Angelo

Angelo: My name is Angelo Psomadelis, I am 65 years of age. Having contracted paralytic polio, it attacks the central nervous system, so
I don’t have any shoulder strength or any ability to actually walk. Anything that is gravity based, in other words lifting something freely, I cannot do. I can still build muscle, so at least I can still stand on my legs, because they have muscle, I have very strong forearms, and I have very strong hands. But it’s actual free movement is the problem. Living My Way has been there with me from the start. When I was first accepted for NDIS membership, I had not a clue what to expect. They virtually acted as a Support Coordinator without even being assigned to do so. They put the person before the purse. Three plans later, by the fourth plan, my most recent one, NDIS finally acknowledged that we do need a Support Coordinator, because we don’t know where to look for this sort of thing, or my arm support. We don’t know where to go? I can tell you it’s mind-boggling when you first join the NDIS and they expect you to know all the jargon. So Living My Way, metaphorically speaking, they held my hand right through the process, the whole first meeting and every other meeting afterwards, and now I chose them because of all that. I chose them as my Support Coordinator as well, and I have the full package now. They did my plan management they do everything. And that’s the thing about Living My Way – they ask me, they continually ask me – what is it that could help you make your life easier for you? And I thought, well, something that could help me with my shoulder weakness, and that’s when they went digging and they found, well, this focal arm assist. What else do you think would make your life better? I said I want to get out of this joint. And they said, okay, what you need is a ramp and I said, okay, if that’s what I need. So that’s when they got the ball rolling, and the NDIS agreed to the plan of eliminating that step at the front door and creating a no step direct access to the front. I want to be independent. I can call a cab regardless of whether my wife wants to come along to the movies or not. I can call a cab and say I’m going to the movies, and I can do it all on my own. I’ve been involved in cooking for many years. I had a gourmet delicatessen. I am gravity-challenged, so unless I can get above the item, I can’t stir, I can’t do it, it’s because of this chair that I’m now able to go back to my cooking, which I wasn’t able to do for quite a while. I’ve always loved gourmet cooking. I’ve loved fusion cooking, creative cooking. With their help, I’ve been able to get back to it again. It is my favourite hobby. I love it. I never give up. I’ve always fought for, not so much my rights, fought for my ability to continue to get better in life. Living My Way, they did it for me, from the start and they’re still doing it for me four years later, and they’ve gone from Plan Manager, they’re also now my Support Coordinator and they’re doing the job for me. One establishment standard for me and that’s it, yeah. You need someone who’s equipped like they are.

Debra: All of those things, that was through the chair and having carers as well, has really made our life as a couple and our life as a family so much easier. You know, he can go to our son’s place and because of ramps and the chair and just normal everyday activities that families do that weren’t available to him before. It has been life changing, and it has been for our kids as well, because they missed out on for a long time, a lot of things that their father couldn’t do. Don’t get me wrong they’d go to sport and they’d come home and they’d re-tell him everything and share everything with him. I can’t commend Living My Way enough for starting the process rolling, which made our life so much easier.