The Catholic Weekly 17 May 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 6 NEWS 17, May, 2020 catholicsuper.com.au We’re here to help you FROM PAGE 1 Her 71-year-old son Charles said he can’t wait for the day he can give his mum a kiss and a hug but for now being able to look into his mum’s eyes using technology has been a “godsend”. He said his “super mum” has had an incredibly tough life and has handled the so- cial distancing measures the same way she has coped with all of the challenges she has faced throughout her long life. “It is very hard for her as she doesn’t always remem- ber why we aren’t visiting but despite that she is always so happy and filled with joy when we talk,” he said. “Before the pandemic started she was getting a visi- tor every day and to have that suddenly stop has been very hard not only for her but all of us. “She has a bit of dementia but is still quite clever. She ac- tually suggested I tell the staff she is not feeling well so she can be taken to hospital and we can visit her there, which made me smile that she is still Bonds kept alive Scalabrini Village finds way to keep family ties in place and protect residents Scalabrini Village resident Italia Bonfill skypes with her 71-year-old son, Charles. thinking at her age. “We understand that be- cause of her advanced years and fragile health that it is in her best interest that we keep our distance but for her it’s a little tougher. “I honestly can’t thank Scalabrini enough for mak- ing it possible for mum and the other residents to keep in touch with family during this very difficult time.” The mother of six, grand- In brief Sex work now NDIS item A FEDERAL court has ruled that people with disabilities can use the national disability in- surance scheme (NDIS) funds to pay for sex work- er services. On 12 May the court ruled in favour of a wom- an in her 40s who has multiple sclerosis and wanted to include the services in her NDIS plan. In its judgement the court said the NDIS Act “does not expressly ex- clude such activities from being funded supports” nor has any exclusion been made under the NDIS rules. In 2017 the Nation- al Disability Insurance Agency ruled it did not fund “sexual services, sexual therapy or sex workers in a participant’s NDIS plan” and last year the NDIS minister, Stuart Robert, said funding sex worker and sexual thera- py services was not in line with community expecta- tions. 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Winning the silver medal was Rose Bay Primary school McAuley Catholic Primary school, with top marks in the area for Year 3 reading, spell- ing, grammar and also Year 5 grammar, while coming sec- ond for Year 3 numeracy and third for Year 3 writing and Year 5 numeracy. Narrowlymissing a podium position in fourth place was St Francis of Assisi Regional ¾ ¾ Benjamin Conolly Catholic Primary School in Paddington, with fellow SCS schools Holy Cross Woollahra and Our Lady of the Rosary at Kensington achieving 6th and 10th respectively. The four top 10 places were a major coup for the Catholic schools, who were topped only by Sydney Gram- mar School which charges 24 times more in school fees each year than McAuley’s modest $1,357 a year. McAuley principal Nicole Jones said it was the high ex- pectations held by the teach- ers which contributed to their results. “When you believe in your students, they will believe in themselves,” Mrs Jones said. “We encourage creative and critical thinkers that build confident children who love learning. “McAuley Catholic Primary School is an amazing school that offers so much to the stu- dents and their families.” Paddington’s St Francis of Assisi came second for Year 5 reading and spelling and third for Year 5 grammar, and Holy Cross Catholic Primary School Woollahra students scored an impressive 515 for Year 3 numeracy ranking them third and placing them well above the 413.5 state av- erage. Schools excel in NAPLAN mother of 16 and great grand- mother of 14 has been living at Scalabrini for about two and a half years, after living on her own until she turned 99. Outliving two husbands, she had been looking after herself until a couple of falls left her family little choice but to place her in care. Wellbeing Coordinator Tracey Gill said they were making full use of the tech- nology available to keep all residents and families togeth- er particularly during the re- strictions due to the corona- virus. She said the difference in the residents since they start- ed using technology had been incredible. “Using technology gives our residents the chance to see their families and reduce some of the anxiety that they may have about the visits ceasing,” she said. “They can see that they are all ok and gives the families themselves time to explain why they are not coming to visit. “We are all just putting our- selves in their shoes and ask- ing the question ‘How would I feel?’. “And if that means doing some extra skypes or Face- Times no matter what time of the night or day to ease a little anxiety then that’s what we do.”