Here is a Survival Guide for Families and friends to inform family and friends about the inpatient unit.
Other support for families and carers include:
- Commonwealth Carer Respite Centres
- The Mental Illness Fellowship
- Mind Carer Helpline 1300 550 265
Commonwealth Carer Respite Centres operate across Australia. They provide information, referral and direct support to people who are caring for someone with an illness. They can offer emotional support, counselling, workshops on topics of interest, respite, linkage to carer groups, and referral to other kinds of support.
Contact 1800 052 222 to find the Carer Respite Centre nearest to you, or ask a case manager, doctor, or family peer support worker to assist you with a referral.
The Mental Illness Fellowship offers a program called 'Wellways'. This program is designed to support families, carers and friends to care for someone with a mental illness. This program runs for eight 3-hour sessions, plus four follow-up sessions, including information, education and support. You can check their website https://www.wellways.org/ or ask a family peer support worker to find out when a program is running near you.
Mind provide a range of services to carers, including a telephone support line, carer support groups, and a carer counselling service. To find out more, check out their website https://www.mindaustralia.org.au/resources/carers.