Post by bear on Jan 22, 2021 7:06:23 GMT 7
COVID-19 vaccine rollout for Australians living with disability needs clarity, experts say
By disability affairs reporter Nas Campanella and the Specialist Reporting Team's Celina Edmonds
Posted 4hhours ago
Rosie Leigh's mother Dot said the disability community was confused over the timing of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.(Supplied)
As the mother of a woman who lives with disability, Dot Leigh is relieved her vulnerable daughter will soon have access to a COVID-19 vaccine.
But like many disability advocates, she says questions about the rollout remain largely unanswered.
Key points:
• People with disability and staff in residential care are part of the first phase of the vaccine rollout, expected to start next month
• But disability advocates said it was still unclear who was included in that first phase of the rollout
• Advocates said more clarity was needed to build trust and take away the fear factor for people living with disability
The Geelong mum is the primary carer for 44-year-old Rosie who lives with Down syndrome and an intellectual disability.
Ms Leigh, who is also in a high-risk category due to her age, said the pandemic had forced their routines to change to protect them from catching the virus.
That included not allowing support workers into their home and keeping Rosie from her day program.
Rosie is now back at the program part-time, but Ms Leigh said life hadn't quite returned to normal, with outings into the community still limited.
"Her life isn't as interesting as it was but we hope the vaccine will help us get back to some sort of normal," she said.
Ms Leigh is the convenor of the Geelong Parent Network, a support group for parents of children with disability, and said the community was confused about when people would receive injections and how they'd be supported.
"Injections can be quite scary for people when they actually have no idea why they're having them," Ms Leigh said.
In the past whenever Rosie needed blood tests, Ms Leigh kept her calm by showing photos of others having the injections or taking the jab alongside her.
"We'd also need the people doing the injections to have some understanding that people (like Rosie) might react differently from the general population."
Ms Leigh said constantly changing advice about COVID-19 had left her feeling overwhelmed but she was hopeful the vaccine would provide some certainty.
Vaccine roadmap 'needs further clarification'
The Department of Health said it had been working closely with other government organisations, including the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and the Department of Social Services to develop a "COVID-19 Vaccination Program Disability Sector Implementation Plan" and had also been collaborating with peak bodies in the disability sector.
It said it had taken advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) for its "vaccine roadmap".
People with disability and staff in residential care will be inoculated in Phase 1a of the strategy, expected to start next month.
Younger adults with underlying medical conditions, including people with disability aged between 18 and 70, will receive the vaccine in Phase 1b.
Professor in disability and health at the University of Melbourne Anne Kavanagh said it was unclear who was included in phase one of the rollout.
"Does that include all people with disabilities or are we looking at people with conditions that might put them at more risk if they're infected?" she said.
"I think that probably needs further clarification."
Professor Kavanagh said it was important to make sure the vaccine reached people with disability living in group homes — called boarding houses or residential services in some states — as well as the workers in all those settings.
"Those should be the priority areas," she said. "Workers might be supporting them (people with disability) with tasks where they can't physically distance, where there's very close contact, such as support with self-care, eating and so forth.
Professor Kavanagh said along with the residential setting, it was important to think about how individuals lived out their daily lives and other group settings they were exposed to.
"We need to think about day programs and some of the support workers move between those," she said.
"We also need to think about the informal carers, the family, friends who might be supporting someone with a disability, we need to make sure they're vaccinated."
Professor Kavanagh said to "build trust" and confidence within the disability community, there needed to be information "widely disseminated through a range of channels, not just merely on a website."
In delivering the vaccine, Professor Kavanagh said the strategy must include going to places where people with disability felt comfortable and confident rather than "sterile doctors surgeries or mass vaccination clinics" where they may be frightened.
She said there would be people who would find it "too terrifying" altogether and it was important to think about how those people could be protected.
"We protect that person by making sure as many people around them are vaccinated, so it's a collective responsibility," she said.
"There's a lot to look forward to if this is done right."
'Tricky' areas ahead for disability sector
Human rights lawyer and vice chairperson of the United Nations' Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Rosemary Kayess said there would be some "tricky" areas for the disability sector around who had to get the vaccine.
Rosemary Kayess said the disability sector had many different types of workers.(ABC News: Aaron Hollett)
"People with disability and their support workers are very much not a homogenous group," Ms Kayess said.
"It raises all sort of different questions, depending on the employment relation or the contractual arrangement between the person with a disability and their support person."
Ms Kayess said not all support workers were employed through agencies, and some were sole traders.
"A lot of it will actually come down to negotiations between individuals and their support workers or negotiations with employees and their employers, whether that be an agency or an individual with disability," she said.
Read more about coronavirus:China's vaccine data is murky. But countries are desperateVaccine rollout plan 'still unclear' as disability advocates call for clarity
Organisations like Hireup, which provides the largest online network of support workers across Australia, are considering the rollout strategy.
A company spokesperson said while it was pleased that people with disability and staff appeared to be prioritised in the Government's vaccine rollout strategy, it wanted more detail.
It said that having early access to the vaccine provided "reassurance and choice " for the community and that it would listen to people with disability as well as support staff before formulating a company policy.
Ms Kayess said there would be concern if the rollout was done through the NDIS.
"Mainly because the NDIS provides support services for 10 per cent of the population of people with disability in Australia," she said.
"So they need to target and communicate more widely how the vaccination process and rollout will work."
www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-22/covid19-vaccine-rollout-people-living-with-disability/13078064
By disability affairs reporter Nas Campanella and the Specialist Reporting Team's Celina Edmonds
Posted 4hhours ago
Rosie Leigh's mother Dot said the disability community was confused over the timing of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.(Supplied)
As the mother of a woman who lives with disability, Dot Leigh is relieved her vulnerable daughter will soon have access to a COVID-19 vaccine.
But like many disability advocates, she says questions about the rollout remain largely unanswered.
Key points:
• People with disability and staff in residential care are part of the first phase of the vaccine rollout, expected to start next month
• But disability advocates said it was still unclear who was included in that first phase of the rollout
• Advocates said more clarity was needed to build trust and take away the fear factor for people living with disability
The Geelong mum is the primary carer for 44-year-old Rosie who lives with Down syndrome and an intellectual disability.
Ms Leigh, who is also in a high-risk category due to her age, said the pandemic had forced their routines to change to protect them from catching the virus.
That included not allowing support workers into their home and keeping Rosie from her day program.
Rosie is now back at the program part-time, but Ms Leigh said life hadn't quite returned to normal, with outings into the community still limited.
"Her life isn't as interesting as it was but we hope the vaccine will help us get back to some sort of normal," she said.
Ms Leigh is the convenor of the Geelong Parent Network, a support group for parents of children with disability, and said the community was confused about when people would receive injections and how they'd be supported.
"Injections can be quite scary for people when they actually have no idea why they're having them," Ms Leigh said.
In the past whenever Rosie needed blood tests, Ms Leigh kept her calm by showing photos of others having the injections or taking the jab alongside her.
"We'd also need the people doing the injections to have some understanding that people (like Rosie) might react differently from the general population."
Ms Leigh said constantly changing advice about COVID-19 had left her feeling overwhelmed but she was hopeful the vaccine would provide some certainty.
Vaccine roadmap 'needs further clarification'
The Department of Health said it had been working closely with other government organisations, including the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and the Department of Social Services to develop a "COVID-19 Vaccination Program Disability Sector Implementation Plan" and had also been collaborating with peak bodies in the disability sector.
It said it had taken advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) for its "vaccine roadmap".
People with disability and staff in residential care will be inoculated in Phase 1a of the strategy, expected to start next month.
Younger adults with underlying medical conditions, including people with disability aged between 18 and 70, will receive the vaccine in Phase 1b.
Professor in disability and health at the University of Melbourne Anne Kavanagh said it was unclear who was included in phase one of the rollout.
"Does that include all people with disabilities or are we looking at people with conditions that might put them at more risk if they're infected?" she said.
"I think that probably needs further clarification."
Professor Kavanagh said it was important to make sure the vaccine reached people with disability living in group homes — called boarding houses or residential services in some states — as well as the workers in all those settings.
"Those should be the priority areas," she said. "Workers might be supporting them (people with disability) with tasks where they can't physically distance, where there's very close contact, such as support with self-care, eating and so forth.
Professor Kavanagh said along with the residential setting, it was important to think about how individuals lived out their daily lives and other group settings they were exposed to.
"We need to think about day programs and some of the support workers move between those," she said.
"We also need to think about the informal carers, the family, friends who might be supporting someone with a disability, we need to make sure they're vaccinated."
Professor Kavanagh said to "build trust" and confidence within the disability community, there needed to be information "widely disseminated through a range of channels, not just merely on a website."
In delivering the vaccine, Professor Kavanagh said the strategy must include going to places where people with disability felt comfortable and confident rather than "sterile doctors surgeries or mass vaccination clinics" where they may be frightened.
She said there would be people who would find it "too terrifying" altogether and it was important to think about how those people could be protected.
"We protect that person by making sure as many people around them are vaccinated, so it's a collective responsibility," she said.
"There's a lot to look forward to if this is done right."
'Tricky' areas ahead for disability sector
Human rights lawyer and vice chairperson of the United Nations' Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Rosemary Kayess said there would be some "tricky" areas for the disability sector around who had to get the vaccine.
Rosemary Kayess said the disability sector had many different types of workers.(ABC News: Aaron Hollett)
"People with disability and their support workers are very much not a homogenous group," Ms Kayess said.
"It raises all sort of different questions, depending on the employment relation or the contractual arrangement between the person with a disability and their support person."
Ms Kayess said not all support workers were employed through agencies, and some were sole traders.
"A lot of it will actually come down to negotiations between individuals and their support workers or negotiations with employees and their employers, whether that be an agency or an individual with disability," she said.
Read more about coronavirus:China's vaccine data is murky. But countries are desperateVaccine rollout plan 'still unclear' as disability advocates call for clarity
Organisations like Hireup, which provides the largest online network of support workers across Australia, are considering the rollout strategy.
A company spokesperson said while it was pleased that people with disability and staff appeared to be prioritised in the Government's vaccine rollout strategy, it wanted more detail.
It said that having early access to the vaccine provided "reassurance and choice " for the community and that it would listen to people with disability as well as support staff before formulating a company policy.
Ms Kayess said there would be concern if the rollout was done through the NDIS.
"Mainly because the NDIS provides support services for 10 per cent of the population of people with disability in Australia," she said.
"So they need to target and communicate more widely how the vaccination process and rollout will work."
www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-22/covid19-vaccine-rollout-people-living-with-disability/13078064
