By Ruth Limkin Yesterday was RU OK? day. It’s a brilliant, catchy way of reminding people to talk about depression, suicide, and getting help. We don’t really talk a lot about suicide, but we should, because it’s happening with a frightening regularity. The thing most likely to kill an Australian under 40 is themselves. That’s a devastating statistic. It takes my breath away sometimes when I … Continue reading R U (still) OK?
By Ruth Limkin The picture was confronting, a woman in a wedding dress, and hanging out of a window. A man’s arms were around her neck and shoulders. At first it was reminiscent of those uncomfortable ‘baby dangling’ photos of Michael Jackson several years ago. The look of distress on her face was clear. Yet the man, who at first glance seemed to be choking … Continue reading Broken brides
By Ruth Limkin I recently heard something that Hitler said, and I cannot escape it. I’ve reflected on it several times even today. It’s this….. “What luck for rulers that men do not think.” – Adolf Hitler. We are each given a portion of time, energy and influence with which to make a difference to those around us. We all have the opportunity to exercise … Continue reading What I learnt from Hitler
By Ruth Limkin I think often of a conversation I had last year with a woman whose daughter had a disability. She and I were sitting together at a lunch I attended. We got talking about the community research I was engaged in, and she shared about the very limited support available for parents raising children who required higher levels of care. She wasn’t asking … Continue reading So often forgotten
I recently posted “The Gift of Presence”, about my recent experiences volunteering at an aged care facility. A friend, who works in Aged Care, sent me the following after reading my post. I asked her if I could share it, and she graciously allowed me to do just that. Please read it. It’s deserves a wide audience. “If I was to ask what feelings and … Continue reading Places to live, not just to die
The recent news that Queensland will lose 10 palliative care beds is disturbing, both in the fact that it is happening, and that the loss of such a vital service receives so little attention. State Government funding cuts to Oxley’s Canossa Hospital means their public palliative care service will be reduced and then closed, early in the new year. While the State government has said … Continue reading Reluctant conversations
Extract from an article published in Viewpoint magazine. To lose a loved one to suicide is a tragedy that no one should ever have to endure. Sadly, the situation is by no means rare, with suicide the leading cause of preventable death in Australian adults under 40. Yet we hear so little about it. The Government needs to speak about mental health, and it desperately … Continue reading Keeping the conversation alive
