Housing and the 'Right to Fail' For People With Severe Mental Illness (Full Documentary) | FRONTLINE
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- Опубликовано: 24 авг 2020
- Following the lives of former group home residents who are now on their own, FRONTLINE and ProPublica investigate New York’s effort to let people with mental illnesses live independently.
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Thousands of New Yorkers with severe mental illnesses won the chance to live independently in supported housing, following a 2014 federal court order. FRONTLINE and ProPublica investigate what’s happened to people moved from adult homes into apartments and find more than two dozen cases in which the system failed, sometimes with deadly consequences.
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I was working for a state hospital in the 70's and we placed people in the community and checked on them afterwards and filled their schedules with work programs, social programs and we NEVER left them in an isolated situation. To help Schizophrenics function, you have to provide this support. We also provided a program before discharge that taught how to take care of their surroundings and themselves, cooking, cleaning.. There was always a highly functioning person on the premises of their new home, who monitored medication and provided meals. SSI income paid for this. We made sure their checks were going to them. They had our phone number and we would provide support. If you isolate a seriously disturbed person, in any living situation, the consequences are gruesome. You don't stick them in an apt and walk away. That's nuts! Nobody wants to pay for the support they need. Our program back then was cut back and cut back until none of us wanted to work there. So it's not that we don't know how to do this. This was 40 years ago!
Thanks
40 years ago and then family, friends depart. No one cares. If they do care, they dont have time, .... your begging for money....go ahead, but they dont care
@@DrQandtheGang People victimized by a society that does not address the challenges with people's functionablity is possibly going to go unnoticed by the establisment just as the victims of it and sympathizers are to call for change. Ultimately, it boils down to human nature, and a willingness of each person to confront their own viscissitudes and decide to respond in kind to for their own benefit or that of the greater majority.
So relieved you were able to break that down for yourself. Keep trying.
Yes. And…under guidelines now, doing what is being done *(not done) is called negligence.
There is money…it is not appropriated because there is lack of representation~the lady here stating independence as the factor of focus, is one of the voices representing the fantasy that mentally ill people should have independence rather than safety in health. It is wrong and she is wrong.
I saw same actions and dynamics in medical field.
It is gross negligence in every sense of the word, no matter how the people who build these guidelines, present it in form of independence. Stop it. It is negligence.
I'd LOVE to see a documentary like this on people who are too disabled to be employed but don't qualify for disability benefits. There are SO many and it's a HUGE problem.
Often the disability workers don't qualify them because their budgets are bursting. They get pressured by people above them to turn away the people that appear to be borderline cases. The public just wants them to "get a job!"
@Cuinn837 The same people who want them to get a job want to keep the minimum wage low "due to inflation". They don't care about the poor, the mentally ill or disabled.
Especially as the environment (chemicals in food, water, air. Natural disasters, hurricanes, fire) worsens this will increase
THAT'S A GREAT IDEA I'D LIKE TO SEE A DOCUMENTARY ON HOW NURSING HOMES RIP A PERSON OFF WITH THEIR MONTHLY ALLOTMENT
There's also a lot of profit made by disability lawyers which you pretty much have if you want to get on disability. I'm on it and you almost always get rejected your first time. You then need to get a lawyer to plead your case. They take a percentage of your award amount. Also the amount you get from disability is hardly survivable. I get $754 a month. Since I'm married I don't qualify for any other support. All of the financial pressure falls on my husband's shoulders.
As a mother of a child with a disability I am concerned for his adult existence, scary. Our society doesn't care unless it can make a profit from our problems.
I am the mother of 2 adult children with special needs. I fought long and hard and sat on intent lists for 17 years each to get each one of them on home and community based services through our state. As of now they are still home with us...should that change, we know they will go into small group homes under the supervision of their extended family. It's hard. Start as early as possible making arrangements and filling out every form for every possible program out there early, this help with their future as adults not to be thrown to the streets.
@@theirmom4723 thank you, I am on a waiting list for him...I will look for more, he is currently 13 so time is ticking. 💜
Me too.
@@theirmom4723you don't think it's genetic?
TWO mentally deficient sons? Not one but two?
Did you take hard drugs and or drink heavily when you were pregnant? I'm very serious.
The people who are trying to fix problems are generating more problems and more jobs so yes we are an idiotic senseless society creating jobs to fix jobs. God bless America, I don't think so.
Programs like "Frontline" are why I watch PBS. This is real journalism -- not the fluff we see on the networks.
💯
This is field investigative journalism which is no different from other networks. This is just formatted differently, like a tv show rather than only than sitting behind a desk. Relax, everything isn't "fake news." Geez 👀
@@msc2u1 I worked in television for four years. I don't need you to tell me how shows are formatted. This documentary is different from what is shown on the networks. As far as you telling me to relax is concerned, you can STFU.
@Babes #1 fan I was on the streets here in Los Angeles for 8-1/2 years. My profession, law, got hit hard by the 2007 recession, and lawyers were being laid off. If they're not working, the support staff (I was a legal secretary) isn't either. Two-thirds of the homeless have some form of mental illness, often exacerbated by drug use -- meth in particular. I dealt with them daily. Many refused to take their meds, thinking they were fine without them, or substituting street drugs. I was not in the city of Los Angeles, but the county was enough of a challenge. I didn't meet the criteria for housing, which is why I was homeless for so long. I am neither mentally ill nor a substance abuser, so that disqualified me from housing. With 10 million people in this county, frankly, there are too many needs and not enough resources -- something people who are barely hanging on to their homes or apartments will find out without stimulus checks and government programs to help them. I'm ahead of the game because I've learned to navigate "the system" (any Los Angeles County office is huge) and have survival skills that those new to homelessness do not have. The pandemic has worked in my favor because I have been in a nice motel room free of charge (75 percent of it paid by FEMA) since April through a state program called Project Roomkey. I found out this week that it will be extended until the pandemic is over. California has been given $600 million to buy motels that will be converted to permanent housing. My cousin was a psychiatric social worker in San Francisco for many years, so she learned to navigate "the system," too.
@Babes #1 fan And I'm a master negotiator. Signed: Nancy (1.8T to 900B) Pelosi
This is what journalism should be. Opening eyes. Raising awareness. Challenging viewers' intelligence and humanity. Keep up the good work, PBS♥️
Frontline has been providing excellent information journalism for many years.
I've found PBS is one of the few entities doing journalism. You won't get this from NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, or FOX.
U dam right
The only one I watch now
John Richardson defunding doesn’t solve anything stop your hate what we all need is accountably get your life right please we don’t need you lot hate I notice how only them democratic states are posted nice try!
This documentary was heartbreaking. I lost my partner 6 years ago, he had schizophrenia, he would have appreciated the way PBS showed respect to these people through their journalism. He was saddened how tv shows depicted “crazy people” and when his own demons caught up with him he took his life. He valued his independence but felt as though every second of every day was a show that he had to put on for the world so that no one knew his secret. I miss him so much.
Thank you for presenting this terrible truth.
I have 2 schizophrenic brothers and I really relate to loving someone with this disorder. Lucky for us, in California there's adequate home health care hours for the family to keep them safe, warm, dry, fed, housed. But I know this is the exception not the rule. God bless you and your partners memory ❣️🕉️❣️🕉️❣️
Sorry for your loss. Many people with mental health issues are not treated with the sensitivity that they so need. Lifting prayers for you. I pray for peace & comfort for you. God Bless You.
Your partner is now free from the pressure of society, he accompanies you with love and freedom
I am schizophrenic. I’m glad you shared. I am struggling a lot.
I am so sorry for your loss, I am a social worker and was working in NYC area at this time, I was against this case so much. The aftermath has been nothing but devastating. The large state hospitals served a purpose
"The records were thrown out right before he arrived."
Wow... Just... Wow. I worked in a group home setting for 7 years in New Jersey and I am absolutely disgusted at what this documentary is showing. It is sad how this country treats the mentally disabled. We can do better.
Thank you for this documentary. PBS is doing amazing work with all these documentaries.
Shouldn't they have shredded the documents due to HIPPA?
@@givememychannelback5425 Yes, plus save the info on computer for reference.
Millions are thrown at these programs with somewhat successful outcomes.
The old psych center in Rochester New York , not that tall building but the campus that use to b . Work if they Wanted too on the grounds. Safer environment not perfect but freedom of sorts . There was a small store on campus, a pool, theatre, bowling alley etc 1960s government stuck their noses in kicked them all out literally
People are making big money off these people. The agencies that run the homes. That’s what it’s all about. The miney
Nestor's mother's friend is a wonderful woman. May the universe bless her.
She seems like a wonderful person! Bless her heart, she cares so much about people!!! 🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍
I can sum this all up in one sentence: Government tries to virtue signal at taxpayer expense; government epic fails.
Bless her. She expresses the exact same concerns and fears for Hector as would his very mother... "that" is a friend in deed.
May “Allah” (god) bless her. Universe is just a creation the creator is one that blesses
I work overnight at a hotel and have been just watching documentary after documentary, and unfortunately I get a lot of transients step into the property, and one thing I have learned is that sometimes its just human interaction that they are looking for. Breaks my heart i offer them a drink and a snack but sadly have to tell them to go, but I make sure to make them feel like a normal human being (even though there is no such thing as normal). GREAT DOC
Everyone could take a lesson from you. You are making the world a better place one person at a time, one act of kindness at a time. God Bless you. ✌️❤️☀️
I am a social worker what we have done is terrible with these people
Yes-exactly. Simply thoughtful interaction. Mental illness doesn't make people not people.
@@katiempojer Many fail to be compliant with medication. My medications include 46 mg / day of Trilafon. I earned a PhD in mathematics in 1990. Lately, I am adjunct at Columbia teaching one course. I am on SS disability, but I try to work as much as possible. What's even more amazing is that I have been able to return to research in my area of low dimensional topology.😮
I'm sure your kindness and humanity are appreciated.
This is REAL journalism. This kind of stuff needs to be addressed.
I’m afraid it won’t be and it will get much worse. We now have a government that really doesn’t care at all now about constituents only about getting re-elected
I believe what you said lol 😆
The healthcare worker put someone’s medical records in the garbage????? Where is confidentiality?
Dear friend, I seen that MANY MANY times.
Sunset Cliff I work for public health so I’m just horrified. We have giant confidential shredding boxes for a reason.
They are supposed to be destroyed either burned or shredded and recycled after 7 years.
Yeah so much for hippa laws.
@@turboredcart I've found flu shots with names on them designated for residents of nursing homes in the trash because a nurse didn't want to give them.
As a retired social worker I blame huge caseloads for those forgotten by all systems. Social workers are not interested in forming working relationships with persons such as Bernard. Enter an apartment, look at the refrigerator and leave. No one wants to actually do the work of monitoring and supporting in a humane and ongoing pattern. Caring for those such as Nestor is the job of at least one person who visits daily, encourages relationships with others and assures adequate nutrition. I once showed a client, as a CPS social worker, how to prepare and bake a Thanksgiving turkey. I bought additional ingredients and left detailed instructions that were followed to the letter. I was penalized for showing compassion and constructive skills that could have built her confidence as a parent and contributed to the eventual return of children. Nothing advocates for family reunification and everything in favor of foster care limbo. Persons such as Nestor suffer from a lack of compassionate social workers and others to advocate for them. These interviews with administrators demonstrate what a brutal nation we live in.
USA is the most brutal, selfish, hateful, least compassionate nation in the western world.
Would you agree that what you described is the harm of institutional paternalism?
Some ppl need more help than others. Would you are away a blind person's cane? No. Some ppl need a "crutch" because they are broken. Even if it's 2 mos, 1 yr, or whatever. What do you suggest? Let ppl fall thru society's cracks? Oh, wait, that IS what is happening.
My neighbor with schizophrenia nearly burned our apartment building down after not taking her meds. It’s a touchy thing I understand, because people tried to get her help but couldn’t really do anything until she actually did something dangerous and illegal. There’s isn’t one solid solution for any of this
Well for one, our food is poison.
My grandmother told me her sister was getting really sick, she said says her liver is dying because she hasn't been drinking enough water. For the past 30 years she has drank nothing but beer and soda.
I say this, because she has been drinking just enough water in the soda to keep her alive, but not enough to keep her healthy. And this is a perfect analogy for the American food industry. We eat all of this food, so much that we are obese. But it's terrible food with no nutrients and maybe even known carcinogens like Red40. But it's just "enough" nutrients to keep us alive, just not healthy. And this passes down to your offspring. Its sad, but I believe 70% of mental illness in America are causes directly from our diets.
But how is that the governments fault? Drink more water and give up the soda and beer.
Beer and soda are also expensive. Water is free.
THANK YOU for this important work. I've worked in supported housing as a peer specialist for 6 years, specifically in Eastern Queens, and this has been my life's work, working with folks like Nestor. These are amazing people, with stories and wisdom and respectable life experience, and we need to recognize this. I myself have schizoaffective disorder, and I only avoided public housing because my mother housed me. Working as a peer helped me get my wellness back, and I returned to school to get a masters degree in social work degree. Now I'm an LMSW in New York State. I want to give back to the community. This is my community. THANK YOU!
Thank you! I have walked a similar path- I’m 55 now and thriving- I enjoy helping people- most of all though- my work with others holds me accountable for my own wellness and I cannot do the work I love if I am not ‘minding my own store’ first. 🌻 Much respect and wishing you continued success and wellness 🦮
What a wonderful recounting of how with the proper treatment and care someone can choose to be of service to others and truly empathize with them because you are a living example that one can thrive despite challenges. Thank you for all you do!! 🌹😊
Some people can live with minimum supervision. In Lansing, MI we just had people, some volunteers visit once or twice a week to see that they are taking their meds, eating right, not trashing their place. Sometimes food was found in closets. Patients would help clean it up and arrange the apartment .It helps!
Thank you for what you do! This are good people
That's Awesome
My mom was one of them, they found her an apartment and gave her custody of 4 year old me. She fought the illness with everything she had for my sake. We made it. She's come a long way under my care and lives an almost normal life. Many children of schizophrenics abandon their parents and I understand why. Her biggest fear was that I would inherit it, and she kept me in therapy my entire childhood.
Wow she was aware and did a wonderful job. Hats off to your Mom what a strong woman, and it goes to show you how much she loves you. She fought the beast and won for you 🥰
❤️
I am an abandoned parent and when I have the courage to remember why....I cry and scream into my pillow till we are drenched. Yesterday my blessings were that the kitties slept through it.
I appreciate you sharing this. I have schizophrenia and a two year old. My pregnancy set it off. I wouldn't have had him if I would have known. I feel so guilty. It sounds like dispite her issues you know she loves you and did her best. That's all I want for my son. To know I am trying my hardest for him.
My mom had mental health issues and also drug issues. She basically destroyed my siblings, my father and anyone in her life’s life. I know she ruined my childhood. You were fortunate. She never did get her life together.
Life is difficult enough even without severe mental illness.
Good piece
How tragic that people has to live and die way that the men in the report, I wonder there could be a place to be where they can live in an apartment system monitored by the health and Human services and be transported to a place of work for people like them and then taken back home, I would think that would be an incentive to feel and live like a normal life and socialize with each other like playing games , physical exercise etc all in the place where they live yes it is institutionalized living but in a kinder and structured
Environment . I believe that would be possible and would be a more dignified way to live !
@Cold Water
Would be nice lol ... but that is certainly not my Yacht! 😄
A random picture that reminds me of a beautiful day .
Less bark, more wag!😊
Grumpy 1 especially lately.
The stress is giving those who didn’t have mental illness, now do.
@@lisajohnson6351 well, I'll certainly admit I had a "touch" of mental illness b4 covid. Lol
But all this covid crap has sure made it worse!
This isome of those cases where I think chips for humans would be a good idea. Simply because identification and important data can be found by the right people if someone wanders naked, if the person is nonverbal or incapacitated. Those caregivers can be informed.
I'm blind, so this makes me paranoid. I like that they had choice, but more constant help or constant check-ins would have helped a lot. And no bs that they weren't there, make sure they're safe and alive.
And just because a person doesn't report abuse doesn't mean there is none, these are the most vulnerable among us, second only to little children.
I'm just discusted that oeople cwn't do their jobs.
Adult protective services should be called on adult protective services.
Adult protective services has to abide by the law. Not to say there are no case workers who are inadequate (as there are plenty), but many times their hands are tied even when they want to do the right thing.
I have to say when I took certain training classes I was shocked & truly appalled to see that certain wording was removed from the same training or perhaps laws in NY. I'd have to go back and see which part but it has to do with. It's the same as Good Samaritan wording, literally broke my heart. I'm not in social work but it blew my mind
@@teltn84 any examples?
@@averayugen8462 I left that job last April. I honestly can’t remember the specifics other than the training shocked me. Basically in NY be cautious if you want to be a “Good Samaritan“. I’m pretty sure that’s the only state, but like I said I can’t recall specifics.
I’m a retired nurse. I’ve been trying to help a former patient, for 21 years. She went to college and graduated to homelessness and despair Every time I see her in town I follow up on her medication, housing, and personal grooming. It’s so hard to get multiple agencies to come together or follow up. It’s because their is no ONE system in place to help these very vulnerable people! I’ve watched in horror her demise. She’s been beaten up twice and assaulted once. Every time she’s stable the doctors put her on multiple medications that have side effects, that are just as bad as the diagnosis. This video is so very important for all healthcare to see. And my hope is that a national program will be put in place to help and support anyone at risk.
I agree 100%. I was homeless many times, and unable to finish college or keep a job for more than a year. Bipolar anxiety and depression kept me in a cycle of short stays in psych wards. 12 years ago an NGO non-profit helped me get myself together, and comply with my meds and doctors. As well as helping me find housing and transition into independence. But those who cannot, the gov't must fund once again more clinical long term housing.
808 Dream a national program?
Totally right, but you seriously cannot tell me that all these Governmental agencies couldn't predict this years in advance.
You, in the span of DAYS, take the patient away from his/her network system permanently, get them a apartment, couple hundred bucks for food and good luck?!?!? Most of have NEVER lived independently but ABC agencies believes that they can just pick it up, like riding a bike??? Most people can't live of their own unless they get some type of training first. For me, like most people, that was college. Yet, NYC truly thinks people with mental disabilities do not require any training on being self reliant? Im a New Yorker and stunned why we keep electing Democrats who have done nothing but run this once glorious city into the ground
So sad and I bet their are millions in the same boat...so sad
As long as money can be made off the backs of "victims" the problem of homelessness will not be solved. Empowering people is the answer not keeping them in their self-imposed (because they don't know) victimhood.
This is what I am going through. My case worker is suppose to check in on me EVERY WEEK. She has only checked on me 3 times in the past 5 months. I am failing miserably and close to living on the streets. No matter how much I beg and plead, I can't get the help I need. I have repeatedly failed living independently, yet these agencies leave me alone to fail and die.
All too many like you dear lady.
All too many being left to fend for themselves.
All I got are prayers, tears and empathy.
God bless and keep you.
This country is a cruel place.
Still,
Please don't quit.
A caregiver for my mentally ill son.💯🌹❤️
I’m so sorry. Im schizophrenic and worried also everyday is a struggle. Praying for you
2023 update how are ?
Did she catch Covid? Or was exposed?
The good thing is, You have insight, as shown by your post, so your not in psychosis. They arent gonna worry anout anything else except your meds and having food. So being happy is the part that is up to you. And thats hard for many people.
The fact that they offer a level of support and then when the patient does well at that level they yoink it away is insane. If they are doing well that could be the level of support that person requires.
Mental illnesses are chronic....the help Nestor is receiving at the end should be lifelong. Period. It's so good to see him doing so well.
I have depression and have an uncle with schizophrenia. It makes me so angry how society and the government just doesn't care enough about people with mental illness. People only get to understand the seriousness and need for care when they or their loved ones get it. Thanks for finally starting these conversations.
So sorry for the ill people who have died. May their souls rest in eternal peace.
Amen 🙏
Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I think people do care, they just don't understand what people with such serious issues need. They might set up a program with reasonable resources to offer reasonable care. But people with Schizophrenia tend to fall into states where they are not behaving reasonably, even under the best of circumstances. And the people here are not in the best circumstances. Policy types don't ever want to believe the people on the ground when they tell them what is needed. I work for the government (not NY State, though) and it's really hard to hear that we don't care.
Maybe your own family should care more.
@@mimibee626maybe, with enough reflection, even YOU could learn to give a shit about the mentally ill.
Not only is this a tragedy for people with mental illness and addictions, it's a tragedy for the poor/working working poor who live in the neighborhoods where these people are dumped. I've lived my entire life within a 10 mile radius of NYC, and currently am employed in Manhattan. These lost souls end up aimlessly wandering the subways and other mass transit. Using libraries as adult day care centers. They cause serious problems in these poor neighbors where most residents are already struggling.
My mom was a social worker and saw some terrible things in the state hospitals in the late 60s and early 70s. She advocated for the community based care model--but then changed her mind when she started seeing increases in the numbers of homeless people who couldn't take care of themselves. She would see a homeless and mentally ill person and get so upset, and say "I believed in deinstitutionalization, but not THIS!"
@@gutsfinky Community care under which community?
I think that is an important consideration.
@@gutsfinkysounds like how many were about racial desegregation vs integration, or mainstreaming vs inclusion.
Yes, I have experienced this. My neighborhood is a dumping ground for these people. I have experienced many of the problems they cause. I used to enjoy riding the bus, but that was ruined on me. I used to love the public library--not anymore. All the normal people who are able to have moved. It is sad, but they just don't integrate; it's not the same as being a different race or culture. I wonder how they feel when they see all the normal people avoiding them as quickly as they can. Would they not be happier with their own apartment buildings, neighborhoods, facilities? I wish that money would be directed towards this. Watching people tripping over themselves trying to get away from them must cause their mental illness to get even worse.
@@gutsfinky People tend to advocate for change and "do something" when they see injustice, which is all well and good. But people often forget to fully consider the method of change and consequence thereof.
The most common one I see is bad working condition in un(der)developed countries. The knee jerk reaction tend to be boycott and shutdown. Unfortunately, the worker tend to have few alternatives, if they did they would not have worked there despite the poor condition/pay. As a result, the result could very well be no work and starvation.
Real solution tend to be complicated(if one exist at all), because life is complicated.
They put paranoid schizophrenics in an apartment with other paranoid schizophrenics with no supervision or anyone to check that they're actually taking their medication. Who thought this would be a good idea?
Dang say it again common sense
I don’t think they cared, they just wanted a pat on the back and a way to hide the scary “crazy” people
The devil will never reveal himself.
It sounds American grow a pair if you’re scared get a dog
I moved into a duplex where the adjoining unit housed a woman placed there by the state. I soon learned she was schizophrenic and an alcoholic. I was 30 and she in her 60s. She would call the police every night saying that I was drilling holes in the walls and spying on her, crawling in her attic (I had no access), and scratching at the walls. Sometimes the same officer would visit but when it was a new officer they’d sometimes take her side. Baffling. So frustrating. One time they said they were there the night before for the same complaint but I was gone when they arrived. Well, I had been out of town the night before so...
The police asked if I had any weapons and I told them I did not. They told me she kept a shotgun under her bed so if there was a problem, call them and don’t confront her. I asked how she could be allowed to keep a shotgun when she was clearly mentally ill. They explained it was her right. One night I swear I heard her rack the shotgun. I didn’t sleep well that night. One night I was laying in bed settling into sleep around 11pm, all was quiet until she banged on the shared wall with her fists and screamed “HOW WOULD **YOU** LIKE BEING WATCHED?!?!!!!” I think my heart rate hit 200 bpm.
She was sweet during the day. She’d leave handwritten apology cards with skillful crayon drawings. Of course, she’d call the police again the same night.
I convinced the landlord to move me to another property. They said they couldn’t make her leave because of the contract with the state.
Sorry you had to through this. You sound like a compassionate person. Best wishes.
Chris Flanner that is a scary situation and I am glad you moved.
I thought people that have a diagnosed mental illness such as schizophrenia are not qualified for legal gun ownership? You might want to check your town/citys rules about that?
I think the cops were mistaken.
@@annahgibbus8 shotguns aren't regulated in the same manor as other guns. i'm mentally ill, and i used to own one, but my dead ex sold it for coke & pills
@@annahgibbus8 -"New York residents also do not need permits to possess rifles or shotguns in New York, as long as the rifle barrel is at least 16 inches long or the shotgun barrel is at least 18 inches long."
Nestor’s mother’s friend Nora is an angel! Her tenderness towards him is quite moving!
Frontline is the best journalism on tv today
how does it rank on youtube though?
POV is far better
matthew 2779 yeah but you didn’t watch it on TV.
Melinda Lemmon hi Lemmon 🍋
they really are. there quality is always great, and you can trust them. HBO produces great docs, but some of them, are not 10/10/. Even below average. PBS Frontline and POV are my go to all the time
My friend got out of prison and was on Probation for 2 years. They never drug tested him. He was homeless. Starving. Sick. His dentures were broken. He was being overworked at work despite a broken back that never properly healed. They were more concerned about him not getting enough hours at work than the fact that he was actively drunk in his PO meetings. He died a week before his 42 birthday, still on Probation.
This remind me of the movie “The Joker” when he says “the worst part about having mental illness is people expect you to behave as if you dont”. 😕😢 THANK YOU for this well put together documentary.
How about families have some integrity and take responsibility for their own, learn about each other and share the burden of their failures? Otherwise...what is the purpose of family? I swear America must have the sickest, most twisted, backward culture observable in the Western World.
@MisterLister68 With a response like that it still remains a comic book movie thus should be treated as such, not seen by adults. Adults don't read comic books and only children with reading disorders read comic books.
How could anybody think that businesses can cause a mental illness? I think the two actors have their lines mixed up. Only an ignorant moron would repeat it and only a person requiring the services shown in this programme think it to be actuality.
If you have reached the age of majority you should no longer be watching comic book movies or admitting to viewing them, especially quoting from them. I admit it is insightful line but the response is about as stupid as it gets and appears the actors said each others lines.
@@minirock000 The same could be said of all works of fiction but we needn't be puritanical about expression, media, entertainment and art. The fact of the matter is, sometimes its easier to blame something that is foreign and different from which we don't see any personal benefit. Again, families need to take responsibility for their own little organic spills and society shouldn't hesitate to punish those who don't.
@@wj3186 You would same the same thing about "Where the red fern grows"? Just to pick a book I read in the seventh grade. You think that is equal to fucking comic books? Obviously, you are not a reader nor academic enough to know the difference. I am not a hippy nor a child, so tell me what does "little organic spills" mean and what does it mean in context to the subject? That being not to admit to reading comic books or watching the movies or actually doing either of them as an adult.
There needs to be a way for some mentally ill adults to have supervisid living facilities. The closing of them has made it nearly impossible to have anyone committed who isn't able to make their own decisions. All of these people are now on the streets being victimized, unmedicated, and often harming themselves and others. Our mental health system is non-existent.
I dealt with those people almost daily when I was on the streets here in eastern Los Angeles County, in an area known as the San Gabriel Valley. Often the mental illness was made worse by drug use -- meth in particular. I was on the streets for 8-1/2 years because I didn't meet the criteria for housing: I was not a military veteran, I don't have little kids, I wasn't a victim of domestic violence, and the top two reasons: I am not a substance abuser, and I am not mentally ill -- "Sorry, we can't help you." Los Angeles County has 10 million people. There are too many in need, and not enough resources. I was out on the street for economic reasons. My profession (law -- I was a legal secretary for many years) took a big hit during the 2007 recession, and lawyers were being laid off. People like me were falling through the cracks because we weren't needy enough for housing. Any county agency here is huge and takes patience to navigate. I got off the streets through a combination of private citizens who helped me, and a caseworker who saw the toll it was taking on my health. (I was homeless from ages 51 to 59; I will be 62 on 9/11/20.) I wasn't as bad off as those with mental illness, but generally speaking, the county Department of Mental Health has done next to nothing to help them. They make a lot of promises, but don't even return phone calls. And with offices closed because of the pandemic, the mentally ill homeless are even worse off.
@@ericandsarahsmom1000 this is so heartbreaking. I am so happy that you got the help you needed. It literally hurts to watch such vulnerable people be treated like pieces on a chess board, or alternatively, to go ignored and to be neglected. ouch.
@@wildlightarts Sadly, your view about the homeless -- mentally ill or not -- is the opposite of the majority of people, who see them as cockroaches, and are treated as such. They protest and fill auditoriums, telling their elected officials to get rid of them, but they offer no solutions. They think a shelter is the answer. No, it isn't. Their fairy godmothers aren't there with their magic wands, waving their problems away. A shelter is merely a place to spend the night -- first come, first served. With the pandemic, shelters are less populated because of social distancing, which means more people on the street. NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard) runs rampant, with people not wanting the homeless on the streets, but not wanting them in supportive or transitional housing in their communities either. Kicking the can and letting some other community deal with the homeless is not the answer either. I understand that many homeless are lacking in social skills, life skills and/or personal hygiene. But someone who is mentally ill and/or a substance abuser AND homeless isn't going to look like a million bucks and have the social graces that sane, sober/clean people do. A big problem is that those who've never been on the streets are trying to help those who are. Like anything in life, you don't completely understand what someone's been through unless you've been through it yourself. So there is a huge disconnect between those who are on the streets and those who think they can help without having spent a single day and night there. I've taught churches what foods and personal care products to give to the homeless. One church wanted to include a big bottle of liquid detergent, not understanding that many people have everything they own in one backpack. Give them travel-size detergent and personal care products. Don't give microwavable items. There are no microwaves in the trees in the park, and convenience stores and hospitals won't let you use theirs. Don't give perishable foods. Pretty obvious, but yogurt or salad can go bad very quickly in hot weather. Give canned items with pull tops. Not everyone has can openers. Don't dismiss medical conditions or food allergies. Don't give a diabetic a bag full of candy, or someone allergic to peanuts a jar of peanut butter or a Butterfinger. I am allergic to fish and shellfish, and I've dealt with food bank personnel who insisted on giving me tuna sandwiches until I got the manager involved. I look back on what I learned on the streets, and it has given me survival skills that will serve me well when there's a natural disaster. But until those who want to help the homeless/mentally ill start listening to those who've been there, they will indeed be chess pieces and photo ops for politicians running for election and trying to impress voters with all that they've done to help the homeless and mentaly ill, when the truth is they've done next to nothing. Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, falls into that category. Los Angeles will host the Summer Olympics in 2028. It cannot have Skid Row in downtown and encampments all over Southern California. But the light bulb has not come on for him.
@@ericandsarahsmom1000 I hear you. I'm with you. I've worked as a peer in mental health and I have a sister who car camped and lived under bridges and hopped trains, due to dual diagnosis. I've experienced severe discrimination and severe abuse due to my diagnosis (which I was given while dosed on hallucinogens after reporting trafficking) and abusers being able to use that against me. Sadly I know how awful people can be, even family members will take advantage of vulnerabilities. I'll keep listening. I want to do the best I can to help in what ways I'm able.
I also think people can learn a lot by watching invisible people.
I was a care provider for both my mother (Alzheimer's) and my youngest brother (schizophrenia). They were both beautiful people. I identified with this video. We all had the good life. I feel blessed.
good for you! it is families that should be involved closely in thier lives. who else even cares about them? usually no one but them.
This is the solution.
I once met my a person who became schizophrenic during his freshman year in college. He was an only child and, from what I was told, was once a smart, outgoing, All-American kid. This person was on medication but was frail, aloof and insecure. By going out with the guys, he tried to act like his former self but failed badly. That was 30 years ago. I wonder what happened to him.
It's heartbreaking to learn how people with mental health issues are allowed to just fall through the cracks.
There needs to be full accountability and proper care.
No, these are ADULT AMERICAN CITIZENS
WITH A RIGHT TO LIVE THEIR LIVES
The kind of care he was getting at the end of this show was what each at the group home should be getting. There needs to be more support. Those who need full day support aren't ready to live alone. All needs to be documented for accountability and reviewed (for independent living).
families also need to group together though, there should be living spaces that are complexes that have a few helpers for the families and they all take care of each other. Families not being there for thier members, and being isolated instead of grouping together with others, is part of the problem. it would become like a huge family. instead o f uncaring paid strangers who come and go and get changed around, , and a system that is cold, don't know them, and loses track.
My boyfriend of thirty years died at the age of sixty because he fell through all the cracks in the mental health system. 💔
@@alysononoahu8702 I mean the guy was doing naked karate in the snow he should have someone to help integrate him not just dump him off to take care of Schizophrenic Woody Allen, that situation was doomed to fail for both of them
FRONTLINE, Thank you for sharing the stories of these vulnerable people. Our mental health care system needs a complete overhaul.
Just My Opinion so does our “health care” system.
@@lisajohnson6351 So true. Yes, our health care system needs an overhaul also.
🤦
families should do more of this and stick together a lot better. also group together with others in supportive apartment complexes with the family members and other families. A larger support system of people familiar with each other and such issues etc. More eyes to see and ears to hear...
The family just shouldn't abandon their own people.
Frontline / PBS are the most trusted name in news .
My mother was brilliant, funny, accomplished. She also had MS. Too early in life, she COULD NOT drive or walk, sit up, play tennis, sail, hook a bra, pull a sheet of cookies out of the oven.....on and on and on. As a child, I wanted her to be able to do all these things, and because she was trim and fit and the picture of health, I implored her to try....EVERY thing that my aunts did, my teachers, my friends' mothers...even my mother's own mother could run upstairs, garden, travel, strap on her own wrist watch. I WANTED my mother to be well and to be ABLE. But it was IMPOSSIBLE. These people are no different....and the social warriors and gurus (damn them) who want these men and women to be free and to fend for themselves and "live a normal life"-------it is not possible. It is IMPOSSIBLE, and we must acknowledge that "freedom" and "independence" are not viable aspirations, let alone solutions for the mentally ill. It is inhumane, dangerous, IMPOSSIBLE.......like saying to my mother "we're leaving for the week, good luck." Accept that there are people in independent, free-wheeling, fun, prosperous America, who simply need HELP ALL THE TIME.
Bless you💯🌹❤️
So empathize with every word.
@@mgmassey174 And bless you back.
The right to deny care is what needs to stop it’s insane in and of itself to expect these people to be on thier own
They need interdependence and community care from their own community.
They need to be free from the dangerous paternalism of institutions and the able bodied/minded. Even the freedom from the paternalism of their own familes, since so many are murdered and abused by those closest to them. That is just a common pattern in general murder.
They would know themselves and their own needs best after all. Not all people a have a consistent variation in ability, some are more capable to be community pillars. For example, blind really can lead the blind, there are variations of blindness as there are variations of autism. Disability and ability is not black and white.
@melelconquistador I don't see how leaving those who are so ill that they cannot live independently in the care of those with the same illness is any better than paternalism or neglect.
33 dead 39 back in supported housing That is almost 10% of 776 NOT a "small percentage"
I have mental illness and I am 10 minutes in and I must say what I found most important in my recovery was having a good support system where someone checks up on me and being introduced to other ppl struggling with mental illness going through the recovery process.
But I am one of those well recovered ppl. Some ppl may not have that chance. God bless and heal everyone.
C.E J hang in there stand strong god will help
C.E J yep.
And just the basics of life, shelter, food, structure...and someone who cares about you.
are you able to volunteer or be a part time aide or anything? you have a good amount of understanding for it.
This was the greatest rip off to me before I was stabilized on medication- I wasted my SSDI lump sum, and the social worker told people who were encouraging me to save the money that “she has the right to fail”. Thank god I got found by OSDRI and the PVD VA!
If only ever television station was like PBS... No BS, no commercials, just investigative journalism.
This really hits home as I have a mother with Bipolar, I suspect it is partially schizophrenia also, and this is very insightful so far for me. It is difficult and a hard pill to swallow which is something I'm still dealing with so thank you for posting this during a time where mental illness is probably higher than it's ever been with what has been going on in the world right now.
Bipolar 1 and 2 are categorized by the person's level of depression and manic states. Those with type 1 have longer manic periods. When these manic episodes lead to paranoia and sensory delineation , it's called schizo-affective disorder. A severe form of bi-polar affective disorder. A separate disorder from schizophrenia, the disease.
Sorry man I feel your pain
@@damonlee226 Regardless, Severe Mental Illness of either is LIFE-THREATENING...and this is REAL JOURNALISM. A!nd THIS NEEDS TO BE AMPLIFIED
I had a boyfriend with the same. I tried to help him the best I knew how. I gave him what I had and never put him down. After three years of living with him I couldn't take no more verbal abuse. We broke up I loved him with all my heart just felt I couldn't help him. It broke my heart. Sadly he is dead now, I just wish I could have done more for him. It's been five years since we were together, I still find it hard to move on. I push myself to date again and keep a positive attitude. I feel like I lost my husband.
does ur mom hav a legal guardian,it important to get cotrect DX, schizoeffective disorder is a combo or schizo/ bipolar mood disorder..
And it's not just the mentally ill losing rights.I've watched neighbors age and family force them out of their homes and into institutions where they suffered and died. I'm an odd person, I live in an odd way. So as I got older I distanced myself from my family in order to lower the risk of being forced into an institution. I had a successful career, retired early, have a very happy life. It's really strange that I could earn a great living because my odd way of thinking allowed me to create new products people loved to buy, but that society might eventually force me into an institution because of that difference once valued.
What different about u if u behave in strange ways that are dangerous then yes if u just unique strange like me no
The folks who care for these people are truly beautiful human beings. I can’t help but think about the nearly 1 trillion dollars we spend on defense when at the same time we fail to care for our most vulnerable.
What are we defending?
How much sense does it make to give someone the power/right to make their own choices if they can't understand the ramifications of their choices or even what they're choosing?
krejados1 actually it makes total sense in 2020, its the new normal.
I think the point is to have the choice regardless of ability- in a way passing the buck on the individual with the illness- holding them responsible at the same time washing their( government etc)hands of the results.
Ppl have the right to make their own choices, regardless of their mental ,social, physical ability. However, ppl who need help/ guidance have the right to do so and not be victimized.
I’m with you krejados1. In Seattle, we are growing crops of “Nestor Bunchs.” We are supporting programs that enable drug users until they feel like getting treatment.
That premise presupposes the street drugs people take regularly will be pure or non-toxic.
Nestor Bunch states he suffers from DRUG INDUCED schizophrenia.
It kills me that in Seattle, we embrace policies that allow people to make their own choices when they are mentally ill and on drugs and alcohol because we don’t want to infringe on their rights.
It should never be the responsibility of a roommate who is also mentally challenged, to babysit the other roommate.
While it may sound wonderful to allow these individuals to have "agency" despite them being mentally incapable of doing so, it's not just an issue of them being able to take care of themselves, but also whether they are a danger to others. The neighbor noted that she was concerned about the guy with diabetes burning their building down. While it may be his choice to decline assistance, is it in the best interest of both that gentleman AND his neighbors?
I used to work for a company called Looking upwards in Rhode Island which was a bunch of different group homes for mentally and physically disabled adults. I was a case manager for 3 ppl 1 was very high functioning but had a lot of suicidal ideations and also many suicidal attempts the 2nd man was a blind deaf mute with down syndrome he was my favorite such a sweet passive man and the 3rd had no mental disability but was physically disabled due to severe rheumatoid arthritis that severely disfigured him to the point he couldn't walk and needed round the clock care. All of them had been in the Ladd School which was closed down for severe abuse. Being their case manager I had to read their entire medical and mental health records. The things these ppl had been through and endured is beyond heartbreaking i had broke down many many times reading their records. I'm not trying to stick up for the actions of the mental health workers in this video I'm just trying to lend some insight. A lot of times our hands are tied due to certain laws that don't allow us to get these ppl the care and help we know they need. Also this job was THE MOST demanding job i have ever worked and is very physically mentally and emotionally wearing. The mental health system in this country has come a long way but there's still a long road ahead there's no easy answer and no easy fix for this system and unfortunately improvements will and do happen only through trial and error which sadly is usually through the detriment of the patients in this system. It's very sad and very unfortunate and i can only hope and pray we get it right and do so fast.
I don't know if they are the right terms.
Seems like there is alot of issues with atomization and neglect as a result of institutional paternalism.
What about community care through interdependence on their own community given sufficient resources for said communities to determine allocation for appropriate accommodations that meet variations of needs they would understand through experiences.
Joaquin Sapien did a great job documenting this story. Please do more throughout the entire 🇺🇸 and a followup on Right To Fail. This needs addressing ❤
The fact that there is no profit made helping these people, nothing will be done
These people need supervision. we had one guy in our normal complex with severe mental illness in a regular apartment, he was tearing the sheetrock off the walls all over the place. he would be yelling and hammering it all night. the lady living downstairs had diabetes and she kept trying to get the management to stop him. He kept it up for months til she was hospitalized with her diabetes going off the charts, from this stress and no sleep. They later inspected his apartment and found the walls all torn apart with huge holes you could walk thru. That was some BAD apartment management.
Why not call the police?
Im so glad to have watched this. I suffer from mental illness and I often wonder what would happen to me in my later years. Its so scary. Thank you for your journalism. Its definitely open up eyes.
You will be murder on the streets doing drugs
As someone who has struggled with my own mental illnesses and have plenty of family and friends who also struggle I firmly believe that some people just aren't mentally stable enough to live on their own. The fact that they were letting schizophrenic people out on their own who were refusing to take their meds is seriously dangerous to the person suffering but also to the people around them. It doesn't benefit anyone to abandon the mentally ill under the guise of well they wanted to live on their own. Some people aren't able to make clear, conscious, safe decisions for themselves so they need family to advocate for them and in the absence of family the government needs to step in.
Many years ago I spoke to an elementary school teacher who was a couple years from retirement. So she had students that were well into adulthood. She said that she could tell which children were going to have problems and that she usually turned out to be right. But there is absolutely nothing in place to help the child and no support for the family. We really need, as a society, to help from the beginning to provide support for the family and help for each child, individually, so they can find their place and live a happy life.
D'Ann Sherstone yeah but how?
@@seka1986 I sat on a parent's association at an elementary school that fought for years to have a child physiologist available to the school. They finally got one - it took about 12 years! Every school should have a support team of experts to help the children and their families. Helping children - protecting children - supporting or confronting the families would make a huge difference.
@@dannsherstone1037 What they do instead is turn the family over to the CPS system, which accuses and stigmatizes parents in order for a child to get help. Often they separate a non-abused child into foster care rather than help that child at home.
@@Cuinn837 Yes
Regarding "But there is absolutely nothing in place to help the child and no support for the family." This is not a true statement. I've worked in social services for some time now and it's an insult to people working in these systems to suggest they are doing "absolutely nothing" and provide "no support" for people seeking services. Finger pointing with a hands off perspective is neither relevant nor helpful. In my experience, the most resources are available for children and families, less so for adult individuals. Perhaps you meant to say there are criteria to be met OR long wait lists OR services are not keeping up with the endless stream of potential clients. That said, the system and funds are finite.
Wow. Life is hard. We need to look out for each other. 🥺💜
You just figured this out, Ellen?
In a society where the citizenry will not protect others by simply wearing a facial covering, don't expect too much of that.
That's what it comes down to, really. It's ridiculous that we make that so hard.
In a nasty wage slave society, life is always hard. Wage slave ur life away in the USA.
This is so freaking sad.. and it’s even worse than the documentary covers. There’s countless people like this who have ZERO help at all…
We need to fix this problem… it’s so insanely f*cked up at this point and only getting worse.
So glad Nestor has Nora...What a blessing!!
This is true journalism! Thank you for caring about people and pursuing the truth and what's happening with people who have fallen through the cracks of society and a system that has not been what is needed to transition and help people have independence, but not be left without assistance. Many of our citizens that are homeless, need help to live as independently as possible, but not completely left on their own completely without help. This shows though the difficult situation agencies have when people want independence but still need help. More and more people are homeless, and we need to come up with a better solution to help people. 😢 ❤
As a Case Worker in NYC that frequently that works with people with disabling medical and mental health conditions , I'm appalled by the lack of care and services these people are provided with once they leave adult homes and shelters. I will most certainly think twice before considering supportive housing with my clients unless they can already demonstrate some ability to live independently. It seems to me as if the screening process for Supportive Housing eligibility is flawed in some cases as well. In order to qualify for the program a battery of psychiatric and or medical evaluations are needed. Its mind boggling to think that even after all of that, their placement in Supportive Housing may still be incompatible with their level of functioning.
Yes, we know
Aww...."...it was the 1st time I felt human, in years!". My ❤
The journalistic integrity is unquestionable and very much appreciated. The problems are systemic, the multiple layers of bureaucracy are unsustainable and complicit. We as a nation have decided that we don't want to take care of the most vulnerable and delicate of our society. All of this can be attributed to economics and greed.
The reason a person like Nestor and folks like him cannot receive the proper care that they need and deserve is due to a complete lack of moral priorities, recently on display when a $1.7 trillion tax brake was provided to a segment of our society which does not need more monetary wealth. We are failing to act humanely as a race - because of excessive and unabated greed. It's the saddest part of our countries journey, yet inextricably linked to our fate. Capitalism, just like feudalism, will cease to exist, principally because it's not working for the masses, but I digress!
Who does the voiceovers for Frontline? He has a great voice.
Will Lyman
Morgan Freeman is my personal choice for voiceover work.
Story of my workplace… 44 years for me, and counting yet…
A former boss used to use the “Right to Fail” to excuse ceasing what we’d been doing to ease the burdens of the clients, get them prepared to even cross a street correctly, eat with a spoon, use a fork instead of fingers, wear clothing….
That person is gone now. I’m still doing the work. I’m not stopping, not ceasing my care, not giving up on making a difference. I’m not lazy…(much…), and I couldn’t be a boss if I wanted to be.
People have value.
We all have worth.
Poor choices, made because folks can’t see the consequences of options, only hurt like getting hit by a car. (Yes, I’ve been twice hit by a car… The analogy works!)
In no way will I let one of my clients take their chances and find out whether they or an automobile bumper is more durable. NOPE.
Not on my watch.
“Look Both Ways Out There Now!!”
Nestor seems like such a sweet person under his illness. So sad
Crystal Laner yeah he is a good guy, you can tell.
so good hearted. want's to make people laugh and smile. a sweet innocence too. I hope he as more community that can help him more soon. Thank god for his mothers friend who is basically like his earth angel.
The not so sweet ones probably end up in prison.
I liked him instantly too.
Just because people move out of sight doesn't mean that the abuse stops. Both ways have pros and cons. There is no perfect way to handle this.
I don't want the right to fail. I want support so I can go back to work part time.
Right to fail and least restrictive environment do not help the people in need.
The only question is will anybody want to accept you. I mean I appreciate your courage but you need to be in tune with the reality.
The exposure of the state hospitals back in the 50's and 60's was a crucial time. A very bad decision by the state and public was made, and these critical institutions were shut down. They should have modernized and overhauled these important places of care. Too many were thrown into independent living and unable to transition properly. Ending up on the streets homeless, and unable to comply with doctors medicinal treatment. Now nowhere to go, like a state hospital, for complete long term psychiatric care. These severely ill people end up in today's largest mental illness supervision, being US prisons.
Many blame Reagan, but they really should blame Jack Nicholson for his movie, 'One Flew Over The Coocoo Nest'. It's that movie and the corruption it portrayed that turned the public against mental institutions. That resulted putting these people on the streets.
@@bonanzatime money is at the root of this evil. I worked in mental health for a number of years and I believe I have a few insights to the reasoning. Follow the money, it's always about money. Institutions require a larger amount then one might believe.
@@gaylemc2692 So Nurse Ratchet wants more money. Ha ha isn't that a kick in the balls..
@@gaylemc2692 "the love" of money is the root not money
It's important to remember that a lot of these institutions were legitimately terrible and deserved to be shut down (and it's not all in the past tense, some of these institutions still exist today and people are still trapped in them), but they should have been replaced with better homes that gave people access to the community while still providing them with the proper supports
I happen to be mentally disabled myself and I rent a section 8 apartment in West Hartford CT. I’m not sure what my mental disability is but I was well qualified for the apartment and I’m punctual with paying my rent for every month.
I don't understand why they don't have a place for those who can't function outside.
It seems inhumane to expect a drastically mentally ill individual to live alone or with a roommate who is only marginally better.
It's as if we just throw these people away. Or lock them away. It's sad.
It is inhumane. Ppl treat animals better. Ppl should at least be treated as good as someone treats their cat or dog they call their family...yet they leave mom outside to die!
If Abraham refuses care he should be removed from the apt. He's a danger to himself & others. Could burn down bldg.!
Exactly. I just wrote an annoyingly long comment about the horrors my friend has been going thru since the landlord started getting $6 per mentally ill person who signs a lease & moves in.
@@dollymadison2397 yep. Everything is the landlord’s fault.
Who's paying his rent? Must be someone else if he doesn't even know how long he's been there
Prayers to Nester Bunch & all those presented here and all Who suffered mental illness yet desire and need or a want to be independent
Once again, thank you for allowing this to be viewed in Canada :)
It’s nice frontline is on RUclips now and putting up their entires episodes so ppl outside the US who don’t have PBS can watch.
@@brittanyadams217 I agree. I enjoy my videos and documentaries where I can learn something. PBS seems to scratch that itch for me up in Canada.
Guess who pays for PBS.
You can also stream PBS's Frontline (Nova, POV, etc) directly from their website. In case the episode u want to view isn't on RUclips.
Hats off to Frontline PBS! Thank you.
DC has adult independent living for the disabled, seniors, and mentally ill. A case worker takes them shopping, to doctors appointments, manage their finances, and makes sure their expenses are paid. They also make home visits. The funding for these programs need to be increased and the yearly audits needed to be conducted to report the success or failures. Some of the mentally ill need 24 hour supervision because they can’t live on their own. They should be housed with people who share the same illnesses they do.
We get paid so little for what we do too
I have mental illness and it has caused to be homeless this year. I am staying with a friend right now but I keep watching all my favorite shows on the channel over again so that I can keep learning new things that my mind thinks about other than my own things in my mind.
My child will always need care. This is a mothers worst nightmare what happened to these gentlemen. Its almost to much to take in. These are our most vaurnable. We are nothing as a society to do this to them.
If people who have a strong support network from family, etc suffer I can't imagine someone who is alone. Shame on the city. These are the most vulnerable.
I want to tell you why this is a problem:
An EDP (emotionally disturbed person) recently set his apartment on fire, and then shot 8 times into his door. Luckily, no one was hurt.
These people need to be taken care of properly, but they cannot be around the general public if they are a danger to themselves, or others.
Bernard's case broke my heart. They should have been giving more information to his brother, since he had been a police officer. There was a lot that seemed suspicious in his case because everyone kept "passing the buck". I have depression & am highly functioning, but many people like Nestor & Bernard need special care and you would think a volunteer would take time & at least sit with them in a day & observe them to give caregivers a little more insight into their situations. Anyhow, this documentary was very good. TY for sharing it. God Bless You & stay safe.
This documentary moved me deeply; I wish could do more for people who suffer from mental and physical challenges.
My younger sister has been “ disabled “ since birth. She spent 8 months in a psychiatric hospital. She always lived at home with my parents. When they died she was moved into a group home and was “
taught certain skills but could never hold a job. Eventually she was deemed ok to have her own apartment. The family knew this was a mistake. After living alone for a while she allowed a mentally ill man into her life and apartment. She ended up not allowing the family to interfere in her life. Long story short she ended up in the hospital and she finally reconnected with the family. The guy had used all her SSI money and the apartment was filthy she hadn’t washed the sheets in the bed for God knows how long the toilet was so filthy no one could use it. She was eating junk. She forgot how to bath and wash her hair. Finally the family got together and told her in no certain terms that man had to go because he wasn’t suppose to be in her apt. We connected with the powers that be and told them she was incapable of living on her own. She was moved out to the country side and lives in a very nice mobile home park with a caregiver that makes sure she is taken care of. These type of disabled people are not able to live on their own I do not care what government or state laws have on the books. It would be like saying a 5 year old should be allowed to live on their own because then they would have complete liberty to live as they want. Maybe the real motive behind this freedom is knowing these people will not succeed there by dying early and freeing the state from fiscal responsibility. God help these poor souls who have no family or friends to check on them.
Frontline does the best documentaries and reporting I have ever seen. They go deep, as deep as one can go through investigative reporting.
If Abraham, who is severely mentally ill, is saying that he can’t live on his own and wants to be in a group home, freaking listen to him
Nestor looks so much better with his new hair cut! Good for him!
I have a child with schizophrenia. My state, Illinois failed him. Sent to Mimneapolis, MN, for 5yrs we lost contact with him until he was found living in a "Living Assistance Home." Minnesota takes "very good care of their mentally ill." My son takes the bus to Illinois, then public transportation, by himself, to visit me. However, my observation is he can never live independently. He forgets he's cooking, wants to leave the house at wee hours of the morning in search for cigarettes, and he will not take his Scheduled medications. He wants to come home and live with me but I am elderly and past experience has taught me his illness is more than I can endure. I love him dearly but, our Creator placed him where there are professionals to see to his needs and lifted such a burden off me. THANK YOU so kindly MINNEAPOLIS, MN!!
How did the state fail? It was up to you to get him the care he needed. You lost contact? Seriously? Awful parent
@@dcg590 Do you have a severely mentally ill schizophrenic child that you have lived with and cared for? If not - you do not know what you are talking about. But yes, yours is the typical response. After all this mother has been through and is going through I am sure it really helps to be called a terrible parent. Really helpful.
I know because I am in her shoes. Just another terrible parent who has tried everything. Whose child refuses meds whenever they are out of the hospital. Who is also old and alone and cannot endure the chaos, the threats and intimidation, the filth, the sleepless nights every night.. So you calling us names really is the least of our problems. But it still hurts. So bravo to you for that.
it's obvious to me that at least part of the problem is that all the people on the provider side are still viewing these peoples' treatment as an either/or proposition. either we take away their liberty or we leave them to grind to a halt. _it doesn't have to be that way._ you don't have to step on someone's dignity to provide them with care, and you don't have to abandon them to prevent their freedom being erased. you absolutely could do the right thing, here. _there is absolutely a right way to be doing this._ you just have to choose to do it.
I can't imagine it being that simple. How do care for a person with schizophrenia while respecting their dignity, even as they are adamently refusing your care? Making the choice to provide dignified care seems to be merely the first step of a long, arduous process; a process few people seem interested in investing in given the marganized groups at stake.
Henco Kotze , EXACTLY!
Like every American with rights, there must be accountability. If a mentally ill person is unable to keep their home safe and clean, and they are unable to stay in compliance...which is the #1 requirement to continue receiving benefits under Social Security Disability. Compliance is seeing their doctors , and home visits from designated social workers. The NYC right to fail is a joke...and visit after visit at a psych ward is not acceptable for outpatients independent living.
zEropoint68 how about telling us the right way.
Oh you sweet summer child. I see everyone outside the system saying things like this with no understanding of what a system like that would require.
Try working to care for people in this system who demand the right to fail and see how far that “obvious” answer gets you.
I'm struggling in England with drug addiction. I have a prescription, but as said (in a round about way) near the end of this, if he gets better his help will drop off. Like me here, so you have to play the system to keep the help there, but then it looks like you have never gotten better or getting better.
Good luck, good documentary & be safe.
✌🏼🇬🇧
Who is the journalist on this piece? I probably missed his name a couple of times early on but he did a great job here.
Joaquin Sapien , who works for ProPublica.
Joaquin Phoenix, from The Joker.
I wanted to scream out loud at around minute 50:00 or so. If a patient is doing well with added support, then the support that is helping them do well can be removed. Life is an interdependent web of existence, life thrives through symbiosis. Nestor is such a sweet man. It's so horrifying to think of him being found on the street in the cold. Where is the dignity of the other gentlemen in being left to roam freely and naked and to die and be found without clothing, or any of the supports or help he needs to survive? This is an absolutely heartbreaking state of systematic dysfunction and disorder. Additional support that helps people thrive, needs to be continuous and consistent. We know better, we know enough to understand this as fellow human beings, that our survival depends on interrelationships.
This documentary can be viewed through many different ways. This shows me that there are still good people in this world and we all deserve to live our best life.
seriously, you dont see the dangerous negkect and bad choices of private non orofit( making millions of these patients) they r not cared for.. we need to reopen state hospitals!! amd ensure their safety..
This is what journalism is suppose to do
Investigate social problems not only from a factual point of view but also from a moral point of view.
This are complex problems and deserve a historical,analytical and moral analysis.
Terrifying. My loved one will NEVER suffer this level of “independence “.
Ok I will fund pbs if quality content like this is produced 👌
josh simpson We know you’re all talk.
I’ve donated my last three vehicles. It’s an easy way to donate.
Where Have You Been front line has been around for years doing tremendous work on PBS
If PBS is so good, let the public decide who they want to fund OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKET!!!
@@larrypriser4354 lol dude I comment all the time to defund pbs partisan bullshit
This specific documentary had absolutely no partisanship. Only journalism.
Thats my point lol
I live in the UK and our own NHS Mental Health Service fails people too much, watching this was an eye opener as to how far that failure goes. At the root of the issue though I would guess is money, or the lack of. It would seem that some second world nations, even third world nations are better equipped to deal with those suffering mental health issues, most would be down to strong family and community structures which we in the west seem to have lost.. Credit to the Journalist who took a path less travelled these days by people in his profession
3rd world nations actually care about there elderly. They are much better than so called 1st world nations. They have respect, a conscious and a "you took are of me, now I will take care of you." This is unheard of in so-called 3rd world countries/continents.
They care about the elderly in 3rd world countries, but not the mentally ill. Big difference.
the problem with Right to Fail is that it ends up being the rest of society that has to deal with and pay for the failure.
In uk we had homes of care emptied and went to 'care in the community '
People were not used to living on their own and dropped off the radar, they got,off meds or didn't take them or abused them. Houses taken over by addicts and dealers. Think this greatly contributed to the homelessness in countries this happened in & still happening.
Mr Watto I think that’s happening is USA too
This absolutely has me in tears. This goes on each and every day! Care and Health Workers neglect and/or abuse these poor people, in AMERICA!!! People please, check in on your loved ones a lot, do surprise checks. Let me make it clear that these Adults are treated like they are not human. If you love your relative then PLEASE, don't let them be alone in this cruel world! God bless them
all. I wanted to volunteer for a nursing home and because I loved the Patients, spent time with all of them, shared love, hugs, listened to them, played music and sang with them, they let me go. I know they were afraid of me reporting them for the all too often neglect. These people were once someones child... I can't write anymore. This really angers me and breaks my heart at the same time. Do some volunteering to help others. Show humanity because God forbid, one day, it may be you walking in their shoes, and I would not wish this on anyone! God bless them all! Lonliness itself, can kill people. It happens every day!
The Americans always abandon their own people.
This isn't compassion or letting people have freedom its cheaper to ignore them
This is so complex and overwhelming just how these people feel daily. 😪
Sadly, there are just some people who can't just be left alone and expected to completely care for themselves. I feel that just letting them fail, or whatever is unkind, maybe I just actually care about these people, but I feel we as a society have a moral obligation to help. They're humans and they deserve better than being ignored and neglected.
But where do you draw the line between "helping" and "taking someone's liberties away?" Especially if the person is rejecting the help?
Typical stuttering nervous CEO sittings in the frying pan, great real reporting PBS. Bravo.
Thanks again,Wonka luv.
We need more people around like Nora she really looks out for him as if he was her own son I know his mom is happy that she left here knowing she made a life long friend to keep an eye out for him