COVID-19 restrictions could have long-term effects for disa
Aug 7, 2021 8:24:53 GMT 7
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Post by bear on Aug 7, 2021 8:24:53 GMT 7
COVID-19 restrictions could have long-term effects for people with disabilities, advocates say
Day program activities range from martial arts to supported employment.
Closures to day programs for people with disability have caused serious harm to the mental health of clients, advocates say, and they are worried the pandemic's impact on some of society's most vulnerable will be long term.
Key points:
• Day programs take many forms, but are usually structured ways for people to socialise and learn new skills
• Closures due to COVID have caused severe anxiety and distress for many participants
• A psychologist says the unpredictability is stressful and could have long-term mental health impacts
Thousands of Australians with disabilities attend day programs nationally each week, taking part in activities such as cooking classes, martial arts, supported employment and social outings.
For some people with disability, day programs might be the only opportunity for social interaction they have.
But like many services during the pandemic, the programs have faced sudden disruptions over the past 18 months, leaving many participants with cognitive disabilities confused and stressed.
Brisbane-based psychologist Karen Knight, from Vision Australia, said a person with disability losing access to what could often be their only social interaction could be devastating.
"Often people with disabilities are quite isolated anyway and then in situations like this they can become more and more isolated," Ms Knight said.
"Activities other people might do in lockdown, such as go for a walk, aren't always that easy for someone with a disability."
Catch up on the main COVID-19 news from August 6 with a look back at our blog.Lockdowns difficult to understandDay programs are an opportunity to socialise and learn new skills.(Supplied: Tender Loving Care)
The most recent shutdown in Sydney left providers with only hours to prepare their clients, staff and families for the closure.
Yasser Zaki, the chief executive of provider Tender Loving Care, based at Bankstown in south-west Sydney, had to call on psychologists to support some of his 100 clients whose mental health had been at serious risk because of the shutdown.
"I can't tell you the level of anxiety we're seeing in our clients," Mr Zaki said.
"We've had people calling saying things to the effect of them wanting to end their life and we even had to call an ambulance for one of the participants."
Many people attending day programs have autism or live with intellectual disabilities and can have trouble understanding changes to their daily routines.
Mr Zaki explained many clients had been doing the same activities for years, knowing the time they would be picked up, what they would do each day and when they would have lunch.
"Suddenly out of nowhere those routines are interrupted and that can cause anxiety for people with disability, who might not have the capacity to understand what's happening," he said.
"We try and explain it as much as possible, but the concept of why that's happening and why they're not allowed to go to their day program, it's just not there."
Clients' progress could be undone
Tender Loving Care runs a range of services across Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales, with its head office in south-western Sydney in one of the heavily locked down local government areas.
Participants attend day programs using their funding from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Mr Zaki said he would have liked more advance warning of the closures in Sydney, so he and other providers could have better informed clients and put plans in place for them.
"We quickly moved our services online and purchased resources like iPads and delivered them to clients," he said.
"But not everyone copes well with the technology. Some of our clients with vision impairment are struggling because they can't see the programs and need the human interaction to take them through activities."
Tender Loving Care runs a range of services in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.(Supplied: Tender Loving Care)
Mr Zaki is especially worried that any gains made convincing clients with psychosocial disabilities to come to the programs in the first place will be undone.
"We worked very hard on trying to get them engaged with the community, going shopping, meeting people and making friends," he said.
"The closures have the potential to put people back to where they were and I'm concerned a lot of the work we've done will go backwards."
Frustrated, anxious and lost
Cecile Piggott is one parent seeing firsthand the impact of the day program closures.
Her 18-year-old son Matthieu lives with cerebral palsy and attends a day program three days a week at Avenue on Sydney's Northern Beaches.
Lockdown has stopped Matthieu attending his day program, where he works with the pet-care team.(Supplied: Cecile Piggott)
She said the closure was "quite abrupt", with the family given less than 24 hours' notice.
"Matthieu is a man who needs structure and routine so it has caused a lot of anxiety, combined with being socially isolated and also not knowing when it's going to end," she said.
Read more about the vaccine rollout:Why you shouldn't be concerned when more vaccinated people are getting infected than unvaccinatedCOVID-19 vaccine eligibility checker rejecting pregnant women, despite them being part of rollout
Matthieu does a variety of activities with Avenue, including working with the pet-care team and attending markets selling handmade products like scented candles.
When the programs were shut down the organisation moved to online activities.
Ms Piggott said while that was positive, it was challenging for her son to take part because she and her husband were working full time from home and were unable to help him.
"The program is Matthieu's life, he is missing his friends and he's been miserable without it," she said.
"He feels very frustrated, anxious and he's lost."
Matthieu Piggott cannot attend his day program, but tries to go for a daily walk.(Supplied: Cecile Piggott)Effects will last 'well into the future'
Ms Knight said the trauma of not attending day programs should not be underestimated.
"That might be the only social opportunity they can have, and for some people with disabilities they actually don't understand why they can't go," she said.
"Their capacity to understand what's actually going on may not be quite the same as others, and therefore they are more and more isolated, confused, become more anxious and can become really quite depressed."
And it is the long-term impacts she is most worried about.
"People with disability will remember that these disruptions happened, they'll be afraid that they are going to happen again," Ms Knight said.
"Lockdowns are in effect now in a couple of states, but we know from the past 18 months that this can happen any time anywhere, and the unpredictability for people is really stressful.
"They don't understand it, and these are effects that won't last just for now during lockdown, they will last well into the future."
www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-06/covid-restrictions-shutting-down-disability-day-programs-sydney/100352360
Day program activities range from martial arts to supported employment.
Closures to day programs for people with disability have caused serious harm to the mental health of clients, advocates say, and they are worried the pandemic's impact on some of society's most vulnerable will be long term.
Key points:
• Day programs take many forms, but are usually structured ways for people to socialise and learn new skills
• Closures due to COVID have caused severe anxiety and distress for many participants
• A psychologist says the unpredictability is stressful and could have long-term mental health impacts
Thousands of Australians with disabilities attend day programs nationally each week, taking part in activities such as cooking classes, martial arts, supported employment and social outings.
For some people with disability, day programs might be the only opportunity for social interaction they have.
But like many services during the pandemic, the programs have faced sudden disruptions over the past 18 months, leaving many participants with cognitive disabilities confused and stressed.
Brisbane-based psychologist Karen Knight, from Vision Australia, said a person with disability losing access to what could often be their only social interaction could be devastating.
"Often people with disabilities are quite isolated anyway and then in situations like this they can become more and more isolated," Ms Knight said.
"Activities other people might do in lockdown, such as go for a walk, aren't always that easy for someone with a disability."
Catch up on the main COVID-19 news from August 6 with a look back at our blog.Lockdowns difficult to understandDay programs are an opportunity to socialise and learn new skills.(Supplied: Tender Loving Care)
The most recent shutdown in Sydney left providers with only hours to prepare their clients, staff and families for the closure.
Yasser Zaki, the chief executive of provider Tender Loving Care, based at Bankstown in south-west Sydney, had to call on psychologists to support some of his 100 clients whose mental health had been at serious risk because of the shutdown.
"I can't tell you the level of anxiety we're seeing in our clients," Mr Zaki said.
"We've had people calling saying things to the effect of them wanting to end their life and we even had to call an ambulance for one of the participants."
Many people attending day programs have autism or live with intellectual disabilities and can have trouble understanding changes to their daily routines.
Mr Zaki explained many clients had been doing the same activities for years, knowing the time they would be picked up, what they would do each day and when they would have lunch.
"Suddenly out of nowhere those routines are interrupted and that can cause anxiety for people with disability, who might not have the capacity to understand what's happening," he said.
"We try and explain it as much as possible, but the concept of why that's happening and why they're not allowed to go to their day program, it's just not there."
Clients' progress could be undone
Tender Loving Care runs a range of services across Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales, with its head office in south-western Sydney in one of the heavily locked down local government areas.
Participants attend day programs using their funding from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Mr Zaki said he would have liked more advance warning of the closures in Sydney, so he and other providers could have better informed clients and put plans in place for them.
"We quickly moved our services online and purchased resources like iPads and delivered them to clients," he said.
"But not everyone copes well with the technology. Some of our clients with vision impairment are struggling because they can't see the programs and need the human interaction to take them through activities."
Tender Loving Care runs a range of services in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.(Supplied: Tender Loving Care)
Mr Zaki is especially worried that any gains made convincing clients with psychosocial disabilities to come to the programs in the first place will be undone.
"We worked very hard on trying to get them engaged with the community, going shopping, meeting people and making friends," he said.
"The closures have the potential to put people back to where they were and I'm concerned a lot of the work we've done will go backwards."
Frustrated, anxious and lost
Cecile Piggott is one parent seeing firsthand the impact of the day program closures.
Her 18-year-old son Matthieu lives with cerebral palsy and attends a day program three days a week at Avenue on Sydney's Northern Beaches.
Lockdown has stopped Matthieu attending his day program, where he works with the pet-care team.(Supplied: Cecile Piggott)
She said the closure was "quite abrupt", with the family given less than 24 hours' notice.
"Matthieu is a man who needs structure and routine so it has caused a lot of anxiety, combined with being socially isolated and also not knowing when it's going to end," she said.
Read more about the vaccine rollout:Why you shouldn't be concerned when more vaccinated people are getting infected than unvaccinatedCOVID-19 vaccine eligibility checker rejecting pregnant women, despite them being part of rollout
Matthieu does a variety of activities with Avenue, including working with the pet-care team and attending markets selling handmade products like scented candles.
When the programs were shut down the organisation moved to online activities.
Ms Piggott said while that was positive, it was challenging for her son to take part because she and her husband were working full time from home and were unable to help him.
"The program is Matthieu's life, he is missing his friends and he's been miserable without it," she said.
"He feels very frustrated, anxious and he's lost."
Matthieu Piggott cannot attend his day program, but tries to go for a daily walk.(Supplied: Cecile Piggott)Effects will last 'well into the future'
Ms Knight said the trauma of not attending day programs should not be underestimated.
"That might be the only social opportunity they can have, and for some people with disabilities they actually don't understand why they can't go," she said.
"Their capacity to understand what's actually going on may not be quite the same as others, and therefore they are more and more isolated, confused, become more anxious and can become really quite depressed."
And it is the long-term impacts she is most worried about.
"People with disability will remember that these disruptions happened, they'll be afraid that they are going to happen again," Ms Knight said.
"Lockdowns are in effect now in a couple of states, but we know from the past 18 months that this can happen any time anywhere, and the unpredictability for people is really stressful.
"They don't understand it, and these are effects that won't last just for now during lockdown, they will last well into the future."
www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-06/covid-restrictions-shutting-down-disability-day-programs-sydney/100352360