Jeneen's Big Move!

Jeneen

Hi Jeneen! Please tell us about yourself!

I’m in my sixties. I enjoy trucking and used to be very active in the industry. I also used to train racing Greyhounds. Before my disability, I was a social butterfly, with a great network of friends, often throwing parties and barbecues. I love having company.

My two children are adults now, both very successful in their own rights! My son lives in New South Wales still, and my daughter is in Nuriootpa. My grandkids come to visit often now that I have also moved to the Barossa.

I love Human Nature! What a great band.

You recently moved to the Barossa from interstate. Where did you live before and what was life like for you?

I lived with my husband on a property about 20 kilometres outside Binnaway, which is a small rural town in western New South Wales. Because of the impacts of my disability, I found it really difficult to leave the house and was almost never able to leave the farm. For 17 years, I only left for doctor’s appointments or hospital visits. Living so remotely, it was hard to get supports and my husband was my carer for all those years.

A big reason I moved to the Barossa was to be close to my daughter and her family. It was a really stressful process for them to support me with such a massive thing, but my Specialist Support Coordinator and My Ability Pathway really came through to help support them, and me, with everything involved.

Moving home is a big undertaking for anyone. What did the move involve for you and who helped you with it?

I was helped with my move by a Specialist Support Coordinator (SSC). Before I moved, I spent some time in hospital with a broken leg. The hospital told me that I needed more support than I could get at home, so we started looking at NDIS Home and Living support options.

Huge amounts of work went on behind the scenes. My daughter helped a lot, meeting with local support providers to find me a new home. Once the house was found, the SSC juggled a lot of the logistics to help me move interstate.

I ended up flying across in an air ambulance and got to arrive in the Barossa in a limo! A nurse accompanied me from the NSW hospital. For my daughter, the whole process was very stressful and not something she wants to do again anytime soon!

Coming from a hot place, I was also in for a shock when I arrived in the cool Barossa – I didn’t even have winter clothes with me!

It can take a while to feel settled and comfortable in a new place. How are you finding your new home?

I love the house and am getting to know my new support team. It can actually be a little overwhelming at times to have so many people care about me.

I’ve been working with a new Occupational Therapist who is helping me stay safe and build capacity to access the local community. I’ve been working on developing new skills in my new home, which is very different to the house I used to live in. I’m also enjoying getting out and about a bit more, like going for coffee, which I couldn’t do before.

What’s a highlight for you since you moved to the Barossa?

I feel like I have a lot more choice over some things now that I’m living in a town and less isolated. I get to choose when to go out, where before I wasn’t really able to leave the house with the supports I had access to. My Key Worker is helping me to get out and about, which I’m enjoying. I even got a new pair of walking shoes so I can be more active.

I’d like to keep building connection with the Barossa community and look at increasing what I’m able to do. It’s nice to reconnect with my social side.

Thanks so much, Jeneen! Is there anything else you’d like to share?

There’s a dog next door that barks a lot! I struggle with that.

I’m currently staying in my home under Medium Term Accommodation – an NDIS support – while SDA Services assist me with exploring how to get Specialist Disability Accommodation funding in my NDIS plan.

Generally, I’m feeling so much happier since the move.