In a few months we will be going to the polls in a federal election – an election crowded with ‘big issues.’ Climate change, Putin, government incompetence, integrity, and challenges in Aged Care and Health.
But according to Mark Townend, CEO of Spinal Life Australia – if you are approaching the age of 65 or already there, then something else should also concern to you and your family – blatant age discrimination.
Mr Townend stated; “Quite simply if you are 65 or over and acquire a significant disability from an accident or illness you are banned from the assistance offered by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and cast into the shambolic Aged Care system with potentially horrendous consequences”
Your care may cost between $160,000 to $300,000 per annum but in Aged Care you will only get $52,000 per year for your care, assistance and crucial equipment.
And so, we started the Disability Doesn’t Discriminate campaign to help Australians end this unfair discrimination by calling on politicians to take action and to call all candidates to account. To date 20,000 Australians agree.
There are heart wrenching stories of people sleeping in wheelchairs as they can’t afford the equipment needed to get into bed.
Think that over next time you go to bed!
There are people whose birth date and post code has precluded them from participation in the NDIS and families thrown into financial impoverishment as they try and find ways to stand by their injured loved one.
80-year-old Colin Ramm of Central Queensland was an active gardener and member of his community he tripped and fell on a concrete path and spent seven months in a hospital spinal unit. Now he’s at home’ without the care and help he needs depending almost solely on his ageing wife.
Acquiring a disability is bad enough being abandoned by his country is quite another. It’s discriminatory, it’s unfair and it’s just plain wrong!
Mr. Townend said “There are many Australians who should be eligible to participate in the NDIS, but their age has been used as a reason to exclude them from the scheme, resulting in very poor outcomes for people with disability.
It was the Gillard government that amended its own legislation introducing the NDIS to delete those 65 and over but subsequent Coalition governments have refused to fix the problem. Our campaign is not about assigning blame but fixing the problem.
Disability Doesn’t Discriminate and neither should the Government!
We will be contacting all candidates in marginal or key seats and ask them directly,
• Do you support or oppose this blatant age discrimination? YES, or NO?
• Do you promise to fix this? YES, or NO?
We will publish the results on our website www.
