CW: Institutionalization
Vicky Levack couldn’t believe it when she learned she would leave her nursing home. Levack, who is 31, has Cerebral Palsy. She has been a resident at Arborstone Enhanced Care in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for a decade.
Levack spent her twenties living in a room with a hospital bed. She had to eat at specific times. She stopped inviting guests over. Levack was humiliated when other residents on her floor screamed.
Levack’s experience motivated her to become a strong advocate. She spent years working with the disability rights coalition in Nova Scotia. She pleaded with the provincial government to do more for adults with disabilities.
Levack finally received the call she had been waiting for on November 1. Levack was overjoyed. She will be one of the province’s first four participants in a new program. This will allow her to move into an apartment for the first time in her adult life.
The department of community services in Nova Scotia announced in a statement that it will invest $3.5 million towards the program’s launch during this fiscal year. This will make it possible for 25 adults with disabilities to rent apartments and get the assistance they require.
Levack is among the first four who will move in mid-November. She says she will have a roommate who is also in the program, and they will have access to 24-hour nursing support.
I am thrilled that more disabled adults in Nova Scotia will no longer live in nursing homes. When I moved out in 2020, it was a dream come true. I didn’t know if I’d be able to live independently. Everyone deserves to live in their community. Disabled people should be able to make decisions and live their lives like anybody else.
Source:
Ray, Carolyn. “After a Decade, N.S. Disability Rights Advocate Finally Allowed to Move out of Nursing Home.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 3 Nov. 2022, https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6639119.