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Safe?
by Peter Park
I am Peter Park. Today my wife and I live in Toronto. Mom and Dad, if you asked them several years ago, would have told you that their son was safe in the institution that he existed in for 18 years. However if you asked them the same question a few years later Dad would say, "No."
Mom said in 1981 when I phoned her for something else and she found out that I was out of the "House-on-the-Hill." She said she was sorry I was out, for she thought that I was better cared for in the institution and that she didn't have to worry about me for she was of the opinion that this was a real good environment and stuff didn't happen to her son and so on.
My Dad died when I was in the institution and I went home to be with those that were grieving. This was one of the few times that I got to go home in 18 years
My reply was, "Mom I am the person that is having to live this life and I am glad to be out, and I wish that you would look at the good stuff that this will bring about." Although the so-called staff would have you believe that they never abused you verbally.
What then would you call "Shut-up," "hey, you idiot," "you retard" and many other names? Don't ever tell anyone especially your parents about this... I leave that to your imagination to fill in. "Take this medication for it's good for you," "you are in an institution where you aren't supposed to be able to read..." In the institution you can't vote, you are told you have no rights, you are not competent-- and the list goes on.
If you did something that the staff thought was not right, or the thing to do people who were resident were locked up for no reason except that the staff did not like it. People like me were often locked up for refusing to take medication that had not been tested out to control seizures, or perhaps it would work for qan epileptic because it worked to control tuberculosis, or referred to as TB. We knew we were being used as "human guinea pigs." We residents were not supposed to possess books.
We weren't supposed to be able to read. I am fortunate enough to have graduated from regular Grade 12 with my diploma. My Dad was a pharmacist and had given me his Merck Manual and his C.P.S. which always told me the side effects of different drugs
The staff never tried to take these away, however my Dad and I had set up a library system and the books were all ways taken away until the staff got billed for these. They had to pay our library for these books.
I survived and witnessed many different kinds of restraints.
I just happen to have spent 18 years of my life in an instiutution where the profeesssionals said they could cure my epileptic seizures. This was back between the years of 1960 and 1978
Back in the 40s and 50s Doctors new only Phenobarbital and Dilantin plus a few other medications for the control of epilepsy. I was put on mysoline Phenobarbital and Dilantin and Delayed action Dilantin. I found out in 1979 that I was allergic to both the Dilantin and Phenobarbital, and that was when I went to a neurologist to try and control my epileptic seizures with modern day medications
There were two doctors at the institution who said to me and my parents that I could leave whenever I wished. Well, many times did I leave to go home only to find myself brought back and thrown in the punishment ward known as "D" ward. In "D" ward you had no clothes, the walls were bare, you were heavily drugged and if the staff remembered you got some of the typical pig swill. Why we called the food "pig swill" was that the pigs on the institution farm ate better food than we were given. Ours was usually very soft, if not runny.
The doctor who didn't necessarily know you or the situation was the one that had the power to say let him/her out. In 18 years I dared make 2 real friends. I actually saw "Haggis" as the biggest majority of the institution residents knew him fondly and staff die in front of me in the shower in "D" ward. I maintain he was overmedicated for he was just new and the shift was changing and I think he was given a double dose of a very strong medication.
By the way, traditionally in D ward you were given by injection Valium, Dilantin, Phenobarbital and others as the staff thought you needed. They NEVER consulted a doctor, if you could call them that. If anyone asked he had a heart attack rather than what caused the attack however that is my opinion. After the death of "Haggis" we learned his real name was James, commonly known as Jim. He got an institutional burial and on his grave there is a number not a name.
Back in the 80's when I was in the our G.H. system in Ontario, I was told I had to use their doctors and the dentist that the local Association for the Mentally Retarded used and that I accepted social assistance. I shopped around successfully and was rewarded by being put in a time out room for my good. This is scary for this was in North America where we consider ourselves to be the most progressive. Scarier yet is the fact it happens today.
Even though I was no longer in the institution I had very little control over my own life. The scary part is that this is still happening in North America and it is not the early 1980s but 2003. A place in Ontario that was supposed to be a caring service put a person who was a client outside in below zero weather. Because the so-called staff were negligent and changing the staff left this person outside. The person as a result lost four fingers on the right hand to frostbite and one finger on his left hand. The so-called staff only got a tongue-lashing, as there is not a real strong provincial independent advocacy group who care.
Tracy Latimer was a young woman from Wilkie in the province of Saskatchewan. She was a student a classmate, music lover, a sister a loving daughter full of laughter and joy however she happened to have several disabling conditions. She was scheduled to have surgery to alleviate one of the disabling conditions. She never had her surgery because her father killed her-- in fact he gassed her to death He only got 2nd degree murder. The media made him a saint.
Most of today's society thought this was okay-- in fact, if it was up to the United Church he would not have any jail time. In my own personal thinking if you even mention the word restraint.
It is giving the other person a way of controlling you without any body raising so much as an eyebrow.
There is a law that has taken effect in Ontario where they say it's okay to restrain under certain circumstances-- however it still will HURT people and cause them to be slaves of our wonderful service system. I thought slavery was abolished.
The structures we have set up around help justify the use of restraints rather than demonstrating love, compassion, and caring.
Society in many ways has made it so we aren't supposed to care. We used to care about the needs and wants of people-today we would rather go to war than solve the problem and wars make lots more problems but no one to really care.
Submitted by Peter Park. Peter is Past-President, People First Canada, co-founder of People
First of Ontario
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