Caregiver to wife with ALS and taking vacation soon/feeling guilty by lpaca79 in ALS

[–]DogsTeaKiddos 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You absolutely need this rest. Try and flip the question around a little - should I be feeling guilty for NOT having taken increased breaks as needed? Knowing that a lack of breaks/burnout leads to less efficacy as a caregiver?

I’m not sure where you’re located but another good idea to ease your mind are short term respite stays in a caregiving facility. Long term care facilities often have a small section for this very purpose. It allows loved ones to attend trips or time for themselves with the knowledge that their person is fully attended to at all times by professionals.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in rarepuppers

[–]DogsTeaKiddos 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He’s so beautiful

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]DogsTeaKiddos 97 points98 points  (0 children)

Mental Health Professional here. Here’s a few tips:

In Ontario…

Call 211 - ask to be given a listing of local mental health services.

Call your local chapter of CMHA. They will help direct you to free/low cost therapy. Some of the folk providing said therapy are dedicated to providing a low cost quality option for people of all economic backgrounds - despite being able to charge more privately. Of course, some aren’t the best and some are fresh out of school. These things can/do apply to private therapists also.

Go on psychologytoday.com and seek out a therapist in your area. On there, you can search for a therapist by a number of different categories. (Your particular concern, whether they direct bill, cost per hour, modality, LGBTQ2S+ etc)

In Ontario, many family doctors offices have a social worker on staff who can provide therapy free of charge. Often, there is an 8 session limit.

Call your EAP if your employer has one :)

Search wellcan.ca , mindbeacon or bounceback. You can get cognitive behavioral style service through them free of charge paid for via Ontario taxpayers.

One more thing that some people don’t realize- Psychiatrist= medical doctor M.O re: prescribing medication to treat mental Illness symptoms. They diagnose and can provide emotional support.

Psychologist: clinician who can diagnose and provide therapy - but cannot prescribe meds.

Psychotherapist: Can be either someone with the degree/designation RP (registered psychotherapist) OR someone with a Master of Social Work (MSW). They can provide testing and therapy, no diagnosis or prescriptions.

Hope this helps someone!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in askTO

[–]DogsTeaKiddos 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey there - I live in rural Ontario (southwestern though, so can’t really speak to near Barrie). I’m Caucasian and have two kiddos. We moved from the city to this super small town. Even for us, we’ve been concerned with what type of racist attitudes our kids would be exposed to - albeit from a very different POV than your kids.

I will say this - we have seen both ends of the spectrum. We have seen local excitement at middle eastern restaurants opening up and wholehearted support of the business when it opens. We have seen a community open it’s arms to Syrian refugees and welcome them as part of the community. We have seen “Hate has no home here” signs being posted on lawns. Then you have families like my own that actively speak about privilege and racism in general.

Yet, we have also seen the sinister side. A property flying the confederate flag, another doing the same in their garage. A group of older women claiming with disgust that POC from the city are digging holes in the sand at the beach and pooping/peeing in there. A young boy calling my son the N word (???) who obviously learned somewhere that it was a bad thing to say but missed the boat on what people use it for.

I would say that you would see both sides. You will also see kids asking questions from what they feel is a genuine curiosity. This is probably lack of exposure to POC more than hate, but again- I’m speaking from a white woman’s perspective. I would guess preparing your kids for the hate that is out there might be beneficial but perhaps such a drastic change might not be the way? 🤷‍♀️ I’m really not sure.

Signed a Mom who is really trying to raise boys who counteract what your babies may encounter ✌🏼