Anietra and Pavel
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.
‘They should look after people in her situation who are really disabled. Because the brain is everything. She’s going to get worse with the days.’
Pavel’s friend, Anietra, has schizophrenia. She’s in her late 50s.
‘She’s been sick, you know, for a while. She has been in and out of mental hospitals a few times.’
Anietra is ‘living on medication’, Pavel told the Royal Commission. ‘The times she stops her medication, I’ve seen her get worse and worse. She’s a different person.’
But the drugs make Anietra put on a lot of weight.
‘She is very, very obese. So, it’s hard for her. And she’s all the time, like, you know, just sitting on the veranda of her house and hasn’t got energy or anything.’
Anietra is exhibiting a lot of dementia-like symptoms. She sees a psychologist, Pavel said, but has no other supports.
‘She needs a lot of help, because sometimes, you know, she puts on the heaters. Or the stove is on and she’s sitting outside. If someone asks her, she said, “No, I didn’t put it on.” … She forgot about them.’
Anietra recently applied for the NDIS with the help of her doctor, but was knocked back.
‘And she gets emailed the refusal letter from NDIS. I got shocked because she needs help and support, at least in washing, in cooking … Yeah, for someone to clean up the house for her, to take her out.’
Pavel says the NDIS process ‘is not fair’.
‘It’s too easy for them to reject the application but hard for them to accept it. Just straight away, deny it … The problem, in my point of view, they didn’t, you know, maybe read all the documents. And they haven’t got specialised people to look into the documents and give the right decision to the right person.’
Pavel feels Anietra was obviously eligible for funding. Her application included reports from her doctor and psychiatrist, and ‘that should have been enough to assess her’.
Anietra has waited months after requesting a review of the decision. Meanwhile, she’s increasingly isolated and her cognitive impairment is deteriorating.
‘She can’t control herself … She doesn’t talk to anyone. She locks herself in a room … She’s trying to run away from people.’
Pavel’s trying to get her out of her isolation.
‘Because it’s not easy to live by yourself. She can’t get any other services … Aged care, they’re not going to take her because has to be, you know, 64 and over.’
He loves his friend and wants her to get the care she deserves.
‘I feel sorry for her, to be honest. She break my heart, but I can’t do anything.’
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.