I applaud Ryn Gargulinski of the Tucson Citizen (Arizona) for covering the story of Scott Whitley. So often our mentally ill citizens only appear in the newspaper when they have committed a crime. This year’s recipient of the 3rd annual Daniel Moreno Recovery Award, is Scott Whitley. He’ll receive his award on Friday at the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Southern Arizona’s 25th anniversary dinner.
Daniel Moreno was diagnosed as bipolar in 1989. He then spent the next 17 years in what he called a roller coaster hell. The illness led him to a suicide attempt in 2005. Today his recovery is doing so well he will be proudly accepting his award and acknowledgment for the hard work he’s done. Whitley credits his recovery to a combination of four factors: support, education, hope and medication.
His support comes from peer groups, friends and NAMISA (National Alliance on Mental Illness of Southern Arizona). The education comes through NAMISA and reading one of his favorite authors, bipolar psychiatrist Kay Redfield Jameson. It took time to discover the right combination of medications that worked best for Scott.
Before his successfull recovery he was hospitalized, couldn’t keep a job, was unable to maintain a relationship, and was estranged from his mother. That is all changed for Scott Whitley. He was even able to be his mother’s caregiver before her death.
As group home support staff we are the ones that can advocate for our residents to make sure they are provided with every opportunity to be successful in living with any mental illness that they have. In the words of Scott Whitley “It’s just like diabetes or high blood pressure, It’s an illness, not a character flaw.” Our residents can not only live successfully with their mental illness diagnosis, they can help others like Scott has, with group home support staff’s help.
Behavior data sheets are used to track information about group home residents. Data sheets are an essential component of behavior health treatment plans. All group home support staff should make filling out the data sheets accurately a priority.
The reasons this is important:
Used to develop behavior treatment plans
Provide history and information regarding behaviors
Required for monitoring residents who are receiving certain medications
Evaluates effectiveness of plan
Effects group home residents quality of life
Track progress or lack of progress
Group home support staff should check for the following when filling out behavior health data sheets:
Name is printed with initials for reference
Data is on correct day
Numbers are easy to read (close “0″’s so they doesn’t look like a 6 or 8 and close “9″’s so they don’t look like a 4)
All spaces are filled in
Initials are in appropriate spaces
Notes are written regarding behaviors as needed
Totals are correct
With accurate information on behavior health data sheets, the group home residents can get behavior treatment plans that will effectively help them to reach their goals.
