Mum’s panic over tetraplegic son’s care
It was a normal Thursday night for Kellie Aitchison until her tetraplegic son’s carers suddenly upped and left.
Now Aitchison wakes up in the middle of the night wracked with anxiety over who will care for her 25-year-old son, Ben Clifford.
Clifford, who broke his neck two years ago pool diving, requires specialist round-theclock care, something his mum is unable to provide.
First police arrived at their Silverdale home and confiscated Clifford’s marijuana supply, which he smokes to combat ‘‘full body muscle spasms’’, she said.
‘‘Marijuana calms [Clifford’s muscles] down enough so that he can drive his wheelchair around and try to have as much of a normal life as possible. It also stimulates his appetite as otherwise he just won’t eat, he has no appetite whatsoever.
‘‘It was all very calm, no charges have been laid.’’
Then at about 6.30pm things got worse. Someone from Life Plus, which has supplied carers to Clifford for two years, called and asked his carer to ‘‘pack her bag and leave’’, Aitchison said.
The caller said Life Plus wouldn’t supply Clifford with another carer. Life Plus general manager Michelle Batchelor refused to comment on Aitchison’s account citing the matter was ‘‘part of an ongoing police investigation’’.
‘‘They just left us with nobody.’’ Kellie Aitchison
Aitchison telephoned Ben’s ACC case manager, who told her Life Plus said Ben’s carers felt in danger.
After being told by Clifford’s case manager to find a private carer, Aitchison searched in vain for qualified minders.
She woke early on Sunday morning suffering an anxiety attack. She already has to care for Clifford’s six-year-old daughter and now worries she may struggle to keep her job as a screenprinter having to look after Clifford too.
ACC spokeswoman Stephanie Melville said the corporation continued to fund Clifford’s fulltime care but was ‘‘unable to approach alternative care agencies last Friday’’ without knowing the outcome of the police investigation.
‘‘To ensure that Ben wasn’t left without the appropriate level of care, ACC offered other options, which he declined.’’ In the meantime, the corporation was funding Ben’s private care, Melville said.
‘‘ACC is committed to providing Ben, and all our serious injury clients, with the highest standard of service, and supports that meet their injury related needs.’’