"Social Work assistance, Community Health MidWest"

Coping deficit with cumulative life issues, overwhelmed, lacking resilience, clinically depressed, continual suicidal ideation and preparations to end life, basically unable to cope physically, medically, emotionally and psychologically, living alone and not able to access help.

Referred by GP to Social Work, Community Health.

As a grumpy old man, strongly independent and normally self-reliant, not willing to bother others. I broke!

3 years ago a diabolical cancer came very close to ending my life at the same time a nasty cyclone Seroja badly damaged Kalbarri and the support systems I had, had different priorities plus I knew how tireless and exhausted they were.

The cancer was urgently treated, surgically removed in hospital, I was traumatised severely by a week in ICU, prepared for dialysis, possible kidney transplant. I hated ICU and later returning to the hospital for Outpatients had the physical symptoms of PTSD as my mind recalled ICU. Not the 7 hour surgery because I had no recall.

All I will say is that care was impeccably good but I used every bit of physical and emotional resilience that I had, lost 16 kg and became frail but I pretended to be fine, uncomplaining and strongly trying to get out of hospital.

I pretended to be strong and really, dumb***, got discharged far too soon, lied about having a support person, was dropped at the airport under messy, Covid restrictions, found it very exhausting, left the plane at Geraldton, struggled to walk 400m in the sun and drove myself home with a great deal of difficulty. I am surprised I didn't die, I must have come close.

Home was a mess, all food ruined, power off for 6 weeks but I survived. As an SES volunteer I had intended on having the local SES team support me but they were far too busy.

I stress that this bad experience took all of my strength, my resilience so I had nothing left.

So when 3 years later I faced multiple, concurrent severe life stresses, losing rental accommodation and nothing available, diminishing eyesight and looming surgery to fix it, breathing difficulties and weakness for no apparent reason, pain and other chronic age-related symptoms, unable to do everything needed around the home inside and out that was too big, I lapsed into depression, inability to cope, suicidal ideation, hopelessness and tiring of being medically unfit, I asked my GP for assistance in one of my regular, routine GP visits, blood monitoring etc.

Essentially I got help, that Michelle the social worker in one long conversation, turned my mental attitude positive, I gave up plans for suicide, undid the practical steps I had prepared for my suicide and acceded to the GP prescribed anti-depressant and other support services.

I found your form hard to interpret, it is not client-friendly and to me seems lazy and orientated towards data collection for performance statistics.

I don't know how you interpret this story, all I am interested in is providing client feedback to thank very specially Michelle, who in my long ago former Mental Health professional expertise was a critically important to me, saved my life with one call and really, really impressed me with her professional expertise.

Her one call changed my mind and intent so I thank her for that.