Kimber
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.
‘Why is it that people who are 65 suddenly become not disabled, but aged? Someone needs to address this inequity and neglect of older people.’
Kimber is a carer for her husband who is a wheelchair user. She told the Royal Commission the aged care system does not adequately provide for older Australians with disability – and it is contributing to poor mental health outcomes.
Kimber says people should be able to live out their golden years in comfort and dignity. ‘The NDIS was supposedly set up to assist people with significant and profound disabilities live life to the fullest possibility.’
When a person with disability turns 65, support for assistive equipment that was covered under the NDIS may no longer apply. ‘They all need equipment, otherwise they cannot get out of bed, have a shower, go to the bathroom or do everyday things like everyone else.’
And she says waiting periods for aged care assistance are extensive. ‘People are desperately fighting to get a [tribunal] assessment because they have to go on the list, and then to get a Home Care Package the wait could be 12 months.’
Kimber says older people are forced to either scrimp and save – or dip into their own savings – to afford new equipment. ‘A manual wheelchair can cost anywhere from $5,000 upwards and an electric wheelchair starts at around $20,000.’
She believes all this uncertainty is contributing to poor mental health outcomes for older Australians with disability.
‘These people have fallen through the cracks and are now getting treated like “old” people and are only offered services to clean and cook and garden. They don’t need this they need assistance so they can do those things themselves.’
She says it is disheartening to see Australians with disability at their most vulnerable when they get older.
‘People who have been fighters all their life to enable themselves to become useful citizens, suddenly become downtrodden and “blue” and give up on life, feeling worthless and useless.’
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.