Daniel was born with a very rare progressive form of Cerebral Palsy. When he was 48 Daniel was admitted to hospital due to a weakening of his arms and hands. After time in hospital and rehabilitation, Daniel was eventually admitted to aged care. He believed  he had no choice. His social worker assisted him to look at 7 different aged care facilities, and he chose what would be his home for the next 4 years.

“At 51 years of age I’m the youngest resident in this building, the oldest resident is 101 and the majority of residents are in their 90s so you tell me where the mental stimulation is.”

Daniel was then able to connect to the NDIS and moved into a shared supported accommodation where he lived for a further 5 1/4 years. He finally moved into his own SDA apartment in 2022 where he can live with independence and control of his life.

“I have made a lot of friends here but they pass away too quickly, so I have made a resolution not to get attached to people because it’s too hard.”

Read and watch more stories from young people who lived in aged care