Media Release

Mary's story: What the Northern Community Care Unit means to me, as a Carer and as a mother - A story in celebration of the NCCU's 10th birthday 

Background
The Northern Community Care Units (NCCU) on Wood Street in Preston will be celebrating their 10th birthday on Tuesday 12 September.

NCCU is a 20-bed residential complex that caters for residents who suffer from mental illness or psychosocial disabilities.

The facility is staffed 24-hours a day and is made up of a mixture of shared and single units that provide residents a range of rehabilitation and recovery opportunities.

NCCU plays a double role in Mary Macrae's life. On one hand, it is her workplace; on the other, it is her son's home.

This is Mary's story...

In 1999, for the first time, I had to access the mental health service. This was an extremely frightening experience for me, not because the services were frightening, but because as a community member all I knew about mental illness came from the media and history books, which painted a pretty grim picture.

The government made a shift towards treating people with mental illness in the community - places such as Larundel (a psychiatric hospital in Bundoora) were closing down. During this time our son became mentally unwell.

We were confronted with confusion and resistance. Families, especially parents were blamed for their family members becoming unwell, and we felt there was vary little understanding about the pain we were experiencing. We felt helpless watching our son become unwell and being unable to help him.

Suddenly I found myself needing to learn all I could about mental illness and the complicated mental health system. It soon became apparent that Carers were going to play a major role in their mentally ill family member's care. To assist this transition, Carer Consultants were employed by mental health services.

In 2002 I became a Carer Consultant for the Northern Area Mental Health Service, to identify some of the gaps that had surfaced through the transition into community care.

Carer Consultants are there to highlight the important role families play in the recovery of their loved ones and to encourage a collaborative and holistic approach when working with carers and families.

The NCCU also plays an important part in this recovery process for residents. It gives them a chance to learn about themselves, to focus on their abilities and develop some independent skills that they may have lost during their time of illness.

The units are in the heart of the community providing a more natural environment and a stepping-stone for people to recover and develop their skills. The units also help to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness in the community.

The NCCU is unique because the Carer Consultant is invited to assist the facilitation of CCU/Mobile Support Team (MST) group, 'Caring 4 Carers Peer Support'. This is a multicultural group attended by carers and clinicians. It has both a social and educational component assisting carers through their journey.

While my son has been at NCCU I have had the pleasure in witnessing changes in him that I once thought impossible. As a mother, I have also changed. The sadness turns to happiness when you see your loved one slowly becoming well enough to one day live in the community independently.

Congratulations to Rod Fithall and staff at the NCCU. It is time to celebrate, you have come a long way.