Poster Presentation
Water's Edge Ballroom (Hilton Waikoloa Village)
Friday, July 15, 2005
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Water's Edge Ballroom (Hilton Waikoloa Village)
Friday, July 15, 2005
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM
From Psychiatric Ward to the Streets and Shelters
Cheryl Forchuk, RN, PhD, School of Nursing, University of Western Ontario/Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada, Gordon Russell, BA, MDiv, Mission Services of London, Men’s Mission and Rehabilitative Centre, London, ON, Canada, Shani Kingston-MacClure, BA, BSW, MSW, RSW, Adult Mental Health Care Program, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON, Canada, Katherine Turner, BA, LLB, Margaret's Haven Non-Profit Housing, London, ON, Canada, Kathy Lewis, BA, BEd, MA, CURA -Housing & Mental Health, Canada, and Susan Dill, HHCA(dip), Women’s Community House, London, ON, Canada.
| Learning Objective #1: Increase awareness of problem of discharge to unstable housing |
| Learning Objective #2: Identify implications of discharge from psychiatric ward to shelter or no fixed address |
The issue of discharge from hospital ward to the streets is seldom explored in the literature, but all too commonly experienced by individuals experiencing psychiatric disorders. The Community University Research Alliance (CURA) on Housing and Mental Health sought to determine how frequently people were discharged from psychiatric wards to shelter or street in London, Ontario, Canada. A number of data sources were accessed to determine instances of discharges to shelters or the street. Hospital partners examined their discharge databases to determine the extent of the problem. Shelters searched their databases for referrals from psychiatric wards and/or individuals reporting a recent discharge from a psychiatric ward. The CURA conducts annual interviews with 300 community members diagnosed with a mental illness; this sample is stratified by gender and housing type. Data was analysed to determine the number of moves occurring between hospital and shelter or no fixed address. All datasets revealed the problem of discharge to shelters or the street occurred regularly, even despite consideration that all data sources used have the difficulty of likely underestimating the extent of the problem. Nursing and other professionals will benefit from understanding such issues and may incorporate this increased awareness into their discharge planning practices, thereby working toward optimal health for psychiatric consumer / survivors. Without recognition, this problem is at risk of remaining invisible with no further improvements to the situation.