Welcome!

Welcome to the ASSESS blog. The letters in ASSESS stand for the blog’s real name, “About Special Services, Expertise and Social Support.” We developed this blog to introduce you to a network of mental health, behavioral health, public health and educational professionals who believe that it is individuals, parents, caregivers, and employers who are the real experts when it comes to identifying the need for special services. They are also the ones who are best at identifying unique symptoms and strengths that experts have to know about when they conduct an assessment or develop an intervention plan.

In other words, when it comes to solving problems, we can all learn from each other. The last two letters in ASSESS stand for “social support,” something that we all need when we are trying to solve problems and address the challenges that get in the way of optimal development and quality of life.

Who is this blog for? It is for anyone seeking information about special services for those who have special needs. It is also a blog for those who are either looking for experts or who consider themselves experts in caring for people with special needs. A special need can refer to anything from severe developmental delay to giftedness and exceptional talent.  A special need can also refer to mental and behavioral health conditions such as Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD and ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorders, Adjustment Disorders, Attachment Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Brain Injury, Conduct Disorders, Communication Disorders, Depression, Mood Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Phobias and just about anything else listed in the DSM-V. Last, but not least, a special need can refer to the needs of families, organizations and communities. Our network includes professionals who work in the areas of marriage and family counseling, public health, employee assistance, and court-related assessments related to adoption, custody, conflict resolution and mediation. We will do our best to share some of the things that we know with you and, in return, we ask that you share what you know or want to know with us.

How to care for my husband at home...

Hello, my name is Mary.  I’m 72 and recently retired from my job as a bank teller.  I live with my husband George, who is 83.  We have 2 daughters who are married with children of their own and they both live out of state.  We live in a rural suburb in a 2 story home on 15 acres.  We love the peace and quiet; our nearest neighbor is ½ mile down the road.

George was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer about 12 years ago.  He was treated with medication and with radiation therapy.  George beat the cancer and we thanked god and put the whole ordeal behind us (or so we thought).  About 2 years ago we started to notice that George had blood in his urine.  We took him to the hospital, and they told us he has “radiation induced hemorrhagic cystitis secondary to soft tissue radionecrosis”.  They gave George some kind of injection and the bleeding went away.  George’s doctor has also informed me that George is beginning to display early signs of dementia.
2 weeks ago George began to bleed again.  He went back into the hospital and stayed for several days.  During this time they ran fluids into his bladder to wash the blood out and tried several different treatments.  They told us that the treatments had helped, but not to be surprised if there was still some bleeding at home. 

Over the past several days George has been bleeding intermittently throughout the day (and night).  He’s losing the ability to control his bladder, and often has pain and trouble peeing when he’s bleeding. We’ve since gone to the local ER and talked to his PCP, and we were told that this was normal.  I was told that we should return if he begins to “demonstrate substantial hemorrhaging, expel significant clots, or experience total obstruction”.  I have no idea what any of this means…George is quite frustrated with the healthcare system at this point and he blames his suffering on the radiation therapy.  He’s also starting to get confused at night.  I’ve been up every night with him for the past 4 days; neither of us have gotten much sleep.  To make matters worse, George almost fell last night while he was in the bathroom.  I got under his arm to help him keep his balance, but I almost fell too, and today my back hurts.  We are both also completely exhausted.
I feel like I need help taking care of George.  With both of our daughters out of state, we don’t have anybody to help us.  When they discharged George from the hospital they rushed us out the door and didn’t really answer my questions about how to take care of him. I’m frustrated and feel like I’m in all alone.