Returning home following a hospital stay can be overwhelming.
We believe that even small amounts of the right support from the right person provided at the right time can make a big difference in an individual’s recovery path, empowering and supporting them to gain control over their own lives, inspiring them with a sense of hope that wellness is possible for them, building mutual and authentic human connections through our shared lived experiences of challenge and adversity, and significantly reducing distress and readmission to hospital.
Bringing their knowledge, skills and resources gained from their own lived experience, our Peer Workers support Hospital to Home program participants from hospital ward to home through:
Mutuality – Building mutual and authentic human connections through their shared lived experiences of challenge and adversity.
Hope – The belief that there is always hope and that resiliency and wellness is possible for everyone
Empowerment – To empower people and help them gain control over their own lives, fostering power in the individual to act on the issues they define as most important to them.
Inclusion and Acceptance – Acknowledging everyone’s worth and dignity, regardless of background, abilities, or beliefs.
Empathy – The ability to take the perspective of another and to feel what they feel.
Participation – The right for people to participate in their own journey, and to achieve the life they seek.
How the Hospital to Home Program Works
“…my Peer worker was the most help, I have had & received from any support service and went above and beyond to help me with any transitions.” – Participant, Hospital to Home Program
Following receipt of a referral from a partner hospital, a MIFWA Peer Worker contacts and meets with the person referred to talk through their situation. Together, they develop a plan about the supports needed.
The Hospital to Home Program aims to:
- Optimise the transition to home following a hospital stay for mental ill-health
- Connect people to the supports they need to stay safe and well
- Support people to regain confidence and build resiliency
- Support and facilitate navigation of the mental health system
- Reduce the risk of rereferral into hospital.
For some people, regular phone calls and checking-in may be all that is required. For others, connection to ongoing support to navigate problems is provided over the weeks and months following their hospital experience.
Some of the supports our Hospital to Home Peer Workers offer are:
- Initial visit while in hospital
- Transportation to appointments (e.g. doctor, other health professionals)
- Home visits / Telephone support
- Help to break down barriers to access services
- Assistance with building confidence
- Attend appointments with a person
- Connecting them to their local community
For further information, contact the MIFWA Hospital to Home Program at info@mifwa.org.au or call 9237 8900.
Click here to download an overview of the Hospital to Home program.
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