We have a new situation that is proving a challenge. I’m having more surgery on Tuesday to replace the screws in my broken femur. It will take me a couple of months after it to get as mobile as I can be with a non healing broken leg.
My wonderful husband, who is my full time carer, has to have surgery in 5 weeks time to remove a nasty cancer from his right hand index finger, which involves a skin graft from the top of his right hand. His recovery will be 4 to 6 weeks with the first couple of weeks being a right off. His Surgeon, after hearing about my disabilities, quickly pointed out that we have to get help, we won’t be able to get through this without it.
Problem solving is a passion of mine, so how hard can it be to get some help for 2 weeks for us both, including getting my husband to the hospital for his surgery and picked up? His surgery is day surgery under general anaesthetic so they insist that someone has to pick him up and be at home to care for him for 24 hours. So transport and care for that period and meals for a couple of weeks are the basic needs.
Our first dilemma in solving this problem is that my husband is over 65 and I am 50. We fall into a government legislation crack. There is no system that looks after both of us as a married couple with a 20 year age difference. Under new government legislation, my husband has to apply through ” My Aged Care ” government department to be assessed before an organisation like Anglicare or Blue Care can assist us and I have to apply through another government department “Community Access Point” for services to assist with my care. How we will get a coordinated care program for us both is a bit of a mystery. However, we already know that funding for under 65’s has been cut significantly and many of the care agencies simply can’t offer me any help as they have no funding at all.
We will go through the My Aged Care Assessment for my husband & the Community Access Point assessment for me, just to see what happens, who knows we may be pleasantly surprised, but the reality is, despite me being on a permanent Disability Pension and my husband on a Carers/Aged pension, we will quite likely have to find private care for the 2 weeks period.
Aside from our situation, I do worry about aged people living alone who need care, particularly without family to assist organising it, as the system to get the ball rolling is convoluted at best.
Oh well, yet another adventure in My Medical Musings 😕
My Medical Musings 