This Taking Issue segment appeared in the September 2020 issue of the Journal Psychiatric Services. The authors ask what can be done to support people with serious mental illness in the long term as they resume lives in an uncertain society with confusing, often contradictory guidelines for avoiding infection and preventing the spread of the virus to others. As society reopens, closes, and reopens again, how can resumption of community life be facilitated for people with serious mental illnesses?
This webinar presented the findings from a recent study on the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adults with physical disabilities from marginalized communities in Southeast Michigan, one of the early pandemic epicenters in the United States. Interviews with 16 adults revealed how participants either had to engage in risky behavior to have their needs met or avoid risk and not have those needs met. They contribute to understandings of risk, its impact on physical and psychological health, and the importance of accommodations.
A guide with an extensive list of high-tech, low-tech, and no-tech ways to stay connected with family, friends, and one's community, including civic and spiritual engagement, family/parenting, education, recreation, and physical activity.
A curated collection of resources to stay connected and engaged such as virtual theater, spiritual services, online classes and communities, exercise videos, art and learning programs, and more.
This publication applies the Four Guideposts to Community Life Engagement to selecting and supporting online engagement opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The guideposts are: Individualize supports for each person, promote community membership and contribution, use human and social capital to decrease dependence on paid supports, and ensure that supports are outcome-oriented and regularly monitored.
The article in the Journal of Aging examines the immediate need for digital literacy for older adults who must suddenly learn to interact with health care providers, social services, and friends and family.
The researchers at the BH-BIMS published this letter to the editor in the journal Burns. The letter to the editor highlights the impact of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) on people with burn injury, including reduced access to inpatient and outpatient medical and therapeutic care, loss of peer support leading to increased isolation, and triggers for post-traumatic stress disorder. The authors also suggest resources for support and education for burn survivors and care providers. The article is available free in full text through PubMed.
