Unsung heroes at the heart of IHC’s Annual Appeal

Unsung heroes at the heart of IHC’s Annual Appeal

IHC is proud to launch its annual appeal this week seeking financial help to continue to support people with intellectual disability.

More than 35 thousand New Zealanders have an intellectual disability – that’s some 35 thousand families with a loved one who needs a little extra or a lot of support.

For 66 years IHC has advocated for the rights, inclusion and welfare of people with intellectual disability and has supported them to live satisfying lives in the community.

We were started by families and have always recognised that families, whanau and friends of people with intellectual disabilities need advocates and support too.

This year’s Annual Appeal shares retired couple Robin and Linda Millen’s story. They care full-time for Robin’s sister Wendy who has Down syndrome, has recently developed dementia, needs a wheelchair and frequently stops breathing during the night.

“It’s tough,” says Robin. “We are not as young as we used to be and we have our own health challenges. But having Wendy with us is our decision. It’s where she wants to be, and it’s where we want her to be too. It’s important to us that she gets to stay with us; that she gets to be with people that she knows and who love her.”

You can read more about Robin, Linda and Wendy at www.ihc.org.nz/appeal2015

The latest census figures showed there were 431,649 unpaid carers in New Zealand who either look after someone who is sick or has a disability in their own home or someone else’s.

Unpaid carers are twice as likely to be female than male, are older than the average adult and live in households typically earning 10 per cent less than others.

“When it comes to caring for people with an intellectual disability we know that families are constantly making sacrifices – whether financial or otherwise,” says IHC General Manager of Programmes Janine Stewart.

“Some people with an intellectual disability need constant support while others only need it for certain periods in their life,” says Janine. “Some need a lot of support and some only need a little – either way IHC is here for the people with intellectual disability and for their families – but we can’t do it alone.”

Donations to IHC make a huge difference to people throughout the country. They help fund:
• Community information sessions to simplify bureaucracy and make families aware of what they are entitled to and how to most easily access it.
• Advocacy on behalf of individuals or wider groups struggling to get a fair deal.
• IHC’s library – the largest intellectual disability library in the country providing free and much needed information for anyone in New Zealand
• A volunteering programme that facilitates long-term one-to-one friendships and short-term programmes where a person with an intellectual disability can learn a specific skill they are seeking (catching a bus, cooking a meal etc).

“We’re incredibly privileged to receive such fantastic support, financially and otherwise, from caring and generous New Zealanders,” says Janine Stewart. “I’m looking forward to being able to talk about the big difference donations to this year’s annual appeal will make.”

The IHC Annual Appeal runs for the month of February.

About IHC
IHC was founded in 1949 by a small group of parents who wanted equal treatment from the education and health systems for their children with intellectual disabilities. The IHC of today is still striving for these same rights and is committed to principles of advocating for the rights, welfare and inclusion of all people with an intellectual disability. We support people with an intellectual disability to lead satisfying lives and have a genuine place in the community.

We have more than 6000 staff working to support 7000 people in services that include residential care, supported living, vocational support, respite care, and New Zealand’s largest non-government social housing provider. We also lobby and advocate for the human rights of all people with an intellectual disability at both a national and an international level. We raise money and awareness of the issues facing people with intellectual disabilities through our charitable activities, including an extensive advocacy programme, a one-to-one volunteer programme and the country’s largest specialist intellectual disability library.

ENDS

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