The Old Folks Home

[ronott1]

Quite a few years ago the state of Michigan got out of the mental health care business by closing all the state run mental hospitals. A dear friend of mine had been an orderly at the hospital in Traverse City. It was a huge facility, with dairy and crop farms where the patients worked. I asked him once what happened to all the people who were patients when the place closed down. He said, "The State relocated them. They either live under bridges or are dead". He would often see former patients in the obituaries.
I think you could add, or in jail. A friend up here works at the prison and he says a good number of the people there are probably not so much criminals as people with mental health issues. But we no longer have anyplace to put them, so they end up in jail.

I think the number I read was at least 30% of homeless have mental issues. Another large group is addicted but that can also be a mental health issue

 

[microchick]

@superchemicalgirl, my mother used to say that God never put more on your shoulders than you could handle. Then she would shake her head and say 'I wish He would quit having so much confidence it the strength of my shoulders'.

Not much consolation but this too shall pass. I had a bad experience with crisis intervention when my mother had one of her violent dementia outbreaks. She would have them, beat the crap out of my dad or me, then go normal again for a period of time. Finally it got to the point that I went looking for help. Reg. MD was out of town and his nurse with him. Another nurse put me in contact with crisis intervention who talked to me, yatta yatta, told me what I needed to do and good luck. I went home to find my father beat to a bloody pulp, fled with him and my dogs in my car. To make a long story short, dad wound up in the ER and the police came and in spite of my begging them to get her to a psych unit she was mentally unstable, they arrested her. By the time I got to the ER dad had over 60 stitches in his head and more in his arms. They wanted to take pics of me but I refused. The po po were the laughing stock of three counties for locking up a 75 year old woman with dementia who obviously needed medical care and released her to my custody with instructions to get her in a psyche unit NOW, which I did. The next day the crisis center people came looking for me at the hospital and had all of dad's pictures from the ER. All they kept doing was apologizing to me and telling me they could have prevented what happened but they didn't think it was 'that' serious when they talked to me. I mean crap, I was sobbing my heart out and begging for help. How hysterical do you have to be? Obviously, they said, they were wrong.

Mom had had multi infarct mini strokes that had Swiss cheesed her brain and made her unstable.

As for me, I will never trust a crisis intervention group again. People can get killed while they sit on their hands and read from their scripted responses.

You are strong, SGC. Bless you for being there for your family member.

 

[drumstick diva]

In my state so many mental health hospitals, et al have been closed because they were picking up homeless people and admitting them - to get more $$$$$$$. I don't know how things are currently but, back then they were putting mental health patients in nursing homes. Gee what could be wrong with that??? Mental health patients are usually mobile, nursing patients are usually NOT.

One mental health patient used to cross the street and go to the grocery store. I noticed him when he was beating a pop machine half to death. Don't know if he had put money in or not. He started talking to me and said at the nursing home they gave them an apple and a sandwich and that was their meal. He was a BIG guy. He also said the beds for them were all close together with just a sheet between them. Told me that "someone" had taken his shaver, radio etc.

I was feeling sorry for him until he said I looked just like his last girlfriend and followed me to the bathroom . No window to climb out of. Stayed in quite awhile(it was a one seater) knew people would be knocking and lining up to use the facility. You know "safety" in numbers. When I came out - he was there with a bouquet of flowers he had bought in the store. Took the flowers, took off and made the 3.5 miles home in record time. Was shaking for a long time afterwards.

My saving grace is I can look totally calm on the outside when totally chaotic inside. It's a great "save" when in any bad situation. People should start practicing it just in case, for the future. Good poker players have a head start .

 

[microchick]

Scary stuff DD. I would have driven to the police station just in case the nut bar followed me home somehow. I think I have a bit of that poker face from year of being a nurse. One of the jokes in 'You Know You Are A Nurse When....." You have to leave the room in order to keep from bursting out in laughter. I was always able to keep a straight face at least until I got back to the nurses station and locked behind the med room door.

 

[drumstick diva]

BTW I used to do "The Run for the Mind" (Nami charity) (I only walk( for a few years (plus Rooney Heart Walk,, Birth Defects, Pediatric Brain Cancers, Diabetes, Cancer -Relay for life - to walk 24 hrs. on the track. The team members that were supposed to replace me, all drove home after dark. I didn't care - too cold for mosquitoes, food (and sweets) left out at many areas _ all mine for the taking. Pitch dark outhouses (what fun)

I got some special award for being on the track constantly - also they had a lot of raffle prizes ( full size containers of doughnuts, cookies, candy and 4 tickets to the golf thingy
Tiger Woods was playing in. Sadly, I couldn't find anyone in neighborhood who wanted them

PS some b-atches complained that I was running(?) them off the paths - HA they were walking 3 abreast and I had to swerve around them. I really miss those days but, couldn't afford to pay all the donation fees to be entered., after 3 yrs. I had to quit.

My father thought I was nuts. He wanted to know how much they paid me to walk. I told him nothing - it was a charity walk. He never understood charity.

PS I had trained for months to do the Avon Breast Cancer walk - 3 days of 20 miles each. I wasn't fast but, had the stamina to keep going. Anyway those hopes died when they said I had to bring in $ 1800, in donations to participate.

 

[drumstick diva]

Micro I had to walk home after the incident at the grocery store, I have never driven, never could afford a car. Also got a paper award from the first Pres.Bush for endurance walking - did more than 3200 miles - three years in a row. Those were the days!

 

[Alaskan]

Micro I had to walk home after the incident at the grocery store, I have never driven, never could afford a car. Also got a paper award from the first Pres.Bush for endurance walking - did more than 3200 miles - three years in a row. Those were the days!

I wonder if my eldest kid will ever drive.

Good memories.

 

[microchick]

I used to walk a lot. Did The Walk For Life for the Cancer society, even founded a team that is still active in the church I attended back in IL. One year walked over 30 miles. That was prior to my recumbent bike racing days. I think it helped me get into shape.

 

[ronott1]

@superchemicalgirl, my mother used to say that God never put more on your shoulders than you could handle. Then she would shake her head and say 'I wish He would quit having so much confidence it the strength of my shoulders'.

Not much consolation but this too shall pass. I had a bad experience with crisis intervention when my mother had one of her violent dementia outbreaks. She would have them, beat the crap out of my dad or me, then go normal again for a period of time. Finally it got to the point that I went looking for help. Reg. MD was out of town and his nurse with him. Another nurse put me in contact with crisis intervention who talked to me, yatta yatta, told me what I needed to do and good luck. I went home to find my father beat to a bloody pulp, fled with him and my dogs in my car. To make a long story short, dad wound up in the ER and the police came and in spite of my begging them to get her to a psych unit she was mentally unstable, they arrested her. By the time I got to the ER dad had over 60 stitches in his head and more in his arms. They wanted to take pics of me but I refused. The po po were the laughing stock of three counties for locking up a 75 year old woman with dementia who obviously needed medical care and released her to my custody with instructions to get her in a psyche unit NOW, which I did. The next day the crisis center people came looking for me at the hospital and had all of dad's pictures from the ER. All they kept doing was apologizing to me and telling me they could have prevented what happened but they didn't think it was 'that' serious when they talked to me. I mean crap, I was sobbing my heart out and begging for help. How hysterical do you have to be? Obviously, they said, they were wrong.

Mom had had multi infarct mini strokes that had Swiss cheesed her brain and made her unstable.

As for me, I will never trust a crisis intervention group again. People can get killed while they sit on their hands and read from their scripted responses.

You are strong, SGC. Bless you for being there for your family member.

Around here the Police often kill those with mental problems. An attendant was with his autistic client that was having an episode. The police shot the attendant trying to shoot The autistic teen--who was not hurting anyone and so on. There needs to be better training!

I am sorry you had to go through this with Your Mom

 

[microchick]

Thanks Ron, I later talked to a woman who's mother suffered the same sort of dementia my mother did. After the incident with my mother her mom had a similar incident with her. When the police arrived they told her mother that she would either get into an ambulance or get into a squad car but either way she was going to the hospital.

The incident with my mother did teach them so I guess for that reason if no other, it was worth the heartache and horror.