2010
12:45 minutes
Part 2 of the Riverview Trilogy
Part 1: vimeo.com/14504680
Part 3: vimeo.com/54115536
BEDLAM combines never before seen archival film and photography with
present day super 8 footage of the historic Asylum at "Essondale", now
known as Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, B.C. The story of health care
worker Kay Clayton unravels to reveal her astonishing personal account
of the hospital where she worked during two very different times in
mental health history. In 1945, Kay was only 16 years old when she
started as a naive summer relief staff on a large, noisy and crowded
woman 's ward. Kay recounts her experiences on the ward during a time when
there was little access to medications to assist in the care of these
profoundly ill patients.
Kay returned to work in the hospital again in 1973 until her retirement
from Asylum care in 1988. The advent of effective psychiatric
medications made for considerable advances in patient care with a marked
increase in patient liberty. But then, the government introduced the
idea of de-institutionalization…
