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Home / New Zealand

Mum begs for home to stay open

By Hayley Gastmeier
Wairarapa Times-Age·
6 May, 2015 07:28 PM4 mins to read

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CARING: Sonja Crawford with her son Aaron Mitchelmore, 17, "he can't walk or talk but he can smile". PHOTO/HAYLEY GASTMEIER

CARING: Sonja Crawford with her son Aaron Mitchelmore, 17, "he can't walk or talk but he can smile". PHOTO/HAYLEY GASTMEIER

The mother of a severely disabled boy is making a desperate final plea for the Noel Hamilton House in Greytown, which takes in people with rare neurological and physical diseases, to stay open.

Masterton's Sonja Crawford fears that if the home that is under threat of closure folds, it will mean a retirement home could be the only alternative for her son, who is only 17.

Mrs Crawford has been taking her son, Aaron Mitchelmore, to the Noel Hamilton House twice a month since July last year for a "breather" so she can keep her "sanity".

"We have spent probably two years emotionally planning for Aaron to go into care at Noel Hamilton House, which has been a real gut-wrenching thing to do.

"So now my two years of planning could just be for nothing, but there's no way Aaron is going into an elderly facility."

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The loss of three people who had been living at Noel Hamilton House has left it struggling to fill empty beds and Mrs Crawford said that could be due to people not realising the facility is there.

"For some reason nobody knows about it and they are not getting referrals. There used to be a waiting list so something has gone wrong, and it's not the staff and it's not the facility."

Mrs Crawford has investigated all the services that Masterton, and surrounding areas, have to offer, which she said are either full or not suitable for her son.

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She said the average person has no idea how physically and emotionally exhausting it is to care for a mentally and physically disabled loved one, but the staff at Noel Hamilton House "go above and beyond" for Aaron.

"Their compassion, consideration and empathy goes above and beyond for both client and family member involved.

"That's really important when they're looking after the most precious thing in your life."

Aaron was born with microcephaly, a neurodevelopmental disorder where there is abnormal growth of the brain, which results in a small head.

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Mrs Crawford said being born with it was a one in 40,000 chance and Aaron is "at the bad end of the scale".

He is fully dependant requiring constant care and supervision and he also has epilepsy where seizures have developed into a "daily event".

"He can't walk or talk but he can smile," said Mrs Crawford, who now has back problems from constant lifting.

Mrs Crawford and the parents of a person at Noel Hamilton House have written an affidavit that has fumbled its way through a line of hands and is yet to receive a response.

"And it's not just me who has been fighting," said Mrs Crawford.

"There are other people behind the scenes who have been in contact with Parliament, the Ministry of Health and with anyone who will listen, but no one actually wants to sit around the table and talk to us."

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She said there are many young people who are residing at elderly care facilities because they have not been given the opportunity to visit Noel Hamilton House.

Only three of the eight beds at the home are filled and Mrs Crawford "wonders where the so-called pamphlets are and what the story is with the non-existent website".

Mrs Crawford said she has tried, without luck, to contact the Noel Hamilton House building and land owners, Health Holdings Limited, which falls under the umbrella of NZCare Disability.

Manager Vicki Stewart of NZCare Disability North Island said in a statement to Times-Age there have been reports that the service is to close "however no final decision has been made".

"We appreciate this is an unsettling time and have been in discussions with the people we support, their families and potentially affected staff to keep them informed of the situation," she said.

Mrs Crawford said if Noel Hamilton House closes its doors then a retirement village will be the only respite option for Aaron.

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"Over my dead body," she said.

"My fight is not only for my son but for the residents living there at the moment, the clients who use it for respite and the individuals who will require it in the future," said Mrs Crawford.

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