Mental illness & Health Care System

When a loved one has a mental illness

It is not easy when you have a loved one who has a mental illness.  My Dad is bipolar and recently was diagnosed with  dementia. I have lived with his illness all my life and in the last year I have had to deal along with my sister and other family members directly with the illness.  The stigma surrounding mental illness is still present today and will continue to be due to lack of understanding/education.  The emotions and guilt you feel as a loved one having to care or deal with a mental illness disorder is like a roller coaster.  There are days when it would appear that nothing is wrong with my Dad and that is when you begin to question decisions made.  In the last 8 months Dad has been hospitalized for 5 of them. 

Eulogy for Dad O’Donnell

“If my parting has left a void, then fill it with remembered joy.  A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss, oh yes, these things I too will miss.”

Today I will speak about a man who we all could learn a lesson about life from.  This man was known to some of you, as Percy, Don, Sandy, OD, Uncle Donny, Papa, or Dad.  To me I knew him as Dad but called him Papa.  He was more than just my father in-law, he was my other Dad, and today I wish to share with you how this amazing man shared his passion for life.

Fast Forward

I said I would continue from my ignorance blog so here I am, but I felt I should fast forward since I cannot possibly write everything that has happened over the last eight years in a blog.

So I am fast forwarding, Nov 2010, we lost a very important person in our family's life, my Mother in law passed away suddenly after being hospitalized for two weeks.  She went in her sleep and without pain, which we are all thankful for.  She lived life to the fullest and if this was her time it was the best way for her to leave us.  Telling my father in law who has Alzheimer’s was very difficult.  Again the Alzheimer Society was helpful in giving us some direction.  They where married 64 years.  Since Mom's death, the disease has taken my Father in law further away, (Dads speech is very garbled, he is not sure who we are, he has continence issues, and his behavior has become aggressive at times).

I need your help to get these questions out to the candidates before the debate on Sept. 27th, 2011

My name is Cindy ODonnell and I have some concerns as a child of aging parents who have dementia.  Before I make my decision on who to vote for in this election I would like to know your thoughts to the following questions.

As we all know healthy eating and active living promotes good brain activity.  Education is key, and I would like to see a campaign to increase public awareness and education about dementia.  Are you prepared to invest in a public awareness campaign? 

Ignorance.....

You hear the stories, but you don't really hear them or understand them until you live through them.   This is Part One of my Blog.

Eight years ago my Father in law was diagnosed with Alzheimers, this was shortly after losing my Mother to Cancer.  Now everyone knows what Cancer is and everyone is sympathic and understanding of the disease.  People don't shy away from you when you are diagnosed with cancer, but if you are diagnosed with Alzheimers it is a different story.  I am not down playing one chronic illness over another, all chronic illnesses are devastating and usually life threatening.  What I am trying to get out in this blog is the ignorance to the illness, Alzheimers. I will be honest, when my Father in law was diagnosed I too did not really understand it or know how to deal with it.  I knew my grandfather had it but I didn't really have to deal with it on a day to day basis. 

Stop Controlling my life

Do you ever feel that raising teenagers is like raising aliens?

Does your teenage child think that your rules are to harsh?  Do they think that now they are teenagers that they have a right and privilege to run their own lives the way they see fit?  Most teenagers feel this way.  Afterall, what do we know we are just old, things have changed since our time.  We have no idea how it is to be a teenager these days.  All their friends parents are more understanding and let their kids do what they want.  Does this sound familar? 

I sometimes sit back and think of my own teenage years, now I was an angel back then so it is very hard for me to relate.  HA! I am amazed that my parents survived those years, and looking back I am glad I had guidelines.  I now know they only did what they thought was best and were protecting me from making poor decisions.  Raising children is hard work, dealing with teenagers in my opinion is even harder, or at least I feel this way at this stage of the game because that is where I am in life.

Water U Waiting For?

Featured Business for August 2011

Did I catch your attention with that tag-line?  Sharron-Ann of Ontario Gold certainly caught my attention with their tag line "Water U Waiting For?".  I met Sharron-Ann recently through a mutual friend.  I thought my life was busy until I met this dynamic and passionate woman, who is a Mother of four and is running a very successful water business.  Ontario Gold Beverage manufactures and distributes locally, employs locally and has been giving to our community since 1998.  Featured in Our City Barrie 2011 Magazine you need to check out this local Canadian company.  Like their tag-line says "Water U Waiting For?"  go visit their website NOW.

Making Good Choices when it comes to Nutrition

This month's business to business, is Katherine Parent, C.N.P, N.W.S

Katherine is a Certified Nutritionist, who has a wealth of knowledge and experience.  When you meet Katherine you can't help but be attracted to her passion and enthusium for life.  Please read what Katherine has to say about summer and nutrition.

Food is such an integral part of daily life and summer just brings out the social aspect of eating to a whole new level. I’d like to give you some nutritional tips to keep you going throughout our wonderful, but short summer season and you can enter the next seasons with full health and wellness.

Health Benefits

Are you prepared in the event of a major medical expense?

If you are a small business owner, self-employed, working partime or on contract, your continued good helath is key to keeping you in business.  As the cost of health care continues to shift to the consumer, the need increases for a comprehensive benefits plan that will ease the burden of day to day health and dental  expenses and provide a safety net for potential unexpected medical expenses. 

Access Your Body's Internal Pharmacy to Relieve Your Pain Naturally.

Did you know that the most effective pain-killers and anti-depressants are produced in your body?

Andrew MacWha and Elise Walmsley-MacWha, formerly of Trifocal Communications in Barrie, have combined their backgrounds in healthcare, anatomy and their passion for medical art to produce the first-ever detailed visualization and meditation program, The Will to Heal™ Technique - A Guided Workbook to Relieve Pain.