Relief on way for carers

The Health Ministry plans to review respite care available to an Invercargill couple looking after a profoundly intellectually disabled boy.

The couple say they are struggling to get enough respite care and believe a professionally staffed home is needed to make sure parents have sufficient breaks from what can be onerous 24-hour duties.

Their 9-year-old foster son has multiple intellectual and development problems, including an autism-related condition that causes him to crave non-food items.

The boy has been known to eat anything from clothes to dog excrement to staples.

He needs constant supervision.

Ministry spokesman David Chrisp said yesterday that respite care for disabled people was one of the ministry's top priorities.

He said the ministry was aware of concerns from disabled people and their families about the lack of access to respite care and its inflexibility.

A national project had started to improve consistency in the funding of respite services.

Mr Chrisp said ministry officials had talked to the Needs Assessment Service Co-ordination (Nasc) agency about the Invercargill family's needs.

"We understand the Nasc is in the process of reviewing the total support this family gets, and available respite options will be included as part of the review."

The ministry funded a variety of support options for carers of children and adults with disabilities, spending about $48 million a year, he said.

Many of the support options were provided through informal care arranged by families.

- NZPA