A light at the end of the tunnel

Joanna, 61, has Rheumatoid Arthritis as well as Carpal Tunnel syndrome.  She was due to have knee and hip replacements, but she told us “I am not sure how long and painful the recovery will be after a hip or knee replacement. I am not in secure housing to recover, so I have no option but to keep delaying the surgery”.

Joanna was living  in a privately rented shared house, but she was not on the lease, leaving her with no tenancy rights. She was paying most of her Centrelink payments every fortnight for the rent and bills, but others in her house often paid late, leading to several notices from the landlord and the utility companies. Then one day, the other tenants she was living with left the rental property without paying the rent. Joanna called Home at Last.

At the time, HAAG was invited to put forward applicants to an inner city Community Housing Project, which is part of the Victorian Government’s investment into Community housing. Joanna was so in need of her own home, she did not care if it was far away from her familiar local surroundings. The outreach worker contacted the relevant housing department and requested urgent action on Joanna’s priority housing application. It took about a week for Joanna’s priority housing application to be approved. Then her application for the Community Housing project was submitted and she was promptly offered a one bedroom unit. Joanna was so relieved to move into her new unit.

Although she was now in appropriate and affordable housing, her health was still declining noticeably. She was severely immobilised, and her daily tasks became a real challenge. Surgery was now essential. Joanna contacted the hospital, informing them that now she had secure housing she could finally go ahead with the long overdue surgery.

We also referred her to our care finder program. Care finder aims to help older people remain living independently at home, by assisting older people to connect with My Aged Care services in the community, as well as any accompanying services where appropriate.

Joanna, despite being under 65, was eligible to have cleaning though the council’s Home and Community Care Program. The care finder worker and Joanna worked together to navigate the referral and assessments needed to access services with the local council. They were able to negotiate a reduced fee for services from the council.

Due to her health concerns and numerous appointments, our care finder service helped Joanna access the multipurpose taxi program application through her GP. This gave Joanna access to a half price taxi card, making travel more affordable. Joanna is currently receiving JobSeeker, so she is working to access a Disability Support Pension as it will give her access to a higher payment, allowing her to participate in the community more. Care finder is trying to help Joanna connect with an advocate to navigate that process.

While there are now some services in place, our care finders continue working with Joanna to further connect with more suitable transport and some ongoing case management to assist as her care needs change.
Joanna is now safely housed, and hopefully her operations will be a great success so that she can enjoy living in her new home.

Joanna is also an avid musician, playing the piano and singing are her passions in life. Joanna remains hopeful that she may return to playing music after her mobility improves. Asked if she would play her piano at one of HAAG’s meetings when she recovers, she replied,“that would be awesome!” so keep an ear out for her upcoming appearance!