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Australians suffering from dementia and suffering from the "deepest and darkest" depression have been forced to wait for people to die in order to gain access to adequate care.
The Royal Commission on Elderly Care heard from caregivers in Adelaide on Monday at the start of the second hearing.
Rock musician Veda Meneghetti is supported by her friend Lynda Henderson. The couple live together in the New South Wales area.
Ms Henderson said that there was a common experience among the many depressed friends they had knotted since Ms. Meneghetti was diagnosed in September 2012, at the age of 61.
"Every person we've met has gone through the deepest and darkest depression at some point," Henderson said at the hearing.
Ms. Meneghetti has a rare form of dementia that affects her speech, reading, and understanding.
HammondCare, its largest provider, took 34% of all home care in management fees, which is well above the 14% currently supported.
Ms. Henderson stated that they had been sent to staff with no first-aid training, with insufficient knowledge of manual handling and other practices in occupational health and safety.
HammondCare also did not provide case management advice, she said, forcing Henderson to do it herself with the help of a GP, two neurologists, and a registered nurse. retired.
"It made me extremely angry," she says.
Ms. Henderson said that Australia was in dire need of a review of national qualifications and career opportunities for people with dementia.
Ms. Meneghetti waited six months in anticipation of an upgrade to the highest level of care, a Level 4 package, with Ms. Henderson the only one to support her 20 hours a day.
She said she believed that she was still recovering from the post-traumatic stress of that time by taking care of her friend.
"Every morning she had two hours of panic attacks, which were terrifying.These panic attacks were incredible," Ms. Henderson said.
Raelene Ellis, who took care of her mother for more than two years after the diagnosis of dementia, said that she had been told that one person would die before being able to benefit from a level of care. superior.
"We should not have to say to someone" when the next person dies, you can get help, but until then, you can not be difficult, "she said. at the hearing.
When she finally received a Level 4 package, it was only nine hours of care per week after the provider charged 38% of the administrative fee.
Mrs. Ellis spoke with emotion of how difficult it was to understand that her mother should go to an institution.
Paul Sadler, Presbyterian Ageed Care NSW and President of ACT, said that government letters informing approved individuals of receiving a home care package and put on a waiting list often left people perplexed.
"People do not understand this difference," he said.
Mr. Sadler said the system should be more transparent, including how the government decides who receives home care programs first.
"As a community, we should expect to understand how the system works."
Australian Associated Press
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