Unpublished letter to Sydney Morning Herald

Once again dear readers, the uncritical internet allows the unpublished to be published!

Here is Jenny's letter published in the Sydney Morning Herald today:

Seems they don't care, at all

Mr Costello, thank you very much for the carer's bonus from this year's budget. It will offset the carer's allowance of less than $50 a week nicely. I might go silly and buy a ticket on a cruise. I need a holiday. Being constantly responsible for another person's every need is exhausting work. What? $600? Oh, well. Maybe a few trips on the Manly ferry, then. Was there any news about federal funding of supported accommodation for people with disabilities? No? Just more for aged care. That's reassuring. I'll be able to get a place when I can no longer care for myself. I wonder what will happen to my intellectually disabled son then?

Jenny Rollo, Putney

And here is my reply:

Dear Editor

Ageing parent/carers like Jenny Rollo (letters 10/5/07) keenly feel the lack of a timely and humane transition into supported accommodation for their adult sons and daughters. Yet this problem can be solved in the same way as aged-care accommodation was solved. Population benchmarking. In line with the aged-care population benchmark formula (108 places/packages per 1000 over the age of 70), population benchmarking of 18 places/packages of supported accommodation per 1000 people with disability in the severe to profound range is a cost-effective solution and compares favourably with aged care accommodation spending.

It would provide certainty and peace of mind to parents/carers who cannot physically continue to provide round-the-clock care for their family member with dependent disability. It would also immediately ease the critical shortage of respite beds often unavailable because of the deaths of elderly caring parents. There is a solution but who of our leaders has the political will to apply the solution?

There you have it.