SUE Harrison and her daughter Daisy are preparing themselves for the future.
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Daisy is 26 years old and has a mild intellectual disability.
She still lives at home with mum and dad and relies on them to help her out with the things most of us take for granted.
“They take me places in the car, take me to the movies, go out to cafes, and look after things like food and clothes,” Daisy said.
Mrs Harrison also has the duty of ensuring her daughter looks after her personal hygiene – things like reminding Daisy to brush her teeth and comb her hair.
Daisy is grateful for her parents’ help but she knows they won’t be around forever.
That’s why they’re doing everything they can to ensure a respite and accommodation service facility for people with disabilities is built at McKenzie Hill in Castlemaine.
Daisy said her future was a regular topic of conversation and it was scary to think that her parents would one day no longer be around to help her.
“We talk about that lots,” she said.
Mrs Harrison said the proposed respite house would be a great launching pad for her daughter.
“It’s very scary and that’s why we want this house as a stepping stone for Daisy to get really confident to learn that she’s quite skilled with support,” she said.
“She always needs support but she can do lots of things without mum and dad.
“And this place will help her in that sort of transition stage from moving from home to gradually living in her own supported permanent accommodation.”