What is it about?

The rollercoaster adventures of parenting three kids, dealing with disability and mental health - and discussing disability discrimination and how to tackle it.

Thursday 24 July 2014

Six Months

Pretty much from one day to another, our 13 year old son could no longer walk.

So, what do you do? You ring your service provider to inquire about a wheelchair of course.

Now these guys know our boy. He started therapy there when he was maybe four or five years old. They know the way he walks, they know his quirks. They KNOW him. I explain to the intake lady that Beaver can suddenly not walk anymore.

- Yeah, so he will need to be seen by an Occupational Therapist, who can then script a wheelchair.

- Ok, and then...

- Then we put the application in with Enable for funding...

- How long will that take, roughly?

- Oh, from application to delivery, can be up to about 18 months. Depends on the urgency. We'll see what our OT can do, they can make it clear this is quite urgent.

- Ok then. So, when can I see an OT?

- Well, the current waiting list for our OT is about six months.

- Six moths?!

- Yes, sorry, six months...

Six months to see an OT, who will measure his legs, fill in some paperwork, send it off to Enable, who will take ages to decide and fund and deliver, in maybe 18 months. 

Six months to just see an OT. That's not six months to get him a wheelchair. Just six months to see an OT.

Six months! 

Six?!?! 

What am I expected to do with him in the meantime?

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I feel your pain. With a child with cerebral palsy we regularly encounter Enable and sadly it has gone hugely down hill in the last couple of years. We used to wait 4 maybe 6 weeks for a simple thing like a pair of AFO's. We now have to make sure we get a funding application in at least 12 months before he may need them. We only waited 4 months for his wheelchair 3.5 years ago!

Any possibility of doing a one off private OT just to get the ball rolling? Medicare will cover a lot of the cost. We see a private physio and OT due to stupid public waiting lists.

Glee said...

And they dare to call themselves "Enable". Such an awful joke. The truth is that they really DO NOT get it! No that's not true. They get it but they can go home at the end of the day and ignore the fact that Beaver CANNOT WALK and does not have a wheelchair. There are times when I hate "them" so much. This is one.

Anonymous said...

I could be wrong but it was my belief that the therapist who writes the script has to be approved by enable.

Caroline Cristina said...

No the therist can be private but also an approved therapist ie registered with say ahpra etc. This is to protect the public and tax payer from unscrupulous and unsafe snake oil therapists. Also the wait lists would not be so long if the govt allocated more money by getting private corporations to stop benefiting from welfare as they make record profits and for churches to pay taxes!

Caroline Cristina said...

No the therist can be private but also an approved therapist ie registered with say ahpra etc. This is to protect the public and tax payer from unscrupulous and unsafe snake oil therapists. Also the wait lists would not be so long if the govt allocated more money by getting private corporations to stop benefiting from welfare as they make record profits and for churches to pay taxes!