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Facebook Statuses I Would Like To See In 2030

27 Wednesday Jan 2016

Posted by A Journey With You in bipolar, hope, mental illness, schizophrenia, stigma, Uncategorized, writing

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

bipolar, change, cure, depression, drugs, elderly, Facebook, future, guns, homeless, hope, hospitals, inspiration, Internet, medication, mental illness, mentally ill, police, prison, schizophrenia], social media, writer, writing

Facebook status updates I want to see in 2030:

“The state psychiatric facilities are being turned into retirement centers for the elderly. Of course, they’ll add golf, swimming pools, and restaurants.”

“The United States no longer has the highest number of people in prison. Since a cure has been found for so many mental illnesses, the number of inmates has dropped to less than half of previous numbers.”

“Back in 2016, there were thousands of homeless people in the United States. Now all we see are people backpacking around from city to city – travelers have replaced the homeless.”

“Can you imagine what it was like in 2016 when people could buy weapons on the Internet? It must have been terrifying!”

“Can you believe there was a time when some people couldn’t afford their medical treatment? Barbaric!”

“My grandparents had to choose between groceries and medication! How could anyone allow that? Terrible!”

“My parents said when they were younger, that some people didn’t vote! Can you imagine that?”

“It is so nice to see our military rebuilding all our roads and bridges.”

“My mom said the police used to respond to calls regarding the mentally ill. Say what?”

“I heard people used to make fun of mental illness. Wow! Seriously, messed up.”

“There were hate groups in 2016. Damn, I’m glad I live in 2030!”

“Previous generations nearly destroyed our planet. It is a good thing the world came together and made some changes.”

“I read a book today about life in 2016. Man, have we come a long way!”

“I got my shot today. I no longer have schizophrenia.”

 

Thinking About Age

10 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by A Journey With You in Uncategorized

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

age, aging, anxiety, day of the dead, death, dying, elderly, end of life, fear, hope, inspiration, life, mexican, mexico, panic attacks, writer, writing, youth

When I have a panic attack, I am terrified of dying. When I am having a good day and think about having a terminal illness, it doesn’t scare me. I like the good days. I don’t like to be fearful of the end of my life. If I have to be aware that my life is going to end one day, I don’t want to be terrified of how that is going to happen.

For the past twenty years, I have watched people from Mexico celebrate the Day of the Dead, and every time I see an altar, or a painted skull (I have one on my desk), I wish that we treated death more like our neighbors in Mexico. I want to be more like Mexicans and have a day to celebrate the dead, and keep them as a part of my life. A celebration of those who have gone before isn’t something I want to do alone I want to do it with others, as a part of a family or community.

I grow weary of living in a culture that worships youth, and where many elderly people are placed in homes away from their families. I know from personal experience that it isn’t easy or even safe, to always care for the elderly in your home, but many people are alone at the end of their lives, and that is tragic.

The first time someone I knew died, I was twelve or thirteen. Two boys, twins, from my hometown, (I had a crush on one of them) drowned underneath a waterfall near a lake outside of the town where I grew up.

Since that time, I have lost friends, a step brother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and my grandparents.  Occasionally, I will write a story about one of them, and the process of putting a memory into words brings more memories of them back to me.

I love the young people in my life, and I know they have things to teach me, but so do the older people in my life. When I see older people, I know that someday, if I am fortunate enough to live a long life, I will be in their place. I may lose bits or pieces of my memory. I may completely lose my memory. I will be frail in comparison to my youth. I will have more doctor appointments and more medication. Of course, there are more and more stories of people living past one hundred who are still participating in a passion of some sort like music, or architecture, or other arts.  Many people are living longer and healthier.

These are the thoughts I have on a Sunday morning in January. I am thinking of how I would like to celebrate those people who have died but are still a part of my life. I am also thinking about how we treat youth and age, and my mortality and the mortality of those I love.

It may seem like a weighty or depressing topic for the early morning, but it shouldn’t, and that’s the point – it happens to all of us and so many of the messages we receive from advertising is that it doesn’t have to. It does have to. It is a certainty; a certainty that we often hide.

I’m not hiding this morning, although I may be next week, and if I have a panic attack, I’ll be terrified of this very thing. I don’t want to be terrified. I want to celebrate and accept. Of course, I also hope to be writing my best stories at the age of one hundred.

Helping Someone In Crisis

16 Wednesday Dec 2015

Posted by A Journey With You in caregivers, mental illness, relationships, schizophrenia, Uncategorized

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

adult services, bipolar, crisis, depression, elderly, help, homeless, human services, learning disability, life, living, mental illness, mentally ill, psychosis, schizophrenia, system

A couple of years ago, my husband’s father bought a condo near us, so he could spend half of the year here. He lives the other half of the year in France, where he is a citizen. When he and his wife arrive here every year, we help them with their cable bill, medical, insurance, property taxes, etc. They simply don’t know the ins and outs of getting things done in the United States.

I’ve never really thought about how things work in this country until I have had to try to explain them to someone who has never dealt with our “system.” The way we have things set up is extremely complicated.

I know that most people don’t live on the streets by choice, but some do, and others live in camps or trailers off the grid. Seeing how complicated we have made everything, from hooking up your television, to going to the doctor, it doesn’t surprise me that people don’t want to participate in any of it. Don’t even try to fill out the paper work and make a claim to disability or file your yearly taxes, those two things have become almost too complicated for the average individual to figure out on their own.

I can understand how easy it is for someone in a mental health crisis to go from having an apartment, to being homeless in less than a year. During a mental health crisis like psychosis there is no way I could participate in the “system” we have set up. I would be unable to figure out my insurance. I would be unable to figure out the ins and outs of banking. I would be unable to pay my bills online. I would be unable to be an advocate for myself in terms of bills, medical, pharmacy, etc. (I think some of this applies to the elderly, too, particularly those with memory issues).

It must be terrifying for caregivers of people with mental illnesses, learning disabilities, and the elderly, etc. to imagine what would happen to the people they care for if they were not around to help them find their way through the hoops and mazes we have to work through in order to have shelter, heat, food, and a way to pay for those things. We have not made the necessities of life easy for people to acquire and manage.

I know my husband worries that if something happens to him, and I have a crisis, that my life will quickly spiral out of control as bills go unpaid, insurance is lost, and the complicated system we have set up is too difficult for me to find my way through.

With so many pressing problems like gun violence, mental health treatment, terrorism, the deficit, etc. there is no way anyone is going to campaign to make the details of life simpler for those people who are most vulnerable, it just isn’t going to happen, but there is something people can do. If you see someone who seems to be struggling to pay their bills, do their banking, or buy their groceries, call Health and Human Services (Adult Services). An early intervention can keep someone safely in their home and get them the support they need.

Let’s agree to watch out for each other. You never know when you, or someone you love, will need the concern of a stranger to help you survive.

 

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