It's Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. So... it's time to look at the budget.
CP Challenge - Budget. Finances are often a barrier to providing someone with the equipment and therapies you know they need.
Financial stress is common in families where a child has a disability.
**Dexter does not receive NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) funding. Apparently, he is 'too young', despite him having severe cerebral palsy since birth.
Adapt your family's monthly budget, to cater to someone in the family who has cerebral palsy.
Imagine you need at least $170 a week for an hour of physiotherapy. (If you can afford more therapy sessions, your child will benefit from these.)
You need speech and occupational therapy, so include them as often as you can.
They are both about $170 an hour.
Swimming is excellent therapy, so include a family pass to the local pool, or budget to go to the pool twice a month.
You need nappies and wipes (about $60 a month), as well as drink thickener (about $20 a tin). *Dexter still wears nappies, and possibly, always will.
Now, budget for a wheelchair (~$14,000) and a walker (~$6,000), a standing frame (~$10,000) and a hi-low seat (~$10,000). Buy a corner seat for about $3,000 and therapy shoes for about $300.
Consider buying a van and having it modified to fit a wheelchair... Tens of thousands of dollars. And then, the modification costs.
You might be able to get subsidies for nappies after the age of 5. You can apply for funding, if you know your options and the things that can get approved.
Waiting lists for equipment are usually between 12-24 months.
How’s the budget look now?
**Did you factor in coffee?
Money is a very real issue for families with children with severe disabilities.
#DextersReality #budget #money #cerebralpalsy #love
$37,000 and a Van
Mum was Crying in the Ball Pit
What a Dollar means to Dexter
When Wheelchair Stops Being a Dirty Word
About the Sisters
My Sister is Four
Stuck in a Rut
Embrace the Lion
Dexter's First Month
Dexter's Vision
Dexter's Cerebral Palsy
Dexter's Cancer
Who is Dexter?
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