Carers

Disability groups say federal budget funding cuts will leave them less able to support vulnerable Australians as the government rolls out widespread changes to services and supports. 

When Jenny Summerson answered a newspaper ad in the 1990s for a hospital helper, she had no idea she'd become an expert cuddler in the maternity ward.

A free autism support network in South West WA may be forced to close its doors after being defunded by the federal government, even though it reports growing demand.

For years now, Natalia Rossiter has provided 24-hour care for her husband who has Huntington's disease, but she wonders how she can continue without psychological support.

An ABC investigation uncovers a series of allegations by former workers blowing the whistle on mistreatment, neglect and excessive use of force against people with disabilities being cared for by NDIS provider Evolution Support Services. 

A 7.30 investigation has uncovered new allegations of rough treatment and shocking footage from inside an NDIS provider of last resort.

While those fleeing a violent partner are eligible for a $5,000 payment, that doesn't apply to those trying to escape a carer or family member.

From helplines to hiring someone to do their paperwork, many of our seniors could use a hand dealing with an increasingly complex aged care system. It "takes a village" to help them too, say advocates, and this is where to start.

He struggled through school, couldn't cope at university, and lives with a rare genetic condition, but somehow Will Golding used his disability to create his dream career — and a place to support others like him. 

Workers employed under awards, who also provide care to loved ones with ongoing conditions, say a "cumbersome and burdensome" leave process has left them struggling to get basic entitlements. 

The 27-year-old man was employed by the National Disability Insurance Scheme to work at aged care facilities around Perth and allegedly assaulted the elderly resident at a home in the western suburbs.

Lying on his bed 24 hours a day in complete darkness, Dan Harris's life is slipping away. His parents want money put into research to help the quarter of a million Australians with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Restless with retirement, former corporate high-flyer Nesya King didn't want to "wait for God". She was drawn back to her first career — nursing — and 30 years out of the game, she returned to university to become qualified.

Providing care to loved ones during the festive season can be stressful.  Juliet Middleton provides a few simple tips to reduce anxiety and ease the burden to the carer. 

When John Carter was moving into care earlier this year, his family was sorting through his belongings and made an alarming discovery.

It seemed like a David versus Goliath battle, but eight elderly residents who refused to leave a Feros Care aged care village when it announced it selling up are now claiming victory.

Two directors of a former NDIS provider charged over the death of Adelaide woman Ann Marie Smith, who died while in full-time care, have been committed to stand trial.

The report says the gap between those inside and outside the scheme is unfair, and it recommends more mainstream services.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme lost an estimated $1.4 billion through "payment errors" including fraud and over-claiming last financial year, a five-fold increase from two years ago.

The first register of its kind in the South Pacific will identify children living with cerebral palsy to help improve understanding, reduce risk factors and meet their needs. 

SA police release CCTV footage of an incident involving two officers arresting a man at a care home despite about having reservations of airing the vision.

A young kangaroo named Cottontail is given a new lease on life, after part of its tail was amputated when its mother was struck by a car in Queensland.

Detectives have charged a 33-year-old man with murder over an alleged attack at an NDIS group home at St Jude's Australind in South West WA.

This week is national carers week and advocates are calling for much greater investment in support services that can give unpaid carers a well-earned break.

Respite cottages give carers a break from looking after the person they care for but advocates say there's not enough, leaving many of Australia's 2.5 million unpaid carers at breaking point.