Latest news with #ChristineYerbury
ABC News
12-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Christine Yerbury would like to move somewhere without stairs
Christine Yerbury has been waiting since October to receive an occupational therapy assessment to allow her to receive a Deaf-appropriate device.
ABC News
10-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Two years on from an inquiry, Canberrans who are Deaf continue to fear old age
When Anne Madden worked up the courage to visit a nursing home for her husband with dementia, she found herself stuck at the front door. For any hearing person, an intercom is an effective way to enter a building, but for Deaf people, it's useless. It was the first obstacle of many Ms Madden would encounter while searching for a Canberra aged care facility that catered for people who are profoundly deaf, like her and her husband. She found centres had televisions with no captions, or they had fire alarms but not any visual ones. "It was incredibly emotional for me, the people were all lovely but they had no idea how to talk to someone who has a hearing loss," Ms Madden said. Without Auslan translations, many Deaf people have limited communication due to lower levels of English understanding. The ACT government conducted an inquiry into Auslan services in 2023, but members of the Deaf community are worried progress has stalled. It's not only the aged care sector that has limited Auslan care — accessing Auslan-fluent allied health services in Canberra is very difficult. The capital city was described as "under-supported" by Deaf Connect. Getting an SMS-based fall detector device has been a priority for Deaf 77-year-old Christine Yerbury who struggles with stairs and uneven ground in her Canberra unit. "I definitely want to move somewhere that is much flatter where there are no stairs," she said. Ms Yerbury said she had been waiting since October to receive an occupational therapy assessment to allow her to receive a Deaf-appropriate device. But there are no full-time Auslan fluent occupational therapists based in Canberra, according to Australia's largest provider of Auslan services Deaf Connect. "Unfortunately, the shortage of Auslan-skilled professionals doesn't end with occupational therapists," Chief Services Officer Brent Phillips said. "There is a significant shortage across the entire allied health workforce." In the meantime, Ms Yerbury has fallen several times. Many other members of the Deaf community in Canberra are also concerned they'll be left isolated in their senior years. Deaf ACT secretary Louise Irvine agrees finding Auslan aged care and allied health services in Canberra is a major problem. "There aren't any aged care facilities that have the support required. There's no one with Auslan skills to communicate with the people when they're there. "They are not being told what medications they're taking, what's even happening around them, people will walk into the room and they won't be told why they are there." The ACT Legislative Assembly inquiry heard these concerns and made 25 recommendations to the government in 2023. "The ACT government is committed to improving access to services and supports for Deaf, Deafblind and hard-of-hearing Canberrans, including older members of the community," a government spokesperson said. Government funding including My Aged Care and the NDIS cover some interpretation appointments and Auslan services where available. But interpretation has its limitations and is costly. Interpreter Mandy Dolejsi said interpreting in an aged care setting was more complicated than simply translating COVID instructions. "When you're dealing with deaf seniors, there's a lot more involved in it," Ms Dolejsi said. "It's not interpreting as such, it's much more communication, it's making sure there is a clear understanding. "It also helps if you understand their background because sometimes, today isn't where we are, we're slightly in the past." She said there was also a misconception that all Deaf people could understand written English and lip reading. "Even when Deaf people have had an aural education, lip reading is maybe at best 30 per cent effective," she said. Ms Dolejsi has been a member of the Deaf community since she was young, and her husband is Deaf. "We need aged care workers who go in and learn as part of their training to communicate effectively with Deaf people," she said. The ACT government is in the process of recruiting a staff member fluent in Auslan to translate important information on government web pages.
