34 and not ready for a nursing home

When you are 34 years old and fiercely independent the last option you want to be considering is life in a nursing home. But after an official letter today, WA campaigner Hayden Stevens is worried that prospect is looking more likely.

Today’s mail brought a letter from the WA Combined Application Process to which Hayden had applied for funding to assist him to continue living independently. With a degenerative condition Hayden’s needs have changed over the last few years and he is currently only able to afford a limited amount of nights with an overnight carer. Family and friends are currently bridging the gap, but that’s not sustainable, even in the short term.

The letter stated that four hundred people had applied for accommodation funding but only fifty were successful. And Hayden is mindful that the 350, including himself, are still looking down the barrel of months of worry and pain before they can apply again, without any guarantees. For Hayden time is crucial and endless applications are not possible.

Hayden’s video is a straightforward message to the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to make sure they get on with building a better system with an NDIS.

You can see it here http://video.everyaustraliancounts.com.au/video151

4 Comments

Ian Boyd 4 July, 2012 at 9:19 pm

It might be cheaper to provide for Haydens physical needs in a nursing home but it is socially repugnant! The fact that the Federal Government pays for nursing home beds and the States pay for disability services leads to perverse outcomes .
Nursing homes are even bad for the elderly . Even they often don’t like them !
Remember services for people with disabilities only replace things able bods do for themselves like feeding,dressing and toileting.

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Lori Stevens 6 July, 2012 at 11:49 am

This people with disabilities are human beings like you and I.
They deserve to be cared for, they can spend money on the healthy olympians?
NOT GOOD ENOUGH

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Tony Hyde 6 July, 2012 at 12:51 pm

Lets stop the asylum seekers and GIVE to our own,The country’s health,education and care facilities are no longer existant,however our so called pollies can take a pay rise over and beyond the salary they deserve.These boat people are NOT all refo’s and arrive in this country with more than most pensioners.How do i know this,because I worked border security at sea for four and a half years!!!
As for Hayden,i have known him personnally for 20 odd years and can feel what he would be thinking right now.
Hayden has represented this country and the state of WA,in wheel chair sports and this is the thanks he receives!!Shame on the powers to be,lets hope you are in the same situation in the near future.

This young Australian’s attitude and will for independence cannot go un noticed,let us all gather and unite for Hayden and the other 350 to live life to the fullest.

From The Tassie Crew

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Lynn 7 July, 2012 at 9:07 pm

Maybe instead of wasting our hard earned dollars on sending our navy over to Indonesia to collect the so called refugees that don’t even get out of their own waters we should use this money to keep people like Hayden at home where they are more comfortable and are so obviously better off. We waste so much money on the illegal refugees and foreign aide and this money can be better put to use to help our own people in need. Refugees have the money to call our country when they are supposedly sinking and we are the fools that go running. What a laugh. Lets start putting our money back into our own community to help our people first.

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