What do you do when you have special needs and a mental health issue, and you’re struggling to find local psychiatric care?
The Purvis family struggled with this question until they used telepsychiatry to connect with MUSC Project Rex founder Dr. Frampton Gwynette.
Brenda Purvis, 27, has great social skills and talent in music, as well as Down syndrome. Two years ago, she began experiencing significant psychiatric issues, including hallucinations. Her family looked as far afield as Maryland in order to find specialized care.
When they found telemedicine, it was a boon for the family. Since Brenda’s home is a four-hour round trip drive away from MUSC, they meet with Dr. Gwynette remotely.
Using secure videoconferencing technology, Brenda can meet with her primary care provider and Dr. Gwynette at the same time.
“Telehealth does something pretty amazing: It virtually transports the doctor to the local community where patients live,” said Dr. Gwynette.
Click here to watch the four and a half minute Youtube video, or press play below!
You can also read the short article, “Telepsychiatry Making a Difference in Patient’s Life” at SCETV.org.
Finally, now is the time to register for 2017 Rex Groups! They begin meeting in January, so it’s imperative to complete intakes as soon as possible.
We’re offering social skills Groups to support the entire family: children, teens, and young adults with autism and ADHD, siblings, and parents too.
Don’t put off registration; call (843) 792-9162 to sign up for a Group today. We’re offering four social skills Groups with start dates in January:
- School-Age Group (ages 5-10): Weekly on Tuesdays from January 10 – February 28, 2017 from 2:00-3:00pm
- Adult Group (ages 18+): Weekly on Wednesdays from January 11 – March 29, 2017 from 3:30-5:00pm
- Sibling Support Group (ages 8-14): Weekly on Thursdays from January 12 – February 2, 2017 from 4:00-5:00pm*
- Yoga Group (ages 6-12): Weekly on Thursdays from January 12 – February 2, 2017 from 4:00-5:00pm*
We’re also offering a FREE Project Rex Hangout on Thursday, January 5th, 2017 from 4:00pm-5:30pm; click here for full details.
Happy holidays to you and yours!
~ The Project Rex Team
Hi!
I will be meeting with Jennifer Warphen in January to help me deal with my difficulties with my husband’s ASD. I wish there was something that would help older ASD adults… with things like order, routine, cleaning up, even being able to wash dishes and get them clean. The effects of the ASD are so overwhelming.
Wife of 6 years,
Diana
Diana, thank you for reaching out and for setting up a meeting with Jennifer; hope that it proves helpful for you and your family. And thank you for the input r.e. older adults with ASD – we hear you and will provide as much support as we can!
What’s available for children 3 years old?
Hello Victoria! We currently offer programming starting for children ages 5 and up, but if you give us a call at (843) 792-9162, we’d be glad to discuss other options, such as meeting one-on-one with a clinician. Hope that helps!