An Adelaide family who care for their intellectually-disabled daughter full-time are “on the verge” of homelessness after the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) cut support funding.
According to The Advertiser, Alex Kosteriadis and his wife Leah spent over $100,000 opening their former smoothie bar business last year, but had to shut the business for good in June to care for their 19-year-old daughter, Georgia, after they were rejected for increased NDIS support in April.
Georgia suffered a stroke as an infant, severely damaging her frontal lobe. She lost 80 per cent of the left side of her brain function causing her to struggle with regulating emotions, resulting in multiple aggressive episodes a day.
Despite reports from their daughter’s psychologist which indicated she required two support workers, NDIS declined the family’s application for more support due to it not being “value for money.”
“I can’t understand how this one lady (NDIS review officer) can make a decision that overrules a specialist that’s been looking after my daughter since 2019,” Mr Kosteriadis told The Advertiser.
Mr Kosteriadis said psychologist Jon Martin has inspired significant improvements in Georgia’s behaviour, reducing her need for strong medication.
“The last meeting we had with the psychiatrist, his aim was to get Georgia off all medications within a few years… But on the date the funding got slashed her world got turned upside down… We’ve been increasing it [again] because she’s just getting too irate,” Mr Kosteriadis claimed.
A National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) spokesperson commented, “The Agency continues to provide a significant level of funding for Georgia… Her current NDIS plan has slightly reduced but remains at more than $300,000 per year (which is comparable to her previous 12-month plan) – which supports her to lead a more inclusive, independent life.”
Source: The Advertiser.
