Today I have decided I am going to stand on my soapbox and say all sorts of things. If you work in health care or know people who do, please share this episode with them.
But they need to listen to the whole show and not just read the blurb about it. They can listen to my piece (thank you so much for including me in this conversation Jeff & Brian), they can celebrate the great ending with Victor and watch the short video with him, Shineeca & Erica
they can learn from Madeline Burghardt about the history of Huronia and other institutions (and read her book Broken to learn more), but they have to listen to Jeff’s interview with Christopher.
Because while I am immensely proud of the work I have been doing with @HCARDD @uoftmedicine @CAMHnews @SurreyPlaceON Primary Care Program, & all of our amazing partners, it has to be understood in context. It's not just a feel good story, and we are so very far from being done
In this episode, @Jeff_Goodes interviews residential survivor Christopher who recounts some of the abuse that happened when he was a resident of Huronia. Chris says (and then repeats it): “It’s a good thing the nurse didn’t walk in and saw that. The nurse would be upset”
No Chris. It is a terrible horrible thing that the nurse didn’t walk in, because she needed to know, to be upset, livid, disgusted and activated and empowered to do something about it. Maybe she could have reported it and that man could have been arrested, held accountable.
Maybe she could have changed the practices in Huronia. Maybe she could have made sure it never happened again and that everyone who experienced or witnessed it got support and treatment for their trauma.
Or maybe she already had an inkling but didn’t want to see it, or maybe she saw it but didn’t think there was much that could be done. Or she tried to do something but no one listened and nothing changed. We will never know.
I cried when I heard this and I cry when I write this. We taught Chris to think this way. And although we closed our institutions in Ontario, this does not mean that abuse generally, and sexual abuse in particular is something we no longer need to think about.
If you don’t know that much about the issue of sexual abuse in developmental disabilities, and you work in health care, then listen to Chris - it is time you know. This investigative series by @NPRJoeShapiro j is a great place to start. npr.org/series/5755026…
Thank you Chris for taking the time to talk with Jeff. It sounds like you made a really great life for yourself in the community, in the shadow of awfulness that never should have happened to you. I hope many people listen to your interview and learn from it.
I want to end my soapbox with hope and thought I would share some resources and give some shout outs. We have an opportunity across Canada in all of our health care settings to take some steps to change health care for the better.
These steps are needed because even with institutions like Huronia closed, this group experiences many serious health care gaps @ICESOntario @hcardd ices.on.ca/Publications/A…
Do you have resources in your health care setting to help people with developmental disabilities feel comfortable and communicate about their health care needs as best they can?
The @SurreyPlaceON Primary Care Program has national guidelines on the health of adults with developmental disabilities and many clinical tools and resources to help put these guidelines into action. The tools can be found here: ddprimarycare.surreyplace.ca/tools-2/
About my health ddprimarycare.surreyplace.ca/tools-2/genera… and ddprimarycare.surreyplace.ca/tools-2/genera… are fillable forms that can help people prepare for visits and improve communication
The national guidelines, published in 2018 by @CanFamPhysician can be found here cfp.ca/content/64/4/2… with 2 special issues of the journal cfp.ca/content/64/Sup… & cfp.ca/content/65/Sup…
If you work in a community agency supporting people with developmental disabilities, our Nuts and Bolts of Healthcare Toolkit developed w @VITAMENSANA @CAMHnews & @HCARDD includes a number of resources to help you in your role as health care advocate - nutsandboltstools.com
The @machealth_ Curriculum of Caring website has some excellent teaching resources for medical schools and allied health with many great videos machealth.ca/programs/curri…
And there are organizations all across Canada advocating for the rights of people with developmental disabilities at the local, provincial, & national levels. If you work in a health care setting, or you teach in a health care discipline, can you do more to change the narrative?
People with developmental disabilities, their families and their friends are depending on you to do so. Every small step counts. Better Practice, Better Health: Listening and learning from patients and... via @YouTube #DDHealthmatters
So in closing, thank you for reading, please listen to this episode (& several other episodes focused on people with DD and their families), and take the opportunity to contact @cbcwhitecoat with comments - they are asking for stories on this topic, so please spread the word.
