This from Mental Health America of Texas.

“Shania becomes depressed and has thoughts of suicide after being bullied and going off her medication. She gets help from her sister, Sydney, her mother, counseling and love and help from her family. Her true story emphasizes that help is available and help works for depression and suicide prevention.”
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK or 273-8255

You can help prevent suicide in your community by knowing how to ask about suicide, and knowing where to get help. Download the free suicide prevention iPhone App today, ASK ! Search under suicide prevention in App Store to get the ASK! about suicide App to save a life with warning signs, how to ask and hotlines.

Project Coordinator/Producer:
Merily Keller, Texas Suicide Prevention Council — TexasSuicidePrevention.org
Mary Ellen Nudd, Mental Health America of Texas — Mhatexas.org

Creative Direction: Casey McPherson, Davis Niendorff — Mhatexas.org

Director: Jason Marlow

Cinematographer: Todd Campbell

Music: Karl Snyder “Valentine’s Wisdom”
courtesy of Third Side Music

****Not all videos on the internet about suicide prevention promote healthy responses and safe behavior.**** These videos follow best practice guidelines as outlined by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Mental Health America of Texas. Our goal is to promote both in our continuing effort to prevent suicide across all demographics, and especially among youth in Texas.

This video was developed under contract number 2010-034469 from the Texas Department of State Health Services(DSHS) to Mental Health America of Texas(MHAT). The views, policies, and opinions expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the Texas Department of State Health Services or Mental Health America of Texas; nor do pictures or mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by TDSHS or MHAT. Read more…

Do you know of an elderly person who was treated poorly, disrespected, ignored, neglected or abused, either emotionally, financially or physically? Have you ever visited a nursing home and felt sorry for the patients and hope you never have to leave your home? Do you think we can do a better job in the way we treat and care for the elderly? Would you like a better living solution for yourself when you are elderly and need care? Do you fear your retirement years because you don’t have sufficient income saved for care if you need it?

If you answered “yes” to any of the questions above, please act by pledging, supporting, and sharing this project.

Behind the Old Face; The Current Climate and Future of Aging is a book that is part of a larger nonprofit advocacy project to improve the treatment, living and care of seniors and provide education, real resources and assistance to seniors and family caregivers that are not being provided by other associations and foundations.

This project is a result of spending the last 34 years as a care provider and advocate who has seen the worst in care, the best and everything in between. As a Registered Nurse, Geriatric Care Manager, Educator, Author, Consultant and woman with a deep passion and commitment to improving the care of our elderly I can lead the necessary change but cannot do it alone. I need your help, I need more advocates and supporters to join me.

After working my entire adult life in every area of senior care and with thousands of seniors, families and healthcare providers we are missing the mark. Read more…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:43 — 49.2MB) | Embed

How is it possible that 50% of the Nurse Talk staff is “suffering” from shoulder injuries? Well…let’s break that down. It might not be as shocking as it sounds, as there are only four of us to start with (at least in the studio) so realistically there are two professionals down for the count. Dan with bursitis and June—well she says she fell while chasing her cat. Whatever the circumstances, they hurt. Of course, we had to look into this a little further than just the pain, so we found whack job Clarissa Doolittle (on-line) “Body Part” Intuitive. Clarissa brings to the show her advice about what shoulder pain really means. Could it be burden??? She thinks they both need therapy—and not on their shoulders.

AND Casey and Dan talk with RN Greg Montes. Greg has been an RN at the Contra Costa County (Northern California) jail for the past five years. He cites an alarming trend. With more and more cuts in mental health services throughout the country—millions of Americans are going untreated. It is commonplace for the severely ill who suffer from conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to enter the criminal justice system rather than mental health treatment facilities. In fact the number of Americans who receive mental health care in prisons and county jails has surpassed the number of those who receive services in hospitals or clinics. Despite these numbers, government leaders and the mental health systems are doing little to reverse this shameful trend. Read more…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:09 — 11.1MB) | Embed

Casey and Dan talk with RN Greg Montes. Greg has been an RN at the Contra Costa County (Northern California) jail for the past five years. He cites an alarming trend. With more and more cuts in mental health services throughout the country—millions of Americans are going untreated. It is commonplace for the severely ill who suffer from conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to enter the criminal justice system rather than mental health treatment facilities. In fact the number of Americans who receive mental health care in prisons and county jails has surpassed the number of those who receive services in hospitals or clinics. Despite these numbers, government leaders and the mental health systems are doing little to reverse this shameful trend. Read more…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:43 — 49.2MB) | Embed

How is it possible that 50% of the Nurse Talk staff is “suffering” from shoulder injuries? We had to look into this a little further than just the pain, so we found whack job Clarissa Doolittle (on-line) “Body Part” Intuitive. Clarissa brings to the show her advice about what shoulder pain really means. Could it be burden??? She thinks they both need therapy—and not on their shoulders.

Greg Montes, an RN at the Contra Costa County (Northern California) jail for the past five years joins us. He cites an alarming trend. With more and more cuts in mental health services throughout the country—millions of Americans are going untreated. It is commonplace for the severely ill who suffer from conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to enter the criminal justice system rather than mental health treatment facilities. In fact the number of Americans who receive mental health care in prisons and county jails has surpassed the number of those who receive services in hospitals or clinics.

How would you like to experience life as an ongoing, creative, unfolding “work of art? For over 40 years, Hal has been providing programs, courses and life coaching for individuals, groups and organizations in the areas of personal transformation. Hal’s Core Wisdom® programs (offered through Hal Isen & Associates) provide fundamental spiritual principles and practices that allow for the release of past limiting conditioning, fears, behaviors, and beliefs, and the discovery and recovery of one’s ability to respond naturally and creatively to each moment from one’s true nature… Read more>

Data from the nurses health study shows women who used this treatment reduced their heart disease rates by almost half. Find out what it is!

Resources and information a range of common conditions, http://www.myfavouritemedicine.com

A Doctor-Professor answers the old question “What is the single best thing we can do for our health” in a completely new way. Dr. Mike Evans is founder of the Health Design Lab at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto, and a staff physician at St. Michael’s Hospital.

http://twitter.com/docmikeevans
http://www.facebook.com/docmikeevans

Conceived, written, and presented by Dr. Mike Evans
Illustrated by Liisa Sorsa
Produced, directed, and filmed by Nick De Pencier
Picture and sound edit by David Schmidt
Gaffer, Martin Wojtunik
Whiteboard construction by James Vanderkleyn
Production assistant, Chris Niesing
©2011 Michael Evans and Mercury Films Inc. Read more…

I have been a little confused today. I talked to another friend of mine who also was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s the same time as me. She is on medications, I am not. We discussed this terrible disease and what it is taking from us.

I told Missy tonight that I do feel different. I seem to be confused more. Sometimes I wake up and am not sure where I am, or how I got here.

I ate lunch today and then about an hour later told Missy I was hungry and ready to eat lunch. A few minutes after I said that, I thought to myself, “I think I already ate lunch.” But, I wasn’t sure.

I looked at pictures today. Missy has them on flashcards. They are pictures of my family and friends. I look at them and see if I recognize them. The names are written on the back along with a description of who they are. Some days I know everyone. Some days no one.

Thank you all for being with me during this adventure with Alzheimer’s. I am glad you are with me, to help Missy and Mike, and to cheer me on. I think it is helping me. Bless all your hearts. Boy oh boy…I hope tomorrow is better.

  Read more…

Posted on YouTube by Debbie Day, she says, “This is a song I wrote for a church talent show. My roommate and I got to perform it at our college’s “guitars unplugged” performance. It was lots of fun! By the way, we really are registered nurses. Please, tell me what ya think!”

Lyrics: You got a scratch and you need help stat! Mmm boy, we got a bandaid that’ll fix it like that! You’ve been complaining of that aching in your tummy, well we’ve got some tums—that even taste yummy.

If you’ve got a sprain, hey look I’ve got some ice and if you need some c-p-r, my lips, they taste so nice,
And if you’ve got a cold despite everything you’ve tried, well give you a shot, right in your back side.
If you’re? feeling down, cause your achin’ in your neck, we’ll stick you with an IV once or twice, what the heck!
We are caring, here have a laxative. We are sharing, bed pans are superlative!

We’ve got lots of drugs we’re happy to provide, their effects will take you on a magic carpet ride. A whole new world!

Just one little poke and you’ll float far far away, here comes a little pinch, oh? wups! I missed the vein, oh well!
We are caring, if you start to choke, we are sharing, we’ll shove a tube down your throat…

So next time that you’re sick and you don’t know what’s wrong, we can probe your membranes with a cold, sharp, metal prong

And you’ll know? Read more…

The world we live in is full of wondrous medical gadgets, like stethoscopes, thermometers, and pace makers. Ever wonder how these devices came to be? Join us Fridays as we explore the fascinating world of medical innovations and their history.

I’d like to say that I learned CPR so I could save lives, or fulfill my good-citizen duties, but then I’d be lying. I took a CPR class my senior year of college in order to fulfill a P.E. requirement. It was a Tuesday, and my senior thesis was due Wednesday. I had a lot on my mind, and was worrying about page counts, references and how much ink was left in my printer.

I was pulled rather violently out of my worry-reverie as we started to perform chest compressions on our CPR mannequins, or “CPR Annies” as our instructor called them. I asked her why they were named Annie and she told me that the guy who invented them had had a daughter of the same name who had died by drowning. The inventor, realizing that his daughter’s life could have been saved had someone known CPR, went on to create the dummies we were now pummeling. The mannequin’s face was supposedly that of the dead daughter.

Sad, I thought, and continued with my chest compressions.

Years later, I stumbled across this article, and learned that the story my CPR instructor had told me wasn’t true, but one of those myths of blurry origin that gets repeated so often it becomes fact. Read more…

Nurse Talk thanks One Nurse at a Time for sharing this video and Partners in Health for the community-based humanitarian health care they are providing worldwide. Health care is a human right.

A young, dangerously emaciated girl, Pulane, in Lesotho is examined and treated at a specialized TB facility, in an attempt to reverse her life threatening condition(s).

Read more…