Enzo
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.
Enzo had a workplace accident not long after he migrated to Australia in the late 1970s. He was squashed between two shipping containers and sustained physical and psychosocial injuries.
At the time Enzo was awarded what he describes as ‘a rather small amount’ of workers’ compensation. He told the Royal Commission his accident ‘seemed to be unimportant to the company’.
The accident turned Enzo’s life upside down. He went from being a healthy productive man to being someone who had physical challenges, angry outbursts and mood swings. His wife left him. He was ‘heart broken and alone’.
Not long after the accident Enzo spent a year in a mental health facility where he said he experienced abuse and neglect. He was given electroshocks, was overmedicated and felt more and more depressed.
‘Saliva was coming out of my mouth. I didn’t know where I was. I couldn’t walk let alone talk to anyone. I was staying in the room all the time in the dark, feeling tense.’
After Enzo was released, he took the initiative to reduce his medication. He found a supportive psychiatrist and started being more active. He did some handyman and delivery work and other paid jobs. Ten years after the accident he received further compensation. He also started volunteering and said ‘volunteering is extremely important’ to him.
However, a few years ago Enzo was accused of sexual assault. He lost his driver’s licence and could not work as a volunteer. A court found Enzo not guilty but, in the 12 months waiting for an outcome, his mental health deteriorated.
Enzo now lives in a social housing estate and said he ‘struggles to get by’. He doesn’t have any friends in the estate and doesn’t have a support network who can help him when he gets sick or unwell.
Enzo has a My Aged Care package that is supposed to provide supports, but Enzo said it doesn’t. He was scheduled to have a neck and shoulder operation recently but it had to be cancelled as he had no-one to take him home or care for him at home after the operation. He said his physical and mental health is deteriorating and he is experiencing memory loss and chronic pain. He feels neglected by My Aged Care.
Enzo is facing many challenges, but now his legal issues are resolved he is able to volunteer again. He helps with cooking for events, gardening and transport. He said ‘going out to talk to people and volunteering’ is what keeps him going.
‘There is not much individuals like myself can do. I am suffering all these years, had to get operations done − wait years to get them done − so I have suffered a lot. Also, I cannot get any income. So I am hoping none in the future will have to go through what I experienced.’
Enzo said he ‘sometimes considers going back to his home country … but enjoys living in Australia’. He wants to share his story so the ‘mental health system can be improved and other people going through similar experiences can be better supported’.
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.