Help at hand after petition /by Ken McGregor
18/12/2013
Published in The Weekly Times Messenger, page 15
BEVERLEY Ken McGregor PEOPLE power has helped save 44-year-old Naomi Clarke from being moved into a nursing home against her will. After receiving a 62,000signature petition collected by change.org on Monday (December 16), Premier Jay Weatherill said he would find a way to keep Mrs Clarke, of Beverley, at home with paid support. He said he would set up a meeting with Mrs Clarke and Disabilities Minister Tony Piccolo to discuss the issue. As reported by The Weekly Times Messenger last week, Mrs Clarke faced being relocated from the family home she shares with her husband, Paul, because of mounting debt. Mrs Clarke has used a wheelchair since a botched operation when she was five. Her health has recently worsened causing her to require care for more than 60 hours a week the threshold for at-home government provided care. In 2010, her organs started crushing her lungs and she has since needed an oxygen tank to keep breathing. Without fulltime care from Naomi her husband Clarke Paul there would be nobody to help monitor her breathing, which can slow down to a dangerous rate when asleep. “It is fantastic to know that there are so many people out there who are behind me,” Mrs Clarke told the newspaper. “It makes me feel that my life is worth something more than just a dollar figure.” Dignity for Disability MP Kelly Vincent said it was unfortunate Mrs Clarke had to get 62,000 signatures to remain at home. “We need to fix this so that people living with disabilities are afforded basic human rights such as the ability to remain in their own home,” Mrs Vincent said. She called on the State Government to ensure that people such as Mrs Clarke were assessed on a case-bycase basis.
