I shared what trying to get supports was like in 2024. Well, in early 2025 I had to try again. Something had changed and I needed a support. From my 2024 experience I had learned more about what state based services offered and felt more confident that I would be able to get the support I needed – it was more in line with what they offered.
I was very, very wrong.
After a long wait, I had a phone call back from the QLD government support services. What I needed was a mowing service. My yard was being mowed by someone voluntarily and they were unable to keep dong so. I am unable to do it myself. So it was time to find a disability support service to do it for me.
They will not offer this service.
It gets better. Or worse, depending on your preferred levels of cynicism and sarcasm.
One of the reasons they will not offer this services is because you will become “dependent” on it. Melissa has written brilliantly here on the fallacy of independence. I highly suggest you check out her blog post.
What the service will do is mow a few strips for you. For example, the the mailbox, washing line, or rubbish bins. This is utterly useless and not a genuine disability support.
I was actually speechless when they told me this. And it takes a lot to render me speechless.
The person I was speaking to was absolutely lovely, their tone conveyed that they knew what they were allowed to offer was utter shit. They were starting to agree with me and I told them not to say anything that would get them in trouble at work. It wasn’t their decision to make this “offering” useless.
We spoke a bit more broadly about what other services they offer, and it was things like someone to take you to the library or to socialise. Things I cannot do. All their services were based on doing things with you, not for you. I have a LOT (aka mega fuck tonne) to say on that entire topic, but that will be the focus of a different blog post.
In the end I lodged a complaint with the state government about how inappropriate and useless their disability support services are.
I’ll do a different blog post on their response, because it only gets worse.
You can read the complaint and response here.
Oh it’s so wrong! And we know it
We had very little to do with access to Aged Care support until 2023 when 99 yo Dad could get some help due to his mobility & legal blindness.
The RULES about what did & did not constitute care they could LEGALLY provide were woeful.
We ended up keeping it on for Dad just so he had someone turning up every couple of days as a distraction but yes very little value nor help.
Dad had different people each time which DID NOT HELP and his frustration with that was another issue.
You have to think that those who make the rules might have an inkling of understanding and compassion. We got the distinct impression it was about $$$ to the providors. Glad Dad only had to endure this for a few months. Cannot imagine long term & lack of consistency
They all talk about being person-centred then deny you freedom and choice, things that are key to personhood. They need to be centred around individuals needs, not corporate needs.
[…] shitty ridiculous headline, doesn’t it? I wrote about trying to get some disability services in early 2025 and how I’d lodged a complaint. Well, here’s the follow up to that. Maybe take some […]
[…] it’s published) on foundational supports and it had me reflecting on my attempts (in 2024, in 2025, and the complaint and the response to the complaint) about trying to get some kind of freaking […]