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SEPTEMBER, 2012

Heard It Through the Grapevine

The Vision of The Grapevine Center,

Inc.

Blending good people with

better choices for the best

recovery

Grapevine Board of Directors

Marcia Schoeffel President

Jack McKenna Vice President

Dena Martinez

Treasurer

Debra Christy Secretary

Sharon Adams Dave Allen Terrie Bales

Sherri Blackburn Jack Ferguson Phillip Galli

Sharon Miller Joanne Moncello Tim Moreno Matt Morris

George Neigh Joe Olcus

Harry Smith Gail Steck

MISSION STATEMENT

“With respect and dignity for all, the Grapevine Center Will empower peers to mentor, inspire, and Support individuals and families in recovery. The Center will

advocate for social justice on behalf of all people”

Sept. 3rd— Grapevine open 5:pm to 7:pm Sept. 4th- Zilch tournament: 2:pm Sept. 4th- NAMI Connection: 6:pm Sept. 5th- Pool tournament: 2:pm Sept . 5th– AA meeting: 8:pm Sept. 6th- Wal Mart trip: 11:30pm Sept. 7th- AA meeting: 10:pm Sept. 8th- North Street church 5:pm Sept. 9th– George Neigh cooking 2;pm Sept. 10th– Community Meeting: 2:pm Sept. 11th– Pool tournament: 2:pm Sept. 12th- AA meeting: 8:pm Sept. 13th– Zilch Tournament: 2:pm Sept. 14th– Western region CSP: 8:30am Sept. 14Th– AA meeting: 10:pm Sept. 15– Zoo Trip: 11:30

Sept. 16-Anita McDade Cooking 2 PM Sept. 17- Zilch Tournament 2PM Sept. 17– G.V. Board Meeting 5:30 PM Sept. 18– Butler CSP 12– 2 PM Sept. 19-Pool Tournament 2 PM Sept 23-Tammy Gibson Cooking 2 PM Sept 24-Pool Tournament 2 PM Sept 25- Birthday/Bingo 2 PM Sept 26-Community Meeting 2PM Sept 27-Carolynn Liptak’s Group 2PM Sept 28– Zilch Tournament 2 PM Sept 30-Wyatt McCauley Cooking 2 PM

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Book Review by Jack Ferguson of The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases From A State Hospital Attic, By Darby Penney and Peter Stastny. This book was derived from the contents of suitcases found in an attic of the Willard State Hospital in New York. These suitcases contained the worldly possessions of former “inmates”, left behind when the institution closed. The authors were also able to access the medical records of some of these “inmates” and the notes of their psychiatrists. This is one of the most poignant, heartrending books that I have ever read. It details the lives of 10 “inmates” who were admitted there. They spent the remainder of their lives there and died there. They had little or no hope of ever being released, even though many were admitted on very questionable grounds. Large institutions like Willard were self-sustaining, requiring large inmate populations to supply free labor. If an inmate had special talents that made him valuable to Willard, this would make it even more likely that he would never be discharged. I’m now quoting the authors: “The suitcase owners’ responses to decades of hospitalization ranged from resignation to resistance, from despair to the hope that they might someday be released. In the medical records, one finds no indication that any of them thought their confinement was warranted or that they benefitted from being there. Some seemed resigned to their fate and others tried to make the best of their situations. Some simply shut down, retreating into an inner world of their own.” Therapeutic treatments at large institutions like Willard were of doubtful value and sometimes harmful. Hydrotherapy (immersion in very cold water for long periods of time) and insulin coma treatments were barbaric. Electroshock treatments were given to large numbers patients in an assembly line fashion, referred to in Willard as the “blitz”. When Thorazine was introduced in the mid-1950s, inmates were heavily medicated into a “kind of quiet hopelessness.” According to the authors, the attitudes and prejudices of the psychiatrists greatly contributed to the problem. Quoting again; “The psychiatric diagnostic categories served mainly to pitch people into a few pigeonholes that help psychiatrists talk about them among themselves. These diagnostic categories, then or now, do not provide a basis for successful treatment and recovery. If someone had taken the time and effort to piece together these people’s stories during their lifetimes, a deeper understanding of their life circumstances might have led to a successful resumption of the lives they led before being institutionalized. As examples of the sad fate of the inmates, I’ll briefly mention one of them. Lawrence Marek was admitted to the hospital in 1916. He had some problems with alcohol, and difficulties in communicating because of his foreign accent. Even after showing great improvement, his requests for release were never granted. After 20 years of being there, he became the resident patient gravedigger. He was in complete charge of the patient cemetery. A psychiatrist wrote in his notes; “This patient shows no psychopathology what-so-ever.”

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More than half of men and women over the age of 65 complain of at least one sleep problem. Many older people experience insomnia and other sleep difficulties on a regular basis. As we get older, our sleep patterns change. In general, older people sleep less, experience more fragmented sleep, and spend less time in stages 3 & 4 REM sleep (for example and dream sleep) than do younger people. However, regardless of your age, good restorative sleep is essential to physical health and emotional well-being. What causes sleep problems in older people? Several factors may contribute to the inability to sleep well as we get older. Some common causes include: Poor sleep habits: Irregular sleep-wake patterns can affect an individual’s circadian rhythm and make it hard to maintain a regular sleep schedule. Other behavioral issues, such as consumption of alcohol before bedtime, increased wakeful time in bed, or daytime napping, can also affect a person’s ability to sleep. Medical Illness: Certain chronic medical conditions are common in older people. Some of these conditions, including heart failure, arthritis, heartburn, menopause, and Alzheimer’s disease, can affect sleep. These conditions can make it hard to fall asleep or may cause the person to awaken frequently, ultimately affecting the duration of sleep. Medications: Some drugs may impair a person’s ability to fall asleep or stay asleep and may even stimulate wakefulness at night. Psychological distress or psychiatric disorders: Old age is characterized by many events, some positive and some negative. For example, life changes such as the death of a loved one, moving from a family home, or physical limitations due to illness can cause significant stress and sleep difficulties. Sleep disorders: Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, or limb movement disorder may be associated with aging in some cases. Retirement: : Retirement often leads to a lot of downtime with less daytime activity; this can lead to an irregular sleep-wake schedule and chronic sleep problems. Are you getting enough sleep? Every person’s sleep needs are different. If you are getting less sleep than when you were younger, but still feel rested and energetic during the day, it might just be that you no longer require as much sleep. However, if you are noticing that your lack of sleep is affecting your daytime activities, then you should talk to your doctor. There are steps you can take to improve your sleep quality. Paper reviewed by James E. Gerace, MD on March 11, 2011.

HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE

Aging and Sleep

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Poetry Corner

Making Pappy Happy By

John R. Heckert

It is my opinion that we should send personal letters some-times to friends and relatives, instead of always relying on e-mail. A handwritten letter gives a much more personal touch.

“You should write a letter to Pappy”; Mother would say, “Pappy

would love to get mail from you.”

I would always call my grandfather, Pappy. No one knew quite why until I was given old family photographs after my grand-parents passed away. I found a picture of my grandfather’s

father labeled “Grandpappy, 1941”, by my grandmother. Evi-dently, my grandfather told me that he was my Pappy.

My weak spot in grade school was learning to print and then to

write legibly. It took many years for my writing to improve.

Pappy would point out to me that my handwriting was graded. He said that something's would always be graded, like meat or

eggs.

Pappy originally came from Scotland. He had beautiful pen-manship, but I had trouble understanding it because it was an

old fashioned way of writing. So Pappy printed his letters so that I could understand them better.

There was one special, personal touch to Pappy’s letters.

Pappy spent most of his life in Canada. His letters to me had Canadian postage stamps on them. At Christmas time Pappy would send me a Canadian two dollar bill to spend in Canada

when we went up to visit my grandparents in the summer.

People like to get crayoned pictures from children. One time Pappy drew me on a flying carpet holding a parasol. Pappy had just shot me down with a bow and arrow. Up in the sky

was a picture of the moon with a face. “He just prizes that pic-ture”, mother would say to me. You could not get that from an

e-mail. Letters to friends and relations can contain photo-graphs. An old saying goes; “A picture says a thousand words”.

Not everyone has a computer and not everyone is computer literate. Some people are only able to communicate by mail. Even so, it is nice to have a personal touch that you just can’t get by e-mail. Some personal letters are kept and cherished for a lifetime. Like a letter about family history from Pappy.

Not so e-mail.

Entanglement By

Wyatt McCauley

My mind is going down Don’t know what to do

My heart is entangled like a web of emotions, so out of

control. Love is gone, no one to help me put the pieces together again.

Am so lost in a river of sadness. Who to trust.

People who have hurt me. I will never be the same. The entanglement is so painful hope is running

out. So confused on who I need to be. So much anger inside me.

Release the beast and confine me. So much entanglement.

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Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake Ingredients: 1 cup boiling water 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1 Tbl baking powder 3/4 cup chopped walnuts 1 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa (firmly packed) 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup mayonnaise 1 tsp vanilla Directions: Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans. In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the cocoa and whisk until smooth. Set aside. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Fold into chopped walnuts and set aside. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the mayonnaise and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and cocoa mixture until the batter is well com-bined. Pour into prepared pans, and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes, re-move from pans to wire racks. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Cooking Corner

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Poetry Corner Continued

“The Eagle Took Me” By Shirley Hill

The pain in my heart is so very deep, my heart aches so bad sometimes I cannot sleep, my body can’t forget when he hit me how it seemed, he says that he is sorry and will never do it again, but just like before the abuse begins, hurting and bruised, I looked to the sky, to see this large bird coming close to my eyes, he swooped down and landed and gave me a gaze, his wings were so long they put me in a daze, I walked toward the eagle and he lowered his back, was I to get on before I received another smack, afraid of the eagle and afraid of the abuse, I climbed aboard the eagle and said “What’s the use?” He took me with him soaring through the air, I know the other birds were thinking “Why is she there?”, I knew then God would not let me die, for the eagle had taken me high up in the sky. When he gets home to abuse me he will see, I am not there because the eagle took me.

Fingers Of Time By

Shirley Jackson

Tree tops sit straight upward Appear touching the space of time

Beneath the sky

The lovely colors of space above Above the tips of foliage

Fingers of green Embodies the whole universe With its crystal transient hues

Of film colors white, gray, And blues

Radiant lights of suns rays

Penetrates through time and space Above and below in between

As fingers of the tree tops under

Space and time. Reach upward. So us all will view such focus in science’s nature of life’s kind.

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Butler County IM4Q Independent Monitoring for Quality

Newsletter September 2012

What is IM4Q?

The IM4Q program provides individuals with developmental disabilities, their families, guardians, and support persons who know the individual well the opportunity to voice opinions about the quality of life the individual is living, his/her supports, and the services being received. IM4Q was established in 1997 and is funded by the Office of Developmental Programs. The first IM4Q interviews done in Butler County were during the 1999/2000 fiscal year. Here in Butler County, 97 individuals are interviewed each year. Bette Peoples is the Executive Director of the Butler Program and Roxanne Freehling is the Program Coordinator.

Monitors

Monitors for the 2011/2012 IM4Q year were Grapevine staff members: Dave Walowen, Mike Vose, Bret Kemper, Deirde Fields, and Roxanne Freehling. Several Slippery Rock University students have also served as monitors in the past years.

2012 Annual Statewide Training

The IM4Q Annual Statewide Training was held in Harrisburg, Pa. on July 24th and 25th. It was an educational and fun event that the 216 people in attendance truly enjoyed. Various training workshops were held and two keynote speakers shared their life stories. The first keynote speaker was Julie Petty. Julie was born with cerebral palsy before self-advocacy existed. Julie shared with the audience her life story and the many struggles she faced as a child growing up. She attended and graduated from college. Currently, Julie is a very happy wife and mother. She has met President Obama and was present when he signed an executive order for Rosa’s Law. Rosa’s Law helps to protect ID/DD individuals and their rights. Julie received and cherishes one of the pens that President Obama used to sign this important law into effect. The second keynote speaker was Kurt Kondrich. Kurt’s topic was “How Down Syndrome Lifted Me UP!” Kurt was a former Pittsburgh, Pa. Police Officer. He resigned from the force, went back to college, and became an advocate for his daughter Chloe who was born with Down Syndrome. Kurt shared how Chloe has been a wonderful blessing to himself, his wife, and his son. In Kurt’s own words, Continued on Page 9

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“My goal is to show the countless abilities people with Down Syndrome have and what a priceless blessing they are to the world.”

*If you ever have the opportunity to hear Kurt speak and to meet his family; take advantage of the opportunity. You will not be disappointed. Kurt and Chloe are awesome! Attending the Statewide Training from Butler County this year were: Bette Peoples, Mike Vose, Dave Walowen, Anne Makepeace, and Roxanne Freehling.

Future of IM4Q: Currently, preparations are underway for the 2012/2013 IM4Q year. Unfortunately due to budget issues/cuts each local program will be interviewing 10% fewer individuals than in previous years. The current IM4Q staff would like to welcome Anne Makepeace and Paul Jones as new monitors this year.

Upcoming Events:

September 25, 2012 10:00 am to 12:00 noon “How Down Syndrome Lifted Me Up” Speaker: Kurt Kondrich Event held at: Crawford County Human Services Bainbridge Technology Center 18282 Technology Drive Meadville, Pa.

Miscellaneous:

If you have questions or would like additional information on IM4Q; please contact Roxanne Freehling at the Grapevine Center. Roxanne is always willing to talk about this important state financed program.

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POOL TOURNAMENTS FOR August : WINNERS 1. Sean Kramer (winner) 2. Tammy Gibson

3. Ges Imarey 4. Kayla McDade 5. Anita McDade

6. Shirley Jackson

AUGUST 8TH 2012 2;PM

POOL TOURNAMENTS FOR August 8th : WINNERS 1. Sean Kramer (winner) 2. Tammy Gibson

3. Ges Imarey 4. Kayla McDade 5. Anita McDade

6. Shirley Jackson

ZILCH DICE GAME PLAYERS

AUGUST 13 2012 Winner: Tammy Gibson

AUGUST 29 2012 WINNER: Pam Smith

POOL TOURNAMENT AUGUST 2012 WINNERS: Anita McDade 17th WINNER; Justin Cavillier 22nd WINNER; Kayla McDade 31st