January 21, 2025 • 36 mins
Living life intentionally, combatting loneliness, and addressing suicide in the construction industry – just three of the five good articles reviewed by Dr. Ashley and the Boss. Hyperlinks for today’s pieces can be found here: Reframing Antipsychotic Discontinuation. HB 257. Suicide in the Construction Industry. Living Life Intentionally. Combatting Loneliness or by calling the Board at 419.281.3139
(Record Date: January 13, 2025)
(Record Date: January 13, 2025)
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
You're listening to the Keeping Ashland Healthy podcast, a podcast
production of the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Ashland County, Ohio.
Thanks for joining us, and welcome back to another episode.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
You are with doctor Ashley Ackerman and the Boss, David Ross,
executive Director, here at the Mental Health and Recovery Board.
How are you doing, doctor Ashley.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
I'm doing well.
Speaker 4 (00:23):
How are you doing today a box, I'm doing well.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
We are we are in the new year. Our last episode,
I think we we kind of prepared our listeners for
the for the year that is now, and we wanted
to review a few articles that are in the news.
We'll be doing this on a regular basis, both local, regional,
and occasionally maybe some national news stories if we think
(00:49):
that the folks here in the county might find them relevant.
But so far, so good with the year. Although it
is chilly today, it is very cool today. Well, we've
got five articles. And again I like to say to
folks that might be out shoveling, snow driving, otherwise engaged
in activity, which is the way I like to take
my podcast content, Doctor Ashley, don't worry about writing down
(01:14):
or remembering necessarily all these different articles, we try to
have a fairly robust episode description that will include all
of these links, and as always, if folks are interested
in more information, they can reach out to us at
four one nine, two eight one three one three nine.
(01:34):
All right, Doctor Ashley. Article one reframing antipsychotic discontinuation a
psychiatrist personal and professional call for here's the big word,
epistemic justice. What is that? Right? That is triple word
score if I've ever seen it. So one of the
(01:54):
reasons this article got my attention is, as you know,
with our RSVP conference coming up at the end of March,
one of our keynotes, Brooks Seam is going to be
speaking on her book, which was a lot about discontinuation
from psychiatric medications. So this particular article was referencing those
(02:18):
psychiatric medications that are often called antipsychotic medications. It's kind
of a misnomer, but regardless, that's how most people know
those psychiatric medications. But again, it's this idea of discontinuation,
which is just a fancy word for folks that make
the decision to come off medications that they've been on
for a period of time. So the big word though
(02:42):
there and The other reason I was attracted to this
was this epistemic justice. So don't fear listeners. David hasn't
gone off the liberal deep end or anything. So epistemic
justice basically it is a fancy term. But I see
this all the time, and listeners you probably have as well,
(03:04):
you just didn't know. This is what the fancy title
was for it. This is when sometimes we will discriminate
against somebody else because perhaps they don't have knowledge, or
we somehow discredit what they have to say because of
a label or a status. Does that make sense, doctor Ashley?
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Yeah, I think so, And I'm kind of applying that
to like what we do in mental health care. So
in our field, that might be someone who has been
diagnosed or who is in treatment or something like that.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yes, absolutely so. This is why, as you know, I've
been very vocal about this over my career, I'm really
hesitant with these diagnostic labels, these mental quote unquote mental folks.
Can't he see me doing the little quotes air quotes
mental illness labels, these diagnostic labels, because the danger with
(03:58):
those labels is once somebody knows you have one of
these labels, that all of a sudden. What you have
to say is it becomes less valuable, less credible, less
important because of that label. So this is a type
of that epistemic justice that they're talking about, where the
person all of a sudden shouldn't be trusted, their information
(04:21):
shouldn't be valid or considered because of this label that
they have. So this is a very dangerous kind of
stereotype that exists, not just in the behavioral health space,
it could be even in medicine. Right, So this is
you know, I don't know if your doctor's ever said
this to you, doctor Ashley, but I had a doctor
(04:42):
once it said, David, don't google that, don't web md that,
And I'm like, why not? You know, It's like it's
my healthcare. Yes, I didn't go to medical school, but
there's some wonderful articles written about the condition that I
think I might have, you know, based on my symptoms,
and I I have at least a basic education I
can read. So no, maybe I don't know exactly what's
(05:06):
going on, But this is a funny example perhaps, But
I think sometimes doctors get really threatened that people patients
go out and read about and then come in with information.
They say, well, I might have this, I might have that.
Now there's a slippery slope. I get that. Sure, Yeah,
you might think you've got everything in the doctor, but
I think there is a place in just because I
(05:28):
didn't go to medical school for my physical health, I
should be able to take an active role in what's
going on with my body.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
Absolutely, And that the epistemic justice part that you're talking about.
So if that person is viewed as like they don't
have all of the knowledge or information or credibility, then
maybe that applies to like how they view themselves in
their own care. So I could see that being dangerous
in that, like that professional thinks they know more about
(05:57):
the patient or client than that person does, and that's
a dangerous road to go down, right, agreed?
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Yeah, So the lead author in this article, doctor Helene Speyer,
said both sides of the medication discontinuation debate should approach
questions about medication with humility, which I love that word.
There are no clear right or wrong answers, and people
should be given the opportunity to make their own choices
(06:24):
on their personal path to recovery, whether this involves choices
to risk relapse or long term medication. Unquote, so that's
just it. And Brooke will talk about when she comes
in March. In her book, she talks about her journey,
but again, it's her journey and she always emphasizes that.
But each person should have that right and opportunity if
(06:46):
they so desire, with conjunction, collaboration communication with their prescriber
to come off one or more of the medications, if
they so choose.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
Why, David, why might someone want to get off of
medications likeschments.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yeah, there's a lot of different reasons. It's very personalized.
For some individuals, like Brooke, for example, hers is not
an uncommon story. They started when they were under the
age of eighteen. They didn't have much of a say.
Sometimes folks feel like they don't remember what they were
like off of medications, and they want to see what
(07:22):
that person's like.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah, that's a good point.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Another big one is sometimes folks that have been on
these medications for a period of time, they're just sick
and tired of the side effects that come from these medications.
Another popular one is folks that have been on medications
for a long period of time say, you know what, David,
I'm still struggling, you know I'm on an antidepressant and
I've been on several. Yeah, I'm still depressed working right. Yeah,
(07:49):
I'm on anxieties you know, fill in the blank, and
I'm still having these symptoms. So it's like, what's this
really doing for me? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (07:55):
I used to hear that a lot about the side
effects too, Like I'd rather have my yests, whatever symptom
is that's less than or less severe than what this
medicine is causing me.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
So yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
And just like Brooke points out in her book in
and on her blog, this article makes the case that,
you know, this whole field of tapering off psychiatric medications,
including the antipsychotic meds, it's still a very young science.
We don't know a whole lot. So therefore, my hope
is that those prescribers can and can be very humble
(08:28):
about saying hard and fast don't or you can't to
people that want to try. So I think that one
of the big points that we need to do is
educate the medical professionals as well about the difference between
you know, you think this is obvious, but it's not,
doctor Ashley, the difference between relapse and withdrawal symptoms. And
(08:52):
what I mean by that is that I hear this
all the time. When somebody makes the decision to come
off their medications, they start to have symptoms or feelings
as they're coming off. They're tight trading off and immediately
friends and family and sometimes the professionals will say, ah,
you see, it's your quote unquote, I'm doing the air
quote singing quote unquote, that's your illness coming back. Now,
(09:17):
if you've heard that, listener, you know, I'm sorry that
you've heard that that More often than that, that's that's incorrect.
What is happening is, depending on how long and how
many medications you've been on, your body has become accustomed
to functioning with those medications on board, and like a
lot of things, it's become attenuated used to if you
(09:40):
will and as you discontinue, even if you do it slowly,
sometimes the body will experience withdrawal symptoms just because it's
not getting the same thing it's used to getting it.
So therefore there are side effects to that. And that's
not quote unquote the illness retorting, it's just withdraw symptoms.
So that's a major educational piece for everybody. Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
I like that.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
So the first article reframing antipsychotic discontinuation. This is an
emerging field, which is why we're focusing on it at
our conference and why I'll probably continue to draw attention
to articles like the one by doctor Spare. So that's
article one, Article two. This is closer to home. The governor,
(10:23):
Governor de Wine signed finally House Built two fifty seven.
Do you know why that's exciting, Doctor Ashley? Know why? Well?
House built two fifty seven would allow public bodies, not
all public bodies, but a lot of the public bodies
to meet virtually. Now, some of the listeners, all these
(10:45):
episodes we've recorded, I think we're on seventy eight now, Doctor,
I can't even believe that. But anyway, some of the
episodes we did earlier on talked about boards like the
Mental Health and Recovery Board, and that we are a
public body and that we meet and except the special
exemption we received during the pandemic for a couple of years,
public bodies are typically required to meet in person to
(11:08):
conduct business. We've been petitioning legislatures for some time to
make the COVID exemption an option permanently because it worked
so well during the pandemic. We had some of our
best attendance in participation when we were meeting entirely virtually.
(11:29):
So long story short, doctor Ashley, it took a few
years to get this through the legislative process and to
the Governor's desk, and I was still not entirely sure
he was going to sign it, but he did so
it goes into effect in ninety days. And again what
that allows for is again none of our board members
are paid. So this doesn't affect all boards, but boards
(11:49):
like ours, it will allow them to conduct business both
in person and virtually. Now it's not just every meeting
will be a free for all. We're going to have
to set up some guide lines. That makes sense. We
don't want people to abuse that. But I'll tell you,
doctor Ashley. As you know, we've got active board members,
(12:09):
and some of our board members are older, they're retirees.
They've got children and grandchildren that sometimes live outside the state.
And I don't think serving on a board like ours
means you can't take vacations, you can't visit your grand kids,
and a lot of my board members have done that.
They've actually put off because of some of the board
business they've actually put off vacations, and I said that
(12:31):
is awful. We do have dedicated but that they shouldn't
have to choose because they said to me, David, you know,
I can do this one and a half hour board
meeting virtually, even if I'm in North Carolina or Arizona
or Chylerado. You pick the state as all as I
have a connection. So it's going to allow for that.
But it also allows for sometimes our board members. Hey,
(12:54):
maybe you got a knee replacement, maybe you got a
hip replacement. Maybe you just medically you can participate with
the board, meaning in the business, but you just can't physically,
you know, get to the meeting or you couldn't physically sit.
So again it would allow for all those things. Also,
as you know, we've got several board members and we're
looking to get more that work. Yeah, and you know
(13:16):
a lot of them have said, David, you know that
it's a burden, you know, to have to travel. So
if I was able to jump on, I wouldn't have to.
You know, my employer would be much more likely to
allow me to participate in board functions if I could
participate virtually. So for a lot of reasons, doctor Ashley,
the governor signing House Bill two fifty seven, I think
will help boards like ours and throughout the state continue
(13:39):
to meet and conduct business because the reality is, Doctor Ashley, UH,
particularly with our younger folks, the whole idea of serving
on boards hasn't been something that you know is normal
or natural to them, unlike some of the previous generations.
But these boards are critical. We need local representation on
(13:59):
our boards. And we don't just want our board to
be composed of retirees right we went. Our board is
really charged with representing the entire community, not just geographically,
but also demographically when it comes to age, race, gender,
you name it. So we want to make sure we're
(14:19):
attracting folks. And I think this option, now available about
roughly mid aprils when we'll go into effect, will help us.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
I think so too.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
I think we want quality board members who are actually
engaged in the community and to be able to do
that we have. I think this is going to help
us out a lot.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
So great news.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
So thank you, Governor Dwine. I don't say that all
the time, so I appreciate that. So next up, UH,
Suicide prevention and awareness is a big focus of the
Mental Health and Recovery Board here in Ashland County. So
we're always looking for articles that address this in a
way we think is helpful, And there was an article
(15:00):
recently in the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation. They produce a
series of one pages. If you go to the Ohio
Suside Prevention Foundation website, all of these are listed. But
they just came out with one in December, doctor Ashley
where they're addressing suicide in the construction industry.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
Yeah, I think that's interesting. Why the construction industry, right.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Right, Well, the rates, the rates are approximately four times
higher than the general population. So we we're interested in
suside prevention in all of the different population groups, but
we have spent a bit more time in those that
are at higher rates than the normal population. So, for instance,
we focused on our farmers. We continued to do that.
(15:42):
We also focus on middle aged white males who are
high risk, our seniors as well as our younger group.
Our sixteen to twenty four group is also at high risk,
so and veterans and our veterans and law enforcement. Right So, anyway,
the reason this was a produced is to shine a
light and some resources on our construction industry. There is
(16:07):
a note here that there's approximately fifteen percent of construction
workers in the United States struggle with substance use disorder
and that is a precipitating factor offered times with folks
that are struggling with depression and with suicide, that could
be a factor. But then there were like four things
they address here in this piece that I thought, you know,
(16:28):
made some sense to me. These things are not exclusive
to our construction industry or workers, but they are four
things that could predispose somebody who's already struggling with contemplating suicide.
First being physical exhaustion. We know that it is a
labor intensive job, so this idea of being continually exhausted,
(16:51):
the person may not have the resources and their tools
to think as clearheadedly as they would otherwise because they're
just physically exhausting.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Yeah, when you're tired, your emotions are different.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
Injuries, there's a lot of injuries. That's a second point
they make in this piece. So chronic pain. We know
somebody that's experiencing chronic pain might be at higher risk.
The long working hours. You know, most people know that
here at the board. You know, I work you guys
like eighteen hour days, but apparently construction workers also work
really hard, long working hours, which means again what they
(17:27):
don't have time to take care of themselves. They don't
have as much time maybe to spend with their family,
exercising hobbies, all the things we know are protective of
somebody who might be depressed or thinking about taking their
own life. And last, but not least, in this piece,
they talk about seasonal layoffs, So a lot of construction
workers work seasonally in that inconsistency, that lack and consistent
(17:48):
when it comes to maybe finances, that could be an
additional stress, which, as you know, doctor Ashley, we talk
about this all the time, that could be a risk factor.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Absolutely. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Well, you know a lot of times people will say,
well that David, they should take advantage of their EAP,
their Employee Assistant program. Well, unfortunately they've got some resources.
Says only about four point five percent of construction industry
takes advantage of their EAP. So we need to do
more to help let folks know about with the resources
and some of the things we've talked about before, and
(18:20):
OSHA has a nice little sheet on this. We all
you know, what's our tagline doctor Ashley with suicide prevention
is what everyone needs business, that's right. So Osha even
has a little five things you Should Know about suicide
Prevention and Construction, which will make available everyone can help
prevent suicide. Everybody is involved, So I don't want anybody
(18:43):
to think they have to be an expert. You do not.
Everybody can help. All you have to do is know
the basic warning signs changes in behavior and mood. And
even if you see somebody posting differently in their social
media account, that might draw your attention that maybe something's
going on. Anybody can reach out and ask, hey, how
are you doing? Are you doing okay? And if somebody's
(19:06):
in crisis, you stay with them and then you go
with them. You you assist them and getting the help
they need. And we talk about all of this on
our website, Alan mh www dot Ashland, MHRB dot org.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Yeah, and I just want to add to that, David
and I do QPR suicide prevention trainings in the community,
and that training is at no cost and we will
literally go to any kind of organization to.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
Do it, including construction.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
And including construction, and we've actually done some manufacturing places
before so I think, you know, I just wanted to
kind of plug that and just say, if you're a
construction worker or a business manager in construction or something,
we are happy to do that training.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
At no I'll wear my flannel to wear your car hurts. Yeah, yeah,
I mean I'll to get something. I don't want the
construction folks thinking we are unrelatable. Yeah, Doctor Ashley and
the Boss are imminently relatable to whatever population we are
speaking to. So we do our best. But seriously, if
(20:09):
you are in the construction industry, and as doctor actually said,
you are interested in getting that question pursued for suicide
prevention training, no cost. We can do in it as
little as an hour. Contact the board. We're more than
happy to get out and talk to your workforce about
this important issue. Number four on our list, we are
flying through Living life intentionally can be a gateway to
(20:33):
aging well. So. Our old friend Diana Spore Dinahspoar is
a local Ashland County resident who has been part of
our Older Adult Behavioral Health Coalition for many, many years.
Diana has a particular passion for writing about seniors. But
I think, as she states in her article, and it
was in the Ashland Source back in early January, as
(20:54):
she says, not only is this information helpful for seniors,
but I think even younger folks might find value in it.
And she basically had six tips for aging well, and
you know who doesn't want to age? Well, as I
get up there, doctor Ashley.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
It becomes more important.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
This is more meaningful to me than ever. Yeah. So
uh and again hopefully regardless of our audience, our listeners age,
you'll you'll understand that this really does cut across the
different ages. So uh. Tip one was maintaining a sense
of meaning and purpose? And don't we all have to
have that? Right?
Speaker 3 (21:32):
Absolutely?
Speaker 1 (21:33):
I think so, I mean if we do not, these
are these are a big picture. You know, how can
you maintain a sense of meaning purpose? Well, you do
that sometimes through your relationships, through your employment, being involved,
being a mentor there. There's this got to be some
way that you can look at yourself think about what
is you know, what's my purpose? You know? How do
(21:55):
I find meaning? So making sure that the person UH
has has a sense of meaning and purpose. Again, we're
not saying what that should be, but we're just saying
there's if that's not there it's usually a sign that
the person's at risk.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
Definitely.
Speaker 4 (22:11):
One of the things I liked in there says finding
ways to express yourself, your wisdom and your insights. That's
really important and meaning making for yourself.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Yep number two six tips for aging well, forging and
strengthening social connections. What do you think they mean by this,
doctor Ashley.
Speaker 4 (22:29):
Well, minimizing loneliness. They say that's important and being isolated
can have a lot of negative health effects.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
You know it. So yeah, remember we talked about this
we during the pandemic. One of our the biggest things
that came out of that, whether it was for young
people or our seniors, was that lack of social connectedness
is deadly. I don't care what your age. It's very
important that we as human beings stay connected and we
(23:01):
have to be intentional about that. That means yourself, but
if you're concerned about somebody else, you know, picking up
the phone, driving, by writing a letter, or a car.
But we have to really be intentional about that.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Absolutely, keep in touch.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
With friends, Piers loved ones, in person when possible, calls, texts,
all that stuff will work, but just just stay in touch.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
Yes, and Diana also notes. There are a lot of
things in the community you can do to stay connected,
getting involved with the Ashland County Council on Aging, Ashland
County Senior Citizen Center. The library has a lot of programs,
a lot of stuff going on, and.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
I never try to miss an opportunity to talk about
some of the great programs that the board funds, and
a couple of those. The Golden Center, which meets at
the Ashland or at the Blaudenville Library, is one of
those programs in a library that really helps provide our
seniors with some information what's going on in the county.
(24:04):
Great presenters, educational but also just activities. But then the
multi Generational Mentoring program that's run through Catholic Charities has
a pen pal program that's been wonderful where seniors and
younger folks are interacting on a regular basis. But yeah,
absolutely there are ways to be involved if you're looking
for it, that are specific to our seniors, and I
(24:25):
appreciate you highlighted several of those. Yes, fostering self empowerment
this was number three in this list. Elder empowerment is important,
even critical and dealing with aging related changes and losses
such as death of spouses. So this idea of elder
empowerment I depending on the senior in your life. Oftentimes
(24:51):
they can feel overwhelmed, maybe about whether it's technology, the
changing pace of things, or maybe that discontinue this disconnectedness
that they might be feeling. So we want to maintain
self to feel empowered, and we can do that a
few ways. Diana mentions exercise, social engagement, following through on
(25:13):
medical procedures. I think sometimes educating yourself, making sure you
have a good sleep, healthy diet. But you know, we
want our seniors to know that they need to continue
to be active mentally as well as physically, you know,
in knowing that they don't have to give over power,
(25:36):
whether that's in you know, their legal documents or little
things like re upping their driver's license. I mean that's
a big thing, right. I don't want folks seniors to
feel like they just have to give up on driving,
because that's a really source of independence for a lot
of our seniors, and I don't want to feel pressure
to do that. There may come a day in a
time when that's necessary, but we don't want them to
(25:57):
feel like they can't do things that they really can
and do so help them to feel empowered about the
abilities that they still have. Maybe they can do it,
but they just do it differently.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
I was just thinking that, like maybe making decisions about
their own life. They're doing that maybe alongside other people
who care about them, but they're involved in that. They're
doing that in a shared way, and they're in a sertive,
empowered way.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
Yep. Yeah. Yeah. That leads into number four, where she
talks about the importance of sharing your voice and being
heard addressing issues that are especially meaningful to you. So,
you know, once you find your passion as a senior,
you just want to make sure your voice has heard,
you know. For Diana, part of what she does is
write some of these articles, and I think that's that's
great for her, But for somebody else, it might be
(26:45):
in art, it might be in groups, it might be
in I don't know, playing cards, by going to church
and being involved with your church locally, mentoring a younger lady.
What are your passions, but to be involved with those,
whether that's through the library which has a great source
of information, or wherever you might your passion might lead you.
(27:08):
But please, please, please, don't give up on your passions
even when you're getting older. In fact important, Yeah, develop
them even more.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Last, but not least I think on this list is
considering what you have to be grateful for. So every
day being aware and remember what you're grateful for can
be helpful for promoting overall health, for optimizing emotional well being,
and for retaining a positive attitude. So now again, I
don't want folks to think we're saying just laps and
(27:38):
everything is the good old days, but there is something
to be said for being grateful for everything in life
as you whether that's family, resources, health, there's so many things.
Let's not lose touch with those things. I mean, there's
always challenges at every stage in life. But I like
to think the point here is being grateful for everything
(28:01):
we're given on a day to day basis has got
to be helpful for our emotional and physical well being.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
Yeah, it's just like a refocusing on what's good. It
doesn't mean there's nothing challenging, right yep, because there are
definitely challenging things.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
So living life intentionally, Diana makes this at this point
at the very end, living life intentionally grounding your life
in a sense of meaning and purpose. Your values and
principles lays the foundation for leaving a lasting legacy, one
that is based on your daily action. So, you know,
for our seniors and for anybody, I think that article
(28:33):
and again all these things will be linked to in
the episode description, are worth your consideration and doctor. Actually,
last but not least, article number five is one way
to combat loneliness. Strengthen the relationships you already have. So
you did a little work on this, would you find out?
Speaker 4 (28:53):
Yeah? I like this article a lot because we talk
about loneliness here at the board often and we have
on the podcast even but this was a little bit
of a different twist to it. It It focused more
on strengthening the relationships you already have with the people
that you already know, rather than encouraging you to go
out and make friends or do social things. You know,
(29:14):
how can I build deeper connections with my family and friends?
And so it gave some really practical tips for that,
I think. So they said, set up regular times to
get together, tell the people in your life how much
they mean to you. Don't assume they already know it.
And I think we fall into that trap a lot.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
Right, I think. I think I think the board staff,
you know, maybe should you shouldn't assume that I know
how much they care about me.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
I try to tell you all good, yes, But I
think that's easy to do in our daily lives when
we're with with the people that were with all the time.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
We don't want to take them for granted, right, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
Try to listen as much as you speak, I would say,
maybe even more than you speak.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Well, you know, I think my grandma said something about
why I have two years in one that's a good one.
She said, David, you're supposed to listen twice as much
as you talk.
Speaker 3 (30:06):
Like that heard that before?
Speaker 1 (30:08):
Oh you haven't heard that? So that comes from our
from that generation, you know, from the greatest generation. I
think they called from the from the wars and through
the depression. But yet that was I was told that,
and for a long time I believed it was true.
But that I said, oh, God gave me two ears
on one mouth crust. I'm supposed to listen twice as
(30:30):
much as I talk. So I was trying to weigh
that out every day, doctor, actually, but I realized that
Grandma was having a little bit of fun with me,
but I think there was some wisdom.
Speaker 3 (30:39):
There is some wisdom to that, I think, I really do.
Speaker 4 (30:42):
They also suggest vindomizing distractions when you're with the people
you love, such as frequently checking your phone. We all
can be kind of guilty of that, checking your phone
or being on your phone while you're with people. You
can see that going on, like when you're at the restaurant.
You can see people at the time with their family
and they're all on the phone.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
You know, Yeah, I don't.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
You know, maybe maybe it's just me, doctor Ashley. But
you know, when when I'm speed dating, which I do
all the time, when you know, when we're halfway through,
you know, the appetizer course and she's already on the phone,
that's you know, that's a good sign things red flag
things aren't going right. So that's usually when I, you know,
I pretend to go to the bathroom and then leave you.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Oh my.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
David's not here for dating advice, but.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
Thankfully so.
Speaker 4 (31:35):
Yeah, So minimizing distractions, I think that's super important. We
all want to feel connected, and that just really is
a way of disconnecting. Ask questions about their lives and activities.
So just being engaged what's going on in your life.
You know, physical distance doesn't have to be a barrier.
If you can't meet in person, communicate in other ways,
(31:56):
schedule time to connect. So they actually said, if you
can't meet in person, maybe you could plan a weeklier,
monthly time when you can have a phone call or
video call. Send letters to each other. Good morning texts
each day and good night. My Nana sends me good
morning text and I think it's precious.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
God. My mom and I are the same. We've got
a regular time where we check in with each other,
and I like, well, again, you know, I'm a routine person,
but I think that kind of the discipline of doing
something at a similar time each day, I think there's
something to that.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
Yeah, and it's nice to know that, Like, you know,
you're thinking of each other at that time of day, right,
so way to check in.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
I like that.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Well, primarily I want my mom to check on me
to make sure I'm still alive, because I don't want
to be eaten my wild ant.
Speaker 3 (32:39):
I mean, I've thought about that too, right. I was
going to go graphic on the podcast.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
But I just you know, I just want to make
sure that you know, you know, because I don't know
the staff here would care, but hopefully my mother would
notice if I'm not, you know, responding, if you were not.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Here by like six point thirty in the morning, we
would be concerned.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Yes, your audience doesn't know I'm an early riser.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (33:02):
Another thing, create a cooking club where you and a
friend prepare the same meal and share tips.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
I think that could be fun, It could be messy,
that could be fun.
Speaker 4 (33:09):
Yeah, read the same book or watch the same movie.
You can even do that now, like you can watch
it at the same time, like stream at the same time.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
That's kind of cool. But those are just some ideas.
Speaker 4 (33:18):
But so I just liked that it was encouraging you
to get deeper in the relationships you already have.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
Reconnecting.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
Yeah, I and I think I appreciated that too, because
you're right, it is sometimes easier to go back to
a relationship you had previous because at least you've got
that history to build on versus trying to start a
brand new. Not to say that there's anything wrong with
doing that, but you're right. I think let's mind those
existing relationships. Maybe that just we've not given them the
(33:44):
care and the attention they need. They've kind of we've
drifted apart, but we can drift back together with a
little effort.
Speaker 4 (33:49):
Yeah, and I think there is something to that, like
there's a deeper level of relationship that happens over time,
you know, So going back to those people and kind
of reconnecting is important.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
I agree. And I don't know if you've got some
friends like this, but you know, I've got some friends
I've stayed in touch with since grade school, grammar school.
And it's interesting. We mainly speak once or twice per year,
but it's it's like it's been a day or you
can pick right up as if right there hasn't been
twelve months in between our last conversation. Yes, and those
(34:22):
are special relationships.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
Yeah, And they always said it takes a long time
to grow an old friend.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
I think doctor Ashley dropping some pearls Elliott.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
I don't know, we'll have to google it after.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
Let's prior your grandma.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
She's very wise, she probably, Yeah, she wrote a lot
of those.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Well, there you have it. I mean some articles that
we thought different topics, different areas, some locals, some a
little bit more regional or national even in scope. But
for the audience we just want to let you know
we'll have links to all of these that we discussed
in the episode description. Doctor Ashley and I are excited
about twenty twenty five. You'll be hearing a lot about
(35:05):
the various events and training opportunities as well as the
boards of coming levy in twenty twenty five. So exciting year,
Doctor Ashley. I'm excited to be doing these podcasts with
you for another season. And like I said, we'll quickly
be over the one hundred episode. We have to have
a special guest or something, maybe some noisemakers, something in.
Speaker 3 (35:25):
The studio special four hundred.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
Well, so until we meet again, Doctor Ashley, thank you
for listening to another episode of the Keeping National and
Healthy podcast. The podcast is a production of the Mental
Health and Recovery Board of Ashland County, Ohio. You can
reach the Board by calling four one nine two eight
one three one three nine. Please remember that the Board
funds a local twenty four to seven crisis line through
(35:47):
Applese Community Mental Health Center.
Speaker 1 (35:48):
It can be reached by.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
Calling four one nine two eight nine six to one
one one. That's four one nine, two eight nine six
to one one one. Until next time, please join us,
in keeping Ashland healthy
Welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
You're listening to the Keeping Ashland Healthy podcast, a podcast
production of the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Ashland County, Ohio.
Thanks for joining us, and welcome back to another episode.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
You are with doctor Ashley Ackerman and the Boss, David Ross,
executive Director, here at the Mental Health and Recovery Board.
How are you doing, doctor Ashley.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
I'm doing well.
Speaker 4 (00:23):
How are you doing today a box, I'm doing well.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
We are we are in the new year. Our last episode,
I think we we kind of prepared our listeners for
the for the year that is now, and we wanted
to review a few articles that are in the news.
We'll be doing this on a regular basis, both local, regional,
and occasionally maybe some national news stories if we think
(00:49):
that the folks here in the county might find them relevant.
But so far, so good with the year. Although it
is chilly today, it is very cool today. Well, we've
got five articles. And again I like to say to
folks that might be out shoveling, snow driving, otherwise engaged
in activity, which is the way I like to take
my podcast content, Doctor Ashley, don't worry about writing down
(01:14):
or remembering necessarily all these different articles, we try to
have a fairly robust episode description that will include all
of these links, and as always, if folks are interested
in more information, they can reach out to us at
four one nine, two eight one three one three nine.
(01:34):
All right, Doctor Ashley. Article one reframing antipsychotic discontinuation a
psychiatrist personal and professional call for here's the big word,
epistemic justice. What is that? Right? That is triple word
score if I've ever seen it. So one of the
(01:54):
reasons this article got my attention is, as you know,
with our RSVP conference coming up at the end of March,
one of our keynotes, Brooks Seam is going to be
speaking on her book, which was a lot about discontinuation
from psychiatric medications. So this particular article was referencing those
(02:18):
psychiatric medications that are often called antipsychotic medications. It's kind
of a misnomer, but regardless, that's how most people know
those psychiatric medications. But again, it's this idea of discontinuation,
which is just a fancy word for folks that make
the decision to come off medications that they've been on
for a period of time. So the big word though
(02:42):
there and The other reason I was attracted to this
was this epistemic justice. So don't fear listeners. David hasn't
gone off the liberal deep end or anything. So epistemic
justice basically it is a fancy term. But I see
this all the time, and listeners you probably have as well,
(03:04):
you just didn't know. This is what the fancy title
was for it. This is when sometimes we will discriminate
against somebody else because perhaps they don't have knowledge, or
we somehow discredit what they have to say because of
a label or a status. Does that make sense, doctor Ashley?
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Yeah, I think so, And I'm kind of applying that
to like what we do in mental health care. So
in our field, that might be someone who has been
diagnosed or who is in treatment or something like that.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yes, absolutely so. This is why, as you know, I've
been very vocal about this over my career, I'm really
hesitant with these diagnostic labels, these mental quote unquote mental folks.
Can't he see me doing the little quotes air quotes
mental illness labels, these diagnostic labels, because the danger with
(03:58):
those labels is once somebody knows you have one of
these labels, that all of a sudden. What you have
to say is it becomes less valuable, less credible, less
important because of that label. So this is a type
of that epistemic justice that they're talking about, where the
person all of a sudden shouldn't be trusted, their information
(04:21):
shouldn't be valid or considered because of this label that
they have. So this is a very dangerous kind of
stereotype that exists, not just in the behavioral health space,
it could be even in medicine. Right, So this is
you know, I don't know if your doctor's ever said
this to you, doctor Ashley, but I had a doctor
(04:42):
once it said, David, don't google that, don't web md that,
And I'm like, why not? You know, It's like it's
my healthcare. Yes, I didn't go to medical school, but
there's some wonderful articles written about the condition that I
think I might have, you know, based on my symptoms,
and I I have at least a basic education I
can read. So no, maybe I don't know exactly what's
(05:06):
going on, But this is a funny example perhaps, But
I think sometimes doctors get really threatened that people patients
go out and read about and then come in with information.
They say, well, I might have this, I might have that.
Now there's a slippery slope. I get that. Sure, Yeah,
you might think you've got everything in the doctor, but
I think there is a place in just because I
(05:28):
didn't go to medical school for my physical health, I
should be able to take an active role in what's
going on with my body.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
Absolutely, And that the epistemic justice part that you're talking about.
So if that person is viewed as like they don't
have all of the knowledge or information or credibility, then
maybe that applies to like how they view themselves in
their own care. So I could see that being dangerous
in that, like that professional thinks they know more about
(05:57):
the patient or client than that person does, and that's
a dangerous road to go down, right, agreed?
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Yeah, So the lead author in this article, doctor Helene Speyer,
said both sides of the medication discontinuation debate should approach
questions about medication with humility, which I love that word.
There are no clear right or wrong answers, and people
should be given the opportunity to make their own choices
(06:24):
on their personal path to recovery, whether this involves choices
to risk relapse or long term medication. Unquote, so that's
just it. And Brooke will talk about when she comes
in March. In her book, she talks about her journey,
but again, it's her journey and she always emphasizes that.
But each person should have that right and opportunity if
(06:46):
they so desire, with conjunction, collaboration communication with their prescriber
to come off one or more of the medications, if
they so choose.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
Why, David, why might someone want to get off of
medications likeschments.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yeah, there's a lot of different reasons. It's very personalized.
For some individuals, like Brooke, for example, hers is not
an uncommon story. They started when they were under the
age of eighteen. They didn't have much of a say.
Sometimes folks feel like they don't remember what they were
like off of medications, and they want to see what
(07:22):
that person's like.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah, that's a good point.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Another big one is sometimes folks that have been on
these medications for a period of time, they're just sick
and tired of the side effects that come from these medications.
Another popular one is folks that have been on medications
for a long period of time say, you know what, David,
I'm still struggling, you know I'm on an antidepressant and
I've been on several. Yeah, I'm still depressed working right. Yeah,
(07:49):
I'm on anxieties you know, fill in the blank, and
I'm still having these symptoms. So it's like, what's this
really doing for me? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (07:55):
I used to hear that a lot about the side
effects too, Like I'd rather have my yests, whatever symptom
is that's less than or less severe than what this
medicine is causing me.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
So yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
And just like Brooke points out in her book in
and on her blog, this article makes the case that,
you know, this whole field of tapering off psychiatric medications,
including the antipsychotic meds, it's still a very young science.
We don't know a whole lot. So therefore, my hope
is that those prescribers can and can be very humble
(08:28):
about saying hard and fast don't or you can't to
people that want to try. So I think that one
of the big points that we need to do is
educate the medical professionals as well about the difference between
you know, you think this is obvious, but it's not,
doctor Ashley, the difference between relapse and withdrawal symptoms. And
(08:52):
what I mean by that is that I hear this
all the time. When somebody makes the decision to come
off their medications, they start to have symptoms or feelings
as they're coming off. They're tight trading off and immediately
friends and family and sometimes the professionals will say, ah,
you see, it's your quote unquote, I'm doing the air
quote singing quote unquote, that's your illness coming back. Now,
(09:17):
if you've heard that, listener, you know, I'm sorry that
you've heard that that More often than that, that's that's incorrect.
What is happening is, depending on how long and how
many medications you've been on, your body has become accustomed
to functioning with those medications on board, and like a
lot of things, it's become attenuated used to if you
(09:40):
will and as you discontinue, even if you do it slowly,
sometimes the body will experience withdrawal symptoms just because it's
not getting the same thing it's used to getting it.
So therefore there are side effects to that. And that's
not quote unquote the illness retorting, it's just withdraw symptoms.
So that's a major educational piece for everybody. Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
I like that.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
So the first article reframing antipsychotic discontinuation. This is an
emerging field, which is why we're focusing on it at
our conference and why I'll probably continue to draw attention
to articles like the one by doctor Spare. So that's
article one, Article two. This is closer to home. The governor,
(10:23):
Governor de Wine signed finally House Built two fifty seven.
Do you know why that's exciting, Doctor Ashley? Know why? Well?
House built two fifty seven would allow public bodies, not
all public bodies, but a lot of the public bodies
to meet virtually. Now, some of the listeners, all these
(10:45):
episodes we've recorded, I think we're on seventy eight now, Doctor,
I can't even believe that. But anyway, some of the
episodes we did earlier on talked about boards like the
Mental Health and Recovery Board, and that we are a
public body and that we meet and except the special
exemption we received during the pandemic for a couple of years,
public bodies are typically required to meet in person to
(11:08):
conduct business. We've been petitioning legislatures for some time to
make the COVID exemption an option permanently because it worked
so well during the pandemic. We had some of our
best attendance in participation when we were meeting entirely virtually.
(11:29):
So long story short, doctor Ashley, it took a few
years to get this through the legislative process and to
the Governor's desk, and I was still not entirely sure
he was going to sign it, but he did so
it goes into effect in ninety days. And again what
that allows for is again none of our board members
are paid. So this doesn't affect all boards, but boards
(11:49):
like ours, it will allow them to conduct business both
in person and virtually. Now it's not just every meeting
will be a free for all. We're going to have
to set up some guide lines. That makes sense. We
don't want people to abuse that. But I'll tell you,
doctor Ashley. As you know, we've got active board members,
(12:09):
and some of our board members are older, they're retirees.
They've got children and grandchildren that sometimes live outside the state.
And I don't think serving on a board like ours
means you can't take vacations, you can't visit your grand kids,
and a lot of my board members have done that.
They've actually put off because of some of the board
business they've actually put off vacations, and I said that
(12:31):
is awful. We do have dedicated but that they shouldn't
have to choose because they said to me, David, you know,
I can do this one and a half hour board
meeting virtually, even if I'm in North Carolina or Arizona
or Chylerado. You pick the state as all as I
have a connection. So it's going to allow for that.
But it also allows for sometimes our board members. Hey,
(12:54):
maybe you got a knee replacement, maybe you got a
hip replacement. Maybe you just medically you can participate with
the board, meaning in the business, but you just can't physically,
you know, get to the meeting or you couldn't physically sit.
So again it would allow for all those things. Also,
as you know, we've got several board members and we're
looking to get more that work. Yeah, and you know
(13:16):
a lot of them have said, David, you know that
it's a burden, you know, to have to travel. So
if I was able to jump on, I wouldn't have to.
You know, my employer would be much more likely to
allow me to participate in board functions if I could
participate virtually. So for a lot of reasons, doctor Ashley,
the governor signing House Bill two fifty seven, I think
will help boards like ours and throughout the state continue
(13:39):
to meet and conduct business because the reality is, Doctor Ashley, UH,
particularly with our younger folks, the whole idea of serving
on boards hasn't been something that you know is normal
or natural to them, unlike some of the previous generations.
But these boards are critical. We need local representation on
(13:59):
our boards. And we don't just want our board to
be composed of retirees right we went. Our board is
really charged with representing the entire community, not just geographically,
but also demographically when it comes to age, race, gender,
you name it. So we want to make sure we're
(14:19):
attracting folks. And I think this option, now available about
roughly mid aprils when we'll go into effect, will help us.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
I think so too.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
I think we want quality board members who are actually
engaged in the community and to be able to do
that we have. I think this is going to help
us out a lot.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
So great news.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
So thank you, Governor Dwine. I don't say that all
the time, so I appreciate that. So next up, UH,
Suicide prevention and awareness is a big focus of the
Mental Health and Recovery Board here in Ashland County. So
we're always looking for articles that address this in a
way we think is helpful, And there was an article
(15:00):
recently in the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation. They produce a
series of one pages. If you go to the Ohio
Suside Prevention Foundation website, all of these are listed. But
they just came out with one in December, doctor Ashley
where they're addressing suicide in the construction industry.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
Yeah, I think that's interesting. Why the construction industry, right.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Right, Well, the rates, the rates are approximately four times
higher than the general population. So we we're interested in
suside prevention in all of the different population groups, but
we have spent a bit more time in those that
are at higher rates than the normal population. So, for instance,
we focused on our farmers. We continued to do that.
(15:42):
We also focus on middle aged white males who are
high risk, our seniors as well as our younger group.
Our sixteen to twenty four group is also at high risk,
so and veterans and our veterans and law enforcement. Right So, anyway,
the reason this was a produced is to shine a
light and some resources on our construction industry. There is
(16:07):
a note here that there's approximately fifteen percent of construction
workers in the United States struggle with substance use disorder
and that is a precipitating factor offered times with folks
that are struggling with depression and with suicide, that could
be a factor. But then there were like four things
they address here in this piece that I thought, you know,
(16:28):
made some sense to me. These things are not exclusive
to our construction industry or workers, but they are four
things that could predispose somebody who's already struggling with contemplating suicide.
First being physical exhaustion. We know that it is a
labor intensive job, so this idea of being continually exhausted,
(16:51):
the person may not have the resources and their tools
to think as clearheadedly as they would otherwise because they're
just physically exhausting.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Yeah, when you're tired, your emotions are different.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
Injuries, there's a lot of injuries. That's a second point
they make in this piece. So chronic pain. We know
somebody that's experiencing chronic pain might be at higher risk.
The long working hours. You know, most people know that
here at the board. You know, I work you guys
like eighteen hour days, but apparently construction workers also work
really hard, long working hours, which means again what they
(17:27):
don't have time to take care of themselves. They don't
have as much time maybe to spend with their family,
exercising hobbies, all the things we know are protective of
somebody who might be depressed or thinking about taking their
own life. And last, but not least, in this piece,
they talk about seasonal layoffs, So a lot of construction
workers work seasonally in that inconsistency, that lack and consistent
(17:48):
when it comes to maybe finances, that could be an
additional stress, which, as you know, doctor Ashley, we talk
about this all the time, that could be a risk factor.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Absolutely. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Well, you know a lot of times people will say,
well that David, they should take advantage of their EAP,
their Employee Assistant program. Well, unfortunately they've got some resources.
Says only about four point five percent of construction industry
takes advantage of their EAP. So we need to do
more to help let folks know about with the resources
and some of the things we've talked about before, and
(18:20):
OSHA has a nice little sheet on this. We all
you know, what's our tagline doctor Ashley with suicide prevention
is what everyone needs business, that's right. So Osha even
has a little five things you Should Know about suicide
Prevention and Construction, which will make available everyone can help
prevent suicide. Everybody is involved, So I don't want anybody
(18:43):
to think they have to be an expert. You do not.
Everybody can help. All you have to do is know
the basic warning signs changes in behavior and mood. And
even if you see somebody posting differently in their social
media account, that might draw your attention that maybe something's
going on. Anybody can reach out and ask, hey, how
are you doing? Are you doing okay? And if somebody's
(19:06):
in crisis, you stay with them and then you go
with them. You you assist them and getting the help
they need. And we talk about all of this on
our website, Alan mh www dot Ashland, MHRB dot org.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Yeah, and I just want to add to that, David
and I do QPR suicide prevention trainings in the community,
and that training is at no cost and we will
literally go to any kind of organization to.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
Do it, including construction.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
And including construction, and we've actually done some manufacturing places
before so I think, you know, I just wanted to
kind of plug that and just say, if you're a
construction worker or a business manager in construction or something,
we are happy to do that training.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
At no I'll wear my flannel to wear your car hurts. Yeah, yeah,
I mean I'll to get something. I don't want the
construction folks thinking we are unrelatable. Yeah, Doctor Ashley and
the Boss are imminently relatable to whatever population we are
speaking to. So we do our best. But seriously, if
(20:09):
you are in the construction industry, and as doctor actually said,
you are interested in getting that question pursued for suicide
prevention training, no cost. We can do in it as
little as an hour. Contact the board. We're more than
happy to get out and talk to your workforce about
this important issue. Number four on our list, we are
flying through Living life intentionally can be a gateway to
(20:33):
aging well. So. Our old friend Diana Spore Dinahspoar is
a local Ashland County resident who has been part of
our Older Adult Behavioral Health Coalition for many, many years.
Diana has a particular passion for writing about seniors. But
I think, as she states in her article, and it
was in the Ashland Source back in early January, as
(20:54):
she says, not only is this information helpful for seniors,
but I think even younger folks might find value in it.
And she basically had six tips for aging well, and
you know who doesn't want to age? Well, as I
get up there, doctor Ashley.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
It becomes more important.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
This is more meaningful to me than ever. Yeah. So
uh and again hopefully regardless of our audience, our listeners age,
you'll you'll understand that this really does cut across the
different ages. So uh. Tip one was maintaining a sense
of meaning and purpose? And don't we all have to
have that? Right?
Speaker 3 (21:32):
Absolutely?
Speaker 1 (21:33):
I think so, I mean if we do not, these
are these are a big picture. You know, how can
you maintain a sense of meaning purpose? Well, you do
that sometimes through your relationships, through your employment, being involved,
being a mentor there. There's this got to be some
way that you can look at yourself think about what
is you know, what's my purpose? You know? How do
(21:55):
I find meaning? So making sure that the person UH
has has a sense of meaning and purpose. Again, we're
not saying what that should be, but we're just saying
there's if that's not there it's usually a sign that
the person's at risk.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
Definitely.
Speaker 4 (22:11):
One of the things I liked in there says finding
ways to express yourself, your wisdom and your insights. That's
really important and meaning making for yourself.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Yep number two six tips for aging well, forging and
strengthening social connections. What do you think they mean by this,
doctor Ashley.
Speaker 4 (22:29):
Well, minimizing loneliness. They say that's important and being isolated
can have a lot of negative health effects.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
You know it. So yeah, remember we talked about this
we during the pandemic. One of our the biggest things
that came out of that, whether it was for young
people or our seniors, was that lack of social connectedness
is deadly. I don't care what your age. It's very
important that we as human beings stay connected and we
(23:01):
have to be intentional about that. That means yourself, but
if you're concerned about somebody else, you know, picking up
the phone, driving, by writing a letter, or a car.
But we have to really be intentional about that.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Absolutely, keep in touch.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
With friends, Piers loved ones, in person when possible, calls, texts,
all that stuff will work, but just just stay in touch.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
Yes, and Diana also notes. There are a lot of
things in the community you can do to stay connected,
getting involved with the Ashland County Council on Aging, Ashland
County Senior Citizen Center. The library has a lot of programs,
a lot of stuff going on, and.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
I never try to miss an opportunity to talk about
some of the great programs that the board funds, and
a couple of those. The Golden Center, which meets at
the Ashland or at the Blaudenville Library, is one of
those programs in a library that really helps provide our
seniors with some information what's going on in the county.
(24:04):
Great presenters, educational but also just activities. But then the
multi Generational Mentoring program that's run through Catholic Charities has
a pen pal program that's been wonderful where seniors and
younger folks are interacting on a regular basis. But yeah,
absolutely there are ways to be involved if you're looking
for it, that are specific to our seniors, and I
(24:25):
appreciate you highlighted several of those. Yes, fostering self empowerment
this was number three in this list. Elder empowerment is important,
even critical and dealing with aging related changes and losses
such as death of spouses. So this idea of elder
empowerment I depending on the senior in your life. Oftentimes
(24:51):
they can feel overwhelmed, maybe about whether it's technology, the
changing pace of things, or maybe that discontinue this disconnectedness
that they might be feeling. So we want to maintain
self to feel empowered, and we can do that a
few ways. Diana mentions exercise, social engagement, following through on
(25:13):
medical procedures. I think sometimes educating yourself, making sure you
have a good sleep, healthy diet. But you know, we
want our seniors to know that they need to continue
to be active mentally as well as physically, you know,
in knowing that they don't have to give over power,
(25:36):
whether that's in you know, their legal documents or little
things like re upping their driver's license. I mean that's
a big thing, right. I don't want folks seniors to
feel like they just have to give up on driving,
because that's a really source of independence for a lot
of our seniors, and I don't want to feel pressure
to do that. There may come a day in a
time when that's necessary, but we don't want them to
(25:57):
feel like they can't do things that they really can
and do so help them to feel empowered about the
abilities that they still have. Maybe they can do it,
but they just do it differently.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
I was just thinking that, like maybe making decisions about
their own life. They're doing that maybe alongside other people
who care about them, but they're involved in that. They're
doing that in a shared way, and they're in a sertive,
empowered way.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
Yep. Yeah. Yeah. That leads into number four, where she
talks about the importance of sharing your voice and being
heard addressing issues that are especially meaningful to you. So,
you know, once you find your passion as a senior,
you just want to make sure your voice has heard,
you know. For Diana, part of what she does is
write some of these articles, and I think that's that's
great for her, But for somebody else, it might be
(26:45):
in art, it might be in groups, it might be
in I don't know, playing cards, by going to church
and being involved with your church locally, mentoring a younger lady.
What are your passions, but to be involved with those,
whether that's through the library which has a great source
of information, or wherever you might your passion might lead you.
(27:08):
But please, please, please, don't give up on your passions
even when you're getting older. In fact important, Yeah, develop
them even more.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Last, but not least I think on this list is
considering what you have to be grateful for. So every
day being aware and remember what you're grateful for can
be helpful for promoting overall health, for optimizing emotional well being,
and for retaining a positive attitude. So now again, I
don't want folks to think we're saying just laps and
(27:38):
everything is the good old days, but there is something
to be said for being grateful for everything in life
as you whether that's family, resources, health, there's so many things.
Let's not lose touch with those things. I mean, there's
always challenges at every stage in life. But I like
to think the point here is being grateful for everything
(28:01):
we're given on a day to day basis has got
to be helpful for our emotional and physical well being.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
Yeah, it's just like a refocusing on what's good. It
doesn't mean there's nothing challenging, right yep, because there are
definitely challenging things.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
So living life intentionally, Diana makes this at this point
at the very end, living life intentionally grounding your life
in a sense of meaning and purpose. Your values and
principles lays the foundation for leaving a lasting legacy, one
that is based on your daily action. So, you know,
for our seniors and for anybody, I think that article
(28:33):
and again all these things will be linked to in
the episode description, are worth your consideration and doctor. Actually,
last but not least, article number five is one way
to combat loneliness. Strengthen the relationships you already have. So
you did a little work on this, would you find out?
Speaker 4 (28:53):
Yeah? I like this article a lot because we talk
about loneliness here at the board often and we have
on the podcast even but this was a little bit
of a different twist to it. It It focused more
on strengthening the relationships you already have with the people
that you already know, rather than encouraging you to go
out and make friends or do social things. You know,
(29:14):
how can I build deeper connections with my family and friends?
And so it gave some really practical tips for that,
I think. So they said, set up regular times to
get together, tell the people in your life how much
they mean to you. Don't assume they already know it.
And I think we fall into that trap a lot.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
Right, I think. I think I think the board staff,
you know, maybe should you shouldn't assume that I know
how much they care about me.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
I try to tell you all good, yes, But I
think that's easy to do in our daily lives when
we're with with the people that were with all the time.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
We don't want to take them for granted, right, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
Try to listen as much as you speak, I would say,
maybe even more than you speak.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Well, you know, I think my grandma said something about
why I have two years in one that's a good one.
She said, David, you're supposed to listen twice as much
as you talk.
Speaker 3 (30:06):
Like that heard that before?
Speaker 1 (30:08):
Oh you haven't heard that? So that comes from our
from that generation, you know, from the greatest generation. I
think they called from the from the wars and through
the depression. But yet that was I was told that,
and for a long time I believed it was true.
But that I said, oh, God gave me two ears
on one mouth crust. I'm supposed to listen twice as
(30:30):
much as I talk. So I was trying to weigh
that out every day, doctor, actually, but I realized that
Grandma was having a little bit of fun with me,
but I think there was some wisdom.
Speaker 3 (30:39):
There is some wisdom to that, I think, I really do.
Speaker 4 (30:42):
They also suggest vindomizing distractions when you're with the people
you love, such as frequently checking your phone. We all
can be kind of guilty of that, checking your phone
or being on your phone while you're with people. You
can see that going on, like when you're at the restaurant.
You can see people at the time with their family
and they're all on the phone.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
You know, Yeah, I don't.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
You know, maybe maybe it's just me, doctor Ashley. But
you know, when when I'm speed dating, which I do
all the time, when you know, when we're halfway through,
you know, the appetizer course and she's already on the phone,
that's you know, that's a good sign things red flag
things aren't going right. So that's usually when I, you know,
I pretend to go to the bathroom and then leave you.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Oh my.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
David's not here for dating advice, but.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
Thankfully so.
Speaker 4 (31:35):
Yeah, So minimizing distractions, I think that's super important. We
all want to feel connected, and that just really is
a way of disconnecting. Ask questions about their lives and activities.
So just being engaged what's going on in your life.
You know, physical distance doesn't have to be a barrier.
If you can't meet in person, communicate in other ways,
(31:56):
schedule time to connect. So they actually said, if you
can't meet in person, maybe you could plan a weeklier,
monthly time when you can have a phone call or
video call. Send letters to each other. Good morning texts
each day and good night. My Nana sends me good
morning text and I think it's precious.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
God. My mom and I are the same. We've got
a regular time where we check in with each other,
and I like, well, again, you know, I'm a routine person,
but I think that kind of the discipline of doing
something at a similar time each day, I think there's
something to that.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
Yeah, and it's nice to know that, Like, you know,
you're thinking of each other at that time of day, right,
so way to check in.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
I like that.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Well, primarily I want my mom to check on me
to make sure I'm still alive, because I don't want
to be eaten my wild ant.
Speaker 3 (32:39):
I mean, I've thought about that too, right. I was
going to go graphic on the podcast.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
But I just you know, I just want to make
sure that you know, you know, because I don't know
the staff here would care, but hopefully my mother would
notice if I'm not, you know, responding, if you were not.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Here by like six point thirty in the morning, we
would be concerned.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Yes, your audience doesn't know I'm an early riser.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (33:02):
Another thing, create a cooking club where you and a
friend prepare the same meal and share tips.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
I think that could be fun, It could be messy,
that could be fun.
Speaker 4 (33:09):
Yeah, read the same book or watch the same movie.
You can even do that now, like you can watch
it at the same time, like stream at the same time.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
That's kind of cool. But those are just some ideas.
Speaker 4 (33:18):
But so I just liked that it was encouraging you
to get deeper in the relationships you already have.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
Reconnecting.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
Yeah, I and I think I appreciated that too, because
you're right, it is sometimes easier to go back to
a relationship you had previous because at least you've got
that history to build on versus trying to start a
brand new. Not to say that there's anything wrong with
doing that, but you're right. I think let's mind those
existing relationships. Maybe that just we've not given them the
(33:44):
care and the attention they need. They've kind of we've
drifted apart, but we can drift back together with a
little effort.
Speaker 4 (33:49):
Yeah, and I think there is something to that, like
there's a deeper level of relationship that happens over time,
you know, So going back to those people and kind
of reconnecting is important.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
I agree. And I don't know if you've got some
friends like this, but you know, I've got some friends
I've stayed in touch with since grade school, grammar school.
And it's interesting. We mainly speak once or twice per year,
but it's it's like it's been a day or you
can pick right up as if right there hasn't been
twelve months in between our last conversation. Yes, and those
(34:22):
are special relationships.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
Yeah, And they always said it takes a long time
to grow an old friend.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
I think doctor Ashley dropping some pearls Elliott.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
I don't know, we'll have to google it after.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
Let's prior your grandma.
Speaker 3 (34:38):
She's very wise, she probably, Yeah, she wrote a lot
of those.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Well, there you have it. I mean some articles that
we thought different topics, different areas, some locals, some a
little bit more regional or national even in scope. But
for the audience we just want to let you know
we'll have links to all of these that we discussed
in the episode description. Doctor Ashley and I are excited
about twenty twenty five. You'll be hearing a lot about
(35:05):
the various events and training opportunities as well as the
boards of coming levy in twenty twenty five. So exciting year,
Doctor Ashley. I'm excited to be doing these podcasts with
you for another season. And like I said, we'll quickly
be over the one hundred episode. We have to have
a special guest or something, maybe some noisemakers, something in.
Speaker 3 (35:25):
The studio special four hundred.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
Well, so until we meet again, Doctor Ashley, thank you
for listening to another episode of the Keeping National and
Healthy podcast. The podcast is a production of the Mental
Health and Recovery Board of Ashland County, Ohio. You can
reach the Board by calling four one nine two eight
one three one three nine. Please remember that the Board
funds a local twenty four to seven crisis line through
(35:47):
Applese Community Mental Health Center.
Speaker 1 (35:48):
It can be reached by.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
Calling four one nine two eight nine six to one
one one. That's four one nine, two eight nine six
to one one one. Until next time, please join us,
in keeping Ashland healthy
Popular Podcasts
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Decisions, Decisions
Welcome to "Decisions, Decisions," the podcast where boundaries are pushed, and conversations get candid! Join your favorite hosts, Mandii B and WeezyWTF, as they dive deep into the world of non-traditional relationships and explore the often-taboo topics surrounding dating, sex, and love. Every Monday, Mandii and Weezy invite you to unlearn the outdated narratives dictated by traditional patriarchal norms. With a blend of humor, vulnerability, and authenticity, they share their personal journeys navigating their 30s, tackling the complexities of modern relationships, and engaging in thought-provoking discussions that challenge societal expectations. From groundbreaking interviews with diverse guests to relatable stories that resonate with your experiences, "Decisions, Decisions" is your go-to source for open dialogue about what it truly means to love and connect in today's world. Get ready to reshape your understanding of relationships and embrace the freedom of authentic connections—tune in and join the conversation!