Premise

In the pursuit for solutions for mentally ill people today, mental health professionals, former hospital employees and patients of a hospital in a small Alberta town retrace the history of mental health care to uncover what worked and what did not work. (What can the history of a mental hospital tell us about how people can care for the mental ill today and the future of mental health care?)

The Mission

The treatment of persons with mental illness has advanced dramatically over the past 100 years. The Alberta Hospital in Ponoka was an important centre for the development of new techniques for the care of persons with serious mental health issues in Canada. Author Jack Martin takes us on a personal journey into the history of mental healthcare in Canada. Living in Ponoka in the shadow of the large asylum, Jack saw firsthand these developments.

The story of the Alberta Hospital in Ponoka and the people associated with it is testament to the high level of care that was created for seriously ill people. Although not a story of unproblematic or constant progress, it calls into question current attitudes and practices for many of these people. As the search for the causes and cures of mental illness continues, questions about how we now care for those afflicted abound.

The original meaning of the word “asylum” was sanctuary, an inviolable place. We secure asylum when we reside in communities that care for all of us.