Josh, a 29-year-old man with a contagious smile and a deep love for Pokémon, is living in Cairns and enjoying new-found freedoms in his fully equipped apartment.
As a young man with Cerebral Palsy, Josh has lived his adult years moving between unfit care facilities and emergency homes, where he experienced neglect, inconsistent care and subsequent health complications.
“At his previous care facility, as Josh is profoundly deaf, there were instances where they would wheel him to face a wall and put the radio on for him. He would also get constant chest infections from asphyxiation because people weren’t giving him drinks properly,” his brother Brett explained.
He has recently been given the opportunity to relocate into his own unit in North Queensland. The improvement this move has made to his health, social engagement and general well-being is undeniable, and his brother Brett is delighted to see Josh returning to his cheeky, fun-loving self.
“Since he has been in the unit, he hasn’t had a single chest infection. He gets to see his family a lot more because he’s not restrained with visiting and he’s just overall a lot happier here. He has his own special set of carers too, so the actual care he is receiving has improved ten-fold.”
While there is an abundance of positivity emerging from this change of scenery, living independently and setting up a new home can be extremely expensive. Youngcare was able to relieve some of this stress from Brett & Josh by providing a Home Support Grant, which funded high-quality white goods and an automatic vacuum cleaner for his new apartment.
“Without the help of the washing machine and dryer, I honestly don’t think he would be able to live on his own. It has made a world of a difference, dropping the power bill down from $450/month to $150/month. He also loves the vacuum cleaner. He will watch that thing go around for hours.”
With the washer, dryer and Roomba also increasing the efficiency of housework, the carers are spending less time cleaning and more time engaging and interacting with Josh. With the comfort, care and consistency that has come with this fully equipped apartment, Brett and Josh are so grateful for the support they’ve received from Youngcare, made possible by our generous donors:
“Josh’s happiness pretty much speaks for itself. It’s amazing that he can still hold on to so much happiness. He now has the people and the help he needs, when he needs it, all thanks to you.”
