The Tierney's Courageous Battle

 

Through Youngcare Connect, Youngcare has been privileged to meet the Tierney family, who are rallying around 30-year-old Nicole after she suffered a devastating stroke 12 months ago that left her with an acquired brain injury.

 

The Tierney family contacted the Youngcare Connect support line because they didn’t know who to turn to or where to go for help when Nicole suffered her stroke.

 

Battling a broken health care system, mired by bureaucracy and limited options for both appropriate care and funding for young people like Nicole, parents Jennifer and Steve have taken on the enormous task of becoming Nicole’s full-time carers at their home on the Gold Coast.

 

Youngcare’s General Manager, Stakeholder Relations Genevieve Atkinson and  Youngcare Connect Liaison Officer Melissa James recently visited the Tierney family.

 

“One of the first things I noticed when entering the Tierney home was all the medical equipment – Nicole now has full-time care needs and requires equipment such as her physio table, her bathing table, her specially-designed bed, her wheelchair, etc,” Ms Atkinson said.

 

Jen and Steve Tierney monitor Nicole 24-hours a day and attend to her every need, from recording everything Nicole eats or drinks, to administering her medication and managing all the volunteers and their rosters – every minute of every day is planned and scheduled.

 

“Incredibly, while now managing Nicole’s round-the-clock care, Jen and Steve both hold down jobs at the same time also supporting Nicole’s twin sister Fiona, who has just had her own twins,” Ms Atkinson said.

 

“This is an extremely hard and exhausting situation for any family member to find themselves in – the Tierney’s have received very limited government support to help finance Nicole’s ongoing care.”

 

Youngcare has been helping the Tierney family navigate the often confusing health and disability system in the hope of that funding may be forthcoming to alleviate some of the pressures facing this family.

 

Youngcare will continue to provide a voice for Nicole Tierney and the 6,500 young people in aged care and 700,000 others being cared for at home.

 

Youngcare Connect advice and information hotline – 1300 844 727, made possible by Suncorp Insurance.