Supporting Poppy to live happily on her own
Just one small change to how her money was spent has meant everything to Estate Management customer *Poppy Vueness and her mother, *Karen Vueness.
Following decades of hospitalisations for up to a year at a time, and unsuccessful stints in and out of group homes, doctors told Mrs Vueness that her daughter required the care from a mental health facility, far too distant for her to regularly visit.
‘I told them they might as well shoot me. It was the worst thing they could do to me,' she said recently over the phone, from her home south of Sydney.
That was in mid-2017 and determined to stop her daughter from living in a mental health facility on a fulltime basis, Mrs Vueness requested that part of Poppy’s income to help pay for someone to check in on her daily, to ensure medicine was taken so her condition remained stable.
‘My biggest fear is that she would walk out and be on the streets, and never come back.
'I would have done the medicines myself, but they wouldn't let me,' Mrs Vueness says.
Fast forward to 2021 and Poppy is happily ensconced in her own apartment, just 10 minutes from her mother, and there’s been only one hospital stay in the past four years. And that was for a physical, rather than mental, health condition.
Now the National Disability Insurance Scheme covers the cost of monitoring Poppy taking up to 12 tablets every night. Her rent is subsidised by the regional housing trust, leaving some funds free for a little bit of discretionary spending.
Poppy decides how to spend the small allowance in her bank passbook, and with the help of her client service officer Lucy Holt, essential items are saved for.
Clothes shopping is a favourite pastime.
‘I like a coffee and lunch out too, like other people. Yes, sometimes I dress up, sometimes I go casual,’ says Poppy from her apartment, via her phone.
Keeping things in clean and in order around the home is also a priority. The assistance she has to do this, Poppy says, makes it 'better and calmer than a messy place.'
Poppy became an Estate Management customer in 2006 and Lucy and her team has managed her finances since 2017.
‘Poppy calls quite often; she is always lovely to talk to.
‘It’s important that she knows that she can call us if she needs something, and that we are always here to help.’
Easing of Covid-19 restrictions has seen Poppy, with NDIS assistance, get out and about a lot more, while Mrs Vueness feels that prolonged lockdowns have seen her become more hesitant about driving and shopping, and cautious about connecting with others in the community.
While some might see this as a barrier, Mrs Vueness sees it as an opportunity to further promote her daughter’s independence.
Mrs Vueness now invites Poppy to help her at the supermarket. She is also encouraging Poppy to go to her monthly GP visit in the company of NDIS staff, without her always being there.
One appointment she intends to keep with Poppy though are the psychiatrist sessions. Covid, she says, made such visits 'terrible'. Masks meant she could not see her daughter’s or specialist’s face, and it was hard to hear and to talk. That, and the expense.
Like many parents and carers of children with severe disabilities, Mrs Vueness is starting to think about what will happen when she is no longer around to support Poppy.
Reviewing Wills is a priority, as is ensuring Poppy continues to enjoy the benefits of NDIS services, and the long term security of being an Estate Management customer.
‘All I ever wanted for my daughter was for her to live safely, independently and out of hospital. That's now happened, and I am very grateful for that,’ Mrs Vueness says.
It’s a big win for staff too, says Lucy.
‘We make hundreds of decisions every day and it’s wonderful when we can make one that has so much of a positive impact on someone’s life.
‘Nothing is more rewarding than helping some of the most vulnerable people in our community.’
* Names changed to protect privacy.
Definitions
- independent
Free from outside influence or control.