ARAFMI Queensland Inc

About

Adina Family Support is a carer respite program of Mental Health Carers ARAFMI Qld Inc. ARAFMI is a not-for-profit community organization that provides support for carers and families where a member has a mental health problem and/or psychiatric disability.

By �carer� we mean a person who provides ongoing emotional and practical support to a relative or friend who is living with mental illness they do not need to live together).

At Adina Family Support we assist carers by providing support to the person with mental illness � enabling the carer to have a break from their caring role - thus facilitating a rejuvenation time for everyone.

We offer a range of planned respite options and encourage families to meet with us to fill out an application form and register with our service to see if we can meet their needs through the most appropriate and beneficial types of respite support.

These options can include:

�An enjoyable stay at Adina House for the person with mental illness;

�Supported participation in community activities for the person with mental illness (Community Access);

�Respite support in the family home (In Home Respite); and

�Flexible support in the event of unforeseen circumstances such as ill health of a primary care giver.

The main type of respite that families currently access is a stay at Adina House for the person with mental illness. The stay can range from one night to two weeks or more depending on individual circumstances. Most people enjoy staying for three or four nights at a time.

Adina House is a beautiful two storey, four bedroom home situated on fourteen acres of land at Deception Bay. Adina is an Indigenous word meaning pleasant.

The Pacific (or peaceful) Ocean is approximately one kilometer from the bay side of the house itself. The house has a wrap around veranda, two fireplaces, lush tropical gardens including fruit and nut trees and a salt water pool.

We aim to provide a warm, peaceful, relaxing and enticing �guest house� like atmosphere for our guests. Two of the bedrooms contain double beds (one of which has its own ensuite) the other two have single beds. Each bedroom has its own small fridge, clock radio and lockable bedside cabinet. Guests may lock their bedroom if they wish.

All food is provided for guests with the evening meal prepared by the Support Worker who is working that night. Food is nutritious and (hopefully) delicious. We do not provide treat type food such as chocolate or soft drinks � guests are more than welcome to bring their own special treats to store in their own fridge. We also provide all linen but guests must bring their own toiletries (ask us for a �what to bring� list).

The lockable bedside cabinet is to be used for the storage of guest�s medication and personal belongings. Guests agree to be responsible for their own medication during their stay and we ask that the medication is brought in a Webster pack provided by a chemist. Guests can have their medication stored safely and securely in the staffroom should they require.

A Support Worker is always available in the house to assist guests to make the most of their stay. All Support Workers are non-clinical � no one is a counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist, but they are all fully trained in Mental Health and the �guest house� respite model.

The Cost: We currently ask for a $20 per night contribution towards food from service users who contact us directly. Sometimes the service, including the food, may be fully funded by other organizations and we can apply for this funding on behalf of the service user (conditions apply). The brokerage fees to organizations will be higher than the costs for service users, please contact us for our respite fees schedule or a quote for respite. The federal Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs funds Adina Family Support directly.

The person staying at Adina must be over the age of 18 and must be living with a mental illness and have a person (carer) providing ongoing care and support who is needing a break from the caring role. The process involved for a person to stay at Adina is:

�Contact Adina to arrange a time to go through an application form with Tina (Manager) and to have a look at the house;

�Usually, at this appointment you will be approved as a Registered Family an can decide on the dates for the respite stay at Adina House.