My aged care is a, shambles ive heard about stories where an elder person can be on a higher care package because they need the support for example with home care. But they may not need to use all the funds so therefore that os badly managed. People in the industry are always wondering how can our leaders get it so wrong. So many people are also, waiting who can’t get the funding.
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I had a look early on at the (5?) different tests the Government proposes to use. In my opinion the tests are very limited in scope and didn’t cover the disabilities that I had and so I declined the NDIA’s request to take part in the independent assessment trial.
The questions were all about ability. Can you do this or that. There were no shades of grey like maybe I can do it if I’m having a good day, but most of the time no, or I can do it if I am drugged out of my brain to dull the pain.
The tests were like looking through night vision binoculars at night. If everything works, the field of view is hopefully clear, but monochrome, and the viewer has no peripheral vision. The result will be that sort of testing is that everything outside the field of view will be ignored, and therefore will be deemed as not needing support. Everything in the field of view with be black and white without shades of grey. Life and disablitiy isn’t like that.
Without going into details; the breadth and complexity of my disability issues is such that I have to educate any doctor (including specialists) I visit on the problems I have and what they mean, because no doctors I have encountered is across range of fields my illnesses cover. Even if they were, they certainly wouldn’t be across how all the issues interact.
I wouldn’t be unique in this. There are a plethora of disabilities out there, and when you look at them in detail, it is unlikely that any two individual’s disability issues would be the same.
Then, how the hell is some clerk sitting at a laptop running through a standardized set of test questions possibly going to understand? Even if it was a GP, the myopia caused by the constraints of the questions would mean that they miss-assess a vast number of people.
So, yes. It is a cost cutting exercise and not about looking after the clients. Pure and simple.
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I have recently had to take over management of my mother’s care, including dealing with MyAgedCare. It is an appaling system with layers apon layers of complexity and full of road blocks.
It clearly is not designed to be used by their aged clients, and in fact disempowers their clients completely handing power over to service organisation who make all the decisions for them.
Again it is all about saving money, not about looking after the clients.
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It has always looked like poorly done window dressing. The focused outcome since they were forced into it seems to be transferring money from the public purse into the ‘right’ pockets.
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I actually work in tne industry i have heard about how consumers are worse off. And they keep making ot harder with the outcome of the royal commission. I mean working in the sector is getting harder alomg with servicing clients. I never understood how the system works apart from saying its a, shambles. I guess if the people delivering the money cant get it right how can the provider expect to deliver. And it is , all about money as you mentioned.
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It depends on what those people’s goals were and remain. It is possible it is working exactly as they intended, and that would be a sad commentary on them, and those who vote for them.
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Supporting disabled has been a cost overrun and they will go into rationing (by whatever term)?
The recent changes to how NDIS support claims are assessed may be explained.
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They removed some Billions ($4.6 Bn underspend as they called it) a couple of years ago to help bring the Federal Budget Surplus closer to “reality”. It has never been put back and as a result budgets needed cutting to ensure they lived within the means. Same thing happened to Aged Care with I think about $1.5 Billion stripped out and ohh look we are putting $500 million into Aged Care (still a real reduction of $1 Billion). Pollies double speak is getting it’s normal usage to us plebs.
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Not only pollies but also businesses. They made $1 billion last year and $500 million this year and whinge they lost $500 million.
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I have been speaking with NDIS service providers who are all saying that the NDIA has become very tough, refusing to approve even when there is a clear cut need. They are also now knocking back things which had been routinely approved previously (not talking about COVID specific relaxations).
People are complaining on social media about how they cannot get even basic help for their high needs dependants when applying.
Metaphorically kicked the walking sticks out from under the elderly, and now kicking the crutches out from under the disabled.
What a hard hearted bunch we have governing us.
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Yet voters still vote the way they usually do, in most places save for a small handfull of swing seats… While far out of the original context, ‘we have met the enemy and he is us’ - Pogo ,1970
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The royal commission for both sectors is rubbish its more about hindering everyone who works they cut funding. I think its badly serviced. Aved care is worse ive been told such a huge waiting list.
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A petition regarding stopping Independent Assessors for the NDIS has had a win.
PETITION UPDATE
Victory!
Sue Grier
Ipswich, Australia
APR 15, 2021 — Today the news has come in that Independent Assessors are now on hold .
[
NDIS reforms put on hold amid fierce opposition
Ahead of a meeting with her state and territory counterparts on Thursday, new NDIS Minister Linda Reynolds confirmed she won’t…
https://www.canberratimes.com.au
](https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7210170/ndis-reforms-put-on-hold-amid-fierce-opposition/?fbclid=IwAR0caLhde99pGknYz7nYsMU950fhAPdRF0ZcDISlUwkP1924MBXov0djZ4k)
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A temporary stay of execution only.
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Another scathing article regarding the NDIS.
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It just gets better and more damning on the duplicity of this government.
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So stupid. They just won’t accept that if they save money on the NDIS, they will pay out a lot more for health in both the short and more so in the long term.
This Government don’t seem to have a problem providing themselves with benefits (jet planes, accommodation etc) , overlooking rorts, and ignoring unnecessary payments to their ‘friends’; yet they seem to have a serious problem with providing benevolent assistance to those in society that need it the most.
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That could be the case, but is ‘robo-NDIS’ where the client is essentially guilty until proven innocent dealing a distant arms length hand an appropriate response to refining a program that might not be as on target as it should be?
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A worthwhile observation that the NDIS provides “funding to support disability needs”. The needs must vary significantly between age groups, diversity of conditions and personal circumstance.
The government appears to be going down the path of a standardised one size fits all assessment. It’s difficult looking in from the outside to see how this will provide effective and reliable outcomes for the recipients.
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