I’m a young adult living with disabilities and yet I’m not receiving the care that I need from my local social services. According to them, I’m too young and not “disabled enough” to qualify for basic care services.
When I first applied for care, I was meant to receive four hours of care per day for both medical and care needs. But now, I’m only receiving one hour of care per day for medical needs. It’s been months since I’ve been able to have a proper shower, and I’m sleeping on the sofa because I can’t change the soiled sheets on my bed.
I have a catheter to my bladder so I have to use bags to store my urine and I’m expected to empty them in the kitchen sink. I’m also expected to empty commode into my main rubbish bin outside, which feels dehumanising and belittling.
Going out is also an issue because I can’t dress myself and so I go out in smelly socks and pyjamas. Social services don’t seem to care about this and their standards for care are extremely low, so dignity isn’t a factor for them.
All my health conditions that had me needing four hours of care per day are now reduced to one hour all because social services don’t care about my needs. This is the new standard of care that has been set by social services and it’s leaving me feeling neglected and devalued.
It’s completely unacceptable that I’m not receiving the care I need and deserve.
