Every day, Maureen Francella visits her son Steven at a psychiatric hospital and every day, he asks if he can come home.
“Are you taking me home yet? Am I better now? Did I break things? Are you angry with me?” he asks his mother.
“It’s tough to leave him. I have to say, ‘I can’t bring you home,’” Francella, told Global News.
Steven, 36, has severe autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and he often experiences moments of stress and frustration, becoming violent towards himself and others.
Francella and her husband, who are both 60, are unable to take care of him at home. He currently resides at psychiatric ward at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton, Ont.
Steven was brought to the emergency room after a particularly bad episode, and Francella had him admitted to the psychiatric ward for what was supposed to be a short stopover before a long-term care facility. He’s been there for 14 months.
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Francella is terrified Steven will never get into another care facility, given the long wait times and limited space.
“We’ve been [on the wait-list] for a very long time, long before he was ever admitted to [the emergency room],” she said.
It’s a reality for dozens of families across Canada: Once a child turns 18 — an adult in the eyes of the government — they typically lose access to a lot of government funding and services intended for children. Autism services are currently a provincial jurisdiction, but many adults like Steven end up in psychiatric wards where they don’t get the care they need.
Steven’s mom is terrified he will never get into another care facility, given the long wait times and limited space. (Photo courtesy of the Francella family)
Courtesy of the Francella family
For a few years, Steven lived in a group home during the week, going home to his parents on the weekend. The arrangement worked for three years, but then Steven started becoming more violent, self-injurious and prone to destruction of property. He was home one weekend with his mom and a support worker when things took a turn.
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“I was putting groceries away and he was sitting on the sofa, interacting with his support worker,” Francella said. “He suddenly got up, started biting himself, hitting the walls, [he] broke the television and smashed the lamp. He tried to put his head through patio doors.
“We looked at the damages and [his injuries] and his support worker said to me, ‘Maureen, you can’t continue to do this.’”
Francella couldn’t give Steven the type of care he needed, but she doesn’t think the psychiatric ward is the right place for him either.
“The number one treatment of patients [at the psychiatric hospital] is medication, but Steven has been overly sensitive to all medications he’s ever taken in the past, even Tylenol,” said Francella. “He’s been given very large doses of a number of medications here, [and none] had a positive impact.”
In the clinical setting of a hospital, Francella said Steven is also missing out on the type of human interaction and socialization he craves.
“He should be in a supported home of his own [and] that could look … many different ways,” she said.
Mainly, Francella said Steven needs a safe and comfortable home that offers 24-hour support.
The age of 18 isn’t a ‘magic number’
Many types of autism support greatly decrease or even stop altogether when a person turns 18. According to Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, senior clinician scientist at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto, this is the wrong approach.
“Autism is a developmental condition. By definition, you don’t stop having autism when you turn 18,” she told Global News. “There’s [nothing] magical about the number 18. People a day under 18 will get quite a bit of service, and the day they turn 18, the services start decreasing rapidly.
“The adult sector is not as well-developed as the childhood sector for autism.”
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In her view, there need to be way more support available for adults with autism, and among other things, they should address housing, employment, healthcare and recreation.
“What is a good life for a person with autism? … All the things that we consider to be part of a good life when we don’t have autism,” said Anagnostou.
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“There is a cliff parents talk about after their kids transition out of their childhood system, and it comes from this lack of a well-developed adult sector that meets the needs of the kids so that they can have a good life.”
1:43 Halloween both challenging and rewarding for people with autism
Halloween both challenging and rewarding for people with autism
Without these services, families can experience burnout and people on the spectrum can fall through the cracks.
It can also lead adults with autism to homelessness and other risky situations.
“We know that people with autism are over-represented in our homeless population. We know that people with autism are over-represented in long-term care facilities,” she said.
There’s very little data on autism in homeless populations, but a 2011 survey conducted in Wales by the National Autistic Society Cymru reported that 12 per cent of their adult participants disclosed being homeless at some point in their lives.
“It’s fair to say that the sector is experiencing quite a bit of distress. The families are experiencing quite a bit of distress and [so are] the individuals with autism,” Anagnostou said.
Transitioning to adulthood
When a person with autism turns 18, a lot of things in their life change very suddenly.
Community worker Jennifer Bodiguel, the co-ordinator of the Transitioning to Adulthood program at New Heights School & Learning Services in Calgary, says continuity of care can make a world of difference.
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“Going from childhood into adulthood, almost everything changes,” said Bodiguel. “You don’t have your pediatrician, you don’t have your high school teachers, you don’t have some of the funding childhood gets you.”
1:53 Families say adults with autism need more support
Families say adults with autism need more support
The Transitioning to Adulthood program aims to lessen the blow, and “almost all” of the students at New Heights have signed up.
“Clearly, the parents are really wanting support,” Bodiguel said. “I look at our transition program as a bridge [to supports that are out there].”
The program focuses on four main areas: employment, education, independent living and social environments.
“The thing about individuals with autism is that they [typically] thrive in routine and fear the unknown. Graduation and adulthood is the ultimate fear of the unknown. They haven’t a clue what’s next,” she said.
Bodiguel often finds herself accompanying members of the program to outreach programs or job fairs, just to help them feel comfortable with someone they recognize nearby.
“I’m just trying to be that familiar face for them [so they can] access what’s actually out there.”
Call for a national strategy
There are gaps in care throughout the system, but according to Autism Canada, the major problems are the availability of post-secondary programs, employment, innovative housing solutions, mental health support and support with medical health conditions commonly associated with autism.
Mental health support is crucial. Seventy per cent of individuals on the spectrum have a comorbid mental health condition (like anxiety, depression, psychosis and suicidality), with 40 per cent having two or more disorders.
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“For a family with a young child, they may be able to choose between a handful of early-intervention or social skills programs in their community. However, as one grows up, the selection decreases significantly if available at all,” Autism Canada said in a statement to Global News.
2:31 Unvaccinated: How ‘vaccine hesitancy’ became a threat to public health
Unvaccinated: How ‘vaccine hesitancy’ became a threat to public health
The group is a national coalition of organizations and individuals committed to securing a federal strategy for ASD funding and policies, and it has spent the last 12 years creating a recommendation for the government.
According to CASDA chair Debbie Irish, the current system — which calls on each province to create its own autism strategy — results in inconsistent care for Canadians with autism, varying widely between jurisdictions and leaving whole communities vulnerable.
Francella agrees — the government needs to make drastic changes, and fast.
“It’s extremely traumatic to go day in, day out, knowing that nothing is changing and being scared every day that Steven might end up being here for a very long period of time,” said Francella.
“I believe the government should be supplying money to help everybody — not just autistic individuals — but anybody with a disability who requires a home. No one should have to remain in a hospital that doesn’t need to be in the hospital.
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“Every person out there should have the supports and services they need for their child, teenager or adult to live a happy independent life.”
Supporters of Vice-President Kamala Harris say they are devastated the Democratic party leader lost the United States presidential election. Harris was set to address Democrats at her alma mater Howard University in Washington, D.C. after conceding the race in a phone call with Donald Trump. (Nov. 6, 2024)
DETROIT (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin has won Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, giving Democrats a bittersweet victory in a swing state that also backed Republican President-elect Donald Trump in his successful bid to return to the White House.
Slotkin, a third-term representative, defeated former Republican congressman Mike Rogers. Democrats have held both Senate seats in Michigan for decades, but this year were left without retiring incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
Michigan’s was among a handful of Senate races Democrats struggled to defend. They lost their U.S. Senate majority despite Slotkin’s narrow win.
The race was incredibly close. Just minutes before it was called for Slotkin, she addressed supporters in Detroit, acknowledging that many voters may have cast their ballots for her while also supporting Trump, who won the state’s electoral votes over Democrat Kamala Harris.
“It’s my responsibility to get things done for Michiganders. No matter who’s in office, just as I did in President Trump’s first term,” said Slotkin. “I’m a problem solver and I will work with anyone who is actually here to work.”
Slotkin’s win provides some solace for Democrats in the state, many of whom entered Election Day with high confidence following sweeping victories in the 2022 midterms. Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer still controls the executive branch and Democrats held onto the Senate, but their state House majority was in peril.
And Republicans also captured a mid-Michigan seat vacated by Slotkin, considered one of the most competitive races in the country.
Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and third-term representative, launched her Senate campaign shortly after Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow announced her retirement in early 2023. With a largely uncontested primary, Slotkin built a significant fundraising advantage and poured it into advertising. Her high-profile supporters included former President Barack Obama and Stabenow, who helped her on the campaign trail.
On the Republican side, Rogers faced multiple challengers for the party’s nomination, including former Reps. Justin Amash and Peter Meijer, the latter of whom withdrew before the Aug. 6 primary. Rogers served in the U.S. House from 2001 to 2015 and chaired the House Intelligence Committee.
Trump won Michigan in 2016 by just over 10,000 votes, marking the first time a Republican presidential candidate had secured the state in nearly three decades. This time, he expanded that margin to about 80,000 votes.
Slotkin and other Michigan Democrats focused much of their campaigns on reproductive rights, arguing that Republican opponents would back a national abortion ban, although Rogers said he wouldn’t. How effectively the issue motivated voting in a state where reproductive rights were enshrined in the constitution by Michigan voters in 2022 remained to be seen on Election Day.
About 4 in 10 Michigan voters said the economy and jobs is the top issue facing the country, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 110,000 voters nationally, including about 3,700 voters in Michigan. About 2 in 10 Michigan voters said immigration is the most pressing issue, and roughly 1 in 10 named abortion.
Slotkin used her funding advantage to establish her narrative early, aiming to connect both with her base and disillusioned Republicans.
“For the Republicans who feel like their party has left them over the last few years, you will always have an open door in my office,” Slotkin said during their only debate.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fernando Valenzuela was remembered for “having the heart of a lion” throughout his stellar pitching career with the Los Angeles Dodgers during a funeral highlighting his Catholic faith on Wednesday.
Archbishop José Gomez sprinkled holy water on Valenzuela’s casket and later waved incense over it. Nearby a portrait of a smiling Valenzuela rested against the altar.
“His death came too soon,” the Rev. James Anguiano said in his sermon.
The public Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles included fans wearing Dodgers gear, some in Valenzuela’s No. 34 jersey. Many held up cell phones to record moments.
Valenzuela died on Oct. 22 at age 63, three days before the Dodgers began their eventual run to the franchise’s eighth World Series championship, beating the New York Yankees in five games last week. No cause of death was given.
“I really think Fernando hoped to witness the Dodgers win the World Series this year but you know he did witness the Dodgers as champions,” Anguiano said. “Fernando had a front-row seat, perfect from heaven.”
“I know like I’m standing here that Fernando is up there, he’s letting us know he’s doing well and he’s celebrating along with the Dodgers in their World Series championship,” said Mike Scioscia, who caught Valenzuela in many of his starts in 1981, including a five-hit shutout on Opening Day.
The Dodgers went on to win the World Series that year, in six games against the Yankees. The Mexican-born Valenzuela is the only player to earn the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season.
Scioscia, at times speaking in Spanish, eulogized Valenzuela for having “the heart of a lion.”
“He was 20-years-old in 1981 when he was going through Fernandomania and he just kept perspective the whole way,” Scioscia said. “Fernando never got too big for his britches. He was always well-grounded, he knew that he had a talent and he wanted to go out there and do it every time. He always felt he was the best in the world but he never told anybody about it.”
Fernando Valenzuela Jr. gave a tearful eulogy of his papá in Spanish, pausing to wipe his face with a white cloth. Valenzuela’s wife, Linda, and other children Ricardo, Linda and Maria sat in the front row, along with his grandchildren.
“Fernando no longer has to look up nor does he have to look down,” Anguiano said, referring to Valenzuela’s skyward glance during his unusual delivery. “Fernando is alive and present in our hearts and in our lives.”
The nine-member Mariachi Sol de Mexico played and sang throughout the service. It concluded with eight pallbearers ushering his casket covered in white roses to a waiting hearse.
Former Dodgers Orel Hershiser, Ron Cey, Reggie Smith, Jerry Reuss, Manny Mota, Justin Turner, Rick Sutcliffe, Nomar Garciaparra and Jesse Orosco were among the mourners. They were joined by former Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley, current president and CEO Stan Kasten, team COO Bob Wolfe, team general counsel Sam Fernandez and actor Edward James Olmos.
Valenzuela’s colleagues on the team’s Spanish-language broadcasts, Jaime Jarrín who retired in 2022 and, José Mota, were there.
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