Aurora and Dawson
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.
Aurora is deaf and blind and has an intellectual disability.
Her brother-in-law, Dawson, wrote to the Royal Commission about the inadequate health care Aurora has received from disability support staff due to insufficient training.
Aurora used to live on her own with care provided by support staff. But her independence ended after Aurora’s doctor prescribed eye drops for her.
The eye drops needed to be applied several times a day.
‘Her support staff were willing to do this but the management declined as they were not trained to do this simple task,’ Dawson said.
In the short-term, Aurora’s family members had to take time off work to administer the eye drops. But this was not sustainable.
The family had little choice but to move Aurora out of her house into a small, one-bedroom place next door to 24-hour support.
‘Imagine the work we had to do to find [Aurora] other accommodation, the terrible stress, grief and anxiety this has caused … [That we were] forced to take [Aurora] out of her home environment just because the staff were not permitted to apply eye drops is beyond belief, but true.’
Dawson said there are many other examples of the lack of care and support for Aurora that members of the family ‘literally deal with on a daily basis’.
‘We constantly discuss the issues with the support staff and their organisations but get nowhere.’
He believes support agencies ‘need to become much more professional and strategic in the provision of support’.
‘The industry requires a shake up and the government needs to monitor the performance of agencies that [receive] funding.’
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.