By NATALIE GALLENTI
Carers and their loved ones are offered comfort, education, respite and support when they gather at Caroline Springs every Friday. 98785
CARING for a child or young adult with a disability can take a toll on anyone, even the most dedicated and loving parent.
Mother-of-two Angie Scicluna can testify to that. The Hillside resident has two children and both have a genetic neurological condition that has not yet been diagnosed but excludes them from enjoying the same benefits open to other children and adolescents.
For Angie, the iCare Special Needs Group has been her salvation and has enabled her, her husband and their children to lead a happy life filled with supportive friends.
Angie is vice-president of the parent support group that is dedicated to the inclusion and equality of children and young adults with disabilities and their families.
She said the group offered carers respite, education, support and comfort – all of which are hard to find when dealing with a disability.
“It’s been like a lifeline to me … having only two children with the same condition and no other siblings to compare them to,” Angie said.
“You lose a lot of family and friends when you have children with a disability.”
The devoted mother said the group often went out on excursions together, and admitted travelling within a group was easier than on your own.
“It’s comforting to know other people are going through the same thing and sometimes we have a laugh. You’re not alone out there.”
The group also hosts dinners for carers, giving them an opportunity for some “me” time, and Angie said these events were particularly important for fathers that work and do not have the day-to-day contact with other parents going through a similar situation.
President Pepsi Gulen said the group enriched the lives of both carers and their children by building community capacity and advocating for individuals with disabilities.
“Members have access to peer support, literature, internet access, carers’ workshops, guest speakers and respite activities,” she told Star.
The group meets every Friday from 10am to noon at the Springside Community Pavilion, Becca Way, Caroline Springs.
