Sunday, December 24, 2006

Merry Christmas to you. I expect to enjoy the day tomorrow. Friends and two grandsons will share a meal, watch a Christmas video, talk, listen to Christmas music on CD or on the radio. A few modest gifts will be exchanged, but gifts are not the big issue they were when I was a child. What is important now, is sharing time with friends. That is the biggest blessing.

Andy may or may not be with us. His mother sent a gift for him...all the way from Australia. Will He show up to claim it? I don't know. This is what happened:

After his hospitalization, the social worker made arrangements for Andy to stay at a shelter. She also made arrangements for Andy to get free samples of his medication. This would save him money. She made an appointment for Andy at the New Haven Clinic. I agreed to drive him there. At the hospital, He looked good. He had shaved. He paid attention to conversations. Living at a shelter isn't the best solution for the mentally ill, but our society has failed...big time...to provide the necessary services for the mentally ill.

I had read that our mental institutions were abusing the clients. It seems to me that the solution to this ill, is to reform the institutions....not to throw the clients out on the street to fend for themselves. A Policeman said to me that most all the homeless people you see , are mentally ill. These people need help.

I think that our government closed the institutions to save money. Funny, they didn't cut their salaries or benefits to save money. The mentally ill don't usually vote. From what address would they register? They don't send big checks to help our legislatures get elected. They can barely put food in their stomach, much less form a political action committee to raise money and promote their agenda. Isn't government supposed to be the servant of the people? Here are a large group of people that desperately need services. Ignored. They are dying on the streets. They are cold, hungry, ill. They become victims of crime. My grandson will probably die alone on the streets in Connecticut.

The government said they would provide services for the mentally ill, instead of institutions. Seems to remind me of "separate but equal". Oh, never mind.

Andy has services, but He doesn't understand how to use them. All He knows is He gets a social security disability check. He thinks it is his "play" money. He gives no thought to shelter, or medical care or food. He gets a check. He spends it. He had food stamps. He forgot to use them. The state took them away because Andy didn't use them. Our mental health clinic did the paperwork so that Andy could go on Title 19. This program would have paid for his medications. I don't think the papers got filed in time. He now has no medical coverage except for medicare.

The imperfect social support system available to my grandson consists of a bed at a shelter....if he can get there by 3:30 and stand in line. The doors open at 4:30. There is no way that He will cooperate with this system. His appointment for social services? He doesn't want to take his medication. He threw away the free samples. Why would He keep track of an appointment that would lead to more medication? He didn't even bother to find out where this clinic is located. He doesn't understand about the food stamps.

Andy's best option would be to get a bed at a group home. This is also imperfect, but better than standing in line for a bed in a dormitory shelter. The group home is no lock up. Andy would be free to come and go...signing himself in and out. The administration would take most of his social security check, but He would have a small amount given back to him for personal expenses. I think this is bargain. He would have a room mate. He wouldn't like that, but He would have three meals a day, prepared by some one other than himself. He would have a warm bed and safety. A nurse is on duty 24 hours. She would administer his medications or respond if He became sick.

The trouble is, this requires Andy to be cooperative. This situation requires that Andy understand the situation. He wouldn't have his "play" money. He would have to take his medication. He would have to cooperate with the schedule for meals, etc. If by a miracle, Andy got into the group home, I suspect that He would walk away from it the minute an administrator corrected him or asked him to accept a responsibility.

My grandson is passive aggressive, among other things. No one tells him what to do. That is what happened the day I picked him up from the hospital. He got his wallet, his birth certificate, photo ID and what was left of his SSI check. Then He walked away. Merry Christmas.

2 Comments:

Blogger Melanie O. said...

Australia is no better with mental health care. It's severely underfunded and people here rely on charities (mainly Christian organisations) to pick up where the government leaves off. Schizophrenics and other people with mental health issues and addictions roam the streets. Most are passive-aggressive, like Andy, and don't want to have to follow any rules. They would rather beg for coins on the street than seek shelter with one of the charities. I don't think anyone's got the answer. You would think, with most families either having someone with a mental illness, or knowing a family with a member who has a mental illness, that this problem would be addressed more satisfactorily.

5:32 PM  
Blogger gardenbug said...

Andy called. He checked into Griffin Hospital, essentially to get his medication from the doctor. I suspect this is a ploy to get in from the cold...but this is just a guess. Anyway, He's safe and warm....for a while.

9:43 AM  

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