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Possible PARC admission, been there?

AussiechrisCasual Contributor10 July 2017, 7:17 pm AEST

Possible PARC admission, been there?

Hi there everyone. I hope things are going well in your world.

This forum is all so very new to me so I'll try to explain myself easily.

I'm a 41 year old male who 2 weeks ago had a massive breakdown & now find myself in an acute Psychiatric ward in a major Victorian hospital. (In a nutshell).

I have been here for nearly two weeks, with another to go.

Have you heard of the PARC service? A residential commune I believe acts between hospital and home, whats the thoughts on these places?

The internet doesn't provide massive information on the facility but I would welcome peoples thoughts and experiences with these places.

I thank you in advance and I look forward to reading replies and other forums.

Regards, Chris

6 replies

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In response to: Possible PARC admission, been there?

NikNikSenior Contributor10 July 2017, 7:28 pm AEST

Re: Possible PARC admission, been there?

Hi @Aussiechris

Welcome to the Forums - I'm glad you found us!

You have asked a great question. I just wanted to flag that while it's okay to talk about the PARC program, talking about specific locations of PARCs isn't.

Part of this is because this is an anonymous Forums, so details about which location you are going to / been to would compromise your privacy and the anonymity of the Forums. You can find more information here

Thanks for your great question - I'm looking forward reading to what others share.

In response to: Re: Possible PARC admission, been there?

AussiechrisCasual Contributor10 July 2017, 7:30 pm AEST

Re: Possible PARC admission, been there?

Hi there, Thank you for the clarifiction. I have adjusted my post

In response to: Possible PARC admission, been there?

utopiaSenior Contributor10 July 2017, 7:31 pm AEST

Re: Possible PARC admission, been there?

@Aussiechris. I haven't experienced the PARC system myself. I tend to go to hospital and then go home when I'm no longer feeling suicidal.
But I did use to work in mental health - admin - & some of our clients really liked their stay at PARC. From what I remember them saying, it helped them go from the rigid public hospital system to home. A step between. Some clients also found PARC to be a good safe place to go when they weren't feeling well enough to be home - but not 'sick' enough for the public system.
Hopefully those who have used the PARC service will respond to your post shortly.

In response to: Possible PARC admission, been there?

Unknown userMember10 July 2017, 7:42 pm AEST

Re: Possible PARC admission, been there?

Hi @Aussiechris,

Ive been to two different ones before. For me it was as a step before hospital so that I didn't require hospital. I'm not sure what the ones in your state look like. For me it was a good intermediary step. It was mostly similar to hospital without seeing a psych as much (once a week I think from memory). There were activities and routines. We were on rosters to prepare meals and clean the kitchen but most of the time you are left on your own. You can go 'out' if you chose and have visitors. It was really peaceful and calming. There were mental health nurses on duty 24/7 and peer workers and social workers where I was if you needed assistance with anything. I found it really chilled and it helped me get back on track. They've closed most of them in my state now through funding cuts. Not sure if this helps. Best of luck Chris.

In response to: Possible PARC admission, been there?

AussiechrisCasual Contributor10 July 2017, 7:59 pm AEST

Re: Possible PARC admission, been there?

Great replies, thank you. Keep them coming. I believe they give little tours of the facility also.

In response to: Possible PARC admission, been there?

CheerBearSenior Contributor10 July 2017, 8:17 pm AEST

Re: Possible PARC admission, been there?

Hi @Aussiechris - like @Former-Member I have been to a couple. My most recent stay was in May this year. I found it to be a very supportive and positive experience, particularly this recent stay. I greatly benefited from the break from the stress, the opportunity to address some basic but essential things that had fallen away (like sleep and diet), the social interaction it provided me (as I had really withdrawn myself from people), and the support of 24/7 mental health professionals who were approachable, knowledgeable and non-judgmental. I had fun there too 🙂

I left feeling much more able to work on recovering from my mh stuff, and even though I have still have some pretty big challenges (and some hiccups and shaky times), I know my admission has put me in a better place to manage.

Good luck with it all 🙂

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