High-risk disabled clients ‘ignored’ claim by home-care service ahead of housing summit

If a person with a high-risk disability “is tearing an airconditioning unit off a wall”, there is not much a support worker can do without compromising their safety, says a home-care service boss.

A home-care service is calling on the Queensland government to stop ignoring people with high-risk disabilities ahead of the housing summit on October 20.

Home Care Nurses Australia (HCNA) wants the government to commit to building more simple and affordable accommodation for their clients who are “falling through the cracks of the system”.

HCNA managing director Busi Faulkner said: “We are a small provider so we don’t get invitations to these things, but we know the issues affecting people with disability and the sector on the ground and want their voices to be heard.”

The government initially confirmed that peak disability body, Queenslanders with Disability Network (QDN), had been invited to attend the summit.

But when pressed why HCNA had not been invited, within hours a spokesman said: “Home Care Nurses Australia will be invited to the housing summit on October 20.”

Ms Faulkner said home care had its own “unique challenges and issues”.

HCNA managing director Busi Faulkner said home care had its own “unique challenges and issues”. Picture: Supplied

“The government must see and discuss the full picture at the upcoming Queensland Housing Summit and that includes the issues affecting people with disability and the disability sector at large,” she said.

“Disability is too often put in the too-hard box, and when it is addressed, focuses more on physical disability.”

Ms Faulkner said those with high-risk behaviours could often be “quite violent” and cause “significant damages” to properties.

“These people often don’t qualify for specialist disability accommodation (SDA) under the NDIS but are unable to gain employment due to their behaviours,” she said.

“So if damages are made, they are unable to foot the bill and the responsibility is put on the provider who is caring for them.

“For us, that (damage) totals over $100,000 so far.

“But as you can imagine, if a person is tearing an airconditioning unit off a wall or punching a hole in a door, there is little a support worker can do without compromising their own safety.

“With records of previous incidents, it is impossible for them to get accepted and so we as a provider must choose whether to take them or not – a lot of providers turn them away but that is not what home care nurses is about – we care for the people society rejects.”

HCNA managing director BusiFaulkner said people with high-risk behaviours could often be “quite violent” and cause “significant damages” to properties. Picture: Supplied

QDN chief executive Paige Armstrong said people with disability made up one in five of the population.

“Their needs are diverse and there should be a greater number and range of affordable and accessible rental and home ownership options to reflect this,” she said.

Ms Armstrong said QDN believed housing for people with disability should be “inclusive, accessible and affordable”.

Ms Faulkner said the solution was “complex” and would take collaboration between the Public Trustee and provider.

“Instead of financially crippling the people who are trying to care for them, we must work together to address the damages as well as ensure the accommodation is suitable for the individual,” she said.

“I commend the Help to Home program as it guarantees to investors that their homes will be returned to them repaired, and believe the government should be dedicating some of this to these high risk individuals who have nowhere else to go.”