Back to work

Effectively I have been retired for one year, so finding myself back to work with a routine and a schedule is challenging me.  Lunch packing is a challenge.  Getting out the door by 7:30 is a challenge.  Leaving behind reading my emails and checking my stocks over several cups of coffee in the morning is a challenge.  Taking a bus and trishaw to work is a challenge. 


 


However, none of these things challenge me as much as the workplace itself.  Imagine seeing those CNN television clips of third world hospitals: dark, concrete, spartan beds, thin sheets, barred windows and mud streets and you will get a picture of the hospital where I work.


 


It is a 20 bed adult ward and with no seclusion or special care unit.  However, the men's side and the women's sides are both locked wards and any children admitted to psychiatry are placed on the female side of the ward.  People wear their own clothing and are not in hospital garments, not even those newly admitted, which is most often the case in Canada. 


 



I work with three physicians: a psychiatrist, Dr. Ajith, who is remarkably affable, intelligent, has developed good rapport with patients and sports a great sense of humour.  I also work with two other physicians (family doctors) who are acquiring specialty in mental health.  These doctors work alone, for the most part as there are only about 10 social workers in the entire country and few psychiatric nurses.


 


My work is cut out for me, that is sure.   We have roughly identified the work that I will be doing here for at least the next six months.  Due to stigma regarding mental illness (family shame) and lack of education about the nature of mental illness, coupled with the effects of the war and tsunami, there are few referrals to psychiatry, especially early in the progression of the illness. Therefore, once a person finally presents to hospital, they are usually very sick.  In addition, Sri Lanka has the highest suicide rate in the world.  Suicide is usually attempted by swallowing pesticides (access available on the tea plantations) and hanging.



Therefore, my role will be to:


1.  Train a volunteer staff member from each tea plantation and/or the 5 regions in the central province in mental health early detection, assessment, intervention, how to work with families, how to reduce stigma, liasion with physicians, documentation, education, and psychotherapy.  I am thinking that in order for staff to be recognized as certified, I shall require some buy-in from the government Ministry of Health to have curriculum I develop and teach recognized (I am thinking out loud).



2. To conduct a research project on suicide in this country and provide, in a document, the prevalence and contributing factors to the suicide attempts and make some recommendations to the Sri Lankan governement to bring about change.



3.  Teach mental health workers how to document in both acute care and community care settings



So, as you can see, this is a big job and not do-able in six months (in the event I am moved to Jaffna).  However, I can get the ball rolling and if I am not moved, have a chance of seeing some of this moved forward.  It is a bit daunting. The psychiatrist and doctors speak English and some of the patients do as well, but I need to work very hard on my Sinhala in order to be effective.


In the meantime, our furniture arrived from Colombo yesterday and we now have a wicker book rack, an aquamarine colored fridge, a drying rack for clothing and an old desk.  We have all the comforts of home except for a heater.  It is freezing here: concrete walls and rain, rain and more rain.  It is warmer outside the house than inside! 


The highlight of the week is that, along with our furniture, VSO delivered our 50cc motor scooter! Despite almost driving into the ditch last night when Bill's glasses fogged up from the rain, we are excited to have wheels as we can now go exploring.  Last night, we dined with Liz and Tim(Brits and former VSO volunteers in Sri Lanka) who are back visiting in the country.  They are coming over for tea today.  Our first company in our new home! 








 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saari

Image
Sri Lankan women wear saaris. They wear other things too. Sinhalese women either wear saaris or skirts and blouses. Tamil women wear saaris and unmarried Tamil women wear salwaar kemeez. A few women wear slacks. All professional women wear saaris. As I give formal presentations in my work, I decided to purchase myself a saari At the Saari store, I selected the fabric I loved. It was tan coloured silk blend with blue, green and apricot accents. I also purchased two stretchy tank tops that are worn with a Saari. Saari fabric is sold in such a length allowing for one end to be cut off and used as fabric for a saari blouse. The salesman measured me up for the blouse. A couple days later, when the blouse was ready, the salesman phoned and Bill picked it up for me. I tried it on. First, I put it on backwards. Then realizing my error, I tried it on front ways. The darts in the blouse sharpened my breasts into cone shaped points. I had noticed women about town with sharply poi...
Read more

Knuckles Range

Image
Deep in the interior of Sri Lanka is a mountain range named Knuckles Range. This moniker, given by early British surveyors to the area, is so named as it closely resembles the clenched fist of a giant man. Knuckles Range is a UNESCO Heritage Site due to the flora and fauna found there; some species are endemic and not seen anywhere else in the world. April 12 and 13 th are the Tamil and Sinhala New Years and as the dates landed on a Thursday/Friday, a nice long weekend was created that allowed us to travel (a long and dirty bus ride) to the Kandy District in order to hike the Knuckles Range with a guide. Another VSO volunteer, Marjorie was with Bill and me. Day 1: Two hours driving into the Knuckles region in 4x4 Safari Jeep: 5 hours of hiking to base camp. Day 2: 8 hours of hiking to the caves; camp out. Porters carrying food, tents, sleeping bags. Day 3: 8 hours of hiking to home stay in the Knuckles Day 4: 4 hours of hiking to the rarely seen falls: only 3 other foreigne...
Read more

My work

Image
Handing over curriculum and books to Sri Jayawardenapura University Mental Health Training Organizational Development for Shanthiham I have had requests to write more about my work. I find it difficult due to the highly sensitive nature of the work and the usual limits of confidentiality. However, I will try to give some generalities. Many jobs or tasks arose based on my initial assessment of the organization and the needs of the community/district/province. My work was and is not assigned, but rather based on this assessment and determining where my skill set can be used to fill in some of the gaps. Job One : Train the nine member trauma team in group therapy, build their clinical skills, and develop their capacity to work with victims of torture, trauma and ex-combatants. Job Two : Train a six member community team in group therapy, build their clinical skills to work with families of the "disappeared", war widows, the displaced, and the mentally ill....
Read more