Sometimes there are emergencies which turn out to be not so urgent as it first seems. I had just got in and put my feet up,when I got a phone call from my mentally ill friend. She has not been cooperating on taking her medication, so the doctors have ordered a nurse to come round every 2 weeks and give her an injection. H asked if I could take a taxi to her place on the other side of town and be there when the nurse came.

I only had $5 on me and I knew H couldn't afford to pay for a taxi. Also, I thought it would do no harm to set some boundaries with her, as she can be very demanding, so I asked when the nurse was due. It turned out there was plenty of time for me to have my lunch and then catch a bus.

H was complaining about having people come in and invade her privacy, so I was blunt with her. I told her it was the cost of retaining her independence, and if she didn't cooperate, she might wind up living in supported housing with other psychiatric patients. She was a bit shocked, but seemed to take it in. She cooperated with the nurse. We spent the afternoon going thru her wardrobe, looking at how she could mix and match outfits in new ways. She decided maybe she didn't need to buy new clothes after all, and even gave me a nice purple top which didn't fit her.