Tag: veterans

Flowers and Flags

May hosts Mental Health Awareness Month; it also is the month honoring Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage, as well as National Military Appreciation. Putting these celebrations together gives one pause. It is a complicated triangle.

Memorial Day is when we grieve for American soldiers who died in service to their country. Initially, the day was called “Decoration Day” due to a ceremony begun by freed enslaved people, members of the U.S. Colored Troops, in Charleston, SC in 1865. Graves of Union soldiers were decorated with flowers and flags. After World War I the ritual grew to commemorate all soldiers. It is noble to honor sacrifice and valor.

Who honors the sacrifice and valor of innocent people of Japanese descent, nearly 120, 000 strong, who were seized by the U.S. government in 1942 and incarcerated in 10 isolated concentration camps? Approximately 2/3 were U.S. citizens who had their assets frozen. Japanese Americans made up 1/3 of Hawaii’s population. Mass removal was not completed there due to “labor needs,” but some were sent to mainland camps. After their years of detainment, the release of these Asian Americans in 1945 entailed a transportation ticket and $25.00. In 1988 the U.S. government delivered a formal apology and initiated reparations.

War strips humanity naked, sometimes literally as in the rape and plunder realm, but also figuratively. Many innocent people lose their livelihood and in in some instances, their very lives in continuous wars today. Are we supposed to appreciate such military actions?

Research listed on an official website of the U.S. government, the National Library of Medicine, reports on ill effects upon a soldier’s life in killing in combat in the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Supporting previous research, findings related “…that bearing responsibility for death in a warzone is associated with PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder), depression, anxiety symptoms, suicidality, and hazardous alcohol use.” The researchers isolated “rumination” as a factor for negative post-deployment reactions. PTSD has haunted many veterans for decades.

Who is paying attention to mental health awareness in our government? Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed since 1949, but it is not highlighted enough. Awareness of both physical and mental wellness is not just an issue for soldiers but also for solders’ families.

 I want to endorse one government agency, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), for its toolkit of resources with themes on mental health for each week in May:

  • Week 1 — Understanding mental illness;
  • Week 2 — Early support matters – recognizing signs in children and youth;
  • Week 3 — Words matter and words can heal;
  • Week 4 — Supporting loved ones – connection is a powerful form of care.

Let’s make a better effort, America, to take up these themes as positive action steps all year.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

500. Yes, this is the 500th question I ask in PoP: What does Memorial Day mean to you?

501. How might you promote mental health awareness? 

Seasonal Pearls

What color are your pearls? Hint: my interest is in your figurative pearls.

Perhaps Sister Joan Sauro’s words will explain: “There is a pearl in every season. Find it. Then give all you have to claim it” (Whole Earth Meditation: Ecology for the Spirit).

May is a busy month for addressing important populations within the U.S. In addition to May’s Asian American, Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month (see “Hula Pearls,” 5-6-24) and America Mental Health Awareness Month (see “Synergy for Mental Health,” 5-13-24), May also is Older Americans Month. Some individuals relate to all 3 of these populations.

Numbers of older adults coping with depression range from 7.7% (adults 50+) to an estimated 31% in some groups (ages 65+). Older adults’ symptoms of depression may not be recognized by their physicians. Compounding caretaking, older adults may view mental health help as a stigma, especially in non-English speaking individuals.

A population bumper crop of older adults is ripening: it is estimated that 4.1 million Americans will reach age 65 every year from 2024-2027. Reportedly, more than 11,200 Americans turn 65 every day (The Alliance for Lifetime Income). Regardless of exact numbers, depression, anxiety and loneliness plague too many older adults.

An exciting program to address this looming population, created 20 years ago at the University of Washington in Seattle, Program to Encourage Active, Rewarding Lives (PEARLS) coaches older adults to be proactive about their wellbeing. Depression is defined in everyday examples by coaches for participants (identified in community organizations); problem-solving skills are taught to enable self-sufficiency for more active lives. The free program takes place in homes or preferred community settings. Online PEARLS began during the pandemic. One-hour sessions for 6-8 weeks (over 4-5 months) start with each person’s daily routines of “where they are.” Coaches have supervision with mental health practitioners. PEARLS coaching has reached adults across 26 states, including our Memorial Day veterans, people of all ages with disabilities, and especially those 65+.

American education is not forward-thinking regarding older adults. My doctoral program in counseling psychology had courses on childhood, adolescent development, and psychology of young adults, but no specific coursework on midlife (since identified as ages 35-64) or gerontology.  Relatively few colleges and universities offer a gerontology major, despite a growing need. Of the 5 institutions graduating the most students in gerontology, 89.9% are females. We need more compassion and creativity in our thinking about seasoned citizens.

Recently I was asked to talk about creativity enhancing aging on a podcast, “Older Women and Friends” (interviewed by host Jane Leder). Check it out:  https://www.buzzsprout.com/2054889/15102414  

Seasonal growth is important at every age, but retirement age is a reminder that our true wealth consists of time, how positively we spend it, and bodymind health. Let’s meet aging with colorful pearls of creativity!

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

293. What season of your life has been your most creative time?

294. What about now?