My Personal Journey through Post-punk, Art, Music and Radio
9.Lifestyle Management and Home Care
In 1996, after being reviewed I started with Home Care . My first and foremost carer is my brother Bruce with whom I live. Bruce does a lot for me including shopping for the house, cooking, banking and buying items such as a birthday cards and most importantly puts me to bed after I have been out. He also looks after the running of the house, paying bills and organising the cleaners. The home care service of New South Wales sends people seven days a week. In the mornings I have two people for one and three-quarter hours for showering, toileting, changing, feeding and washing of clothes. At lunchtime they send one person for three-quarters of an hour to feed me my lunch, give me a drink and tablets. In the evening I have two people for one hour, to change me, feed me and put me to bed if I am not going out. And one person for another half-hour to feed me dinner.
When home care first started coming to me in 1995 I could stand and transfer, that as the years went by became more difficult. From the time I stopped driving in 1997 I could not stand and transfer myself any longer. In 1996 I bought a battery-powered hoist for transferring me from the wheelchair to my bed and from the wheelchair into the driver's seat of my car, when I was driving, and back into the wheelchair.
I am able to continue my various activities and manage my lifestyle with the wonderful help and support of my brother, Bruce and home care. Between them they totally take care of my personal needs and many things which most able-bodied people take for granted.
The other transformation which has happened in the last 18 months is my entry into the computer age. Below is an article which I wrote for the August 2003 issue of the multiple sclerosis society of New South Wales magazine called Magscene which explains this transformation. I also gave a talk based on this article at a one-day seminar organised by Adaptive Technology in Sydney in September 2003. I am now in easy contact by e-mail with people all around the world.
