SHARE Peer Support Program
The Agency for Clinical Innovation ( ACI ) Statewide Burn Injury Service developed a peer support program which links patients with a burn injury admitted to hospital with a burn injury survivor for face to face, one on one social contact and support.
The program, called SHARE - Sharing Hope, Acceptance, Resilience and Experience – has now been taken up by the acute adult burns units at Concord Repatriation General Hospital and Royal North Shore Hospital, as well as the Graythwaite Rehabilitation Centre, Ryde Hospital.
Peer support volunteers are supported by a social worker and provided with comprehensive training to prepare them for challenges like separating their own experience from that of the patient and managing the emotional impact of sharing their story.
Volunteers need to have had direct experience in recovering from a burn injury, be available for a minimum of two hours a month and participate in the recruitment and training program.
Burn Injury Network
Contact
Anne Darton
Burn Injury Network Manager