Symbolic swim challenge raises funds for SMHS Mental Health service at Fremantle Hospital
Six years ago Alastair Milne (Ali) spent 25 days as an inpatient within SMHS Mental Health at Fremantle Hospital.
“In April of 2020 I spent time in psychiatric care during a visit from the spectre of suicide,” Ali said.
“People have said it must have been terrible, but it was such a relief to be isolated from everything and feel cocooned in care.
“You’re in a dark place which you think no-one can understand or be able to help you through – you think you’re on your own but then you start talking to staff and fellow patients and realise you’re not.
“I’m forever grateful for the knowledge and skills gained from long term group therapy via Integrated Therapy Services (ITS).
“I was also intrigued by how the staff created such a safe space for us to open up about our deepest thoughts, so much so that it inspired me to study and still informs how I strive to create safer spaces in my new career in education.”
Ali engaged strongly with ITS during his recovery, including group and individual therapy, which became a pivotal part of his improvement and wellbeing.
Ali’s 17-year-old daughter, Eilidh was deeply moved by the support he received and wanted to give something back in recognition of the care that helped her father when he was unwell.
Dubbed ‘Swim for Calm’, their initiative was aimed at raising awareness of mental health and supporting therapeutic innovation with Eilidh completing a major fundraising challenge by swimming 238.4 kilometres over three weeks in January.
The distance represented 2,384 men who lost their lives to suicide in 2020, and the three weeks reflected the time Ali spent in care, making the challenge both symbolic and meaningful for the family.
“When I realised why Eilidh chose the distance and duration my heart sank and lifted at the same time due to her thoughtfulness and compassion,” Ali said.
“The community response to our fundraising was amazing – exceeding our original goal of approximately $6,000 with a final total of $10,000 raised.”
“Eilidh’s swimming community wrapped her in support, from opening the pool early, joining her in the pool to her coach encouraging her from the kayak during 10 kilometre swims at Coogee Beach.
“She would typically do 2 to 3 sessions per day, spending 5 to 7 hours in the pool, and her mum Dawn was kept busy driving and preparing food as her ultimate supporter.
“She didn’t complain during the three weeks – her ability to shut out the noise and prioritise her recovery with much needed cat-time to persevere was inspiring.”
Ali joined Eilidh for her last session in the pool, only managing to keep up with fins on, and it was an emotional finale surrounded by her swimming community.
The funds from the swim will now be used to purchase around 10 virtual reality (VR) headsets which enable graded exposure to sources of anxiety, support controlled breathing and facilitate relaxation to help improve anxiety symptoms to be used across mental health services at Fremantle Hospital.
Last month, Ali and Eilidh visited the service to formally present the donation to staff.
“It was great to see them both again and thank them in person – it was perfect as the funds raised align perfectly with a VR project already initiated by the Fremantle Mental Health OT team,” Beccy said.
“This project was sparked by external training on clinical use of VR, which inspired staff to explore how VR could enhance therapeutic interventions and outcomes for consumers.
“Work is now underway to develop a clinical protocol to guide VR use across the service ensuring safe, consistent, and evidence informed practice.”
“A staff training package will also be created to support capability building across teams and we’re currently in discussions with local universities around potential partnership opportunities.
“The plan includes running small quality improvement projects with different cohorts of consumers to evaluate the effectiveness of VR with future research opportunities also identified.”
The first project as a Mental Health Foundation Australia advocate, Ali said it was crucial he contributed to the evidence base by enhancing treatment for people with a range of mental health conditions including anxiety, depression personality disorders, psychosis and dementia.
“I’m eternally grateful for the care demonstrated by the Fremantle Hospital mental health staff and how they gave me hope for a better future –A young o which keeps growing each day,” Ali said.
“As I often say to people in my classes, there are plenty of ‘normal’ people in the mental health unit getting support.
“We’re so proud of Eilidh and how her efforts have enabled direct action to support others and their families who may be faced with similar mental health challenges.”
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