Posts by Rosemary McDonald
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Access: Disability abuse: it’s not OK, in reply to Hilary Stace,
Ahem...as I said in my last post, on the Coast (Gisborne/East Coast/ Eastern BOP) family carers being paid (through a MOH Contracted Provider) is as common as not. This also applies to the Far North. Both areas have a number of Maori Providers (even pre Whanau Ora) who routinely pay resident or other family members. This was one of the unspoken bones of contention during the early stages of the Family Carers case. Of the 272 cases of family being paid....most were explained/justified on ' cultural' grounds.
The advent of the Funded Family Care Scheme has had little or no impact....as far as I have heard.
The whole issue in these areas gets really, really messy.
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Access: Some aspects of New Zealand's…, in reply to Sacha,
It would seem to me that this lass fits either in MOH:DSS or ACC. More questions than answers here. Surely to god there must be a better way of securing basic bleeding needs than having to go to the media?
In an ideal world, there would be an organisation representing dissabled people....au fait with the variety of impairments and requisitries to leading a ' normal' life...to whom a disabled person to go to for advice, advocacy and if necessary...non violent direct activism.
THEN...we would see a small army decend upon this house with timber and tools and know how to build the damn ramp....
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Access: Disability abuse: it’s not OK, in reply to Hilary Stace,
Thanks Hilary, saves me trawling the net on an old and unfamiliar computer(we got burgled yesterday).
Michael Roguski speaks with some feeling. I must have read dozens of papers recounting experiences such as he relates....but to hear the words said out loud...very moving.
Having family members as paid carers is common on the 'Coast, having many family members working for the same agency is also common. Whanau ties are wide, strong and often all pervasive....easy to see how serious abuse would go unacknowledged. One would have thought the whole nepotism issue would have been addressed long before now.
I would be interested to know if unpaid family carers were counted in the same group as paid family carers. -
Access: Some aspects of New Zealand's…, in reply to Sacha,
I wonder why, if her brain injury is the result of falling into a swimming pool...this young lass isn't covered by ACC?
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Access: Some aspects of New Zealand's…, in reply to Sacha,
This kind of thing REALLY pisses me off.
It seems like Mum is providing most or all of the care for this young lass.
The reality is, that if a Contracted Provider was sending in carers...these issues would come under a 'workplace safety' banner and get sorted fast.
Unpaid, family carers simply do not count.
As an aside....it took over a decade for us to get MOH funding for a queen size medical bed ( routinely funded by ACC for a high tetraplegic).
Peter has been a really cheap crip to run as he has not had funding for home modifications etc. Just a wheelchair and shower chair. The bed being height adjustable ( and big enough to fit his 6' 4" frame into) became an absolute neccessity when my back folded and I was literally unable to transfer him. Luckily we had prodigal grown children in the house temporarily to do the transfers. We were told that if outside carers were coming in...a bed would be funded toot sweet.
Our final argument was to send a ' invoice' to a MOH Higher Up for the approximately $750,000 they had saved by me providing years of unpaid care.
Dollars...thats the only language they speak.
Auckland? Surely this is Taikura Trust's bailiwick?
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Access: Some aspects of New Zealand's…, in reply to Hilary Stace,
It is good to see positive feedback about one these organisations.
There is so much Govt. funding going into various groups and schemes and programmes, with seemingly little in the way of sustainable, positive outcomes.
I understand that having a choice of providers is a plus....but how does one decide which provider to pin your (or your child's) future outcomes on?
Perhaps we need to set up a "rate that disability supports provider" website....sharing positive and negative experiences.
And perhaps, at the risk of copping some flak for differentiating between various types of impairment, it might be useful for these outfits to say in their promos..." we specialise in finding sustainable employment for those on the autistic spectrum, if you are in the Deaf community...try XYZ Agency".
Just a thought....because everybody's needs are specific.
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http://www.q-nique.co.nz/supported-employment.html
http://www.emergetrust.org.nz/
So many providers of Supported Employment for those with disabilities....all sound so positive...
So...?
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Here.....http://www.asenz.org.nz/about-asenz-and-supported-employment/
Sounds really good.....
(but with my deep distrust of anything associated with NZDSN...)
But don't let that put anyone off....
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An interesting paper from 2001 on the closure of Templeton....from a socio-economic/political standpoint. http://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/bitstream/10092/920/1/thesis_fulltext.pdf
This paper concludes....
"The social philosophy of normalisation has continued to promote the social inclusion and participation of people with intellectual disabilities while neo-liberalism has declined in the political discourse of the health sector. However, the resurgence of neo-liberalism, caused by the impending crisis of an ageing population and a reduced taxable work-force will create fiscal pressure on state expenditure on the health infrastructure. Should New Zealand governments once more adopt neo-liberalism as its economic discourse, the freedom and independence currently enjoyed by most people with intellectual disabilities may be undermined by neo-liberal cost saving strategies in the health infrastructure."
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Access: Some aspects of New Zealand's…, in reply to Hilary Stace,
".... to insufficient space inside and outside for James to be able to release his energy when stressed. "
Thats along the lines of what I was trying to say....more space, more room, to roam safely. Hard to do in town, on a small section.
I am certainly not suggesting the return of the big institutions....just some happy medium between that and the pressure cooker environments of small institutions.
And higher staff to client ratios.