The Old Man
The Old Man
And old man sits in a chair with his head hung down on his chest.
He's had open heart surgery. If you've ever known someone who's had this surgery, it doesn't matter how old you are, the recovery period will teach you your physical limitations. Even powerful healthy people find they can hardly stand or walk, and then not for long.
He is 74, and lives in a house with 6 other people. He has no friends. He has outlived most of them, and the rest are far away. He has no family.
The 6 people he lives with are 50 or so years old or younger. They are nice to him for about a week each month when the rent is due. His pension pays the rent. The rest of the time, they tease and ridicule him.
If asked, he will say that he likes where he lives. He will say that because the people around him might turn on him if he said otherwise.
Because he is male and disabled, there are no protections for him. The abuse he suffers is a civil matter in Australia. Despite the fact that he can hardly make it to the toilet without exhausting himself, he is expected to find other accommodations or pursue legal protections like an Intervention Order.
He said he tried once, but the clerks at the court laughed at him, so he doesn't bother any more. They thought it was silly that a man needed protections from such nice people.
I told this story to an office worker at Bruce Billson's office via email. There was no reply.
I am not accusing Mr Bilson of anything. He probably never heard of my email. Besides, this is a disabled man in Victoria. The prejudice towards men affects him, too. He is nearly an outlaw.
In Victoria, the Disability Ombudsman is not chartered to deal with such situations. The Disability Ombudsman is there to deal with issues concerning private companies and government offices, except the magistracy. They are essentially a specialized industrial relations office.
There really isn't anything anyone can do for him. Maybe when he is better, he can find somewhere else to live.
It's a sad, almost gruesome fact that the disabled are unmentionable in the law. And he is elderly, he will not pay any more taxes. He will only be a drain on the public coffers. Also, he is male. A woman in such circumstances would find a number of respites available.
He needs a carer, but doesn't have the energy to find one.
Australia has no place in society for the disabled or elderly. There is no law to protect them from abuse. Last year, a law was proposed to protect the elderly from abuse in nursing homes, but it was voted down.
There is no such state law for the disabled. I found that out the hard way.
There is a federal law against abusing the disabled, but it is rarely enforced, especially for men. The fines are not impressive really, although it does threaten up to 2 years in jail.
Like most western nations, Australia is aging. There will be more and more old men like this. Most will not let themselves realize the prejudices they will face.
I only know of them because I was disabled and abused in Australia.
And old man sits in a chair with his head hung down on his chest.
He's had open heart surgery. If you've ever known someone who's had this surgery, it doesn't matter how old you are, the recovery period will teach you your physical limitations. Even powerful healthy people find they can hardly stand or walk, and then not for long.
He is 74, and lives in a house with 6 other people. He has no friends. He has outlived most of them, and the rest are far away. He has no family.
The 6 people he lives with are 50 or so years old or younger. They are nice to him for about a week each month when the rent is due. His pension pays the rent. The rest of the time, they tease and ridicule him.
If asked, he will say that he likes where he lives. He will say that because the people around him might turn on him if he said otherwise.
Because he is male and disabled, there are no protections for him. The abuse he suffers is a civil matter in Australia. Despite the fact that he can hardly make it to the toilet without exhausting himself, he is expected to find other accommodations or pursue legal protections like an Intervention Order.
He said he tried once, but the clerks at the court laughed at him, so he doesn't bother any more. They thought it was silly that a man needed protections from such nice people.
I told this story to an office worker at Bruce Billson's office via email. There was no reply.
I am not accusing Mr Bilson of anything. He probably never heard of my email. Besides, this is a disabled man in Victoria. The prejudice towards men affects him, too. He is nearly an outlaw.
In Victoria, the Disability Ombudsman is not chartered to deal with such situations. The Disability Ombudsman is there to deal with issues concerning private companies and government offices, except the magistracy. They are essentially a specialized industrial relations office.
There really isn't anything anyone can do for him. Maybe when he is better, he can find somewhere else to live.
It's a sad, almost gruesome fact that the disabled are unmentionable in the law. And he is elderly, he will not pay any more taxes. He will only be a drain on the public coffers. Also, he is male. A woman in such circumstances would find a number of respites available.
He needs a carer, but doesn't have the energy to find one.
Australia has no place in society for the disabled or elderly. There is no law to protect them from abuse. Last year, a law was proposed to protect the elderly from abuse in nursing homes, but it was voted down.
There is no such state law for the disabled. I found that out the hard way.
There is a federal law against abusing the disabled, but it is rarely enforced, especially for men. The fines are not impressive really, although it does threaten up to 2 years in jail.
Like most western nations, Australia is aging. There will be more and more old men like this. Most will not let themselves realize the prejudices they will face.
I only know of them because I was disabled and abused in Australia.
posted by Unknown at
11:26 PM
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