E124 The Roths Filling in the Gaps to Help Others
Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 124
Date: June 11 ,2024
Participants: John Webster, Noura Saad, Cameron Earnshaw and Sheila Webster
Guests: Fiona and Mike Roth
Start Times and Segments:
[0:00:16] What’s On Your Mind: It felt good to think, “I’m content with where I’m at in life”, but we wonder? Is it content and happy, or content versus happy? Can contentment hold us back at times, preventing us from getting out of the comfort zone?
[0:9:08] Expanding Minds Interview: [Social Wellness] We interview Fiona and Mike Roth. Last week we heard about a beautiful young woman, Kaitlyn Roth, who died to the disease of mental illness. They are motivated to honour Katilyn by bringing good out of what happened. They started an organization called Filling in The Gaps (fitg.org). FITG is working and advocating to improve the adult mental health system to fill in cracks in the system. For example, they’re exploring a new model of care for treating people experiencing a mental health crisis in a community clinic, instead of Emergency department. They tell us about some of the challenges to finding help, and about ideas to improve things. They hope sincerely that we can prevent other people from experience what Katilyn and her family went through.
[0:27:29] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Cameron got creative with reharmonization and a Rolling Stones song.
[0:31:50] Move That Body: We often talk about sleep making us feel better physically. We came across articles about the importance of sufficient sleep to heart health. Getting 7 to 9 hours has positive physiological effects.
[0:36:04] Running Popup: Describing energizing morning sensations that are awakening after several nights of not snacking after dinner.
[0:37:23] Flipside of the Coin: It was grueling but rewarding to spend a Spring day setting up the back yard for summer fun.
Quotes and Take-Aways:
John – Like you Fiona and Mike, I believe mental disease is just like other diseases, such as diabetes and cancer. We share the belief that mental health and physical health should be treated the same and without stigma. It’s inspiring that you are working to help other families who might be facing the same challenges you and Katilyn faced.
Mike – We’re hoping Filling in The Gaps organization can fill in the gaps. There are lots of supports in the community, but there are also a lot of gaps out there. Unfortunately, our daughter Kaitlyn fell through those cracks. The organization is trying to raise funds and awareness to mental health to start new programs or fund new initiatives, which we believe would have helped her, but that are currently not in our community.
Fiona – With a trauma informed and strength-based approach, instead of asking “what is wrong with you?”, we ask “what happened to you?”. We use a very compassionate lens with them. There are two areas to look at: (1) creating an environment that is not institutional. We hope to create a holistic wellness base environment; and (2) training staff to ask questions that will not re-trigger, to not sound judgmental, and to come across as compassionate and kind.
Fiona – We really want to advocate that our front line staff is our best resource. They work really hard, but we need to make sure that they are trained. We are advocating that they are trained in a trauma informed lens.
Fiona – We are trying to help in particular transitional-aged youth – youth around 18-25 years old, or young people or adults that are in-between services. That’s where we found the gaps.
Fiona – Someone might be discharged from the hospital, then need to wait six months to a year for a service. We’re trying to build up their supports so that they are not left without anything. We hope they have a service they can use or a support person to visit them, so that they are not just left alone.
Mike – Some of the funds raised have gone towards case manager positions. A case manager follows up with a person after they are discharged from the hospital. They ask how things are going and get them connected with proper resources. That was one of the things Kaitlyn did not experience after she was discharged from the hospital.
Fiona – The 18-25 age group is more and more seen as an at-risk age. There are so many changes. These are often young people moving away from home when their brains are still developing. They have so many decisions to make. They’re still teenagers and kids in a way, but they’re put in the adult world. There are lots of exciting things happening, but they are definitely at high risk for mental illness.
Mike – Extended health care benefits plans continue to provide coverage for children until they are 25 years old if they’re still going to school. These plans recognize that they still need support and help. However, when you need medical help in the outside world, you’re 18, you’re an adult and you’re on your own. That’s what we felt.
Fiona – We’re trying to advocate for a sense of hope and compassion no matter where you go, so you think, “Okay I did the right thing. I asked for help and I’m going to get the service I need”.
Mike – It’s been a steep learning curve, but we feel heartened already to see some changes being made. We’re saying Kaitlyn made these changes, because it’s on behalf of Kaitlyn that these changes are occurring.
Fiona – I believe a lot of it is a shift in the philosophy, with a move towards community-based services. Then I believe we’ll see more capacity build-up, which we’re starting to see. They include multi-disciplinary teams, crisis clinics and outpatient services. That is where the treatment needs to be.
Fiona – For people who want to help others, it starts with being kind. Mental illness needs to be seen as a disease. There are people who wear a suit to work and look like they have it together, but they’re struggling with depression. You see people on the street who look like they’re mentally ill and they’re struggling as well. You can hide it very well. Start with kindness and compassion. These people are struggling.
Fiona – As far as people helping individually, it helps to be in regular conversations with your local members of provincial parliament. They are the ones who will fight for Ontario health care. Keep the conversations going. Ask them about things like community crisis clinics and youth wellness hubs.
Bulletin Board Quote brought to you by Napolean: “Eight for fools”
Guest Information: Fiona Roth has been a social worker for 25 years. She has worked in the children’s mental health field for her entire career. She’s committed to a community where anyone struggling with mental health is met with hope and compassion at every stage of their journey and where no one falls through the cracks.
Mike Roth has been a Registered Kinesiologist for more than 27 years. He has treated and managed multi-disciplinary health care clinics in the community and is currently supporting employees returning to work from occupational and non-occupational injuries.
Mike and Fiona’s daughter, Kaitlyn, faced many barriers to receiving continuity of care before dying by the disease of mental illness . Fiona and Mike are passionate about making sure the difficulties that their family faced in finding services for Kaitlyn do not happen to anyone else.
Filling In the Gaps organization website: fitg.org
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Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura and Julie