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Labor Neglects Gippsland’s DisabledGippsland’s intellectually disabled are living in sub-standard conditions in Bracks Government-funded homes, Liberal Member for Gippsland Province Philip Davis said today. By Philip Davis - 10th February 2005 - Back to News Today’s release of the Annual Report of Community Visitors highlights serious concerns for the personal welfare and wellbeing of intellectually disabled residents living in government-funded residential services in Gippsland.
Renovations are urgently needed to bathrooms, residents are being forced to pay for their own beds and resident dignity issues continue to be ignored by the Bracks Labor Government.
Transport is also an issue, with only a limited number of vehicles available for the shared use among Gippsland’s 23 residential facilities from Orbost to Wonthaggi.
"Several bathrooms are in urgent need of upgrading. Community Visitors regularly visit houses where bathrooms are smelly and wet, exacerbated by poor design and ventilation. Funds have still not become available for the promised upgrades of bathrooms, as was reported last year," The report said.
"In some houses residents have inadequate furniture. For instance one resident known to have a physical condition, had a very inappropriate, old, uncomfortable and sagging bed, which is now to be replaced at the resident’s expense, after Community Visitors raised their concerns.
"The lack of adequate funding for continence aids continues to disadvantage certain residents. This issue has been reported for some years and remains unresolved."
Mr Davis said the residential facilities do their best to operate with the limited funding available, but the Government must take notice of this alarming report.
"The Bracks Government has a duty of care towards Gippsland’s intellectually disabled and it’s about time residents of these homes are treated with dignity and respect by being provided with clean and appropriate care," he said.
"I look forward to the response to this report and the solutions they propose to address these problems.
"These issues need immediate attention."
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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