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Essential Partnerships with Lifeways

Joshua Williams - Lifeways Community Mental Health

Essential Partnerships with Lifeways

One of the essential partnerships that Lifeways has developed goes against the static norm of providing resources to our community members. So often, a client walks into any organization and they walk out with a list of phone numbers of places to call. A few years ago, Jackson was awarded a grant that allowed them to develop an online platform that could connect individuals electronically for assistance with social determinants of health needs. What this means is by adopting this new concept of delivering services, regardless of where a client was, they could have a direct link to Lifeways services just by answering a few questions. Lifeways received an electronic message stating “this client needs your help” and now its our responsibility to reach out to them, no more putting all the responsibility on the client.

There was no more need to pick up the telephone and work through the many phone numbers we keep on hand, there is no longer a need for a client to decided if they were going to use their last bus ticket to get assistance with mental health or employment and forgoing the other. They could have referrals made to all the services that they needed from one location.

Not only can clients be referred directly to Lifeways through this means but Lifeways can always connect clients to community resources this way as well. The mission is to serve individuals holistically, this goes beyond just their mental health. This partnership now allows Lifeways to easily make electronic referrals to organizations who can help with housing, employment and food assistance all just by walking in our door.

OBC Demos open to the public

Matt Pegouskie, 5 Healthy Towns Foundation

OBC Demos open to the public

5 Healthy Towns Foundation (5HF) and our partners are pleased to invite you to a 30-minute webinar to learn more about OneBigConnection.org (OBC) and how area residents and community organizations can take advantage of what One Big Connection has to offer. The site now includes a new feature; events that meet the platform’s mission are now being added to OBC, providing the community another avenue for information. 

Webinars are scheduled on Zoom.com. Please see our Facebook page for details: https://www.facebook.com/5healthytowns/

  • Tuesday, June 22 at 5pm Meeting ID: 897 4756 2560 – Passcode: 828869 www.Zoom.com
  • Wednesday, June 23 at 12pm Meeting ID: 815 3561 7787 – Passcode: 287359 www.Zoom.com

For more information, contact Matt Pegouskie or Lori Kintz, at 734-433-4599.

Therapy Dogs Make A Difference

Shawn Personke

Therapy Dogs Make A Difference

Benefits for Volunteers and Those in Need of Friendly Support

Dexter the English Labrador has a busy schedule at Creekside Intermediate School in Dexter. There are students to meet, teachers to greet, and kids that need a little TLC to help them through the day.

Dexter’s work is part of a growing trend of using trained therapy animals to help people cope, succeed, relax, or connect.

Research by the American Heart Association and others show that spending time with an animal can lower your risk of heart disease and increase levels of serotonin and dopamine — the “happy chemicals” that help your body feel relaxed and calm.

But when that pet is trained to “help,” the benefits multiply for both the pet owner and those they are serving.

Kristin Novak, a teacher at Creekside Intermediate School, is Dexter’s caregiver.

He lives with Novak and her family, but was originally purchased by the Dexter Rotary Club and given to the district as a gift. And it’s a gift that keeps on giving.

“For five years, we dropped him off in the morning and picked him up after school so that he could work with students at Mill Creek,” Novak recalled. “They loved him and he spent quality time tending students in several classrooms and playing in gym class.”

Dexter is now based in Novak’s classroom, where he is creating healthy connections for students and teachers alike. He’s a friendly and comforting presence in the hallways, with people stopping for a quick pet or a “Hi, Dex!”

Novak said they have a dog care team — students who apply for the job to take on the responsibility of walking, feeding, brushing Dexter. The team’s roster changes throughout the year, giving more students the chance to interact, especially important for those who cannot have a pet at home because of allergies or hectic schedules.

She said that Dexter attends counseling groups to provide support, and he generally provides love and goodwill as their school “dog.” It’s common to find a student reading next to him quietly, most days, stroking his fur.

Novak adds that Dexter is valuable in a variety of capacities. While his “day job” is at Creekside, he has also spent time in the greater Dexter community.

After the tornado that hit town a few years ago, Novak said they walked with Dexter to Wylie School, which was offering counseling to families who had been affected, and through Huron Farms, a subdivision that had been particularly hard-hit.​  

Novak and her family are also on the receiving end of Dexter’s innate compassion.

“We are more loved because of his sweetness, and we are more fit because he begs to go out to play or walk. He is a sensitive soul and will hang with us when we are under the weather for any reason,” Novak said.

Chelsea resident Barb Marshall also knows the value of bringing together pets and people in need.

She takes Bella, her Alliance of Therapy Dogs certified black lab, to St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea, the Chelsea Retirement Community, North Creek Elementary (Bella is the school’s official reading dog), and to the Chelsea Library, where she was named one of the 2016 Library Volunteers of the Year for her work.

Marshall said it’s amazing to see the reaction that their visits have upon people.

“We see the stress level and pain level of patients at the hospital immediately decrease when the dog visits. Nursing home residents look forward to our visit each week, and some residents who are typically non-responsive will brighten up and talk when the dog comes,” said Marshall.

“Our job is to make people smile and bring joy and I would say we accomplish that every time we visit!”

Let’s talk mental health…

Dr. Anne Kittendorf, MD, Michigan Medicine Department of Family Medicine, Dexter Clinic

Let’s talk mental health…

We recently turned the calendar on an unprecedented year of stress. Many in our community have experienced stress related to loneliness, finances, social unrest or even their own health, health of loved ones, or death of loved ones. You or someone you love may be struggling with substance issues that feel insurmountable. Loneliness is all around us, and sometimes it’s hard to know when is the time to reach out for help.

The answer might be now. Feeling stuck and unable to see the future, losing optimism or enjoyment of hobbies or relationships… difficulty with motivation and feelings of hopelessness are all reasons to seek support. Sometimes the things we know we need to do to help support mental health – exercise, eating healthy, connecting with others, avoiding substances – can feel overwhelming.

I want to reassure you that a good place to start your healing is with your primary care provider. Your medical community is willing and ready to help support you through these difficult times. We can help support you by listening and by helping you find someone to talk to. We can give you advice in how to approach your stressors, or encourage you in self-care. We can help connect you to treatment for addiction, and we can discuss medications that might help you short term or long term.

Perhaps you are reading this, thinking of someone in your life who is struggling with mental health or addiction. There is a heavy burden seeing someone you love struggle, especially when you aren’t sure what you should do, how you can help them, or what resources you can help them find. Please reach out if you are similarly in this situation.

It can feel lonely in these unprecedented times, and it may feel like no one is there or will understand. You may have never needed to talk to someone before about your mental health but know now that something has to change. That’s okay – your medical community can help you with this conversation.

If you feel you cannot access support due to lack of medical insurance, you can start by calling 211 or going to mi211.org which is a resource that may be able to help with insurance or providing options low or no cost care. Counselors are also standing by at 734-544-3050.

As a community, we can help support each other through this uniquely challenging year. If we do this, we will become a stronger and more resilient community, ready to tackle the New Year.

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