By ALYSSA BETTS
March 18th, 2010
Alawa House, in Darwin, is staffed but has no patients.
The Health Department has not yet signed a deal for the home to provide supported accommodation and yesterday would not say what was happening with negotiations.
Meanwhile, Alawa House general manager Darren Rogers - who also runs Darwin Private Hospital - said he knew there were a number of young people living in nursing homes across the NT.
He said that the delays were "frustrating".
"We don't understand it, because we know we've got 13 young disabled people in aged care in the NT.
"We're trying to (find out) how we can fast track this process to help people."
Alawa House is designed to provide 24-hour care and rehabilitation to people aged between 16 and 64 who have an acquired brain injury.
Federal Health Department figures from 2003 showed there were 72 Territorians under the age of 65 living in nursing homes.
Fourteen of those were under 50.
Those figures do not include young people living in hospitals, for lack of beds elsewhere, or living in a house and receiving carers.
The NT Health Department said it was not able to compile figures yesterday on how many young Territorians were living in aged care or hospital beds at the moment.
But Health Minister Kon Vatskalis is meeting with Mr Rogers this week to listen to their service proposal.
Mr Rogers refused to say how much money the house was costing to keep open each week while the six beds went begging. "But we're keeping staff members on, we invested a million dollars in the layout and renovation work," he said.
Mr Rogers said that if it remained empty, it would eventually have to be closed.
SOURCE: NTNEWS
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This is not acceptable. Young people who has disability need facility other than in nursing homes. There again, the nursing homes should be reserved for the aged.
................AC
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