Abnormal; the New Norm

Mental disabilities and illnesses through my eyes are no longer to be considered abnormal. Quite frankly I believe they are becoming the norm. Wikipedia defines normality as the conformance to average, social norms and expected patterns of behavior studied within the context of sociology.  But when many people are put into specific situations where exactly the distinction is or line placed between normal and abnormal and when do you note that you have specifically crossed this “line”. It is believed by the DSM-IV of the United States standard reference of psychology that there are over 300 different categories of mental illnesses. It also illustrates that there are approximately 20% of individuals that will experience a mental illness during their lifetime and the remaining 80% will be affected by an illness in family members, friends or colleagues. So how do we define abnormality when almost everyone in their lifetime will be touched in some way, shape or form by persons with mental disabilities or illnesses? My family to me I believe is normal but we experience dysfunctions all the time.

My uncle was diagnosed with alcoholism 4 years ago just months after my godmother or auntie passed away. This caused severe distress in my family not only in my uncle’s immediate family but also his extended family like me. Not only did we suffer the loss of my godmother just months before; we now had to deal with what felt like the loss of my uncle and my close cousins grandparents. It is now many years later and he has attended AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) several times. He has lost his home, his house, and most importantly his family. Given that I grew up being around family all the time (my mom being the youngest of four children all of which had children, and my dad having eight siblings) I grew up being surrounded by family and friends.  But when my uncle developed his mental illness he did not seem to realize the impact it would have on everyone surrounding him.  

Autumn B.

References

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9671.php

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/miic-mmac/pdf/men_ill_e.pdf.

Elderly and benefits of aqua exercising

As people get older, health decreases and reduces mobility. Not only should people eat healthy and exercise but I feel aquatic exercising is especially beneficial for elderly people with physical disabilities. Fitness Proposals (2010) defines aquatic exercising as being done in chest high water to improve muscle strength and flexibility, may prevent from further deterioration and reduce pain. The benefits associated with physical disabilities aqua exercising are tremendous and will be discussed further.

Not only are there benefits for elderly people physically but also mentally, socially and emotionally. Aqua exercising can open up a social network for elderly people to meet people their own age and who both have the ultimate goal to feel healthy and improve their quality of life all around. Aqua exercising is not over exerting and your head is kept above the water at all times and therefore people are able to keep the communication window open.

You may be wondering what aquatic exercising would have anything to do with social work. The definition of social work in elderly people can be defined as an “organized effort to help individuals and families to adjust themselves to the community, as well as to adapt the community to the needs of such persons and families.” Viewing this issue with elderly people and the disadvantages that physical disabilities may cause in their life, a social worker would see aquatic exercise as an all around healthy opportunity for a social network and to increase their capability to be independent in many ways. Elderly people with a physical disability may not want to depend on family and friends to do things they can’t physically do and for example, the physical flexibility that they get from the aqua exercising can maybe help them reach up to that top shelf they never could before. Also, having a social network opens up communication with others that can relate to being elderly with a physical disability whereas family may say they know what it’s like but they really don’t unless ‘you walk a mile in their shoes.’ Elderly people with a physical disability may feel like they are alone and have no one to talk to but this opportunity allows them to meet others who are going through the same struggles.

Some physical disabilities that Beason, K and Gilbert, J (1995) discuss that elderly people face as they age include “osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, spinal cord and head injuries, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord and head injuries, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, hip and knee replacements and injuries, lower back injuries, obesity, disease and injury to connective tissues and degenerative bone diseases.”

A personal experience that I have had with an elderly person with a physical disability and aqua exercising is with my grandmother. She has rheumatoid arthritis, had polio of the spine and her joints constantly ache. She feels that aqua exercising has helped her life dramatically and opened up social communication with many of the people who attend. She wants to feel independent and after doing the aqua exercising over a six month period, she feels she has a little more mobility and her joints don’t ache as much.

In conclusion, although this may be a small portion of helping elderly people with a physical disability aqua exercising may help in getting them involved out in the community and at the same time as improving their quality of life. I do understand that for some people results will vary and for some people it may work and for others it may not. Even if they are not greatly improving their physical challenges, they may get involved in the social aspect which seems that it may have a greater benefit for them in the end. They may no longer feel alone, may feel a sense of belonging and feeling connected with others who are going through similar situations.

Tiffany

Collectiveism - social isolation = hope!

The seniors in our societies face a number of barriers. One of these societal barriers is social isolation of seniors with disabilities ("FAQ," 2009). Many senior's in our communities are living in care centers because they are unable to live on their own because of an illness or disability ("FAQ," 2009). Last year I worked with an organization by the name of Linkages. Linkages works with the senior population in care centers who because of disabilities such as being unable to walk without an aid of some kind or in wheelchairs are bound to these centers causing them loneliness, seclusion, and segregation from their inability to participate in society like they used to ("FAQ," 2009).  Also in the centers many senior people do not have family or friends close by to visit which is a contributor to this feeling of isolation. In order to creative positive change in the area of seniors feeling social isolated in care facilities there needs to be more services and supports provided to create a better quality of life for these individuals. By creating this change we would hopefully be able to make these seniors feel more a part of the community again and raise their self worth that are damaged by the isolation ("FAQ," 2009).

Linkages Society of Alberta is an organization that works towards eliminating social isolation and stigmas of seniors by creating school programs that link the generations together ("FAQ," 2009).  By participating in this program it creates a mutual benefit for both the senior and students ("FAQ," 2009). By having these visits it helps remove generational stereotypes for both generations, reduces the barriers of social isolation from the seniors, and gives students an opportunity to interact with seniors if they don’t normally get the chance (no grandparents) ("FAQ," 2009). Although Linkages is a great organization there was so much demand for its services that there was waiting list to participate. This shows how much organizations like this one and others are needed in our society. I have always thought that in order to create change and get change started you need to become more educated on that particular area as well as educate others. It’s hard to make positive change if you yourself know little about the issue. So by creating/implementing organizations such as Linkages it makes people aware of issues such as social isolation among seniors and also eliminates them.  

In a social democratic society they believe that social problems start with conflicts from within our society; therefore, society as a whole needs to fix them (Mullaly, 2007). They use the “structural model of welfare” which provides free and universal services for all members of society that are in need (Mullaly, 2007, p. 128). This model doesn’t stop at a minimum then it comes to welfare like the liberalism perspective (Mullaly, 2007). They try to help people in need to the highest degree that they can (Mullaly, 2007). The opinions of people in society and the people using these services are also important to this model when making decisions (Mullaly, 2007). This differs from the traditional ways of having professional make all the decisions (Mullaly, 2007). In a social democratic society it allows for all people in need to access services and have a voice towards these services (Mullaly, 2007). This would allow for services such as Linkages to be accessible to seniors in our society as well as other organization that work towards eliminating barriers for seniors. No one knows better than the people experiencing these barrier what their needs are. So for the senior population to have a voice in services it would help improve and gear these services to match their needs.

To create a good quality of life away from social isolation for the senior population with disabilities they need support. In order to get this support there needs to be easily accessible social services. In order to have these services we need an ideology that believes in proving these services for citizens in need. Social democratic perspective    

Nicole G

References

FAQ (2009). In LINKages society of alberta. Retrieved November 22, 2010, from http://www.link-ages.ca/faq.html

Mullaly, R. (2007). The new structural social work (3rd Ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

The Stereotypical Male

I am 5’ 8; I work as a business owner just minutes from my home. I went on a date a couple days ago, picked my date up and took them to a restaurant. I paid on the date. I love sports, I consider myself athletic. My favorite sport is hockey. I work all day long and when I come home from work I expect supper to be ready, and the family to be waiting for me to arrive to dinner. My spouse takes care of the children and doesn’t mind doing the cleaning since I am the breadwinner of the home this is the little amount I expect.

What did each sentence in the first paragraph make you think about? Did you believe this was a male or female? Ten years ago you would have immediately assumed the person speaking above was male. In 2010 in today’s society you may however question the above sentences; you may question the fact that many women today are accountants, secretaries, lawyers ect.. Women in today’s society are now allowed to play professional hockey as of September 24, 1992. In this video clip showing how lots of men are proud and happy to see the face of women’s potential and efforts to succeed quite promising and humbling. Men today are not necessarily expected to pay on dates anymore. Since many women are proud to have income and may consider it disrespectful not given the opportunity to pay. For example when I was leaving blockbuster last week, a couple ahead of me in line were renting a movie the gentlemen immediately went to pay, the woman however; was fuming with her date that he would not allow her to pay for the movie. She then stormed out of blockbuster; this shows how today’s society, is shifting and women are becoming secure not only with their money but realizing their rights as women, and that women deserve respect and independence. Who is to say really whose more eligible to pay for the date?

For years feminists have fought for equality believing it is the key to a better society. Mullaly suggests ‘famlilism’ which is a set of ideas that characterizes the “normal” or “ideal” where family form as one where the man was the main breadwinner and his wife’s main contribution to the family was through her role as mother, carer and housewife, rather than as a wage-earner and who was therefore, along with her children, financially dependent upon her husband. I believe these differences are due to social conditioning and society as a whole. I trust that women today have far more opportunities then ever before and now have rights. Women were given the right to vote in 1917 when they turn 18 years old.  According to mail online report on mental health people who have management jobs, male or female, were also found to die younger than those with less pressured lifestyle. Researchers have found that parity between the sexes may be bad for your health. So although women are striving to have acceptance and equality between men and are now gaining independence, the facts stated above may show these equalities long term may be critical to our health in both men and women. It is important not only when thinking about women’s future to take into consideration the major effects it may have on our health mentally and physically.

Wikipedia states that feminism is the movements aimed at establishing and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Feminism is in search of balance and equality between males and females. Many of these inequalities are also seen in persons with physically disabilities. Not only do the disabled have fewer opportunities because of their accessibility or their physical containing attributions many would also appear to struggle and face discrimination from others depending on their race, sex or socioeconomic status. I believe women should have accessibility to all of the same resources and should continue to be given the chance for equal opportunity with men. But must take into consideration when you do the same job and have the same stresses as men did in the past the same illnesses that they suffer from may follow. If society keeps changing and improving women’s rights like it has been in the past I believe the future holds equality between men and women. Hopefully the reach for both people with physical disabilities and feminists to attain equality is close enough to grasp in the near future.

References:

Mullaly, R. (2007). The new structural social work (3rd Ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_suffrage

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/disabled

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-444573/Why-feminism-bad-health.html?printing...

http://archives.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/clips/1632/

-Autumn B.

Old age: an invisible disability

    Throughout the whole world, the elderly population has been increasing both quantitatively and proportionally. According to the WHO (2009), it is estimated that current population of over-65 years of age, which is 390 million now, will be twice in 2025. With this being said, the chances of living with a disability as you age is much greater. Whether it is physically visible or not, it is still a disability. Some elders not only have to cope with disabilities but they also have to cope with lonliness.

    With all the advances in health care, life expectancy has risen. Canadians over 65 in particular can expect to live longer. Living with old age as a disability is not only a burden for the elderly person, but also their family. It's horrible to say that they are a burden because nobody wants to think of their grandparent or elderly parent as a burden. Many families however have their grandparents living with them, and many parents taking time off work to help care for them.
    My grandma suffers from osteoporosis and as she gets older I see it bring her down physically and emotionally. She can no longer open jars or even pour a glass of milk. She is terrified to walk outside in the winter because she doesn't want to slip and fall. My grandpa thankfully is still there to help her, but he too is getting older and one day won't be able to.
    Even though aging may not be seen as a disability by some, it most certainly is. Many seniors are treated poorly just because of their age by some people. The same way those with a visible physical disability are treated poorly. We are all human beings and there is no need to bring anybody down just because they may be incapable of something.

References
Mollaoglu, M., Tuncay, F. O., & Fertelli, T. K. (2010). Mobility disability and life satisfaction in elderly people. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 51, 115-119.

Brittney M

Community Living: A Healthy Society

Community living or community residential programs are supports for people with disabilities so that they can live full safe lives in communities, and are supported in ways that meet their unique needs and desires.  St. Amant center located in Manitoba, provides institutionalized care and treatment, but also has a community living program to assist people with disabilities who are able to live more independently.  On the St. Amant website they state their philosophy for their community living program: “In keeping with the Mission and values of St.Amant, the Community Residential Program provides services and supports in a manner that creates an environment that promotes respect, independence, personal responsibility, self-determination, community participation and integration, self and system advocacy, and healthy relationships and lifestyles.”

According to Mullaly(2007) a social democratic viewpoint would say that if some people have more resources they also have more freedom to control the conditions of their life, this also means some people have less control in respect to their life conditions. The social democratic position believes that genuine freedom for all can come about through government action. This juxtaposes the neoconservative outlook, which would say that government inaction is a better plan for social problems. (Mullaly,2007).

The first fundamental political belief of social democrats is that the state has a positive role to play in society. (Mullaly, 2007). I believe that the concept of community living, which allows people to be more dependant fits well with the humanitarian aspect of social democracy.  The governments’ role in funding and regulating community living is definitely positive one.

The independent living movement first came to the States in the late 1960’s and by the 1980’s had moved to Canada. This movement continues to be supported by independent living resource centers, and the main goal is to provide supports and services which encourage independence. (Kelly, 2010).  The third fundamental political belief of social democracy also fits with the concept of community living. “The state should encourage broad participatory decision-making in all areas of life.”(Mullaly, 2007). Thanks to our socially democratic society, people with disabilities are encouraged and support to achieve a higher standard of living.

An independent living activist by the name of Heumann once said, “To us, independence does not mean doing physically alone. It means being able to make independent decisions. It is a mind process not contingent upon a “normal body”.” (Akiko et al., 2007). Independence can be understood by three different perspectives:  independence as competence, independence as autonomy, and independence as psychological qualities. Independence of competence includes the possession of certain skills ( physical or cognitive) and abilities (dressing, and cooking).  Independence as autonomy means the ability to manage oneself and environment without outside domination. And finally independence of psychological qualities includes a person’s internal experiences, personal reactions, and mechanisms that account for patterns of behavior. (Akiko et al., 2007).

The community living movement and community residential programs are all concepts which exist because we live in a socially democratic society. The St. Amant website also explains that this assistance: is individualized and seamless, lasts as long as needed, involves a variety of community partners, and is supportive of family needs. My Brother works in one of these community living homes, and my Father is the Executive Director of River Road Place (St. Amant’s residential health care program for persons with developmental disabilities). I have heard a lot about the responsibilities and types of care that are essential to making these homes flourish. One example of how the standard of living in these homes is thriving is the yearly vacations clients are able to take. They have a choice in where they would like to go, as well as a say in the types of activities they would like to do, and sights they want to see. Last summer my brother went with two clients to West Edmonton mall for a week, and this summer he went with one client on a camping trip through the Rocky Mountains.

Quality of life isn’t just about care and treatment it is also one’s ability to make choices and essentially have independence.

References
Kelly, Christine. (2010). The role of mandates/philosophies in shaping interactions between disabled and their support providers. Disability and Society, 25(1), 103-119.

Mullaly, R. (2007). The new structural social work (3rd Ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

Akiko, Tamaru., Mary, McColl., Setsuko, Yamasaki. (2007). Understanding “independence” : Perspectives of occupational therapists. Disability and Rehabilitation: An International, Multidisciplinary Journal,  29(13), 1021-1033.

-Eliza R.

Does equal opportunity have the same meaning for everyone?

Equal opportunity gives everyone a chance to thrive (Mullaly, 2007). Equal opportunity reduces inequality in society (Mullaly, 2007). Equal opportunity gives everyone a fair chance at a good quality of life (Mullaly, 2007). These are all statements and views of the liberalism ideology (Mullaly, 2007). The liberalism perspective believes in maintaining capitalism in society, however, they have modified it by creating a welfare state and slightly increasing government regulation (Mullaly, 2007). Therefore, feel they have created equal opportunities for individuals in society to have success (Mullaly, 2007). However, this equal opportunity is not equal for all people (Mullaly, 2007). In Mullaly, he describes equal opportunity as: “if one person has a 50-meter head start in a 100-meter race, it is not likely that the other person will ever catch up” (Mullaly, 2007 p.98).  Factors such as wealth and health can affect someone’s position in the race of equality (Mullaly, 2007). Another downfall of the liberal ideology perspective is that they believe so strongly in the goal of equal opportunity that they feel that anyone who fails in life didn’t take advantage of the opportunities they were given (Mullaly, 2007). This view of the liberal ideology may benefits some people in society, however, leaves people with disabilities and other conditions behind (Mullaly, 2007).

A friend of the family has a number of disabilities such as aspergers that does not allow him to work. He is living off disability pension from the job he had before his disability got to the point where he had to stop working. This disability pension only provides him with an amount of money that is about equivalent with minimal wage. He also cannot bring in any other money (odd jobs) or he will lose this pension. This is an example of giving someone a social minimum to survive like the liberal ideology believes (Mullaly, 2007). This individual barely gets by day to day with this amount of money provided for him. Working is not an option and he does not qualify for many social services that can help him. Two services they offered him were for someone to bring him to get groceries (he was unable to drive or afford a car) but he would have to pay for the gas and a limited amount of one on one counseling time per week. These services did not help any of the barriers that were preventing this man from living a good quality of life regardless if he used them or not. This leaves him in the need of help from family and friends which bring us back to the neo-conservative notion of society. In the race of equal opportunity this man was placed 50m behind because of the minimal supports he was given.     

 If equal opportunity is suppose to help people in need if they take advantage of it. Then they do people like him fall between the cracks!? This ideology has taken a step in the right direction but it is far from providing equality for everyone. The creation of the welfare state dose help people to an extent but at the end of the day the notion of survival of the fittest is still dominates.

Nicole G

Reference

Mullaly, R. (2007). The new structural social work (3rd Ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

Rights for all people or just a glimmer of hope?

Throughout history women have had unequal opportunities in comparison to men. History has shown many achievements towards women’s rights. According to Wikipedia women had to gain the right to vote and the right to property which have always been a right for men. Even though women have worked hard to gain these rights, as members of society, they still suffer from unequal economic conditions (Mcgrath, 2001). Women today are still being unrecognized for their labor at home and are under paid in their jobs (Mcgrath, 2001). This causes many women to be dependent on men or face the possibility of poverty (Mcgrath, 2001). In this blog, I will be focusing on the ways that liberalist and socialist feminism perspectives have positively altered the barriers that women with disabilities face economically. Also how these perspectives have overlooked important factors that need to be addressed in order for change to be complete.  

The feminism perspective works towards gaining and maintaining economical and social rights for women (Mullaly, 2007). Mullaly describes feminism as: “Although there are different forms or groupings of feminism, the common thesis is that the relationship between the sexes is one of inequality or oppression” (Mullaly, 2007 p.161).  Some goals of the feminist perspective are to reduce inequalities for women, advocate for social change, and change the male dominate welfare state (Mullaly, 2007).

Women face a number of barriers when it comes to employment and the labor force. Women are underpaid in the labor force as well as are unpaid in their demanding private sphere duty (chores and taking care of children) which leads many women to live in poverished conditions (Mcgrath, 2001). ” Women are 70 per cent of the world's poor, and they own one per cent of the world's wealth” (Day, 2000).  It was also stated that there are more poor women they men in every country in the world (Day, 2000). However, there is a group of individuals that face even worst barriers when it comes to finances and employment then women (Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, 2006). This group is women with disabilities (Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, 2006). Women with disabilities not only have to face gender inequality but deal with the discrimination and hardships of a disability (Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, 2006). In the labor force women with disabilities face many barriers when trying to get or maintain a job. If the women with disability requires aids on the job or adjustments of the position employers are less likely to hire these individuals (Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, 2006). Also many places of employment are unable to provide this support which causes difficulty on the job for an individual with a disability (Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, 2006). Lastly, there is the barrier of employer’s attitudes towards women with disabilities (Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, 2006). Many employers may underestimate the abilities of these individuals and make quick judgment about their appearance.     

Liberal feminism has provided some positive contributions to women’s and women’s with disabilities rights in the work force (Mullaly, 2007). Liberal feminist work towards improving fairness, equality, and independence for all women (Mullaly, 2007). Their main focus is restructuring the social and political institutions in our society (Mullaly, 2007). By doing this they have brought about some change in the “workplace, education, wages, pensions, and civil and social right” of women (Mullaly, 2007 p.164). However, liberal feminism has overlooked many areas of the work force that are big contributors to the barriers women and women with disabilities face (Mullaly, 2007). For example, they don’t see patriarchy as an issue which allows males to continue to overpower women (Mullaly, 2007). This is shown in women continuing to be dependent on men and being underpaid in their jobs (Mullaly, 2007). Another issue they don’t take into account is that the private structures in a women’s life are just as important as the public ones (Mullaly, 2007). Women today are still considered accountable for the family and house duties (Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, 2006). It takes lots of time and hard work to juggle both work and home duties. This is even more challenging for women with disabilities (Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, 2006).  

Socialist feminism is another feminist perspective that has some positive and negative contributions to women/women with disabilities in the workforce. An important area that the socialist feminist perspective looks at that the liberalist overlooked was the significance of the double role that women play in our society (Mullaly, 2007). It’s important to acknowledge these private duties because they contribute to women with disabilities inability to work full time without any proper support such as disability aid, childcare, and support from another person (Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, 2006). The socialist also have worked hard to create groups that work towards bettering experiences of women in areas such as child care, health, and employment (Mullaly, 2007). Like motioned above these are areas pose challenges for women and women with disabilities in employment opportunities (Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, 2006). The socialist and the liberalists perspectives have both failed to address a key issue that affects the equality of all women which is a biology aspect (Mullaly, 2007). They both feel that biology didn’t contribute to women’s oppression; however, it does (Mullaly, 2007). There are a number of ways that biology contributes to oppression in women here are a few examples. First, biologically women have the role of reproduction which created their primary role in the private sphere (Mullaly, 2007). Second, a male’s power and control over women can lead to all kinds of violence against women (Mullaly, 2007). Lastly, in the past and still today men have able to control women and their bodies to do as they please (ex. Reproduction) (Mullaly, 2007).            

In conclusion, it is clear that women and women with disabilities face many forms of discrimination when it comes to the workforce. Even though there has been some improvements made over the years there is still a long way to go. The feminism ideologies have and continue to make movements towards equalities for all women. However, there are some gaps that need to be addressed that these ideologies don’t speak to.

Nicole G

Reference

Day, S. (2000). The indivisibility of women's human rights. Canadian Woman Studies, 20(3), 11-14. Retrieved November 8, 2010, from http://find.galegroup.com.proxy2.lib.umanitoba.ca/gtx/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2CUS%2C%29%3AHQE%3D%28__HR__%2CNone%2C62%29is+0713-3235+and+t

McGrath, A. (2001). Feminism and foes: an examination of the challenges of building a strong women's movement. Briarpatch, 21(2), 21. Retrieved November 8, 2010, from http://proquest.umi.com.proxy2.lib.umanitoba.ca/pqdweb?index=0&did=376908691&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1289274053&clientId=12305

Mullaly, R. (2007). The new structural social work (3rd Ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women. (2006). Employability of women with disabilities breaching the disability wall. Retrieved November 8, 2010, from http://women.gov.ns.ca/pubs2006_07/employabilitybrief09_2006.pdf   

FASD and suicide

There are many aspects of the topic Indigenous people that I would like to talk about but I would like to focus my attention on two main ideas, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or also known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and suicide in Aboriginal children and Aboriginal communities. I have had the unfortunate experience working with children with severe (FASD) and children facing suicide/suicidal ideation on a daily basis through the ‘system’ with Children and Family Services in Ontario. FASD is a term that “describes a range of disabilities that may affect people whose mothers drank alcohol while they were pregnant.” This lifelong disability has also been called the ‘invisible disability.’ Suicide is suffered by its victims who decide to take their own lives, families and friends and unfortunately it is most commonly occurring in aboriginal communities. The statistics are alarming.


In my opinion, I think the awareness needs to start with women who are at the child bearing age about drinking during pregnancy and FASD is incurable! Too many children are encountering health problems that affect every aspect of life such as mentally, physically, behaviourally and emotionally throughout their lives right from birth. These children have a setback in life right from the first breath they take from no fault of their own. The Public Health Agency of Canada reported that approximately 1% of people living in Canada or about 300,000 people are living in Canada today with FASD.


Although it has been reported that there are no statistics to date for how many aboriginal children or adults have FASD, Paul Masotti et al. (2006) reported in Preventing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Aboriginal Communities: A Methods Development Project that “not surprisingly, FASD is more common in communities with high prevalence rates of drinking, such as some Canadian Aboriginal communities.” In aboriginal communities, the Canadian Community Health Survey observed that “16.1% of women in the 15–44 age group, and 26% in the 20–24 age group, reported binge drinking 12 or more times in the previous year.” Binge drinking is important to note because it often leads to women continuing to binge drink while pregnant. “The Ontario First Nations Regional Population Health Survey indicated that significantly more Aboriginal females reported binge drinking than their counterparts in the general Canadian population.

Although the statistics may be alarming, I have failed to look at FASD through a social work lens which is why I am adding the following paragraphs in to see the difference on how an ‘outsider’ may see this problem and then from the lens of a social worker. Reading over the comments from this blog, I’ve realized that when looking through the social work lens, there needs to be focus on how to solve this problem and it is not about pointing fingers at the mother. The focus needs to be on helping Aboriginal people heal in their communities when they have suffered for so many years. Silvia points out a good point in her comment that we need to help women, children AND men heal from the traumatic events that have happened either in their lives or problems in their family that has resulted in them suffering.  Yes, everyone knows there is a problem but we now need to come up with solutions on how to fix this problem.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Prevention: Canadian Perspectives explains four different levels of how we can start with just basic awareness and then gradually work at the prevention area. The Public Health Agency of Canada reported that "in Canada over the last decade, health promotion and prevention specialists have been learning about how to prevent FASD using multi-sectoral, holistic approaches. Beyond advice to not drink while pregnant, these newer, holistic approaches have demonstrated that helping women plan their pregnancies, obtain prenatal care, improve their nutrition, reduce stress in pregnancy and heal from root causes of addiction such as experience of violence – all contribute to improving women’s health and reducing the risk of having a child affected by FASD." (Poole, N 2008)

I believe that we do need to also focus on healing but just as much on prevention because the cycle will only continue. The healing process it not easy and according to Mabel Nipshank (2001) who did a report called Aboriginal Women: No Rights to Land or Children she reported that:

“As a result, Aboriginal Women attempting to escape violence are often forced out of the family home and community and into cities, where they encounter a multitude of systemic barriers. They are constantly being re-victimized by racism in the system. Aboriginal Women are often forced to live in extreme poverty and with these additional barriers it is almost impossible to fight for Child Custody and Access rights. The Social Development Department within a band is modeled after the child protection act, and the ‘best interest of children’ is seen through this lens - usually who has access to family home, extended family, and to traditional culture and financial stability. The patriarchal structure of today's band policies entitles men to all of these, leaving women with few resources. The residential school syndrome and the destruction of the matriarchal system have led to the normalization of violence. Men can have a history of wife assault but their right to child custody and access is never questioned. Allegations of child sexual abuse are being dismissed, without investigation, as false and vengeful charges. Mothers have lost custody of their children because they dared to breach a court order by refusing unsupervised visits with fathers who have abused the children. Custody and access issues expose the true values of our society. We need a society based on fairness, and a system, which accounts for the real social, political and economic realities for Aboriginal women. We need to put the safety of women and children first.”

While suicide can be tied in with mental health, suicide is not recognized as a psychiatric disorder but as an action or behaviour. I believe this can be tied in with physical disabilities because dating back from the residential school days, Aboriginal children were taken from the home and put through a great deal of abuse and neglect. Now, if you throw a physical disability into the mix of your culture being stripped from you, alcohol, drug and sexual abuse in your family etc, you are already under a great deal of stress trying to cope with a physical disability. Aboriginal people with a physical disability may feel overwhelmed and hopeless that they cannot provide for themselves or others and feel that life is not worth continuing. This is not equality and no one deserves to be treated or to be made felt this way. For every suicide victim, how many Aboriginal people make suicide attempts, are depressed, experience anxiety and want to end their life? I can only imagine that the number is very high and again we need to focus on prevention, prevention, prevention! In a study that is being done in Manitoba by the Swampy Cree Suicide Prevention Team called Community-based Suicide Prevention Research in Remote On-Reserve First Nations Communities (2009), it states that “while the process employed for this study may not be unique in regards to Aboriginal health research, it is to our knowledge the first of its kind for a suicide prevention project in Manitoba and perhaps Canada. This is very shocking to see that it is the first of its kind. In working with children and adults in a hospital, I’ve seen that many suicide attempts are not only a mental health issue but can turn into a physical disability. Areas in the brain can be affected from an overdose or by attempting to hang themselves which may affect areas of the brain that cause specific muscle movements or permanent nerve damage to limbs.

Laurence J. Kirmayer et al. (2007) reported in The Aboriginal Healing Foundation- Suicide Among Aboriginal People in Canada that the “overall suicide rate among First Nation communities is about twice that of the total Canadian population; the rate among Inuit is still higher— 6 to 11 times higher than the general population. For Aboriginal people, suicide is an affliction of the young. From the ages of 10 to 29, Aboriginal youth on reserves are 5 to 6 times more likely to die of suicide than their peers in the general population. Over a third of all deaths among Aboriginal youth are attributable to suicide.”

In conclusion, although FASD seems to be more apparent in Aboriginal communities and Aboriginal children, there are no statistics to date to give an approximate number of people living with this disability. It is most shocking to me that there are many clinics to diagnose FASD children and many resources for looking for the signs in young children but where is the prevention? There is not enough emphasis on the prevention of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in Aboriginal communities and it needs to be addressed. As for suicide in Aboriginal people, especially youths, you can see that indeed the statistics are alarming. There needs to be more focus on prevention and support in both FASD and suicide and not just after the fact. This needs to be a continuous process from the government and the government needs to continue their part in what was created from the horrible historical events of residential schools.


References:


Isaak et al., C. (2009). Community-based suicide prevention research in remote on-reserve first nations communities. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 8(2), doi: 10.1007/s11469-009-9250-0

Kirmayer et al., L. (2007). Aboriginal healing foundation: suicide among aboriginal people in canada (Adobe Reader), Retrieved from http://www.ahf.ca/publications/research-series

Masotti P, George MA, Szala-Meneok K, Morton AM, Loock C, et al. 2006 Preventing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Aboriginal Communities: A Methods Development Project. PLoS Med 3(1): e8. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0030008

Tiffany

Bridging the Gap: The FASD population in Manitoba

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, more commonly referred to as FASD is a continuum of permanent birth defects caused by maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or FAS is just one branch of the spectrum of fetal alcohol related disorders. The amount of Aboriginal children inflicted with this disease across Canada and especially in Manitoba is significantly overrepresented compared to those children who are not of Aboriginal descent. The population of children in the child welfare system in Canada who have are affected by these disorders are overwhelming. (Fuchs et al., 2010).

Due to the range of disorders within the Fetal Alcohol spectrum there is also a range in the severity of birth defects that can occur. According to Wikipedia the main characteristic of FASD are distinct facial abnormalities which include: a flattened groove between the nose and upper lip, a thin upper lip, and a shortened width between the eyes. A child born with FASD has many neurological disorders which result in learning disabilities, cognition problems, impulse control and poor motor functioning. Though FASD would be prominently thought of as a learning and behavior disability, it also greatly affects physical aspects of a child’s development. Due to the decreased size of the cerebellum children have poor motor functioning, which ranges from difficulty writing and holding small objects, to complications with riding bikes and in some extreme cases even walking. (Wiki).

The number of children with FASD in the Manitoba welfare system sadly continues to increase.(Bennet et al., 2010). There is a great need for education so that we can decrease this easily preventable disorder. The government recognizes the impact of historical events in Manitoba which have led to alcohol addictions within Aboriginal people. Colonization, residential school, and welfare intervention has led the Aboriginal people to a disconnection of their language and culture. This cultural genocide of the Aboriginal people has led countless individuals to alcohol dependencies as they try to cope with these hardships. A report conducted in 2003 showed the rate of disability as twice as high for Aboriginal people compared to non Aboriginal. (Fuchs et al., 2010). It is the addictions to alcohol and other substances which are causing the high number of defects and disabilities within the Aboriginal population.

Having a disability such as FASD requires support, education, and funding. Many Aboriginal people living on reserves are unable to access these resources simply because they do not exist where they are living. Many times these children are voluntarily placed into the child welfare system so that they can access the support they need related to their condition. There are service gaps for Aboriginal children with special needs who live on and even off of a reserve. The government is trying desperately to increase education and resources so that children with disabilities such as FASD will not have to leave their homes and reserves in order to receive medical treatment and therapy. (Bennett et al., 2010).

I believe that the government needs to continue to reach out to Aboriginal communities and reserves so that education and support can be implemented within their own culture. Instead of parents having to send their children into the child welfare system so they can receive adequate treatment, parents should be given the resources and education to treat, and more importantly prevent these diseases from occurring. Fetal Alcohol syndrome and its related disorders are caused by drinking during pregnancy. Therefore if these women simply did not drink during their pregnancy the epidemic of this disease could cease. However, it is obviously not a simple solution. The root of these alcohol addictions stem from the historical tragedies as well as continued neglect of the Aboriginal people in Canada. To prevent these diseases and disabilities caused by drinking we must first improve the root of the problem. I think that the more the government does to educate pregnant women about the impact of maternal drinking, as well as support them throughout their pregnancies, the lower the rate of Aboriginal FASD will become. I don’t think there is any fast strategy to completely stop these preventable diseases, but every bit of education and support is a step in the right direction.

Bennett, Marlyn., Wekerle, Christine., Zangeneh, Masood. (2010). Aboriginal Health- the overlap amongst maltreatment, metal health, and addictive behaviors- The way forward. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. Special Issue: Indigenous health, 8(2), 127-134.

Fuchs, Don., Burnside, Linda., Marchenski, Sheila., Mudry, Andria. (2010). Children with FASD- related disabilities receiving services from child welfare agencies in Manitoba.  International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 8(2), 232-244.

-Eliza R.

The past still lingers

Oppression is defined in the oxford dictionary of current english as: “cause to feel depressed or anxious” (Soanes, 2001, p. 628). The state of oppression is found commonly amongst many aboriginal people in our Canadian society (Barnes, Josefowitz &  Cole, 2007). Aboriginals’ experiences with past events such as residential schools have caused this oppression and the affects are still strong today (Barnes, Josefowitz &  Cole, 2007). Residential schools were funded by the government and run though churches in Canada (Barnes, Josefowitz &  Cole, 2007). These schools took aboriginal children from their homes and striped them from their “language, culture, religious practises” (Barnes, Josefowitz &  Cole, 2007, p.20). These school provided conditions of abuse, neglect, cultural genocide (Barnes, Josefowitz &  Cole, 2007). After leaving these schools aboriginal children left with long term affects of negative psychological/physical conditions, poor education, loss of culture, poor health, est which continued to affected them into their adult lives (Barnes, Josefowitz &  Cole, 2007). This is only one example of many what has contributed to the issues aboriginal people face today in Canada. 

It is important for the mistreatment and oppression of aboriginal people caused by “Euro-Canadian dominant ideologies” to be addressed and not forgotten. (Morrissette, 2006) The aboriginal perspective is an ideology that works towards this. The dominate ideology and the policies in place today are still causing oppression in the aboriginal population (Morrissette, 2006). Discussed earlier in this blog were a number of issues that aboriginal people face as a result of mistreatment in the past and still continues today. In this blog I’m going to discuss how aboriginal people with a disability benefit and not benefit from the structures and policies in health and economics from the aboriginal  perspective.

In “1991 Health and Activities Limitation Survey (1991 HALS) indicates 16 per cent of Canada’s population has a disability, the 1991 Statistics Canada Aboriginal People’s Survey indicates that 31.3 per cent of Aboriginal people were persons with disabilities” ("Aboriginal Persons with Disabilities", n.d) “Aboriginal persons was 23.1 per cent as compared to a rate of 8 per cent in the general population” ("Aboriginal Persons with Disabilities," n.d).

Newbold (1999) discussed how conditions such as “geographic remoteness, physical access to

health care, distrust of western medicine, racism” est are some of the potential causes of not accessing services resulting in high amounts of health/disability issues among the aboriginal population (p. 291). Conditions such as these are causing any aboriginals to receive inadequate health care and services (Newbold, 1999). In order to fix this the government needs to help improve these “social conditions” (Newbold, 1999, p. 195). Unlike the neoconservative perspective which believes in the notion that everyone should fend for themselves which is causing this oppression to continue. (Morrissette, 2006). The aboriginal perspective believes in a “qualitative” social change and focus on the well-being of the community (Morrissette, 2006). Social change is based around the needs of the people rather than the larger society (Morrissette, 2006).

Research states that many aboriginal people suffer from low socioeconomic status in “education, employment, income, and health” (Durst, 2006, p. 15). This low socioeconomic status affects aboriginals with disabilities to an even higher extent (Durst, 2006).  Many of these poor conditions are caused because of the poor housing and large amounts of unemployment on numerous reserves (Durst, 2006). It is also stated that when aboriginal people with disabilities try to move off the reserves to urban areas they are faced with similar issues in finding sufficient housing, employment, home care services, transportation, and educational opportunities resulting in forms of poverty (Durst, 2006). The aboriginal perspective does not believe in means tests and feels that a community should help its members. The welfare state works towards making sure that all individuals and families have the essentials that are needed to live and access to proper services (Morrissette, 2006).

A negative aspect of the aboriginal perspective is that the structure of their government has changed towards a view close to a liberal/neo-conservative perspective (Morrissette, 2006).  This does not allow individuals any choice in their leaders or much participation in social change (Morrissette, 2006). This leadership structure is hierarchical which can lead to some needs in society not being met or acknowledged (Morrissette, 2006).      

 Nicole Gauthier

Reference

Aboriginal Persons with Disabilities (n.d.). In Manitoba Disabilities Issues Office. Retrieved November 3, 2010, from http://www.gov.mb.ca/dio/citizenship/aboriginal.html

Barnes, R., Josefowitz, N., & cole, E. (2007). Residential schools : Impact on aboriginal students' academic and cognitive development. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 21, 18-32. Retrieved from http://cjs.sagepub.com.proxy1.lib.umanitoba.ca/content/21/1-2/18.full.pdf+html

Durst, D. (2006). Urban Aboriginal Families of Children with Disabilities: Social Inclusion or Exclusion? 9-20. Retrieved from http://www.nafc.ca/PDF/NAFC-Disability-17-03-06.pdf

Morrissette, V. (2006). Towards an Aboriginal perspective that addresses ideological domination in social policy analysis. Chapter 5: Implications for Social Work (pp.162-189). Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Manitoba.

Newbold, K. B. (1999). Disability and use of support services within the Canadian aboriginal population. Health and Social Care in the Community, 7(4), 291-300. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy1.lib.umanitoba.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&hid=15&sid=5a43d95c-b244-41b6-bec3-12efd394f003%40sessionmgr4

Soanes, C. (2001). Oxford dictionary of current English (3^rd Ed.). New York, US: Oxford University Press.