A system in crisis - Youngcare calls for more equality
The issue of disability care and support in Australia is at breaking point, evidenced by the fact that 6,500 young people with high care needs are living in aged care and a further 700,000 being cared for at home, with very limited options available for appropriate and dignified care.
Youngcare is championing for increased awareness and choice for young people with high care needs and welcomes the move made by the Federal Government in asking the Productivity Commission to undertake a public inquiry into a long-term disability care and support scheme.
“A National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) would provide a safety net for all Australians, ensuring that if they or someone they love became severely disabled, they would automatically receive appropriate financial support for care and accommodation,” Youngcare CEO Marina Vit said.
“Currently, these assurances do not exist for all Australians – a very large subset of people with or acquiring disabilities do not automatically receive necessary support to meet their needs and this desperately needs to be addressed.”
Those who acquire a disability through a workplace or motor vehicle accident generally receive financial support to help meet their care needs.
However, an enormous gap exists in the system for people who are permanently disabled through other accidents, people born with permanent disabilities or people acquiring one due to a medical condition as there is no automatic support to ensure care needs are met.
It is left for loved ones, family members and friends to try and pick up the pieces, either becoming the primary carer at the expense of their own lives, or making the heartbreaking decision to put their loved one in aged care.
Youngcare is currently preparing a submission to the Productivity Commission inquiry and will present a paper at the national consultation hearings in July. For more information on the NDIS, go to www.ndis.org.au.
Youngcare will continue to provide updates on this issue and urges all supporters to get behind this once in a lifetime opportunity to change the way Australians support people with a disability.