Danna and Beatrice
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Danna had a stroke almost 20 years ago and lives with aphasia, anxiety and multiple medical conditions.
Prior to COVID-19 Danna was supported by a number of support workers and her daughter, Beatrice, who provided unpaid support. With a background in disability and community services, Beatrice told the Royal Commission, she ‘is qualified and skilled to provide the care’ that Danna needs.
During the first lockdown, the family made the decision to limit the number of people in Danna’s home. Beatrice scaled back her own paid work so she could provide all Danna’s support.
She contacted the NDIA requesting to be approved as Danna’s paid support worker. She didn’t receive a response and then became too busy – caring for her own family and for Danna – to follow up.
When the second lockdown was announced, she wrote to the NDIA again.
‘After multiple submissions and a very exhausting process, NDIA approved me to be paid for mum’s care,’ she said. ‘This had made her feel safe in her home in such an unsure time.’
But the approval was only for three weeks. The lockdown was set to last for at least six weeks.
Beatrice asked for an extension, but the NDIA refused.
Beatrice asked to appeal the decision but was told it wasn’t possible. She requested the decision be communicated in writing, but is yet to receive a response.
‘Why would the NDIA recognise the need to fund the support for a couple of weeks but then fail to extend this?’ she asks.
She feels the NDIA ‘has been so busy looking for a way to say no’ the request has not been properly considered. It has resulted in ‘a great deal of red tape, repetitive information’ and has become ‘a very time‐consuming and exhausting process’.
‘From our experience I would say that NDIA is absolutely disconnected from a person-centred solution … If the NDIA could look at this from a different angle they might be able to see that in some cases it can actually benefit a participant and be the right fit.’
Beatrice would like family members to be recognised and paid for the support they provide.
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.