Fed: Young people with disabilities forced into nursing homes

AAP General News (Australia)
12-13-2001
Fed: Young people with disabilities forced into nursing homes

By Sharon Labi

SYDNEY, Dec 13 AAP - People as young as 20 were ending up in aged care nursing homes
because of a lack of appropriate disability services, the NSW Community Services Commissioner
said today.

Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald highlighted a desperate, nationwide shortage of supported
accommodation for people with disabilities, saying what did exist was completely inappropriate.

"There is a chronic problem in Australia and in NSW in relation to the inappropriate
placement of people with disabilities into nursing homes," Mr Fitzgerald told AAP.

"There are far too many people being placed in aged nursing homes because of their
disability when in fact they are quite young."

Mr Fitzgerald said some were as young as 20.

"There are literally hundreds around Australia that are inappropriately placed," he said.

"In nursing homes we're finding people as young as 20 right through.

"These people have suffered often physical disability, often intellectual disability
as well and because we have no alternatives, they are placed in elderly or ageing facilities,
facilities which are not appropriate for their care."

Apart from boosting funding, governments had a responsibility to improve the range
of options available including co-residency, semi-independent living and group homes.

"Governments have to make a very clear commitment so people with disabilities have
a right to choose an alternative form of accommodation ... we have to provide the resources
for that," Mr Fitzgerald said.

Meanwhile, service providers also had to become more innovative and flexible in care
options, he said.

The Community Service Commission today launched a guide entitled "Living arrangements
- A guide to supported accommodation for people with disabilities".

It details accommodation options available and how to access them.

"It's very important that a person with disability has real choice, choice to live
within the community, choice to choose their accommodation," Mr Fitzgerald said.

"That is denied to many people today."

AAP sal/jjs/las/br

KEYWORD: ACCOMMODATION

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