Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents (Winter 2006)
TOPIC: A DREAM come true
Parents of children with mental health issues find help, hope
 
by kathy hayes

After 11-year-old Alex threatened his mother and a visiting social worker with a knife, police removed the boy from home and placed him in a hospital for two weeks. Alex (not his real name) has bipolar disorder, one of many mental health disorders that affect one in five children and that can tax the patience of even the most diligent parents.

While struggles like these won’t go away for parents, short-term relief from the nonprofit organization DREAM gives parents some time to themselves. With respite, parents can better cope with the challenges of caring for a child who has a significant emotional disability or mental disorder. Such disorders are caused by biological or environmental factors or a combination of the two.

“It’s so stressful raising a child with a mental health issue that parents often aren’t as patient as they’d like to be,” says DREAM co-founder Melinda Suits. “DREAM (which stands for Day by day Respite, Education & Advocacy for Mental health) is preventive – to help reduce stress, so parents can keep their children in the home.”

DREAM was founded in 2004 by Liz Terrell Phillips, a local therapist, and Melinda Suits, the Fort Collins facilitator for EMPOWER Colorado, an organization providing support and resources for families of youths with mental disorders. The Colorado Nonprofit Development Center, Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation, Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, and individual donors helped get DREAM off the ground. This year, DREAM became a United Way agency.

DREAM advocates for children and helps educate families about mental health disorders affecting youths. The agency also trains people to provide specialized care, so parents can have some time to themselves or to spend with their other children. Most providers are graduate students in psychology who undergo extensive background checks, an 8-hour training program, and CPR certification before becoming care providers.
about DREAM
Day by day Respite, Education & Advocacy for Mental health
3800 Automation Way, Suite 200A
Fort Collins, CO 80525
Hours: M-F, Varies
Phone: 226-4058
E-mail: info@idreamofrespite.org
Web site: www.idreamofrespite.org
 
DREAM provides:
  • Information and referral for clients in Northern Colorado seeking respite;
  • Community and family education;
  • School and community advocacy available to families.

cost
 Parent and respite provider negotiate a pay rate and the client pays the provider directly. Information, referral and advocacy services are provided at no charge. Contact DREAM for other possible ways of paying for respite services.

benefits of respite care
Respite care is believed to be 65- 75 percent more cost-effective than placing the client in an institution. Additionally, respite care:

  • Reduces families' stress levels;
  • Provides children with a break from their routines and an opportunity to be independent;
  • Gives caregivers time to spend with others, run errands, pursue other interests, and become revitalized; and
  • Exposes children to new experiences and friends;

mental health disorders in children and adolescents
Biological factors such as genetics or imbalances in brain chemistry are at the root of mental disorders in youth. Stressful or traumatic life events, such as the loss of an important person, may help trigger the development of the disorder. Most commonly diagnosed are bipolar disorder, severe depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit disorder, Asperger’s, attachment disorders and fetal alcohol syndrome.

Respite care takes place in the client’s or the provider’s home or out in the community. Providers work with the children on social issues, such as learning to read people’s emotions or managing anger. For one grandmother raising a granddaughter with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, DREAM offers the girl community experiences the grandmother is unable to provide.

Usually families pay the providers directly, but, in some cases, Medicaid will pay, Suits says. “We’re working on obtaining funding to provide stipends for families,” she adds.

Just knowing that DREAM is available comes as a big relief to many parents, she says. “Families will sometimes cry when they come in, because they’ve finally found people who understand that they’re not bad parents. To find people who understand what you’re going through relieves so much stress.”