Carers of people with disability left exhausted navigating NDIS
Parents are increasingly becoming the primary caregivers for their disabled adult children, which often comes at a high physical and emotional cost.
The strain of navigating the NDIS to secure more support for their loved ones is taking a toll on the mental health and wellbeing of caregivers for people with disabilities, according to recent reports. Amanda Solarino, who lives in Romsey, Victoria, is the full-time caregiver for her 21-year-old son Alex, who is autistic, non-verbal, and has an intellectual disability.
She frequently replaces furniture and walls due to Alex's escalating aggression, which is now directed at his 19-year-old sister, Erica, as well. The NDIS does not cover the costs of replacing broken items, further adding to the financial burden. Alex has been denied access to day care programs in their area and a neighboring town, leaving the family with limited support.
Ms. Solarino, who suffers from chronic migraine disorder and worsening arthritis, suspects her stress may be causing autoimmune problems. Despite the NDIS approving a specialist disability accommodation for Alex due to his aggression, the plan did not meet her requests, leaving her exhausted and questioning her ability to continue fighting the system.
On the Sunshine Coast, Breanna Medcalfe, a 24-year-old law student with a spinal injury and quadriplegia, faces similar challenges. She relies on one support worker and mainly on her 60-year-old parents for daily care. While she would like more NDIS-funded support hours, her requests have been declined, causing stress for both her and her family members.
The family is lodging an appeal against a review of her NDIS plan, questioning why they must justify their disability to receive funding. The NDIS declined to comment on specific supports provided by family members and the lack of resources in regional areas, but defended its role in providing critical services, stating that funding changes would exclude critical supports for health, safety, and wellbeing.
Ms. Medcalfe emphasizes the need for the NDIS to understand the real-world consequences of its decisions, requesting only basic supports to enable her to live as normal a life as possible.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
