Promote Healthy Aging in Finland

Katariina Hänninen, the project leader of Healthy Aging in Finland, wrote a few lines about what’s coming up in autumn and made a review of the past year.

“A year of positive development, work and building relationships has been completed again. With appreciation, I have worked in this position for six years.It is important to reflect on the past year, and also to look forward to the coming autumn. The past year has been very rewarding and abundant in the development of elderly substance abuse work. Pilot trainer trainings have spread to new locations (e.g. Espoo and Lieto), new pilke groups have been created and pilke group leaders have met each other nationwide for the first time during the 15-year existence. Work continues and more and more people who are struggling with intoxicants are able to get community support.

Another rewarding part of my work has been the development of a substance-sensitive bereavement method, which has also become an interesting and a unique way of working during the year. First and foremost the Blue Ribbon Association jointly published with substance abuse sensitive bereavement book Substance Abuse Death and Silenced grief, the first edition was sold out in a few months. For the second edition only 1/3 of the printed books are still available. The book is, in all respects, born to know-how to relate to this grief, but also for the need to cope with the grief. It is the first of its kind in which stories of the people who tell their real stories supported with expert and scientific information. It has been desired to give a voice to the silenced phenomenon, also in the substance-specific bereavement groups, that the Finnish Blue Ribbon and its partners, have organized around the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and other parts of Finland.

For the coming autumn, we want to bring these stories to the public knowledge and provide a very special platform or forum where memories of close relatives can be remembered. The goal is to create an entity that combines mutual support, information on available assistance and support, and the production of information, i.e. the emergence of substance abuse related deaths. Be sure to stay tuned and mark the (3.11.2018) calendar.”

The past year was eventful and it continues this autumn. We want to thank you – dear donors – for your support and hope for your continued interest in this project. We’ll keep you informed.

Finnish Blue Ribbon has collected experiences of people who have experienced substance abuse related death of a close person. This is a topic where a lot of professional support is needed within a sensitive process of grieving.

"After the death of the Son, I've had time alone. When I told 
my son's death, of course, people asked why  he died. At first, I said: for a
medical condition. Nowadays, I answer directly: He died of subtance abuse."

It may be difficult to tell others about drug-related deaths. Many people experience shame, guilt, feelings of failure, and relief. However, statistically people with these experiences are not alone. Approximately 1,700 Finns die each year in alcohol. Drug related deaths are are at the highest level in the EU.

There are a lot of people who experience the same loss and sorrow. Still, the sorrow caused by the substance abuse is hidden, left untreated and silenced. How can it be identified?

The book Päihdekuolema ja Vaiettu Suru helps to seek approaches to to support these grieving processes.. In the handbook, experts tell you what this sorrow is about and what kind of processes your relatives are going through. The book also compiles reports of people who have been drowned in intoxicants about their experiences, feelings, and progress in life.

The book  provides examples of ways to deal with sorrow and remember the deceased in all ways of life and death.

If you know Finnish you can read it here https://www.ikaantyneidenpaihdetyo.fi/application/files/2815/1298/5399/Sininauhaliitto_Paihdekuolema_ja_vaiettu_suru_2017.pdf Or you canuse on-line translation to read it on your language.

We thank you for your support that makes this work possible!

Links:

• Book Paihdekuolema ja vaiettu suru