Good afternoon @maddison @TAB @Former-Member @MDT @Twilightsomniac @Former-Member @Shaz51 @tyme @Snowie @greenpea @StuF @Former-Member @hanami @Former-Member @Former-Member @FloatingFeather @Jynx @frog and everyone here. I hope your Saturday is going well for you.
@MDT Congratulations on the job! I hope you’re enjoying working life! Sorry about the relationship issues. I hope you get through it with support and bounce back into life again.
@maddison I’m so happy that you’re helping your housemate get help and support they need and require. I also hope you’re looking after yourself as well by doing some self care activities. As for PARCS and your housemate, the best advice I would give is to ensure your friend takes things to do that they can do alone as sometimes, groups or activities don’t run for reasons like not enough people or staff to run them or not enough interest in the activities for example. Or, there could simply be the fact that your friend might not like the activities and therefore have to find something to do by themselves in their room for example. This all depends on the organisation that is in charge of running the facility and could include groups relating to sleep hygiene, CBT sessions, anxiety or depression workshops, mindfulness activities like art activities or meditation sessions. Again, it depends on the organisation and what things people are there for as it tends to be goal related to mental health recovery of each individual there.
I always take my knitting and crochet to do and I always pack at least 2 books to read just so I’m not bored. There is a daily compulsory meeting to attend at the PARCS I attended whereby staff tell you what is going on for the day and any other bits of information they need to pass on. You also get allocated a chore to do to keep the facility tidy and clean which you get to choose from. That may include unloading the dishwasher or helping out with cooking the dinner of the night. The nightly meal is usually predetermined by staff a week in advance so that can often be trouble if you don’t like what’s on offer. At the PARCS I was at, we were allowed to order in food via Uber Eats or go to the local shops and bring something home to heat up. Just make sure your friend goes in with set ideas that they need help with and want to achieve but also don’t expect to achieve everything they want as it’s often only short term - 2 weeks usually and up to a month at the most depending on demand of the facility and what they can offer. Up until my last stay in June, most of my PARCS stays were great and really helpful- it’s just the last stay wasn’t as I thought they could help me with meds but couldn’t which is how I ended up in hospital 2 weeks after my stay there. Also, the facility had changed the organisation that ran it previously and I struggled with the new staff and organisations running of the facility. Suffice to say, I’m not exactly eager to return and am trying to handle my mental health using my own resources in the community which has worked for a good deal of time. Feel free to tag me if you want more information regarding PARCS and I’ll try to assist in whatever way I can.
I’ve just come back from a weeks holiday in Echuca as I went away on 1/9 and returned on 8/9 which is why I’ve been absent on the forums. It was a great week away from all the usual stuff I have to face whilst at home in my daily life so I really enjoyed being away in regional Victoria away from the usual stuff. I rode a paddle steamer on the Murray River at Echuca and visited an animal park in Kyabram where I spent time with 2 dingoes with my housemate as a treat to visiting the park. I also caught up with an old school friend who I hadn’t seen since I was 22 which was also good to do. A great holiday!
Take care and stay safe!
Judi9877☺️💐
