Pubdate: Fri, 15 Jun 2012
Source: Coast Reporter (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Coast Reporter
Contact:  http://www.coastreporter.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/580
Author: Cathie Roy

FINDING ANSWERS TO COMPLEX QUESTIONS

Our paper is full of medical and social issues this week. And as 
always when space is measured by column inches, there simply isn't 
enough room to tell the entire story.

Two stories in particular that need more space than we have to spare 
are the concerns raised around elder abuse and harm reduction.

At the root of both these issues, in my mind, is the concept of 
social capital. What that means, in a nutshell, is the health of a 
person or community can be determined by examining the connection 
between people.

Last Wednesday, Mark Haden spoke at the harm reduction forum for 
considerable time about social capital. He talked about addiction 
being an attachment disorder. If a child doesn't bond with a loving 
adult during their formative years, the theory is he or she will 
spend the rest of their life looking for a substitute for the lack of 
early connection.

It's an argument that holds true for elder abuse as well. If the 
child in his or her growing years doesn't realize a bond or develop 
respect for a parent or guardian, it's a lot easier to bash granny or 
gramps and take what the abuser thinks is owed to them.

The problem with that premise is that we assume people have no 
control over their emotions or that early neglect can't be overcome. 
Fortunately life is never that black and white.

Answers to complex questions can't be nailed down by blaming early 
nurturing (or lack thereof) or the police for stepping in where many 
of us fear to tread or the media for reporting what's in front of us.

My feeling is that compassion always needs to be tempered with reason 
when dealing with social ills. And that prevention, more than any 
other element of addiction and abuse, is the key.

Yes, we need to take care of the person struggling just to survive. 
But something recoils deep inside me when harm reduction includes 
telling someone completely strung out on drugs that the best we can 
do is to urge him or her to leave one clean vein for the emergency 
response team. Is it saying, 'We've given up on saving you, but we 
will keep you alive to use another day'?

I have to agree with Dr. Ron Mundy that abstinence is the ultimate in 
harm reduction. But I also recognize for some addicts that will never 
be the answer. So what is the answer? And probably another question 
we should be asking ourselves is, 'How big is the problem on the 
Sunshine Coast?'

There are many people I admire very much working in the addictions 
field on the Coast. Six organizations that encompass many of them - 
Arrowhead Clubhouse, Vancouver Coastal Health, Sechelt Indian Band, 
Sunshine Coast Community Services, School Board No. 46 and the 
Salvation Army - have secured $7,000 to study mental illness, 
substance abuse and harm reduction on the Coast. Their proposal is 
due Sept. 18. I look forward to seeing the results on their collaboration.

In the meantime, I think all of us need to keep open minds and stay 
alert to the lack of social capital in our piece of paradise. It will 
take all of us working together to reap the riches.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom