Big brother house
Daniel and Scott Harry are adjusting well to their new home.Paying bills and shopping for groceries - most of us would be happy to live without these daily chores. Two young brothers tell Connect how these tasks are just part of a whole new world of experiences.
Scott and Daniel Harry are enjoying everyday tasks like shopping, washing and budgeting for the first time following their move to an accommodation support house in Kurwongbah, north of Brisbane last year.
Disability Services Queensland's Strengthening Non-Government Organisations project identified an accommodation support model that would enable residents like Daniel and Scott to live more independently as the highest priority need in the disability sector.
The house is just one of many accommodation support services funded through the project. The five-bedroom house provides 24-hour care for up to four individuals with complex needs, including medical support. Care and staffing levels are varied and flexible, depending on each resident's requirements.
Scott and Daniel, who have a severe form of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, require 24 hour support in all activities of daily living. Prior to moving to the house they lived with their family. Scott says living at home was difficult as it placed a physical and emotional strain on their parents who had to wake them several times each night to reposition them or place them on breathing machines.
"We did feel guilty at the strain this was putting on the family over time," Scott says. "But our parents now have a lot more time for themselves and have even been away on a few trips.
"We now manage ourselves on a day-to-day basis including decisions on what and when to eat, and even when we want to sleep in."
Scott, who also has a book in the pipeline about his life experiences, says this new flexibility and freedom has enabled them to both feel a lot more independent. Daniel agrees. "We get to pay our own bills, buy groceries, do some gardening - just enjoy normal life experiences," he says.
Daniel is a keen gardener, tending his own vegetable patch and using the tomatoes in the house meals. The men share the house with one other young man, and they go to rugby league games, meeting up with friends.
"While it was a bit awkward at first having new people around, we know that expert care is on call and available whenever we need it," Daniel says. "The move has made us both feel more relaxed."
Leeding Care Australia provides the care service at Kurwongbah. Manager Lee Garniss says setting up the facility has not been without its challenges. "It is an unconventional model of care," Lee says. "The home is Scott and Daniel's home, however it is also a workplace for their support staff. Balancing these two requirements has been a challenge for all.
"We have definitely experienced a bit of a learning phase over the last twelve months. However, by working as a team we constantly strive to meet the needs of both residents and staff and I think we have achieved the right balance."
For more infomation
Disability Services Queensland
3109 7060
Debbie.Irvine@disability.qld.gov.au
Last updated February 2009