Georgie Talks: my experience as a person with disability trying to get health services in WA

Urgent Health Reforms Needed in WA to improve services for people with intellectual disability.

watch Georgie’s story on Vimeo here: https://vimeo.com/1053252462:
Georgie: My experience as a person with disability trying to get health services in WA

Georgie’s experience with the healthcare system in Western Australia highlights the urgent need for reform. After a back injury, Georgie faced significant barriers accessing care due to her intellectual disability.

“I had to wait and wait to see someone… When I finally did, they didn’t understand me because of my disability,” Georgie says. This lack of communication only increased her anxiety, which hindered her recovery.

Georgie thinks there should be better training for healthcare staff and more compassionate care. “Everyone – hospitals, doctors, nurses – should treat people with respect and kindness,” she emphasizes.

She also points out the need for improved communication, particularly for people who struggle with reading and writing. “It would help if they had volunteers to assist people with disabilities.”

Georgie’s story is part of DDWA’s “Time For Action! Health Reforms in WA” campaign. This campaign calls for urgent healthcare reforms for people with intellectual disability (PwID) in WA, especially in light of the upcoming election on 8 March.

[watch Georgie’s story on Vimeo here: https://vimeo.com/1053252462]

We need the WA Department of Health to do FIVE (5) things:

Introduce mandatory training on intellectual disabilities for all health staff.
Set up Specialist Disability Health Hubs in each health region to improve the health and mental health of PwID.
Ensure the State health plan includes PwID as a priority group.
Introduce a “flag” to identify intellectual disability in a person’s WA health record.
Contribute to a WA Easy Read website that provides key public information about health and other government services.

As the election approaches, DDWA urges all political parties to commit to these reforms. Contact your local member of parliament and demand better health services for PwID. To find your local member, go to: https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/WebCMS/webcms.nsf/content/contact-a-member

Shane Love, leader of The Nationals WA, has already committed to two key reforms. We are asking other parties: What are your policies, WA Labor, Liberals WA, The Greens WA, and independents?

For more information, watch Georgie’s story and learn about the pressing need for change: https://vimeo.com/1053252462.

Our campaign began with a video message from our CEO, Mary Butterworth, outlining the challenges faced by PwID in WA health services, followed by a list of “5 things we need the WA Health Department to do” (see the 5 things listed, below)

Read related news here: Time for Action! Health Reform in WA

Our campaign includes a showcase of videos where people with disabilities and their families share their experiences with WA health services. It’s heart breaking.

The campaign will run throughout February and beyond on all our digital platforms, including social media, newsletters/emails, and here on our DDWA website.