As a supporter of Silver Linings Foundation, you likely already know there is a gap in the continuum of care for eating disorders in Alberta. Since inception in 2014, our foundation has offered numerous support groups, resources and most recently peer mentoring. We have always maintained that while these programs are an important part of the recovery journey, they are just one piece.
Disorders are a serious mental illness and can be lethal if left untreated. The spots in our hospitals designated for eating disorders are continually at capacity, treating life-threatening cases. Medical intervention is essential, but their mandate for discharge is only medical stability not recovery due to the scarcity of hospital beds. Medical stability is just the first step to recovery but for some it’s just the beginning of a cycle of suffering.
Hospital discharge is often the point where families realize they are completely ill-equipped to support their loved-one. In an ideal scenario, individuals discharged from hospital would be referred to a live-in treatment centre. That’s not an option in Alberta. Individuals and families are faced with the choice to seek out-of-province options. On average these programs cost over $1000/day with an average stay of 90 days. That’s completely prohibitive for most Albertan families. The cost also doesn’t reflect the mental and emotional stress of trying to support a loved-one over long distances.
Without live-in treatment 50% of hospitalized individuals can expect to be re-hospitalized. Eating disorders are among the top five most common mental illnesses and associated with the highest hospitalization costs and rates. If left untreated, eating disorders can be lethal. Since the pandemic, eating disorder diagnosis are surging in Alberta and over 198,000 Albertans are struggling with eating disorders at any given time.
These stats are staggering but the silver lining is we know recovery is possible, it’s just inaccessible in our province. The solution is simple: establish a live-in treatment centre. A live-in treatment centre offers a residential facility with services curated towards recovery. A multidisciplinary team of therapists, dietitians, nurses and doctors offer a range of therapy options to meet clients where they are at. The seamless 24-hour wrap-around care allows participants to restore their ideal weight while also addressing the underlying emotional issues. The families of the participants are also involved in the process so that when they leave the program, the circle of influence is well educated to support the ongoing journey to sustainable recovery.
While the solution may be simple, getting there will require significant effort and we need your help.
One of the best ways to support us at this stage of the process is to share this message. Let your friends and family know that we need to improve care for eating disorders in Alberta.
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