By EMILY IANNELLO
GEELONG’S Kirrily Haywood is one of many young Australians living with a disability in a nursing home.
She simply has nowhere else to go.
Her powerful story is one of 22 in The Summer Foundation’s upcoming Home to Home Digital Story Exhibition.
Kirrily and the exhibition’s other storytellers developed scripts, narrated voiceovers and collated images and footage to produce insightful videos depicting their experiences.
“My story outlines my journey and what my hopes are for the future,” Kirrily said.
Her journey into aged care began in 2012 after she developed a severe pressure sore.
After hospitalisation and time in a transitional care facility, she now resides at Grovedale’s Alan David Lodge.
“I was only meant to be here for three months. I’ve been here three years now.”
“Picture a young person living in a nursing home: you’re living with people three or four times your age, which is confronting. You’re witnessing death and dying on a regular basis.
“The staff here are fantastic but they’re trained to deal with aged care, not young people.”
Describing her predicament as depressing and disempowering, Kirrily was adamant the problem of young people in aged care was worsening.
The community must advocate for change, she said.
The Summer Foundation chief Dr Di Winkler said that exhibition was an important opportunity for people like Kirrily to tell their stories.
“This is a group of marginalised, largely forgotten people and these exhibitions are a chance to recognise and remember why policy needs to be changed to ensure there is an appropriate range of housing and support options available,” Dr Winkler said.
Kirrily encouraged people to attend the exhibition top learn about about the issue.
“I hope it appeals to their emotional sense of self to participate and help create a change.”
The exhibition will be open 9am to 6pm from 8 to 15 September at Deakin University’s Waterfront Campus.
