Study Finds Majority of Americans With Depression Go Untreated

Check it out:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1913312,00.html

Lindsay the Intern: Week Six

(This week, our Intern reflects upon how what she has learned about helping people has helped her to help herself.)

A large reason why I find human services so appealing is the fact that it brings different groups people together. For the most part, human service workers stand up for the vulnerable and under-represented, supplementing their abilities with resources and guiding those in need towards independence. Human service workers are advocates for many groups of people.

Throughout my professional and educational development, I have realized that perhaps the reason I am so drawn to advocating for others is because I have a really hard time advocating for myself. If the issue endangers my basic needs or rights, I can stand up for myself, but I often roll over on the smaller matters, afraid of what my peers and superiors might think if I held my ground against them. It is a quality that some might appreciate in the midst of debate and decisiveness, but the more I hold inside and shrug off, the more pent up frustration I feel bubbling inside me. This behavior brought me to a breaking point where I realized, “What good am I to a client if all of my focus and energy is spent on turning over past events and reveling in my lack of presence? How can I stand up for someone if I cannot even muster the professionalism to constructively state my opinion?”

I always thought that my education would help me to better stand up for those in need, but I now see that the lessons I am learning are helping me to figure out how to better stand up for myself. I know that if I want to properly advocate and provide for others, I need to be at peace with myself. The only way I can do that is to compassionately give my opinions and ideas, even if it is not what others want to hear. Along with this is the ability to accept what others think or feel about an issue without getting defensive. It is an equally difficult learning experience to allow others to take the lead, and admit that maybe I was wrong, or didn’t consider everything when making a decision.

By signing up for this career path, I am indefinitely accepting that fact that I will have to work with different people, from all different places and backgrounds. Learning when to stand up for my beliefs and ideas, and when to go along with others who have positive contributions is truly a challenge, but a lesson that will pay off considerably in all aspects of life.

Teaser Number Two-This Time it's a Poem!

So, last week we experimented with prose to hint at our upcoming fall event, and today, we're taking a (weak) stab at poetry. Can you guess the event yet?

On this afternoon I approach a host
Of bulbous, faceless golden orbs
As they rest against the horizon
An orange fire in gilded autumn fields
I guide the most beautiful one away
Planning my carving the way home
  
As the skies darken, I am up to my elbows in a mess
Oh orb, I transform the from the inside out
Discarding all that lies within
To reveal the truth contained without
A truth it seems is up to me
And so with care and time your image I reveal
  
I call to thee the orb named Jack
To see him glow from internal light
 I sit and watch as that orb begins to blink
But next glimmer, I swear I saw him wink
For this my attempt to make things better
For those of them held captive in the cold

More will follow. Stay tuned.

Did You Know?

According to a recent Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American adults, 70% think that the number homeless families in the country will increase, while a mere 7% think the numbers will go down. 19% believe there will be no change. (Apparently, the remaining 4% must not have had any opinion on the matter). 

83% of people in the survey consider homelessness to be "at least a somewhat serious problem" in the U.S. 

According to HUD's 2008 Annual Homeless Report to Congress (released July 9, 2009), the number of homeless families in the US rose by 9% (the rate of homeless families in rural areas jumped a whopping 56%). The point-in-time estimated increase of homeless families in the state of Oregon rose by 17.4%. (According to this report, Oregon also rates among the 3 states with the highest estimates of homeless persons proportionate to the state's total population-1 in every 200 people.) 51% of the children in homeless families are under the age of 6. Another 34% are between the ages of 6 and 12.

With the national unemployment rate currently hovering at 9.5%, and the state of Oregon's at 12.2%, it seems unlikely that the number of homeless families will decrease anytime soon if all other variables remain constant. 

To read up on the results of the Rasmussen Report, follow the link.

To read the HUD report, follow this one.

CD

Lindsay the Intern: Week Five

This week has been a struggle for me. Not because I am doing something I don’t want to do, and not because there have been any particularly difficult challenges in my wake. This week has been hard because I have had time to reflect and I have come to the realization that I am pretty much, by all accounts, an adult. When did this happen?

I drink coffee every morning. Instead of worrying about the weekend while skipping off to school, I contemplate bills while driving to the office. Sure, I spend time socializing and acting upon what is left of my immaturity, but I cant help but feel a little to close to the top of the hill for my age. It got me thinking, do I accept this? Does everyone reach a point in there lives when they look around and find themselves trapped in routine? I would assume so. I would also assume that there are far more difficult realities to come to terms with.

When I feel as though I am in a rut, all it takes is a little perspective to appreciate the things I have and the comfort and safety that embellishes my routine. My project proposal has given me the opportunity to research the population I will be working with this fall. People with acquired brain injuries each have a unique story to tell. I have found that it is hard to generalize just exactly what an acquired brain injury entails. However, one thing that every person goes through when they acquire a brain injury is a drastic change in routine and reality. For many, tasks that were once done without thought now require assistance and aid. That once comfortable and somewhat mundane routine becomes a distant goal to reach. I imagine it’s a lot like sliding back down the proverbial hill, losing tools from your belt and things from your pockets and turning around to climb back up only to find the hill is now made of ice.

When I think about getting to this point in my life, I realize that it would be incredibly difficult to live it all over again without the knowledge I have gained throughout. My reflection has given me new insight into the real struggle that people with acquired brain injuries must face, while renewing my sense of purpose and giving me a more accurate perception of my own growth. No one should feel badly for questioning their place in life, but it is always good to take it a step further and think of the positive aspects and remember that everyone struggles in one capacity or another.

Links

Objects In Cyberspace:

Attention aspiring film makers: Nike and The Homeless World Cup are offering a $50,000 fund to produce a short film (5 minutes, no more than 10 minutes) capturing the Spirit, Unity, Victory of the Milan 2009 Homeless World Cup, which will be held 6-13 September 2009. For more information on the Homeless World Cup, check out this link.

The Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts hosted a very successful brain injury awareness walk/run. The 2nd annual Walk for Wishes Begun attracted hundreds of participants and helped raise awareness for an all-too-common issue. Along the same lines, ShelterCare will soon be hosting its 1st annual Summit Challenge run/walk. If you haven't already done so, please check out www.sheltercareevents.com.

Here is what Dear Abby has to say about a woman who is haunted by her initial reaction to the discovery an old friend is now homeless.

A Seattle suburb was found by the state Supreme Court to have violated the state constitution by using a temporary ban on development to block a church's effort to set up a tent city for the homeless.

CD

Story Time: A Teaser About Another Upcoming Event

Yesterday, our Intern Lindsay announced our Summit Challenge trail run/walk. This event will be quite exciting, but do keep in mind that the Development Department at ShelterCare is in the process of cooking up other events for a later date. The first event is not quite ready to be revealed to the public, but we are positively bursting with anticipation in the back office of Administration. Therefore, we decided it would be fun to slowly reveal the event through a short series of short teaser stories. Here is the first installment. Enjoy!

It is a dark autumn evening in the market square. The air is crisp and chilled with the hint of winter, which has not yet captured the town in its icy grip. The fragrant smell of rich cuisine delights the nose and the spirit is warmed by the inviting glow of charming shops.
  
 Scores of people dressed warm and cozy mill about the street. An elderly couple clasps mittened hands, while nearby a young father in a red woolen hat laughs as he restrains his boy from charging ahead too quickly. Four teenagers in parkas and grey hooded pullovers animatedly discuss the past week’s dramas at school. At all different points in life and experience, yet united in this night’s destination at least, the crowd makes it way to the plaza ahead, which basks in the glow of a thousand tiny points of light. The elderly man turns to his wife and whispers playfully, “Ah yes, tonight will be one for the ages.” 

CD