Juniper Home Care customer Judith Forward hit the lowest of lows after suffering a debilitating injury that she feels has been made much worse by delays in accessing the Federal Government aged care support she needs.
“It’s been soul destroying – I thought I might as well give up and die,” Judith said.
“That’s why I thought I had to get the buggy, and I had to borrow some money to do it – we’re (older Australians) the forgotten people.”
The mother of four raised her children on her own while running restaurants in Albany during the 1970s and 1980s, and later worked in real estate and on a variety of renovation projects.
She returned to Perth in 2010, then made a home for herself in Baldivis, but an accident when the car she was driving collided with a truck put her out of action in a big way.
The car accident in 2019 effectively crushed the 85-year-old’s right ankle, requiring surgery that added wires and screws to stabilise it.
Largely confined to her home wearing a moon boot for the next few years, Judith’s condition got to the point of requiring a further operation and she underwent titanium ankle replacement surgery in September 2024.
With limited mobility weighing heavily on her outlook and her future, Judith switched her Level 2 Home Care Package to Juniper. While she was assessed for increased funding to a Level 3 Home Care Package as of September 2024, she has continued to wait for the funding to be released.
She made the big decision to borrow money to buy a scooter in late 2024, as her existing Level 2 Home Care Package funding could not cover the cost.
Judith said while the scooter had restored some of her independence, she felt she shouldn’t have to owe others to make it happen.
Judith will have waited more than a year for her Level 3 Package by the time the new Support at Home program comes into place. The program was due to be rolled out from 1 July until the changes were postponed to allow for a smooth transition to the new Aged Care Act.
With the titanium ankle replacement making her right foot larger than her left, Judith said she now needed a tailor-made boot, but insufficient funding under her existing package had put those plans on hold.
“A specially made boot for my right foot would help me tremendously,” she said.
According to Judith, the one comfort in her road to regaining more of her independence was switching providers to Juniper in late 2024.
While aware that Juniper was restricted by the funding restraints of her existing Home Care Package, Judith said she felt more supported while she waited for her Level 3 funding.
“I feel I’m on the right track now with Juniper, I’m feeling more relaxed and in a space knowing that they are doing their best for me – they’re good people,” she said.
Judith said the lack of access to basic equipment like a proper bed, a lift chair, and a tailor-made boot had been incredibly frustrating.
She believes the Federal Government needs to release more home care packages before 1 November so older Australians can get the essential support they need — without having to fight for it.
“We need the help now – it’s no good in five years’ time, three years’ time.” she said. “[The Federal Government] needs to support older people now.
“They’re not looking after us at all, we deserve better.”
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