Our Individual Advocate Angela assisted a client with a degenerative neurological condition, concerning service provision issues. All of our Individual and NDIS Appeals client stories have been de-identified for privacy reasons.
The client required assistance with all of her daily living support – totally dependent on support in all areas of their life, no informal network support either. The client was labelled as “difficult” with “challenging behaviours” due to the desired level of control concerning her service support.
The communication between many staff and the client had become strained. If staff felt as if the client was talking to them in a rude or disrespectful way, they were authorised to cease service on the spot if they felt it was appropriate. This would result in the client having to be hospitalised due to lack of service – an ambulance would be called and she would be transported to hospital.
The client was at risk of losing their choice to continue to live independently in social housing, and did not feel ready to consider other options, such as a supported accommodation group home setting, or a nursing home.
With our advocacy assistance to address the concerns, the client was supported to engage with other providers who were more understanding of the client’s situation and character. They became with a more flexible and person-centred attitude in their service provision.
