Well Mr Abbott, this, is a wonderful idea. I'd love to be able to accrue Superannuation, paid holidays, have a lunch break, be eligible for sick leave knowing all along, there is the back up support for my child so that I can return to the work force at the employable age of 51.
(Note: When I Googled "Employed Older Women" to find an image to insert here, I got Liza Minnelli and Julie Bishop and lots of graphs), says it all really!
There was no shortage of beautiful images when I Googled "Employed Women" however.
I could not think of an option more appealing than to be able to be a valued part of society again by way of a well paid work placement! Because we all know, the only person who values a Carer is the person being cared for. Mind you, when that person is your son, sometimes, they don't even appreciate it.
To be able to first and foremost, get a job with the lack of qualifications I have after 11 years at home with my child, (despite my requests over the years for hands-on support so I could stay up-to-date with training or work experience but was denied those opportunities by various Governments, due to the comparative cost), would be a bonus!
To be employed with inclusive work practises, seems like a dream come true, which will allow for the many days or part days I will need to be at home with my sick, disabled child or to attend Physio, Speech, OT, Cardiologist, Paediatric, Paediatric Ophthalmologist, Podiatry, Specialist Dental, Cleft Palate all day Clinics, Pathology, Minor procedures, Disability Parenting Training Days, Sensory Training Days and all the other unforeseen days that will require me leaving work in response to an emergency that nobody else can attend to in relation to my child, who by the way is seen to only have Moderate care needs, this list would be ten times longer for many Carer/Loved one relationships where care levels involve medical procedures. I'm assuming, eventually, the NDIS will cover the cost of all this though …
Not to mention the Mental Health Days I'm betting I'll need as I adjust back into the work force working 18 hours, 7 days a week, being that I am an unsupported Single Parent Carer. Not only will the pressure of working those hours moving forward take it's toll, keep in mind I have previously been isolated because of my Full Time Carer role, and I can assure you, it has already done my head in.
So, Mr Abbott, explain to me again, how exactly is this going to work without compromising the health and well being of myself, my child and the underpinning structures it has taken me the best part of 11 years of begging, negotiating and manipulating to put in place to support our ever changing sets of circumstance?
Or is this just more of the heavy lifting you obviously feel us Carers have not been doing?
As I sit here watching my Twitter feed scroll at a respectable pace with hashtags such as #MarchInMay #MorePopularThanAbbott #auspol #ICAC #Budget2014 #BudgetReply #Newspoll #BustTheBudget #DD it concerns me that twitter also scrolled with fervour the week leading up to the September 2013 election. Here's a couple of tonights fun ones.
It seemed people had Mr Abbott pegged then too. I was in a state of shock when I woke on the morning after the election to discover he was our new PM.
Why did it take a Budget release to show the people of Australia the truth. Why are so many of the country such bad judges of character?
How do people like Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey fly under the radar?
Why are people like these in the stories below, forgotten? Read their stories and see if you think it's fair.
Disability Support Pension Recipients
Single Parents of Disabled Children and their siblings
Single Parents doing it alone
And anyone else impacted by these broken promises
Is it the Mainstream Media exposure? Is it that Australians all hope one day to be wealthy and pin their hopes on the rich to lead the way? Are we truly that gullible?
Whatever it is, if we get the chance to go to the polls again, I hope we get it right this time! Use your votes wisely Australia.
HELLO!!! I am sooooo sorry I have been AWOL.
I don't have a note to explain my blog absence, however, I may be able to shed some light on the matter in this post.
So, grab a cuppa, find a comfy seat and I will fill you in ...
Once April was over and I had blogged every day about what I was grateful for, I must admit, I was a bit blogged out. It was hard blogging every day. Not so much finding something to blog about, but the time it takes to sit down and put that into words, particularly ones that will keep my readers hanging off the edge of their seat mildly interested. The actual blogging about gratitude however is something I want to continue with once I get myself back on track as it was very therapeutic.
The couple of posts that did follow are an indicator as to where my head was as I wrote about balance in life and a situation around my youngest son LJ and school.
So yes, I have had some challenges with LJ and school. Thankfully he is at a school where the people are so committed to their individual roles and as a team, well, I call them "The Dream Team". You see I have had much greater challenges with LJ before in relation to school, hence, I moved him when I found the right people for the job.
Sadly, however, having the right people doesn't immediately make for the perfect environment but it does help work towards that. NSW Department of Education is a big organisation and those who are employed within that Department are required to conform to certain policies, regulations, procedures, guidelines and budgets and although their hearts are in the right place, their values are impeccable and their ideas are at the forefront of Disability Education, they are limited as to what they can ACTUALLY do.
Lets say for now though, we have found a solution that is a great compromise even with all the barriers the Department puts in the way.
MJ has had his fair share of crisis also, although a bit too personal to share here at this time, maybe one day in the future.
What I can share is a little more boring and I am sure most of you can relate to which is, Teenager/Mother communication standards 101. Wow, I thought I knew how to deal with this, after all, I was a teenager once too you know? Lets just say this whole experience has opened my eyes to who I am now.
And then there is the debate surrounding subject selection for HSC and ATAR. Thank dog MJ has an idea of what he is doing there; I'm lost!
The school holidays are always a test for me too. Being a single Mum and having two kids that are always presenting me with something to keep me on my toes. Not having any family support and no access to ongoing respite makes things a bit tedious at times like holidays.
This set of holidays just gone was a little different as I did give the local Vacation Care a try. Once again, it is about the people you deal with. While this organisation is a Mainstream provider, they really covered all bases to meet LJs needs. What a great job.
We agreed on a trial of one half day each week. LJ does attend before school care with them twice a week for about an hour these days as I now have a very part time job on those days (more about that in another post) so he had become familiar with the staff and it was a great opportunity to build on those relationships. It was somewhat of a success and therefore gives us a base to build on for the future.
I suppose while I have been in a state of heightened anxiety, finally some of the ground work I have been doing for the last 8 years has brought about some good outcomes more recently too.
I have finally been informed that I have been approved for a Respite Package (given my complete absence of family, extended family, local friends, colleagues or associates) to provide me with any level of support. That also came about finally as a result of having the right conversation with the right person to ensure my case was being given the right level of priority.
Yes, this is all very boring. It is however, my life.
I shall leave it for now and simply mention, this was written in July 2013, so you know, it took me two months to actually hit the publish button.
The reason for that ... well, life happens. :-)
