Financial help

Hi Norm

Sorry to hear about your wife’s strokes and the stress and difficulties you are having with your finances. It sounds Tough!

There are some services and support out there that may help

Please have a look at some of the information about legal and financial support, on our EnableMe website here, 

Centrelink (132 717) may be able to help your wife because of her disability if she cannot work and look at any payments she may be eligible for"

 If your wife receives payments from Centrelink, she may then be eligible for Concession and Health Care Cards which make it less expensive when she uses certain health care services or buys any  prescription medicines. Concession cards also entitle her to discounts on rates and utilities, and on vehicle registration and public transport. Applications are managed by Centrelink, and eligibility will depend on your combined circumstances together.

As a result of your wife’s stroke, she may be eligible for an early release of superannuation. She can apply for early release on the grounds of severe financial hardship, or to meet the costs of medical treatment, transport expenses or home and vehicle modification expenses. She may also have disability insurance as part of your superannuation. Often to access Total Permanent Disability through superannuation it requires 2 x medical practitioners to sign this off.

 It helps to get advice on all these issues from a financial counsellor or advisor.

Financial advisers provide advice and services on financial matters and will charge a fee.

Financial counsellors provide free information, support and advocacy to people in financial difficulty. You may find more information and a financial counsellor near you here.

There is also information on various helplines that may be useful such as:

National Debt Helpline: 1800 007 007

Financial Counselling | The Salvation Army Australia: 1800 722 363

The Medicare Safety Net provides a higher Medicare benefit for all eligible services for the rest of the calendar year once you reach the relevant threshold. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Safety Net works in a similar way, reducing the cost of prescription medicines once the threshold has been reached. Make sure to ask your wife’s pharmacist about generic medicines, which will help keep costs down.

Your wife’s doctor may suggest a Chronic Disease GP Management Plan, which entitles her to a number of subsidized sessions with health professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and psychologists.

The NDIS (1800 800 110) helps Australians under the age of 65 who have a permanent and significant disability to achieve their goals and enjoy an ordinary life. As well as reasonable and necessary funded supports, the NDIS helps people with a disability, their family and carers to access health, education and other government and community services and supports.

My Aged Care (1800 200 422) is a national website and phone service that can help you navigate the aged care system and find support. This includes support to live independently at home, short term or respite care, and aged care homes. My Aged Care will assess your eligibility over the phone or face-to-face, work with you to develop a support plan, give you information about costs, and help you find services in your area.

If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to call us at StrokeLine on 1800 787 653 

Wishing you the best,  

The Strokeline team

Norm,

I was in a similar situation. My main financial lifeline was a superannuation insurance pay-out (total and permanent disability cover). If your wife had a superannuation fund, it would pay to contact them and ask what cover she had.

If your wife is under 65, she can apply to the NDIS. This would cover supports like someone to drive her around and help her communicate, for shopping and social activities. It would take any demands off you to provide that ongoing role. I have such NDIS support and can cover most activities with that and family support. If under 65 she would also be eligible for a Disability Support Pension, but this is means tested so check the limits first. The family home is not usually counted as part of the assets. If you have any dealings with Centrelink or the NDIS, I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a disability advocate (free service https://askizzy.org.au/disability-advocacy-finder). They know Centrelink and NDIS processes inside out, and given your wife's communication problems, can also be authorised to act on her behalf.

Hi my partner Justin had a stroke on the 10th of November 2022 we had just met. I have noticed over the past few years his balance has become worse and he forgets a lot of things he finds it hard to read text anymore like in books he had been put on disability support pension but he wasn’t able to get NDIS as his doctor wouldn’t write him a letter so he could get it which makes it hard for him to get help I got him a wheelie walker but the problem is the flat we are renting right now is no longer safe for him as he keeps falling down the stairs and inside he loses his balance like a few weeks ago he fell onto the coffee table and broke his nose im not working right now either it’s hard to get help when we don’t have much m

Nat, your post came through about 6 times. 

Did the doctor say WHY they wouldn't write a letter for Justin? 

Check the advice and links given by the Stroke Line in an earlier reply. If you are having trouble navigating the NDIS system, contact a disability advocate in your area. It's a free service. You can find links for this and more useful info on the Ask Izzy site.

Justin had a NDIS advocate named sue she came out to the unit were we rent and she was helping him with ideas around the house and was trying to get him onto the NDIS but when Justin went to the doctor to get him to write a letter he said why did he have to write the letter so he told Justin he wasn’t doing it. We had no where else for someone else to write it for him so sue has stopped coming and I feel so bad for Justin as he still needs a lot of help I do most of the cooking and cleaning in the unit but in the last few years Justin’s balance has become worse he fell over our coffee table and broke his nose and he constantly falls down the stairs I feel so helpless as I don’t know how to help him and we don’t get much money as I lost my job in march this year I am trying to apply for carers allowance and payment but again I need a doctor to fill out a form for me to get any assistance I just feel upset and use

To Stroke LIne

Thank you for all the help and information,very much appreciated and will follow up

Regards

Norm

Nat,

The letter from the doctor is required to inform the NDIS that Justin has had a stroke and it has caused permanent disabilities, which restrict him from accessing the community, being employed etc. Accessing the NDIS is not so much about what has happened to you, but how it restricts your life. The goal of the NDIS is to enable participants to be as independent as possible and not have to rely on friends or family. I would suggest finding a new advocate and another doctor.