Do you need rails to hold onto in the the shower? Would a wheelchair or scooter make your life easier? Do you need anything like this such as a shower stool or chair, or a keypad to open your door because you live alone and can’t get to it yourself? Is there anything else in terms of disability aids or disability-related equipment that I haven’t thought of?
Have you ever heard of the Victorian Aids and Equipment Program (VA&EP)? If you need any of these things, or anything like it, this is probably the program you need. The VA&EP provides free equipment for people with disabilities, the only proviso is that you give the equipment back when you no longer need it. As I joyfully informed them – if I didn’t need my wheelchair any more, a party of great proportions would be had!
At the moment my VA&EP offices (Caulfield) have a three month waiting list, and some small pieces of equipment such as picking up sticks they don’t lend out due to the high likelihood of breakage. I don’t know about the waiting lists in other offices, you’d have to call them up and ask. If you need equipment that will take a while to acquire or put together, then add this time to your waiting list time. For example my wheelchair ended up taking 9 months to land on my doorstep! 3 months on the waiting list, 4 months for parts being imported to Australia and 2 months for everything being put together the right way … but the result – getting a $8,500 wheelchair arranged and put together for nothing – was worth it even though at times I thought I’d go insane waiting for it.
To access the VA&EP, you’ll need an occupational therapist who, as well as knowing how to assess you, can write up requests for the equipment you need. Call a local occupational therapist (OT) (check the Yellow Pages or call up Occupational Therapy Australia (Victorian Division) on (03) 9481 6866 and ask for an OT in your area. That’s how I found mine, and she’s wonderful.
Then, after the applications and assessments are done, all you have to do is wait.
Good luck!
