PARC : Adult Prevention and Recovery Care

Hi @Cuddlebear I've not been in a PARC but wanted to send you and your guide dog a cheerio.

I trust the moving pressures are behind you and problems with the new unit are being sorted, they'd have added to your anxiety and depression.

I think @tyme and @Judi9877 have had good things to say about PARCs.

Hopefully a bed will be available quickly...

Melbourne weather is particularly fickle today, strong wind, showers, sun. Hope it's better where you are.

Heya @Cuddlebear ,

I've been to PARCs many times. I think 6 times all up. Back when I was there, my shortest stay was just over 2 weeks and my longest was 6 weeks.

It is VERY different to a hospital and just what I needed. They have very low tolerance for risk and the idea of being there is to go in and set goals you want to achieve by the end of your time there.

I had a case manager who supported me to go to PARCs during my 'red flag' periods as a way to keep me out of hospital. And it worked wonders.

My Peer worker from outside would come and visit me in PARCs.

Each day was divided into activities including psycheducation groups, walking groups, craft groups, movie nights, outing days, dog walking, grocery shopping etc. Then we saw the consultant psychiatrist every Wednesday.

The day starts with a morning meeting. Then they go through what they are doing on the day and you attend what you can. Residents were also rostered to cook a meal in the evening. Each person is assigned a task such as emptying bins, gardening, cleaning etc.

So yeah... did I find it helpful? Yes, for that stage in my recovery.

Is it helpful if you are acutely unwell? Probably not.

It is totally voluntary so you can come and go as you please. You don't have to stay there if it's not working for you. You have a key to your room and you can leave the compound any time.

I think I was studying when I was there, so I'd do my assignments there. It was good for me to connect with other peers who were going through their own challenges. I think this is where I found the power of peer support.

I'm still in touch with some of the people I met there years and years ago.

I've been to PARC unit, here in NSW. It was great. Like @tyme said they set goals with you and support you to try and met those goals (the goals are simple goals generally like going to bed by a certain time). The one I went to was set up to be as much like home like environment as possible. We did meditation, went to the beach, did origami, etc. In the one I went to, the staff cook your dinner, and you prepare your other meals. It was much more peaceful than hospital say. I actually got introduced to SafeHaven through the PARC unit, and I go there pretty frequently now too. They staffed the PARC unit I was at 27/7 but the overnight shift was a sleeping shift so you would only knock on the staff door if it was an emergency.

@tyme Good morning lovely. How are you? Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. As I have never gone to stay at a PARC I wanted to know the experiences of the community.

I am really hoping that it can help me improve my mental health. I’m going to try hard to work on myself there and try to fit in as best I can.

The one in my area only allows a 14 day stay due to funding and the number of people needing the service.

Im hoping the accessibility won’t be an issue for me. My guide dog is coming too so that’s a huge help.

They said we have a meeting 9am each day to sort of daily chores and go over what’s on too. So that’s good for starting off the day with some purpose. I’m hoping other than group therapy they run that there’s other things on we can do. Social stuff like the things you mentioned Eg walking groups etc.

I've had both the long and short stays, and I personally don't feel 2 weeks is enough. But I can understand that it is a funding issue and also the service is in high demand. For me, it took 2 weeks to settle in @Cuddlebear

Then only the 3rd week, I felt more able to work on my goals.

The community spirit is amazing there though.

Sometimes, there can be some tricky residents, so if you need to, just let your key clinician know.

Hope it all goes well for you!

We got to do dog walking, beach outings, farm visits, diamond art, movie night, games night etc.

I think PARCs allowed me to open up and normalise mental health for the first time.

@tyme Hello friend how are you? Gee I’m honestly so happy to hear that PARC helped you and that the experience there helped you open up and normalise mental health. Making meaningful progress is so very important isn’t it.

Personally I value services that take an approach that actually recognises our humanity and provides important connections like social connections and activities and not just “medical model” stuff.

I am really hoping the community spirit is like you experienced during your stays. The day I had intake I met a participant in the kitchen area and they were very friendly and very excited to meet a working guide dog too. I felt welcome 🙂 It was such a good feeling. I was shown around by staff who were also very friendly and I felt like they treated me with dignity and respect. Nothing like my experiences in emergency at hospital.

Yes I was wondering if I might come across any tricky residents but I’ll take your excellent advice onboard and speak to whoever is my key worker.

I’ve heard a few people say that 2 weeks isn’t enough for most participants. That is a concern for me as I really do want to get something decent out of my active participation. Going home to a dump of a unit where I’m alone isn’t going to be easy after being in PARC so I really want to be able to reach my goals and I’m desperate to feel better.

I'm glad you met someone great on the first day @Cuddlebear .

PARCs was soooo helpful over hospital. Hospital had it place in keeping me safe, but the therapeutic work was in PARCs and my other therapies.

For me, my case manager organised a series of admissions. This meant I went home, worked on some goals for 10-20 weeks, then went back in for another admission. I remember that at the last admission, I actually told the whole team that I was so well that I didn't need to return. It was as though I felt I didn't need it anymore. And sure enough, I've never been back.

I'm not sure what you mean by your unit being a 'dump', but if it is a tidying issue, one of your goals can be to tidy your place, and each day, you go home for 1-2 hours to clean a certain part of your house that you decide on with your key worker.

It is the psychosocial support at PARC that made a world of difference. The hospital was all medical... but PARC was recovery oriented...

Hence the importance of psycho social supports. And this is what SANE is built on. Some of the people in management actually help set up some of these PARC (step up/step down) programs.

@tyme How are you today? Are things going well?

I would hugely benefit from the psychosocial support. I really like how your case worker worked with you to build a solid recovery pathway. That must have been of tremendous help to be able to work on goals while having the benefit of PARC when it was necessary.

Ah by dump I’m talking about the condition of the unit. It’s old old and requires a lot of repairs. There’s even a gas hot water service from 1960’s inside that the gas safety check deemed a threat to human life. I have a tenant rights worker helping me to go to Tribunal. It’s the last thing I need right now to be honest. The place has accessibility issues too.

Im looking forward to going to PARC just to get away from here. A safe place to stay to work on recovery and to get away from the stress of living here.

Oh! I thought you were there already!

When do you go @Cuddlebear ?

@tyme Hello lovely how’s your day today? No Ive been waiting for a bed to become available. They messaged yesterday saying they will make contact on Monday about admission. They also said I might be able to go in late next week.

I’m hoping I can go in next week. It’s very hard living as I am and it’s taking a toll on my physical health too.

They mentioned group therapy and explained it a bit. But they also mentioned 1:1 but I’m not sure what that entails. Do you have any insights?