Jeri Olson has worked full-time as an advocate for her 32-year-old son, who has paranoid schizophrenia. Her struggle to find long-term care for him while making sure he stays safe is the experience of many families who have children suffering from a mental illness. At times, her persistence has irritated county or state officials who have been besieged with her calls and e-mails.
She is the only barrier to her son’s care, she is awful.