22 July 2016
CEO message
We’re all about finding and providing solutions at Youngcare, not a cure, and via our grants and housing solutions we are making a tangible difference to the lives of young Aussies with high care needs. One part of my role I really look forward to is signing our grant agreements after each panel has met. This week I had the pleasure of signing off on funding for seven more Home Soon Grants, which means another seven young Aussies will exit aged care. This is the second year of the Home Soon Grants, proudly supported by Suncorp Insurance, and for between $5,000 – $20,000 (and in some extreme cases up to $50,000) we can 100 per cent deliver on our mission – fantastic!
We recently undertook a survey with 1000 Australians to understand where they thought they would live if they required 24/7 care; it would be fair to say there’s a lot of naïvety. A staggering 80 per cent thought ‘We’ll be right’ and they would live with their peers in a rehab facility or be at home with support. The reality is, they would likely be living in aged care. If you have a profound disability, whether that’s via diagnoses, birth, accident or by suffering a trauma (e.g. a stroke) – we are all only an instant away from having to deal with the reality of a life that requires care and support 24 hours a day. Indeed, while the majority of those surveyed believed the cause of long-term, high care disability was disease, accident and injury are actually the main reasons. Our survey also revealed that we are unprepared for the costs that would be involved, which can see families facing up to $100,000 to modify a home to meet the needs of a severe disability.
The Youngcare Simpson Desert Challenge is over for this year and to raise over $650,000 is an amazing feat for our trekkers, who I thank wholeheartedly. A big thank you too to our support crew; our Channel Nine documentary team; and the Birdsville community. It was wonderful to have so much support from the iconic outback town.
With best wishes for a safe and not too chilly winter!
Sam
Pictured: 2016 Simpson Desert Trekkers in Birdsville
