The HRM Chapter Presents: Strengthening Families Together Program

The HRM Chapter Meeting Announcement

The HRM Chapter

Monday April 16, 2012

7:00pm – 9:00pm

Family Education & Support

Presents

Dr. Pippa Moss

Topic: Stigma and Discrimination

The aim of this presentation is to develop a common understanding about what stigma and discrimination is, and the profound effects it can have on illness and recovery. We will look at ways that as individuals, (physicians, those we treat and as family members,) we can combat stigma, when it is safe to do so and when not.

Dr. Moss is a member of the Stigma/Discrimination Committee of the Canadian Psychiatric Association and has an interest in this area not only as a psychiatrist but also as the mother of a young adult with autism and a relative and friend of people with severe and persistent mental illness. Dr. Moss is currently involved in writing a guide to fighting stigma and discrimination. She works in Amherst, Truro, New Glasgow and Sydney, as well as those hospitals' satellite clinics as a child psychiatrist with subspecialty in rural and neurodevelopmental issues.

Group Discussion:  8:15pm-9:00pm

Kings County Chapter of the SSNS Meeting Announcement

HRM Chapter Meeting Announcement

The HRM Chapter

Monday March 12, 2012

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Family Education and Support

Presents

Roy Ellis

Topic: A Caregivers Guide to Depression and Anxiety:  The High Cost of Care

Care givers and family members with mental illness....Sometimes it's hard to know who's who....

The constant work of caregiving can cause anxiety and depression.  So what can we do?  Are we

fated as caregivers to suffer for our love?  Is the very nature of love?  And what about boundaries

at what point do we have to begin to put our own health first?  Join Roy for a lively discussion 

about the high cost of care.

Roy Ellis is a writer, musician, and the Bereavement Coordinator with the Capital Health Integrated

Palliative Care Unit.

Group Discussion: 8:15 pm to 9:00 pm

Room 1243A

Halifax Infirmary, QEII

Health Sciences Centre

1796 Summer Street

Halifax Nova Scotia

To view poster click on the link below
http://i39.tinypic.com/2no9om.jpg

Cosmetic anti-stigma campaigns miss the point

Here is the link to an article in the North Shore Schizophrenia Society January 2012 Advocacy Bulletin.  The article is a real eye opener.  It presents the stark facts that a lot of people try to avoid and set on the back burner.  The article presents what really needs to be done.

To read the article click on the link below

http://www.northshoreschizophrenia.org/images/2012%20Feb%20Advocacy%20Bulletin.pdf

Healthy Lifestyle

My wife and I have made the conscious decision to change our lifestyle.  We have started our new life by eating healthy.  At one time we used a frying pan and only one pot everyday.  I didn't realize we had so many pots.  We no longer fry our food.  We bake our meat instead of frying it.  The only meat we try to eat is fish, chicken, and turkey.  We have also started eating more veggies.  When we have a meal half our plate is veggies, 1/4 is meat, and the other 1/4 is potatoes or rice.

We are making a conscious effort to read the labels before we buy something.  At the present moment we are trying to cut out the fat, sugar, and sodium.  We eat a lot of wraps.  We put lettuce, green and red peppers. tomatoes, cucumbers, and for meat chicken.  We use tortilla wraps to put it in.  Today we made a home made veggie pizza.  It was delicious.  

I am discovering that healthy food tastes a lot better than the alternative.  Especially if you cook it right.  It can be very tasty.

The next phase in our healthy lifestyle is to incorporate physical activity into our daily routine.  Up to this point in our lives we haven't been engaging in much physical activity.  I have started doing research on physical fitness and nutrition.  One thing we are doing is not trying to do everything all at once.  We are just taking our time and easing into everything.  I believe if we try to do too much all at once we will revert back to our old ways.  A little bit at a time is my philosophy.

Another thing that I am personally trying to change in my life is my smoking habits.  Kim doesn't smoke but I do.  I have started a cutting back program today.  I am going to roll 40 cigarettes a day and make those 40 cigarettes last the whole day.  I will do this for a couple of weeks.  Then I will gradually cut back on how many I smoke a day.  My objective is to eventually cut back enough to the point where I can just stop smoking.  Quitting all at once is an impossibility.  Believe me I have tried so many times I cannot count.  It just doesn't work for me.

Another lifestyle change I need to make is to cut down on my caffeine intake.  I drink approximately three or four pots or more a day.  That is a lot of caffeine.  I will do this gradually as well.

I am feeling very excited about our decision and about our new healthy lifestyle.  I am feeling better physically, and psychologically.  Both of us feel like we are new people.  As time goes on we will make more and more healthy choices in our lives and maybe we might just get a few extra years out of it.  Most of all we are living a healthy lifestyle just because it makes us feel good, makes life more meaningful, and it just makes us feel a lot happier.

Cumberland County Chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of N.S. Meeting Announcement

Cumberland County Chapter Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia

Meeting Announcement

Date:  Tuesday February 21st

Time:  7:00 pm

Place:  Springhill, Nova Scotia, at the Dr. Carson and Marion Murray Community Centre-In the upstairs heated room

Speaker:  Christiana McDougall-Flemming

Topic:  Clubhouse initiative