Donna has lived in CatholicCare Supported Accommodation for five years. Our team of dedicated staff supports Donna’s daily living and medical needs as well working in partnership with her to identify and achieve her goals. In recent times Donna’s goal has been to improve her health to a point where she could go on a holiday to the Gold Coast. I am pleased to say Donna conquered this goal and has proudly documented her story in the excerpt below; only her second holiday ever.
I had a lovely time on the Gold Coast. Staff and I went on a coach halfway to Taree then we got the XPT train to Brisbane. It was a very long trip, we had a ball of a time and staff took their portable DVD player so I could watch movies.
We looked around the Gold Coast. It was lovely and we went to Sea World. We saw the Surf Ski show, penguins, jellyfish, watched the fish swim and breathe with their gills going in and out. We saw a big whale, dolphins and ladies were swimming with the dolphins. The dolphins were moving with the waves, going out with their fins, going in and out of the water, floating on their backs, the ladies were diving with them and they were having lots of fun. It was fun watching the dolphins.
The motel was very nice. We shopped a lot, walked along the boardwalk and went out for dinner. We went to Hog’s Breath and they gave me a soft pig toy. The best part was that a gentleman opened the car door for me, assisted me out of the car and got my walker for me, that has never happened before. I went to build a bear, their staff assisted me to make my bear, buy clothes and dressed it. I love my bear.
I met a really nice lady at one of the shops, Erica. I saw her most days and she would talk with me and ask me about my days.
One of my goals for a while was to go on a holiday to Queensland. My holiday was important to me because I have waited a long time to go to the Gold Coast. I have medical conditions that prevented this in the past but now I am healthy enough to go. I have always wanted to go to the shops and Sea World. My staff made all the arrangements so I could have injections while I was on holidays otherwise I could not go.
The NDIA helped me by helping to pay staff’s wages so I could have a holiday.
About CatholicCare’s Disability Supported Accommodation
CatholicCare is committed to providing accommodation support based on a person-centred approach. Our flexibility and wide range of services enable us to tailor living arrangements according to preferences, personal tastes and individual needs.
CatholicCare currently has vacancies in our supported accommodation services in the Hunter region. We provide person-centred supports, tailored to suit individual needs. Features of our supported accommodation services include:
- Registered NDIS provider
- 24/7 onsite support for the people we support
- Psychologists, Registered Nurse and Positive Behaviour Support Specialist on staff
To find out how we can tailor our services to meet your specific accommodation needs, phone CatholicCare on (02) 4979 1120.
