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Source: Australian Ageing Agenda | Author: Di Winkler
Our ageing population demands more accessible housing, writes Dr Di Winkler.
The final report from the royal commission into aged care will be released this week. This report will show that institutional housing for the elderly is not working and include a range of measures to address the neglect they have found.
Source: Probono Australia | Author: Di Winkler and Peter Mulherin
Only a mandatory approach to accessibility standards will future-proof Australia’s housing for coming generations, and cater to the demands of an ageing population, write Dr Di Winkler and Dr Peter Mulherin outlining the Building Better Homes Campaign.
The Summer Foundation and La Trobe University are conducting national surveys of people with a mobility impairment and occupational therapists (OTs) about housing accessibility features.
We are aiming to get input from:
The studies involve a brief online survey to understand the importance of accessibility features in new Australia housing.
If you are a person with a mobility impairment or an OT and would like to participate, please follow the links below for more information and to access the survey.
By completing the survey and sharing your lived or professional expertise, you will help ensure that future Australian homes better meet the needs of all people. The surveys will be open from 8 February to 19 February.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Phone: 03 9894 7006 or email: research@summerfoundation.org.au
Source: ProBono | Author: Dr Di Winkler and Alecia Rathbone
People with high or complex disability support needs have traditionally had extremely limited options when it comes to finding somewhere to live. The growing specialist disability accommodation market is beginning to change that, write Dr Di Winkler and Alecia Rathbone.
Source: The Guardian | Author: Caro Llewellyn
My childhood was spent navigating my father’s disability. Then I was told I was facing the possibility of life in a wheelchair myself. The thing about disability is it usually doesn’t only affect the person living it. It changes the lives of children, parents, friends and partners.
Source: Pro Bono | Author: Dr Di Winker & Dr Peter Mulherin
Dr Di Winkler and Dr Peter Mulherin explain the Specialist Disability Accommodation market and why disability housing is well placed to leverage the private capital available through impact investment.
The Summer Foundation is pleased to welcome 2 new Board members, as part of an active Board renewal process designed to strengthen the diversity, strategic capacity and breadth of expertise on the Summer Foundation Board of Directors.
Source: Australian Ageing Agenda | Author: Amelia Condi
There’s support for aged care providers as they transition to NDIS and start providing more choice and control for people with disability, writes Amelia Condi.
[button icon= “fa-laptop” text=”View online ” link=”https://www.australianageingagenda.com.au/contributors/a-new-era-begins-for-younger-people-in-aged-care/”][/button]Today, Paulene sits comfortably in her new Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) apartment overlooking the city. “I feel free, just so beautiful, I feel like I’m on top of the world…. I can make my own decisions now I’m my own person”.
Recommendations presented today by the Aged Care Royal Commission’s Senior Counsel Assisting, Peter Rozen QC, relating to younger people in aged care, have been warmly welcomed by Youngcare, the Summer Foundation and Young People In Nursing Homes National Alliance.
Source: Probono Australia | Author: Di Winkler
Dr Di Winkler AM, CEO and founder of the Summer Foundation, takes a look at the new Younger People in Residential Aged Care Strategy and reflects on what success will look like.
[button icon= “fa-laptop” text=”View online ” link=”https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2020/10/ypirac-is-a-wicked-problem-that-can-only-be-solved-by-working-across-sectors/”][/button]About SDA Information Sessions are being delivered online around Queensland and Western Australia to assist housing providers gain a better understanding of housing options available to NDIS participants including Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA).
Without effective support coordination it can be difficult for people with high and complex needs to avoid or exit aged care, the Summer Foundation said in its response to the NDIA’s Support Coordination Discussion Paper.
We welcomed the review as an important opportunity to address significant problems people with high and complex needs experience in accessing adequate and timely support coordination.
It’s a particularly exciting time for me as the Summer Foundation starts the next stage of our journey to ensure people with disability have access to the support they need to control where they live and who they live with.
Our Board has just signed off on the strategy that we expect will see the Summer Foundation achieve its purpose in 5 years. The main change to the strategy that has driven us in the past is the formal addition of “lived experience” as one of our tools.
Our Research Team has been very busy lately with the publication of several journal articles including literature reviews on young people in aged care, outcomes of moving to individualised housing and the use of smart home technology.
You can read the articles on our website here.
Since being set up as part of the Summer Foundation’s response to COVID-19, the Housing Brokerage Service (HBS) has grown and developed.
“We created the team as a COVID response to use the knowledge and expertise in the organisation to help in the emergency situation we all found ourselves in, but the demand and outcomes have been so positive that we are going to continue until at least December 2020, and possibly even longer,” said Project Lead Cath Bucolo.
The HBS works with NDIS participants with complex needs who are ready for discharge but are often stuck in hospital waiting for an appropriate housing option to be found.
All new housing should be accessible for everyone – that’s the message in the Summer Foundation’s recent submission to the Australian Building Codes Board.
The Summer Foundation Board welcomed new member Dean Ireland at its August meeting.
Dean has been a long-time supporter of the Summer Foundation, particularly the work of the Housing Hub team, and is on the housing advisory committee.
The Housing Hub team has this year supported 200 young people with disability and complex support needs to move in to their own SDA apartments.
One of these is Gretta, a 29-year-old who has recently moved into a new SDA apartment in the Sydney suburb of Penrith.
The new Housing Hub is already proving to be a great success – in its first 3 weeks it saw 52 housing seeker profiles added, 309 housing seeker sign ups and 581 inquiries to providers.
The Housing Hub website is the place for people with disability to find the home that is just right, and for housing providers to connect with people looking for accessible housing.
The Summer Foundation has welcomed the Federal Government’s new funding and strategy to reduce the number of younger people living in aged care.
The release of the Young People in Residential Aged Care (YPIRAC) Strategy and funding boost is another positive step towards achieving the government’s targets supporting young people to find appropriate housing that suits their needs, said the Summer Foundation’s Head of Government Relations and Policy, Amelia Condi.
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As we navigate what’s happening in the world around us we are faced with new challenges, but also new opportunities. We have been planning a number of initiatives in recent months that we are excited to start rolling out.
You will be seeing more opportunities to get involved, including a pilot project designed to develop tools that will help people find a new home, and also inform the future of our work. We will be inviting people to contribute so stay tuned for updates.
Emma Gee is part of our new lived experience team.
“With a background as an occupational therapist and then surviving a stroke at the age of 24, I hope that I can share my experiences as a provider and recipient to further humanise the incredible work that the Summer Foundation already delivers,” Emma said.
“In my role, I hope to develop and deliver resources, services, policies and processes that are informed and shaped by people with lived experience.”
If you are a person with an acquired neurological disability, a close other with an acquired neurological disability, or a disability support worker, we want to hear your views about the factors that influence the quality of paid disability support.
We will be facilitating online focus groups and 1:1 interviews to discuss your experiences and perspectives. If you are interested in participating, please email research@summerfoundation.org.au and we will tell you more about the project.
We are running a study to investigate the role of support coordinators and how they can effectively assist people with disability and complex needs who are enrolled in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). This research is essential because the role of the support coordinator has changed with the implementation of the NDIS, making it challenging to find skilled and experienced support coordinators.
