make . productive and

to’ ‘be a chance... .. But. even when: a’ -suecessful.

placement is ‘made, "problems ~~ 7

still. come-.up’ —- not. with. the people, . but: with. the system.”

Most people who’ are. under ae

treatment for mental illness * sur-

vive on welfare benefits similar.

to a disability pension. Under.

the benefit rules established by. —

the Ministry of. Social Services _ and Housing, the recipient is- allowed to make only.$50 per. month in additional income; beyond that, the benefits are cut. dotlar-for-dollar on all earnings. In strictly financial terms, there isn’t much incentive to go. to” work,

In addition to the residential service, Osborne also runs a drop-in program and the staff do follow-up for guests who are discharged.

. Palahicky says Osborne.

Home does get support from the community, and she encourages. . anyone who would like to spon-

sor an outing for the residents or | __

who -has work that needs tobe, done to get in touch with her:

' “We miss out on a lot due to

lack of money,’’ she said. “And when they're working, it makes’ an amazing difference.”

The next article. in this series: on the Ksan House Society. will examine the third of the

society’s programs, the Sexual oe

Assault Centre.

ws

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