A local resident who helped organize a mental health first aid for seniors conference in town is hopeful it can be held in the community again, but doesn't think that's likely for a couple of years.
"I think I'd love to have it again, but I think maybe for here, for Olds, I would see it being maybe a couple of years down the road -- if the government is still going to sponsor the tuition cost," said Bernice Lynn., stressing she was speaking for herself.
Lynn, a member of the Age Friendly Committee of the Olds Institute, helped organize the two-day course, held late last month at Olds College through the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
Twenty-four people attended, just under the 25-person limit.
Janene Hickman of Fort McMurray was the instructor.
"It's a two-day course that looks at responding to a person who's in a mental health crisis with the same type of mindset that we would if a person was in a physical health crisis," Hickman said during an interview with the Albertan.
"If somebody falls off their bike you do the basic kind of first aid, call for backup, that kind of thing, get them to the hospital for assessment.
"The challenge is that we don't really do the same when a person's in a mental health crisis. So if they're highly distressed or crying or really agitated, we often really don't know what to do.
"So in the course, we kind of look at the basics of, what is mental health, what is stigma and why does stigma stop us from having those interactions and reaching out and having those conversations?
"And then we look at a number of prevalent mental health issues, including substance abuse, depression, anxiety, dementia, delerium and psychotic disorders," she added.
"You might notice that your neighbour, Mr. Jones hasn't been coming out a lot. When you see him, he's in his pyjamas in the middle of the day, his hair's kind of messed up, he's lost a lot of weight, and you think, 'geez, that doesn't seem right. What's going on?'
"Most of us probably would just say, 'ah, he's just an old guy; let him do his thing. You know, 'maybe I should just mind my business and not get involved. I might say something wrong.'
"What the course really helps us to identify is, what if we could be that person who starts a conversation that identifies that there's something bigger going on," she added.
"So if we can be that person that does that first conversation to kind of open the door, there's potential that a person might be able to share that they're experiencing a mental health issue and we might be able to connect them with some support."
Those attending the course ranged from a young social worker who had just graduated a couple of years ago, up to the elderly.
One of the attendees was Judy Dahl, former mayor of Olds. She was very impressed with the course and its instructor.
"She was really awesome," Dahl said.
"We all need this awareness. Mental health is really something that everybody needs to be aware of -- at any age, not just the seniors," she added.
"I suppose that's the thing I miss the most of my position with the town as a mayor," Dahl said. "I enjoy it, and I want all the awareness I can possibly learn in that mental illness is such a condition, right across Alberta and in every community.
"I was involved with that as a mayor and it doesn't disappear just because you don't do that work anymore. It lives every day in your community and I just want to be able to have the awareness to assist or help anywhere I can."
Lynn was also impressed with the course.
