About FOTHI

FOTHI is dedicated to the delivery of services giving us THE FREEDOM OF CHOICE” as to what services we need and to who will provide these services to us.

Richard Scott, President, Self Help Network "believes quite strongly that consumers should participate in the mental health system and that consumers should be strong advocates on THEIR OWN BEHALF." "I'm not content just to be heard by those in power. I want a share of the power. I think that consumers have the right to be full partners in the mental health system."

He continues to say that " There are any numbers of ways that consumers can make important contributions to mental health that no other group is capable of doing.

Self help is one example. Peer support has been demonstrated to contribute to mental health not only in a therapeutic way but because it helps consumers develop their social skills.

We need consumers to lead the fight against the stigma of mental illness. No amount of preaching by governments and others can be as effective as consumers themselves demonstrating they are capable and responsible citizens.

Where else but in the mental health system do you not find a formal consumers union evaluating and rating services?

I said earlier that there is wide acceptance of the idea that mental health consumers have a right to be heard. I fear, though, that in many cases the process of listening is mere tokenism. I say this because the consumer's voice is silenced by their lack of support and resources.

At the table of power sit government officials from various agencies, and leaders of organizations representing psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses social workers, funded and contracted hand picked non profit organizations meant to help us,etc.

All have large budgets and the staff and resources to research issues, attend numerous meetings, network, run programs, operate an office, etc. etc.

The consumer voice is inevitably a volunteer voice. It is volunteer time. It doesn't have the support of a large organization to supply background, research, travel, internet access, copying, word processing, etc.

...in uniting the mental health consumers of Alberta, offer consumers the background and resources that will allow them an informed opinion on issues facing the mental health system, run programs of benefit to the mental health consumers, and put in place an organization that can effectively represent the mental health consumer at all levels of the mental health system.

Is the system deliberately trying to oppress consumers, or is it just enlightened? It is time we started asking these questions.

It took a lot of hard work and personal sacrifice to win a voice for consumers; it will probably take the same for us to win a share of power. We need to start joining forces NOW!

For the last 8 1/2 years FOTHI has stood up for all acquired brain injury survivors at a grass roots advocacy level. WE will not stop until we get “CHOICE” in our future and our lives; CHOICE of who we will seek counseling from, of which doctor we will see or which rehabilitation service we use, of which physiotherapist we use, of which occupational therapist we use, etc… WE are entitled to whomever we wish to hire to obtain effective service providers.

WE NEED TO BE RESPECTED and permitted to choose what is best for ourselves.

Funding has typically followed the service providers in the past, leaving us, the abis (acquired brain injured survivors) helpless with NO CHOICE. It is with disbelief that this continues to happen today. People who insist on using control tactics to maintain their clientele for fear that there would be no clientele should “CHOICE” become available to their clients. We must join together, as one voice, to ensure that all abis (acquired brain injured survivors) have “CHOICE”. We are the consumers!

WE live in a democracy, and accessibility to “EFFECTIVE SERVICES” is a right, not a favor to be granted by the Alberta government. YET, we continue to receive information about the delays in obtaining support through the Dept. of Health in the Province of Alberta.

WE are not just a file or a reference number, WE ARE REAL PEOPLE. It has come to a point in time when enough has been said about this matter and we need to move forward. Our needs are not being met because of bureaucratic hoop jumping that has gone on for too long. WE must be able to access “effective services” with CHOICE.

Send us your support and share with us your situation so we can include your concerns and send this information to Premier Klein and his Minister of Health and staff to force them to implement the $16 .5 million dollars that was promised to us to help the brain injury community. TO DATE Premier Klein has released a mere $1.5 million dollars for the years 2001 and 2002. This is not what was promised, nor is it enough to assist those of us and our families who have and continue to fall through the cracks.

The $1.5 million dollars has been spent on promotions from within the Dept. of Health as well as hiring new staff. There are no dollars left to provide the “effective services” that we were promised and entitled to. The spending of the $1.5 million dollars (INTERNAL PROMOTIONS as well as SELF-INTERESTS) certainly shows the bi (brain injured) community as a whole that we will continue to listen to the LIP SERVICE that we have heard for so long. IT IS TIME TO PUT A STOP TO THIS FORM OF FALSE PROMISES from our government.

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THOUGHTS ABOUT THE WORD CONSUMER by

Whitney Kingsly, Camrose

Some of my thoughts about the usage of the word consumer as a term to identify individuals who have a significant amount of interface with the mental health care system.

I realize how the "dictionary people" would define us and I feel it is up to the majority of the individuals within "the system" to use the term we are most comfortable with.

In Great Britain the popular and recognized word is "USER" of the services, somehow I cannot warm up to the idea of being a user.

Then there is the term Psychiatric/Survivor, which is a powerful term but could lead to the misunderstanding of surviving the treatment by your psychiatrist. Then of course the term of survivor is used in some areas, which begs the question WHAT IS IT THAT THE PERSON HAS SURVIVED.

Another term frequently used is CONSUMER/SURVIVOR, which is quite a mouthful and really wouldn't do much to assimilate people into the communities. Of course I would be remiss if I didn't mention the term PROSUMER, which is a combination of PROFESSION and consumer.

"Patient" is appropriate while we are in hospital, but we surely aren't patients while living on the outside. The same goes for the word Client, which would be meaningful within the legal context.

NOW, the word a number of us have been using.................

Consumer, which in itself is a word that society recognizes. Consumer is a common, every day word used to describe people of all walks of life. Consumers enjoy the fruits of labor of the many who strive to maintain a high level of GOODS AND SERVICES> In the mental health community, consumers will have the right to expect that the services and RESOURCES THEY NEED TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THEIR LIVES. The SERVICES WILL BE DESIGNED AND DEVELOPED FOR THEIR NEEDS AND WILL HELP THEM LIVE A MORE FULFILLED LIFE IN THE COMMUNITY OF 'CHOICE'. The service providers shall be responsible to deliver the RESOURCES and CONSUMERS WILL HAVE A VOICE IN HOW AND WHAT SERVICES WILL BEST MEET THEIR NEEDS.

Your participation in this project will make a difference. Thank you in advance for sharing your experiences with us.

Telephone: (780) 443-6026 Friends Of The Head Injury Association

Email: fothi@interbaun.com

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