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Canadian Mental Health: SWA’s Approach
Even a suspicion of mental illness in yourself or someone you care about can bring up a mess of emotions like fear, helplessness, frustration, or relief that there’s a cause behind the symptoms. Getting factual information and a proper diagnosis from a mental health professional is an important place to start. Despite the growing fight against stigma, many people are still reluctant to talk about what they’re feeling with others – even their doctors. But knowing the answers to questions can be empowering, and effective treatment can...
read moreLinks to Learning: Empowering Through Support and Education
15 years ago, options in the Belleville / Quinte area for children with learning disabilities or special needs were slim: the Quinte Learning Disability Association had information to offer, but few resources and no space. Joan Burton, then president of the Association, knew this was a problem — and, with a core group of volunteers, took steps to fix it. “I started a think tank to consider how to start a one-stop/all disorders resource centre.” The result? The Links to Learning Resource Centre launched in 2000. Last month, the...
read moreCanadian Mental Health Week: May 7-13
Do you think of stress as a mental health issue? What about periods of time when you feel really negative about the way life is going, or overwhelmed by the number of things on your To Do list? The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) says each one of us can take steps every day to look after our mental health by finding some balance in our lives. The theme for this year’s Mental Health Week is Mental Health for All — with particular focus on three topics: Kids have stress too! Resiliency: at home, at school, and at work Mental...
read moreNew Position at Queen’s Focused on Fighting Stigma of Mental Health
The stigma of mental health issues is increasingly under attack, thanks in part to an announcement earlier this month by Bell Canada and Queen’s University in Kingston, ON: The creation of the Bell Mental Health and Anti-Stigma Research Chair. This position is a $1-million initiative created to focus on the stigma around mental illness. It is the first of its kind in the world, and could lead to higher quality of life for people facing a mental health issue. Reducing stigma can improve results Mental illness impacts millions of Canadians at...
read moreEducation Support for Youth Misses its Mark
Most days from September through June, more than two million kids make their way to a school in Ontario. A majority will progress through school and graduate with their high-school diploma. But for a lot of youth, days spent in a classroom mean frustration, distraction and angst – not just for the student, but also for his or her teachers and parents. This can stem from any number of issues: disruptions at home, learning disabilities, mental health issues, or simply a need for a different style of learning. Identifying the right solution for...
read moreDementia: Warning Signs and What To Do
A national survey recently released by the Alzheimer Society of Canada shows that Alzheimer’s disease and related types of dementia impact an increasing number of people every year – and most of us have no idea what to watch for, or what to do about it. The survey interviewed almost 1,000 people living with a form of dementia, and highlighted that many people delayed talking to their doctor when they first suspected something was wrong because they didn’t recognize the warning signs: “Almost half of respondents (44 per cent) waited at...
read moreFirst Aid Training for Mental Health Issues
You probably know a few first aid basics; you may even have taken a training course or two. But what do you know about mental health first aid? Chances are, you probably haven’t heard of it and don’t know whether you’re prepared or not. “Mental Health First Aid has the same purpose as traditional first aid – to save lives,” said Sandy Allen, Program Director, Mental Health First Aid (Canada). One in five Canadians will have a mental health issue at some point in his or her lifetime, and professional help may not be available. This...
read moreFoster Care in Canada: Future Trends
Current trends show that the number of Canadian children in foster care is climbing, the preference for family-based care is increasing while the availability of foster families has failed to keep pace, and child welfare in general has room to improve. What happens next – how can foster care be improved to help more kids succeed? In 2008, researchers at the Child Welfare Institute (CWI) at the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto considered this in a detailed report, The Future of Foster Care. This report looked at the current foster...
read moreFoster Care in Canada: A Look At Child Welfare
Foster care trends in Canada show the number of children in care continues to rise. Reports suggest this is because reported cases of neglect increased over the past decade due in part to growing awareness of the issue. In Canada, 9.2 of every 1,000 kids are in foster care – statistically speaking, a higher ratio than the U.S. system. But those in care are still just a portion of children in this country; how well do Canadians care for all our kids? Turns out we have a bit of work to do. Child welfare assessment puts Canada in the middle The...
read moreFoster Care in Canada: Different Models of Care
Foster care in Canada has its regional differences, but the system itself is pretty standardized. Around the world, however, while most countries have some form of formalized foster care the differences from one to the next can be pretty significant. Basic definitions like what a child is (age range) and why a child would be placed in out-of-home care change from one region to the next. Some countries rely on institutions over family-based care. Three models of care used internationally A report done for the Children’s Aid Society of...
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