[Forevercare]

Hello everyone,
My niece has Schizophrenia affect (sp?). She is coming for a visit and I want her to be happy and comfortable here. How can I make her feel at home? I don't want to frighten her away but I want to make sure she takes her meds.

[Forevercare]

I'd like to add something else, she has shaved off all her hair. She has done this many times, is it a part of her illness or stress? She also has pirceings. I love my niece and want to understand this illness and to help her.

[ScaredSad]

Hi, first, I hope you have a wonderful visit with your neice. I think it's great that you are trying to be so supportive of her needs.

With the hair, honestly, it could be anything from normal human whimsy to a symptom of stress. I don't know that any of us could say...

I just wanted to say that there are many different presentations of schizophrenia in individuals. Without knowing your neice, personally, I'm not sure what I can offer other than encouraging you to ask her current caregivers (if any).

Of course, you can ask her as well and perhaps she'll share. I'd just be blunt, "Neice, I'm so excited you are coming to visit. Is there anything I can do to make your stay more enjoyable? Anything you need beyond the normal bedroom items? Maybe an alarm clock in case you need to be up at a certain time to take your meds?"

I know it's easier said than done... but I wish you the best of luck and hope you have a great visit.

[spiritual_emergency]

Hello Forevercare

My niece has Schizophrenia affect (sp?).

I'm guessing you're referring to schizoaffective disorder? Generally speaking, it refers to individuals who exhibit some symptoms of schizophrenia (i.e. hallucinations) as coupled with a mood disorder (i.e. depression or mania).

She is coming for a visit and I want her to be happy and comfortable here. How can I make her feel at home?

Your best bet is to ask her directly. If she's living with her parents or a partner, you can ask them for suggestions as well. As a general guideline I'd say you don't have to worry about making much fuss -- treat her as you would any other potential guest. However, depending on where she is in her recovery process, she may appreciate the opportunity to have a private space she can retreat to if she is feeling stressed. For this reason, a private bedroom may be preferred to the couch in the family room. Also, she may not be in social butterfly mode so ask her before planning any social events such as sight-seeing or family gatherings.

I don't want to frighten her away but I want to make sure she takes her meds.

If she's an adult and if she finds the medication to be helpful, she'll probably take it without any prompting. When she arrives you could perhaps ask her what her medication schedule is and also ask her if she would like you to remind her. You might also ask if there are any dietary restrictions you need to be aware of in regard to meal planning. Take your cues from her answers.

I'd like to add something else, she has shaved off all her hair. She has done this many times, is it a part of her illness or stress? She also has pirceings. I love my niece and want to understand this illness and to help her.

Piercings seem to be a popular trend among many young people these days although the activity is not associated with any schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder -- mostly, it's a preference having to do with one's chosen form of personal self-expression. If you're uncomfortable with her piercings and shaved head I suggest you avoid bringing up the subject. If she wants to talk about her experiences and you're comfortable doing so, I suggest you listen as you're capable and resist trying to label her experience according to your own terms. She may welcome the opportunity to talk about and share her preferences, choices and experience but she also may prefer to keep these things to herself. If in doubt, you can ask her if she'd like to talk about it.

Overall, do your best to relax and enjoy the visit with your niece.

.

[Forevercare]

Thank you so much ScaredSad, I will think about all you said and have a great visit with my niece.

Originally Posted by ScaredSad

Hi, first, I hope you have a wonderful visit with your neice. I think it's great that you are trying to be so supportive of her needs.

With the hair, honestly, it could be anything from normal human whimsy to a symptom of stress. I don't know that any of us could say...

I just wanted to say that there are many different presentations of schizophrenia in individuals. Without knowing your neice, personally, I'm not sure what I can offer other than encouraging you to ask her current caregivers (if any).

Of course, you can ask her as well and perhaps she'll share. I'd just be blunt, "Neice, I'm so excited you are coming to visit. Is there anything I can do to make your stay more enjoyable? Anything you need beyond the normal bedroom items? Maybe an alarm clock in case you need to be up at a certain time to take your meds?"

I know it's easier said than done... but I wish you the best of luck and hope you have a great visit.

[Forevercare]

Thank you spiritual emergency. Yes that's it, schizoaffective disorder! She is 23 years old and hears voices, has mood swings and sometimes hallucinations. She has her own apartment, but can't seem to keep a job. My sister ( her mother) and I sugested she maybe volunteer at an animal hospital, she loves cats. She has a great support system where she lives, concilors, doctors. She was heavy into drugs and some doctors said this damaged part of her brain and may have caused her to develope this illness. Someone else said she did the drugs to escape the illness that was starting to develope. Either way this is who she is now. She does not remember to eat at regular times and spends her money on CD's rather then her personal needs, food, clothes. She was homeless many times because people she thought were her friends took advantage of her and she listened to them instead of us. But her counciler said it will be good for her to come here for a while and learn to get back on a routine of eating, taking showers and maybe learning to cook. She is very smart and a talented writer. I love my niece and will do anything for her. My sister tried to get her to join a site like this to talk to others experiencing the same thing, but so far she is not intersted. Thank you so much for responding!

[spiritual_emergency]

... her counciler said it will be good for her to come here for a while and learn to get back on a routine of eating, taking showers and maybe learning to cook.

It sounds as if your niece's visit will be more than just a casual weekend venture. I'm a bit pressed for time at the moment but link I'll recommend to you is this one. It might give you some additional ideas for creating a healing environment that can facilitate recovery: The Windhorse Project: Recovering from Psychosis at Home. There may be some ideas there you can adapt to your own home environment. For example, learning the practice of basic attendance can help create a calm and stress-free environment for you and your niece.

The founder of that project also has a book that may be of interest to you, your sister and your niece: Recovering Sanity: A Compassionate Approach to Understanding and Treating Psychosis. In addition, if you click on my user name it will take you to my profile. I have three photo albums there, one of which features books I've found helpful for understanding and moving on from this experience. You might find something else there that will be helpful to you.

I love my niece and will do anything for her.

It's very kind of you to be willing to take her into your home for a period of time in an attempt to help guide her recovery. Social support is critical to recovery, especially support from the relationships that have the most significance in our lives. If those relationships are loving relationships, that's all the better.

More thoughts later as time permits but I thought I would leave you with that link/book recommendation for now.

~ Namaste

.