Free virtual talk explores mental health of those with disabilities

By Sequim Gazette Staff • May 5, 2021 1:30 am

In a second virtual roundtable discussion about “Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities and Coming Out of the Pandemic,” Clallam County Parent to Parent hosts a panel exploration of the effects of the pandemic on mental health at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 13, via Zoom.

The discussion, organizers say, will focus on to what levels and in what areas there has been deterioration in mental health for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities — particularly in light of mental health effects across sectors of the community by social isolation, change in routine and low-level anxiety caused by year-long uncertainty and safety restrictions.

Panelists will consider the additional challenges of the decline in access to social support services; the challenges of care-provider shortages and turnover; the risk of lack of care-provider training; the loss of respite care; the risk of abuse or neglect, and the changes in accommodations.

They will address whether or not members of the IDD community have seen worse outcomes or not. Additional topics include: have new or unique challenging behaviors emerged during the pandemic; how has the mental health of care-providers been impacted; and what have we learned through during the past year?

Members of the panel include: Clallam County Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry; Kevin LoPiccolo of Clallam County Health and Human Services; behavior therapist Jackie Chotiner; Christine Motokane; self advocate, author and paraeducator; Wendy Bonham, parent advocate and volunteer with Clallam County Orcas; Misty Parkhurst of Concerned Citizens; Wayne Bartz of Morningside; Karen Pierce from Pierce, Jones & Associates, and Catherine McKinney, sibling advocate from Clallam Mosaic.

Find the Zoom link and more at clallammosaic.org/p2p.

For more information, contact Carah Pless, Clallam Parent to Parent Coordinator, at 360-406-1215 or p2p@clallammosaic.org.

Parent to Parent is a program that provides information and one-to-one emotional support to parents, families and caregivers, of individuals who have special needs. Part of a national organization, the Clallam County chapter is hosted by Clallam Mosaic. For more information about Clallam County Parent to Parent, visit clallammosaic.org/p2p.