NEWS & ISSUES
BBN / OCTOBER 2020
Charmaine and James Collins
CatholicCare during COVID-19: A blessing for people with disability By Debra Vermeer
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unique challenges for many people with disability, but for James Collins and his family, the dedication and responsiveness of CatholicCare Broken Bay staff throughout the crisis has been a lifesaver. Eighteen-year-old James was born with an intellectual disability which means he has both the physical and intellectual capacity of a baby. He had just made the big transition from school to post-school day programs when the pandemic hit. “James can’t walk far and he’s non-verbal and can’t toilet himself, but he’s a beautiful boy, a really beautiful boy,” his mum, Charmaine Collins says. “He’s classified as requiring a one-on-one carer because he’s a bit unbalanced on his feet and has high needs. For instance, he couldn’t give himself a drink if he needed one. “He operates on a very strict routine so that he knows what is coming next in his day, and we know as well.” Charmaine says it was a big step to go from his schooling environment, where he was familiar and comfortable, to the new world of day programs with disability care services. At the beginning of the year he started with CatholicCare at Brookvale for three days and another provider for two days. But when the pandemic arrived, and schools, training facilities, hospitality venues and other parts of the community began to shut down, so too did some disability care providers. Charmaine received a phone call one day from their second 14 /
provider saying they would be closing their centre from the following day and the family would have to make new arrangements for James. “We basically just got a message saying don’t come in tomorrow,” Charmaine recalls. “We’ve got two other teenagers – one in Year 12 and one in Year 10 – and they were learning at home. My husband was suddenly working from home and I work two days a week. It was crazy and when this happened with James, I honestly did not know how we’d manage.” In desperation, Charmaine rang CatholicCare, with whom the family has had a relationship since James was five, and asked for their help. “They were fantastic,” she says. “They stepped in right away and took James on for the extra two days. They didn’t ever really shut down and it was such a relief. “They told me that nobody was allowed to come into the centre during the lockdown, so they would come to us instead and provide one-on-one care. For us, it worked out perfectly. It was a lifesaver. “Someone from CatholicCare came each day and picked him up from home and dropped him back in the afternoon. They took him out into the community, going for walks and doing activities. James loves listening to children’s books, so I would pack his lunch and his audio books and a drink and off they’d go. “It really helped our family and it helped James, because he gets really bored at home.”
