For family, friends and carers

Supporting someone you care about

If someone you care about is living with a mental health condition, your support can have a big impact on their wellbeing, treatment and recovery.

We use the word ‘carer’ to describe anybody who is involved in the care of an adult family member or friend living with a mental health condition.

You might find yourself in the role of carer for any number of reasons:

• You might be a concerned parent, partner or relative, a housemate or a friend, or perhaps you’re connected through other circumstances.
• You might live with the person you’re supporting or they might live independently.
• In some cultures and families, caring for someone can involve a wide group of family and community members, so it can be hard to identify one person as a carer.

If the person you are caring for becomes a St John of God Health Care client, you can be formally involved as a carer with their consent or if you have designated legal responsibility.

In line with the Privacy Act, we can only share treatment information when our client has given permission or in emergency circumstances. This is why we need to be able to identify you as the nominated carer before we can share information.

Your role as a carer

As a carer, you might find that you and the person you’re supporting agree on the type of care and treatment they should or would like to receive. It’s also common to have different views on what kind of care and treatment might be best.

Your involvement could include:

• Support: The person you are supporting (our client) might invite you to come to their appointments.

• Consultation: If the person gets admitted to one of our hospitals as part of their treatment, you could ask for what’s known as a family case conference to discuss their treatment and care.

• Planning: Your input may be included in their care plan.

Overall, the support you provide as a carer could be one of the main factors which helps someone to get the treatment and care they need.

How you can get involved as a carer

Here are some tips to help you support your family member or friend through their treatment:

• Have a chat about how you can support them in ways which work for you both. For example, you might be able to join them in activities such as walking, relaxation, meditation or spending time in nature together.
• If their treatment involves a hospital stay, work with them to make a plan for you or someone else to help with their family, pets or other aspects of their home life for the time they’re not home.
• Work with them to plan their care. You might have ideas or perspectives about their situation which could help them to get the best care for their needs.
• Encourage them to discuss any issues with their treating team and ask any questions if they need more information.

At any point, if you are concerned about someone’s safety or security during their treatment, always let their treating team know. In an emergency, call 000.

Supporting someone after a hospital stay

If the person you’re caring for has treatment which involves a hospital stay, planning for what happens afterwards is an important part of their recovery.

If you have been nominated as their support person, our treating team will get you involved in what’s known as the ‘discharge’ process where possible. Before discharge, our team will discuss:

• where the person will be staying and contact details to reach them
• any follow-up appointments with a psychiatrist, GP or other health providers
• referral to any other health providers or programs such as an external psychologist or counsellor
• medication management
• ongoing treatment recommendations
• any queries or concerns you or the person might have before they go home.

It’s a good idea to start talking to the person you're supporting, and our team, about their discharge needs as soon as possible. This way, the right plans can be put into place to support their recovery and help you plan your involvement as carer.