Hope for young disabled Australians in elderly care homes

Abstract

In Australia, as in most high-income countries, there is an expectation that when someone becomes disabled— either through catastrophic injury or debilitating illness—appropriate care packages will be available. Yet, when people experience these lifechanging events, they often fi nd that the funding and programmes to meet their needs are not there. Moving into aged care homes has been the only option for many young people with disabilities because Australia’s broken disability service sector could not provide the care required. The problem is more visible because larger numbers of people are surviving serious road traffi c and other accidents. Those with debilitating diseases such as multiple sclerosis are also living longer. There are currently more than 6500 people younger than 65 years living in aged care homes in Australia, with about 700 younger than 50 years. At least 200 additional people younger than 50 years are entering aged care each year. About 5% of all aged care beds are taken up by people younger than 65 years, with 70% coming direct from hospital discharge. But these numbers would have been even higher if not for the Young People in Residential Aged Care (YPIRAC) programme. YPIRAC was envisaged in 2005 after concern that this growing population was being ignored. People who were themselves disabled rallied, as did their families, and advocacy groups such as the Young People in Nursing Homes National Alliance, led by Bronwyn Morkham. “Disability services have historically developed around people who have been born disabled, but what about those who develop disability later in life?” she asks. A young person seriously injured in a road accident is often not discharged from hospital because their state or territory disability service cannot aff ord or provide an appropriate care package for them. Aged care homes are the default option, where, despite the best eff orts of staff , specifi c care needs are rarely met and these younger people become separated from their families, withdrawn, and isolated. Staff numbers, training, and resources in the aged care sector are also unsuitable for care of younger people with disabilities. “This