There's no place like home
I now have hope and a springboard for my future - Lyn ColquhounLyn Colquhoun understands what it means to lose hope.
At 50 she woke up in an acute dementia unit in a nursing home and feared she would never get out.
Debilitated for 13 years by mitochondrial disorder - a degenerative condition caused by a reduction in the chemical energy produced by the body's cells - and without family who could provide 24-hour care, she had no choice. The doctors had said the only option for her level of care was a nursing home.
However, Lyn and other younger people like her with high healthcare needs now have the choice to live independently in the community with assistance from the Younger People in Residential Aged Care Initiative. This innovative partnership between the States and the Commonwealth Government is managed in Queensland by Disability Services Queensland.
The initiative provides alternative accommodation for younger people with high care needs who are living in residential aged care. It also diverts younger people who are at risk of moving into aged care into more appropriate accommodation, or supports them to remain at home with their families.
Each individual's needs and circumstances are carefully considered before a model of support is decided. Depending on the options available in the area younger people are offered an accommodation where they can live like a younger person, be as independent as possible and have the freedom to choose their daily activities.
Lyn says she was devastated when she found herself living in an aged care nursing home. "It felt like the end of the road," she says. "I thought I may as well go home and die."
"I couldn't put on a brave face anymore. It wasn't just the wailing and screaming, it was the long, vacant faces that got to me. The nurses were my only social contact - my children just wanted to get in and get out. It was such an institutionalised environment. There was little choice about anything - when you woke, showered, ate. I lost hope."
Clearly, aged care was no place for a younger person.
Since gaining assistance from the Younger People in Residential Aged Care Initiative, Lyn has created a home full of colourful, eclectic objects that reflect her artistic and outgoing personality. Her Youngcare apartment at Jindalee in Brisbane is supported by the Wesley Mission Brisbane, with funding from DSQ. "I now have hope and a springboard for my future," Lyn says. "I've got personal space and privacy, my children are comfortable here and I have support to get out in the world and see what's happening. I collaborate with the staff about how and when my care needs are met. There are options and possibilities."
To find out more, contact 1800 177 120 or email ypirac@disability.qld.gov.au