Disability lives matter - The vulnerable people dying and uncared for NDIS watch...it is failing
Seeing the death of the black man George Floyd in America last week, at the boot of a police thug, gutted me and the fact as he died he cried out for his mother - like soldiers do as they lie dying on the battlefield
we cry out for the only one who really loved us cared for us and fought for us from birth onwards...
It reminded me what a harsh world this is, and that we as parents are the only ones who can fight for our children's rights in the face of ignorance and apathy. in our society, and law system, and we are the only one who can stand up to the exploitation by carers, providers and anyone else on behalf of our children whether young or old. We need to help each other fight.
Recently in the news have been three major deaths involved with disabilities persons or their parent...
and entwined with each was the failure of the NDIS to help or care for those with disabilities they were meant to be caring for. This has bearing on all parents who fear for their special needs children's futures and present care and protection from abuse.
My own son was injured in are respite house where he was there for the day - the subsequent lying of the organization and the removal of a worker to another house at my demand was terrifying in that you knew no one would do anything about it. With no laws that demand investigation for an incident of violence with a disability person - the police were slack and reluctant to investigate and in the end would not question the worker whom I believed had hurt my son. Next without cameras they refused to make it a crime incident, and without cameras lawyers would not take on the incident that occurred to my son. YOu are meant as a parent to quietly bow out, suffer for your child and just leave. I had no where else to move my son as many parents know it is hard to find care for you disability children. As a result you are trapped and helpless as a parent and have no power unless you step up and start fighting which in my case I have - I have plans for the future to unveil what happened to my son more publicly. However, I will continue to fight for the rights of our children to be protected in disability programmes and places of care, for cameras and for new protection laws that make it mandatory for police to investigate incidents of violence against vulnerable people with disabilities.
Stuart robert's letter back to me after my complaint said protocols had been put in place. Not cameras for accountability or evidence though. I said protocols are not enough. He does not address this need to protect our vulnerable children.
A journalist from the ABC news contacted me from Adelaide trying to gather information on the NDIS who had seen my petition and she asked what I thought of NDIS treatment and how people feel, so I told her. The journalist were dealing with the Ann Marie Smith case and so she was not as interested in NSW state and she put me onto Sydney ABC who I then emailed my story. See what happens.
Firstly with regards to Ann Marie Smith she died through neglect by a carer now under investigation, in April 6th 2020 -neglected by a carer who was meant to do full time care. This girl (a woman of 54 years old now) was isolated for a year or more only seeing this carer and not fed properly (the refrigerator also missing)not bathed not toileted not moved from her can chair all day all night. Her parents who had passed away, had left her a beautiful house in an upmarket area of Adelaide and obviously money for her care. I guess Integrity Care (Anglicare) took her money and then conveniently forgot about her as no one checked how she was, neither did NDIS. Where were the social workers, case workers or care for this woman?- so loved once by family and so badly treated after they had gone that she died in the end?
Apparently the worker had been sacked before for stealing and still got the job with Ann Marie Smith. The worker Rosa, also got a job a few days later after Ann marie had died. This is so bad. Parents are already terrified what the future holds for their disability children young or old and this only confirms their worst fears.
From this is shown the need for a registry of those workers who have harmed, abused, neglected or exploited those in their care, so that new employers will know who they really are.
Case workers who visit and check someone one their own with no family and no parents, and cameras to see how a person is being looked after or not, should have been happening at least.
Advocates for disability now ask why was one worker was looking after a girl with cerebral palsy solely on her own when it takes a team to do that? Maybe Integrity carers didnt want to pay more workers? So much greed is apparent in care providers make-up and thoughts now with NDIS in charge.
Stuart Robert said he didnt hear about the death of Ann Marie until 14th of May 2020 and she had died a month earlier. He blamed the SA government for not doing visits. Now he is 'tight-lipped' the newspapers say on the matter. Why do we have an NDIS? Dont they realize its meant to be about care of living human beings?
We need cameras to protect the vulnerable like Ann Marie who cannot speak for themselves and in her case cannot move.
We also need social workers to visit regularly these vulnerable ones in person. Checking if they are ok. The disability people and the parents of those with disabilities, especially parents who are on their own, or in crisis, or sick and are struggling to care for their children, and are in need of support.
Social workers need to organize that care for them and help them literally not with forms and phone calls and reports.
We need the provider of care organizations to have inspections regularly in person,by inspectors of respite houses, full time care and day programmes should also be inspected. Every three to six months.
It should be mandatory if these 'providers' want the money and especially if they take the money that comes with the disability person from the person's families.
Apparently the NDIA commission is investigating itself regarding Ann Marie Smith. Apparently it is independent. How can it be if it belongs to the NDIS anyway? The organization where my son was injured investigated themselves too and said they found nothing which is exactly what they wanted to find. Lies abound.
Secondly, the recent death of a father who loved his boys but was dying of cancer and really could not look after them anymore. Someone needed to step in and help him, but no one did and he died anyway and the boys were left locked in a room. He wasnt even up to feeding them much less looking after them. The neighbours said he loved the boys and even when sick tried to dress and send them to their programmes etc.
This is so upsetting for all parents of disability kids because the truth is you try your best and want the best for them and they can be so hard and demanding that you are worn out. This man I saw in another article actually gave up his job to look after his kids and was commendable for his sacrifices he made for them - yet he is treated as somewhat of an outcast because he couldnt look after them at the end - when he most needed help and was dying no one was there for him. He is judged labelled and ignored, at the end of his life. This is too sad he gave his best, he was afraid of the boys being taken off him...but he needed a hand not judgement by people who have never sacrificed so much for anyone and never gone without material things or food.
As I said before how could he buy food in a pandemic and when he was dying of cancer - didnt anyone think about what this man needed? Maybe he had to pay the rent or a mortgage or wouldnt have roof over his head so the boys didnt have proper beds or the right clothes - and we know autistic kids can often take their clothes off well any disability kids do for fun or because they feel like it. Yes they were not nourished or dressed but how could he do anything? perhaps this man was in so much pain in his dying and distress about the boys being left behind he felt there was no alternatives. Since obviously no one cared about them.
Obviously.
NDIS through gross neglect of the people they proclaim to be helping is letting them die whether parents or the disability kids when the parents are gone. this should not be. This needs to change. In the NDIS the needs of parents are largely ignored - its a money maker for disabilities and the providers make the money. They make sure they do.
Why wasnt a social worker sent in to help this dying man?
Stuart robert mp minister for NDIS has not said much this time. He does not have much to say perhaps because he does not care. This is a man who did his degree at a military college, and was involved in armed defence, and army and was a military officer. Im sure he was a good soldier, but this is a mismatch from armed forces to disabilities, this man seems the wrong choice when it comes to caring about families and those in need he has no heart and ignores what people say to him He was also a treasurer for the government. Money and military good combo thanks Scott Morrison for your leader of the NDIS do you have no brain or just no heart?
Social workers head up the NDIS organization, but do not personally interact with the disability people or families, and who is trained in disabilities? Very few. No one should be working with disability people who has had no training in it. Especially those who run care or respite houses, the managers, or workers. It should be mandatory for them to be trained.
Its like sending nurses into a hospital who never were trained as nurses.
There needs to be some training for disabilities even in administration and or social workers or dont give them that job. Saying you are for disabilities when nobody in your organization has ever trained or worked in disabilities is a lie.
Which bringthe fact the Stuart Robert was trained at military college and become a military officer who served in the Kuwait war, and later he was involved in finance as assistant treasurer for the government - which shows us his mismatch and deficits as a minister for disabilities - someone who knows nothing about it except how to run money and how to shoot the enemy - hard as nails. How can a man like this run an organization of care? If its only about money then of course you wont care if the participants die or not because its only about the money you give to them or cut off from then and eyes with dollar signs are never eyes of compassion or integrity.
Thanks alot Scott morrison for giving us a robot to run NDIS who does not care about people and who he the officer cannot relate to those looking after disabiity children. Stuart Robert (no The Bruce I must say sticking up for the poor and oppressed) has been described as ruthless in his methods with Centrelink by pushing the Robo debt on people causing them grief and dispair at having such debts his robot created.
Recently after questioned about the 7000 complaints he got in 10 days over NDIS (ABC news this week 1st April 2020) it was noted is 700 complaints a day Stuart Robert said it didnt matter because it was only 2 percent of people. Nothing matters to that man, and I am starting to believe the minister of disabilities is a robot himself running up robo debt with centrelink to oppress anyone on centrelink and robo-care that is formatted and unbending with NDIS to make it hard for the actual disabilities persons to get what they need or be heard when bad things happen to them, and easier for the providers to make money out of need.
Thirdly, due to the Ann Marie Smith death a sister of a man around the same age as Ann marie Smith has stepped forward as her brother died after not filling out his review form or doing an appointment he was cut off all of his services, of which some where medical. This is being investigated now. id Harris, was again on his own and very isolated. His sister lived in another state. No one stepped up to help him do a review with NDIS so that he could keep getting funds and help. Even the nurse stopped seeing him so last year for some reason he died, with no money no services no help and was not found for two months. His sister is now calling for an inquiry into this. The ndis spokeswoman called the sister 'irresponsible for blaming the NDIS for this' Really? I thought NDIS was in charge of disabilities they are responsible to see that people get the care and funds for that care they need. Its time they were called out on it.
All the best to this sister in her standing up for her brother - it is important to fight or we give up and we need to fight for our rights and our children's right because disability lives also matter.
It is a matter of concern when disability people keep dying under the watch of the NDIS or perhaps they are not watching at all and dont care as they only look at the funds and not the actual disability people's needs.
Perhaps we need to stand up and create public awareness of disabilities so that it does not keep happening in light of Ann Marie Smith's death we as parents are terrified for our children's futures we need protection from harm for them young or old, we need laws and a disability organization that actually listens to the people they say they are looking after but in reality are not doing it. Protocols are not enough and we to stand up and fight and even have protests if necessary or nothing will change because politicians do not listen unless their world is disturbed.
all the best
Anndrea x