Using non-government service providers in the Bowral area

The local Area Health Service has been very fortunate to attract and fund some excellent service providers for people with a mental illness in the Southern Highlands. Recently, the Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW began operating a Living Skills program for persons with a mental illness. They run their services from the old Moss Vale Bowling Club in Spring Street and have a number of supported programs for people to join. These include all aspects of independent living, some craft skills and social outings and networks. They can take referrals directly from persons with a mental illness of from the service providers already engaged with the client. Similarly, Mission Australia....through its office in Argyle Street Moss Vale, has been funded to operate a recovery and resource program. This not only adds to the independent living program of the Schizophrenia Fellowship, but can also provide some furniture and furnishings (through its Wollongong Centre) to people who may be setting up their independent living accommodation. They can also provide some direct support programs for people with a mental illness so that they can better manage living independently, but also work towards re-training and/or returning to the workforce. Another great resource has been the Disability Trust (previously known as the Illawarra Disability Trust), who have for a number of years been providing direct support for people with a mental illness who have already been living in their own homes or rented accommodation. The DT has provided continual support for about 12 people in this manner, thereby enabling them to remain in the community and to cope with their mental illness. Without any doubt, such a service lessens the load on carers and family members of those people who have a mental illness in the community. More recently DT has been fortunate to be able to provide Carer Respite accommodation in Bargo and Bowral. The Disability Trust has also been instrumental in providing social and support programs, for many years through the Active Linking Initiative, to people with disabilities who are currently residents in the licenced residential care facilities in the Wingecarribee. Without this support the vulnerable residents with limited resources and family supports would not be able to access the social events and other outings that many in the community take for granted. Carers and family members, those who are more often involved with the person with the mental illness for many years, are also not forgotten. The Benevolent Society of NSW has received funding to be able to provide support for the carers and families of people with a mental illness. They can engage with people who feel that they are isolated with the care of the mentally ill person, or who feel that the health service is not responsive enough to their needs. Similarly, Carer NSW has continued to fund a part time support worker in the Wingecarribee Shire. Their role is to provide supportive counselling, advocacy, and training and education to carers of people, particularly but not exclusively, with a mental illness. Their training program is designed to help the carer or family members to respond appropriately, helpfully, and supportively to the person with the mental illness. Knowing what to say, how to say it, and when to say it can make a great difference to the outcome of communications between carer and the mentally ill person, and lessen the stress of the mental illness on the family. Another organisation with a strong emphasis on normalising the life of the person with the mental illness is the St Vincent de Paul's "Compeer" program. This program seeks to match volunteers in the community with people with a mental illness who seek/need re-socialising. A well-proven program first used in the Shoalhaven area there is now a worker present part time in the Wingecarribee. Operating from the CWA rooms at Mittagong, the worker is able to train volunteers and match them to the patients referred to their program. Those who have already been trained and matched with a patient have found that the social interaction they have with each other is most rewarding. All that is asked of the volunteer is that they spend a small number of hours each week with the person with the mental illness doing some social activity. Finally, two of our local community based services: Argyle Community Housing and the Wingecarribee Community Transport, have both been very involved in supporting people with a mental illness. With ACH it has been to provide subsidised housing for persons with a mental illness wanting to live independently, and with Community Transport they have been at the forefront of providing subsidised transport for people with a mental illness to travel to their doctor's appointments and for other health services. Clearly, the Bowral Mental Health Service could not achieve what they have in the care coordination of patients without the very valuable input of the non-government service providers providing these important support programs.