Currently, a majority of our residents have multiple diagnoses, with the majority have some sort of mental illness diagnosis. These diagnosis include bi-polar disorder, mania, generalized anxiety disorder, major depression disorder, schizophrenia and multiple-personality disorder, just to name a few. With the onset of Mental Illness normally occurring during a person’s early to mid-twenties, many residents had started families, college or a professional career and then brain chemicals started to drastically change. This loss of what could have been can be difficult for the resident, their family and friends to come to terms with.

In addition, there is a stigma around mental illness throughout our country that often times leads to limited access to resources for many who are experiencing an acute episode or prolonged condition with their mental illness. It is vitally important to our work to break down this stigma and recognize and celebrate that those with mental illness can live a purposeful and fulfilling life.

Through various partnerships, including Park Center, who provides Out Patient Talk Therapy Services, we provide resources above and beyond the normal regiment of care. Some of our team members are certified in crisis prevention and intervention. Regular visits to Carriage House are also available to our residents. Their “Club House Model” encourages recovery and reintegration through meaningful daily living activities.

Our dedicated team works closely with our Certified Family Nurse Practitioner who specializes in psychiatry related to the use of antipsychotic medications. We meet as an interdisciplinary team, which includes a Resident Engagement Specialist, our Certified Family Nurse Practitioner, our Director of Nursing, our Pharmacist, and administration staff, to discuss the medication plan for each resident. Federal regulations require an ongoing Gradual Dose Reduction of these medications.

As an organization, we are working diligently with LeadingAge and our government representatives to fundamentally change these regulations. “If an individual’s medication levels are working for them, why would you purposefully try to change those?” asks Deb Lambert, our CEO of Byron Wellness Systems.

“You wouldn’t take insulin away from a diabetic, would you?”