Angela Barker was an active 16-year-old when she was brutally bashed to near death by a controlling ex-boyfriend After she woke from a 2-month coma, she underwent a rehabilitation program for the next 5 months. Angela and her family faced the idea of Angela living in aged care for the rest of her life. At that time, there was no other choice.
At age 17, Angela moved to an aged care facility. Angela describes this not as living but as “pure hell”. She felt angry, trapped and incredibly sad that this was her life.
After living there for 2 and half years, her parents took her home where they cared for Angela and supported her commitment to rehabilitation. As Angela’s recovery progressed, so did her journey to independence. She moved into her own apartment in Melbourne and then into an SDA apartment once the appropriate funding was included in her NDIS plan.
“We, young people, still deserve every chance to live a full life, give it our best and not be given a life sentence and be left to live with those who are dying… “
Read and watch more stories from young people who lived in aged care
