Stuck at home

By Kath Gannaway
A 69-YEAR-OLD Yarra Junction woman says she is house-bound because of a lack of transport services for disabled people in Yarra Ranges.
Pam Driver has multiple sclerosis and has been confined to a wheelchair for the past 10 years.
Mrs Driver said she relied in the past on a community bus provided by Allied Health Transport Services, part of the Shire of Yarra Ranges PAG (Positive Ageing Group), to transport her to medical appointments and the occasional shopping trip.
The bus, which has a hoist for wheelchairs, is now only available to her for her once a week trip to the Snowbirds Club in Warburton.
Mrs Driver says she misses the independence she used to have.
“The main problems with MS is fatigue and depression. If I can get out occasionally it keeps my spirits up.
“I want to remain independent and I am sure there are others in the same situation,” she said.
In a letter from AHTS in September Mrs Driver was advised by the AHTS that it had found it difficult to arrange health appointments around the use of the bus.
The letter spelled out that the bus is used to transport a range of groups and clients supported by the shire’s Home and Community Support services department.
Mrs Driver’s plight has highlighted a gap in the system which both the shire and Care Connect in Lilydale where Mrs Driver is a client, say is not being met.
James Martin, the shire’s manager of community relations said while the shire would like to be able to assist Mrs Driver it does not have the resources to provide the service on a continuing basis.
“Because of Mrs Driver’s needs she is unable to be transported in a normal car.
“The shire had previously assisted her, where it could, by transporting her on its mini bus.
“This was done out of goodwill as the bus is used specifically to transport clients to and from planned activity group sessions and to senior citizens centres. The nature of this service means the bus is very heavily utilised and while we don’t have the flexibility to meet Mrs Driver’s needs, we would be happy to look at ways of accommodating her requirements depending on the availability of the bus.”
Mr Martin said it was the role of Mrs Driver’s case manager at Care Connect to assist her in accessing transport and that the shire had provided contact details for a number of agencies which the council believed may be able to help.
Sherry-Ann Bailey, client services manager for Care Connect, said the service had looked at a number of options for Mrs Driver but had had very little success.
She said services such as LINC in Healesville which provide a volunteer transport service were unable to transport Mrs Driver’s electric wheelchair which meant she still needed to have another person with her to help with the manual wheelchair.
“That severely limits her options,” Ms Bailey said.
She said transport was a huge issue in the shire but that transport for frail-aged and for people of all ages with disabilities was particularly under resourced.
“There is an acute gap in terms of transporting people to and from day programs and for young people with disabilities where the buses which transport them to school only work to a certain parameter leaving parents to drive to the bus pick-up spots or take them themselves.”
Ms Bailey said the size of the municipality contributed to the challenge for the shire to provide transport.
“This has always been an issue and it’s an ongoing issue which doesn’t seem to ever get any closer to a resolution,” she said.
“The bottom line is it is a resource issue and the money doesn’t seem to going into transport. If anything, when it comes to providing services around disability, it seems to get cut.”
Calling for more funding she said it people’s lives a lot easier.
Mrs Driver is one of those people.
“If you can do something yourself, naturally that’s what you would prefer to do,” she said.