Rehab centre, Hope in Health to open in Helensvale
It looks like a luxury resort that tourists would pay top dollar to stay at, but the swimming pool, saunas and gym at this flash new property mask a more serious mission.
Gold Coast
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It looks like a luxury resort that tourists would pay top dollar to stay at.
But the swimming pool, saunas, gym and other attractions at an upscale new Helensvale estate mask a more serious mission – helping people cope with life’s greatest hurdles.
Rehab centre Hope in Health will open its doors next month.
Designed for people with complex trauma and addiction, the resort-style eight-bedroom facility offers an “individualised approach” to treatment on its sprawling property.
Executive manager Maurizio Piazzo said the welcoming design was integral to the clinic’s function.
“It looks like a beautiful resort but there is a reason behind that,” he said.
“We are focusing on people with trauma and people suffering from complex PTSD – they require a certain environment in order to be able to heal.”
Mr Piazzo said demand for this type of facility had spiked following the Royal Commission into institutional abuse and veteran affairs.
“Unfortunately, the demand is there, and it is growing,” he said.
“The Royal Commission has done a great job in bringing forward the issue. I think then it’s up to us as health providers to bring the solution – a permanent solution.”
The rehab centre offers an individualised approach to trauma treatment, with people with addictions, veterans, victims of sexual abuse and first responders among its expected guests.
While many hospitals and facilities provided the “perfect care from a medical point of view,” Mr Piazzo said they did not necessarily provide the environment and span of services conducive to recovery.
“Like most other providers, we take care of the medical part and the therapeutic part – we have 24-hour nurses, a GP and a large care team. We detox if a client comes in and is addicted to substances of any kind, we provide therapeutic intervention following our holistic approach,” he said.
“However, the part that is different from a normal rehabilitation facility is that the moment you walk out the door it’s usually a couple of phone calls to see how you’re going, and that’s it.
“We recognise that the hardest part of rehabilitation is going back into community.”
The facility works on reintroduction into the community as part of its program, even after a guest leaves.
Co-founder, program director and recovered heroin addict Nick Midgley said that transition was vital in a person’s recovery.
“A lot of people suffering with trauma or PTSD come back home and that’s when all the triggers start,” he said.
“We offer a transition program which helps people back into reality on the outside.”
The program director said each guest went through individual screening and assessment processes.
“We’ll review and make adjustments until the guest finds something they feel comfortable doing while they rehab – something comfortable enough that they’re going to do it on the outside,” Mr Midgley said.
“The reality is, if we get them to do a bunch of stuff while they’re in rehab that they’re not enjoying as part of their recovery and expect them to continue on the outside, they just won’t. “When we give people flexibility, and a little bit of choice it empowers them to decide – to take responsibility for not just recovery, but also their life thereafter.”