Kaylem’s Story – At Home Care Grant

He is also keen to get in the kitchen and prepare his own meals which may seem small to us, but for Kaylem, it is a tough hurdle. 

Kaylem has grown up with spinabfida, which is a condition from childbirth where the baby’s spine doesn’t fully close as it develops.  This means some of the nerves that control the legs, hips, and lower body don’t work the way they’re supposed to. For Kaylem, the condition means he has slowly needed to rely more on a wheelchair to get around. 

Now finished school, Kaylem has been spending more time at home alone while mum and dad are at work and his younger siblings at school. 

Confined to his wheelchair, Kaylem’s mum Felicity has been afraid of him falling or hurting himself while trying to reach for something in the kitchen. 

“Kaylem has had a couple of falls which has been a big worry. I have been preparing some food for him and leaving it in the fridge or on the bench where he can reach it,” Felicity said. 

To make their home more accessible for Kaylem and to help him live more independently now as an adult, his parents needed to modify their bathroom, install a ramp and build a low-bench kitchenette — more than $50,000 worth of renovations. 

Unable to receive funding support through the NDIS, Felicity turned to Youngcare and was awarded a grant for a new kitchenette! 

“When I got the phone call, I was in tears,” Felicity said. 

“The financial pressure was lifted off our shoulders, and we were just so happy to see just how much the kitchenette could help Kaylem be more independent.”

“I’m not worried anymore that Kaylem will hurt himself, he can cook whenever he wants and the kitchenette is portable. It is going to last a lifetime. “ 

“To be able to see the benefits that Youngcare has given us is huge. All I can say is thank you. It has meant so much to our family,” she said.