By Engelbert Schmidl
NEWPORT resident Milly Parker was recently recognised for her disability advocacy work, winning the 3AW People’s Choice Award for community work.
Ms Parker, a successful local businesswoman, has worked tirelessly to raise community awareness of disability issues, particularly those of acquired brain injuries and the plight of young people in nursing homes.
She said the award was great but what really mattered was getting the message out to the community about the need to change the current situation.
The 34-year-old said she would “rather help someone blossom than just concentrate on my own life”.
She spoke passionately about a young woman in a nursing home who had recently gained the confidence to start a social group and about how isolating living in a nursing home could be for young people.
Ms Parker suffered brain injuries in a car accident 13 years ago. The rehabilitation process was long and arduous but she now runs a business called Happy Yappers from home with her partner.
Ms Parker is involved in advocacy work for Young People in Nursing Homes National Alliance (YPINH), a lobby group that wants to change the accommodation and support choices available to people under 65 who need long-term and intensive care.
YPINH spokeswoman Dr Bronwyn Morkham said reform in the area was tricky but vital because it was a problem that was becoming more prevalent.
She said current arrangements dated back to commonwealth aged care laws from 1907.
Living arrangements for younger people with long-term care needs had to be more flexible, said Dr Morkham, and based on a “level of need rather than age”.
She said one of the group’s primary aims was to establish a social insurance levy, similar to Medicare, for long term care and support.
