Niagara River swimmer brings awareness to mental health

Dylan Rumsey says he’s spent a decade in and out of ‘the system’

Life is often a test of our endurance and ability to take on difficult journeys and rise above. For Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Dylan Rumsey, he’s not only living through that difficult journey, he’s willingly taking on a new one Saturday.

Rumsey plans to complete a swim through the Niagara River as part of a mission to bring more attention to the issue of mental illness that he, and many others in the region, face — and raise some of his concerns about how people in a crisis are treated.

He said he’s had to deal with much trauma in his life: when he was 14 he was sexually assaulted, and two years later he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and psychosis as a result. He said he’s also lived with addiction over the years, including to alcohol and other substances.

Now, at age 25, he said he’s been in and out of “the system,” with occasional visits to St. Catharines hospital during times of crisis.

He expressed frustration with what he said is a lack of followup from hospital personnel in helping him get his life back on track after his stays in the psychiatric ward are over.

“I don’t necessarily blame the hospital,” he said. “Everything is so packed in there, they don’t even have the resources to deal with it themselves.”

On this point, Lauren Bennett agreed.

She’s a clinical social worker providing counselling services in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and has also worked in mentalhealth service settings in Niagara, Hamilton, British Columbia and elsewhere.

“Publicly funded mentalhealth resources are significantly stretched right now,” she said. “There’s not enough funding, (and) there’s not enough care to provide the level of care that those in crisis need.”

Barb Evans, director of patient care, mental health and addictions program with Niagara Health, said care is provided to each patient based on individual needs, addressing immediate needs and discussing supports that could help.

Some of those resources could include the Mental Health and Addictions Access Line or the Crisis Outreach and Support Team (also known as COAST). Evans said the hospital system offers a followup virtual care service whereby a nurse contacts each patient after being discharged to see how they’re doing, answer their questions and determine what other supports they need.

Rumsey also had some criticisms about what he said is an overreliance on medication. For people experiencing a crisis, medication is helpful, he said, but he worries people become dependent on it to cope. He has focused instead on therapy and bettering his life through setting goals, exercise and a healthy diet.

Heather Gillespie, director of service quality and capacity at the Niagara branch of Canadian Mental Health Association, said treating mental illness is typically about combining medication, therapy and changes to one’s lifestyle to see an improvement.

“There’s no such thing as a magic pill and medication alone is not going to mean someone will enjoy the quality of life they are looking for,” she said.

She said it’s important to look at “the social determinants of health,” such as education, income level and employment status, social supports, healthy behaviours and facets of one’s identity, including gender and race.

Rumsey hopes to raise $12,500 via GoFundMe for Pathstone Mental Health.

He will be swimming Saturday from the Queenston boat launch to the gazebo at Queen’s Royal Park in Niagara-on-theLake, which he estimated will take four to six hours to complete.

He anticipates it’s going to be a challenging swim. However, both physically and mentally, he’s setting himself up for success.

“I’ve always told myself that cardio is in your head,” he said. “I have the mentality of ‘Keep pushing forward.’”

Rumsey’s swim will begin at 9:30 a.m. Supporters are invited to join Rumsey at the boat lauch starting at 9 a.m.