ONE Door Mental Health (ODMH) does incredible work in the community by giving carers, friends and family of people living with a disability somewhere to go – and offering advice on how to best handle their role.
Having been located in Muswellbrook for almost two years now and boasting six offices throughout the region, they have been able to provide peace of mind and information to many residents.
And, they are keen to make sure those responsible for caring for someone with a disability aren’t overlooked by the system either.
Family and carer team leader Catherine Wendell said it’s important to ensure everyone in the process received the help they required.
“Often we find that the person with the mental illness has support either by a GP (general practitioner) or a psychiatrist or even in a hospital inpatient unit, and it’s the carers and families who are left with no information and really feel overwhelmed by the situation,” she explained.
ODMH’s services, in regional communities in particular, are integral to ensuring a healthy state of mind for those involved in tending to the disabled.
“It’s really important,” Ms Wendell said.
“Having this organisation is so beneficial in this area, just to make the carers feel like they’re being supported.
“So, they’ve got somewhere to go and someone to talk to.”
The organisation, who is part of NSW Health, is hosting a morning tea on Wednesday, February 13, from 10am to noon at its office at 2 Francis Street, Muswellbrook.
They’re encouraging people to attend the event to find out exactly what sort of benefits they can get out of using ODMH.
“What we’re hoping to get on the day is for carers to come along, and service providers to come and see what we’re offering, and for carers [we want] to link them into education that we may have,” she said.
RSVP for the event is Monday, February 11, and places can be booked by phoning carer advocate Shannon on 0466 453 078.
