Matt McCracken relies on experienced support workers just to get out of bed in the morning, but sourcing carers has become a dire problem for many people with disabilities as COVID-19 spreads through the community.
The 59-year-old tetraplegic, who requires a machine to help him breathe and has no use of his arms or legs after breaking his neck more than two decades ago, is left extremely vulnerable if his disability carer fails to arrive.
His wife Wendy, who is a nurse, has had to take time off work during the Omicron wave of COVID-19 to care for him after a support worker contracted COVID-19.
"It's just been hard — I'm stressed, I've been quite stressed about everything."
Omicron peak still to come
A shortage of disability carers and nursing home workers is already an issue, with the Omicron peak still to come.
The ABC has been told of cases where asymptomatic disability support workers have gone to work in personal protective equipment (PPE) after testing positive to COVID-19 on a rapid antigen test (RAT) rather than leaving a client without care.
Workforce shortages in the disability care sector are particularly acute in regional areas.
The McCrackens live at Morayfield, north of Brisbane.
"We're so under-supported with support workers," Mr McCracken said.
"Talking to a lot of different people with disability that I associate with … they're having issues with staff going off crook with COVID … as well as my own worker.
"I still need more workers — it's just finding them, trying to locate the right ones.
"I'd prefer to have … [an experienced support worker] to make sure I'm safe in my own home and I can get out and do the things I need to do.
"It's just crucial to us [that] we get our medications on time … we have our procedures done."
'Left with very few other options'
Disability advocate Dr Dinesh Palipana said some people with disabilities were at risk of having to be cared for in over-stretched hospitals, even if they were not infected with the virus themselves, if too many of their carers caught COVID-19 and had to isolate.
"If a small care team is taken out of circulation, and they're unable to access any other emergency care, they would be left with very few other options," Dr Palipana said, Queensland's first quadriplegic medical graduate.
"There's a really diverse group of people within the community of people with disabilities that will face some really unique challenges and significant risk through this coming time.
"Worldwide, disasters and emergencies often disproportionately impact the disability community, and this pandemic is no exception.
'Time for action is now'
Queenslanders with Disability Network chair Des Ryan, who is based in Rockhampton in central Queensland, said challenges such as accessing COVID-19 testing, booster vaccines and support workers had become a chorus across the sector.
He called on the federal government to prioritise rapid antigen tests for people with disabilities and their support workers.
"This needs to be out there now so people can keep working," Mr Ryan said.
"The time for action is now — not in a month's time.
"For myself, I've still got to have people come in — even if they get diseases.
More RATs for disability sector needed
Queensland Disability Services Minister Craig Crawford has written to his federal counterpart Linda Reynolds with concerns about the shortage of RATs in the sector.
"I have heard from many Queenslanders with disability who have health conditions which make them much more vulnerable to serious illness or death if they have COVID-19," Mr Crawford said.
He said some National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants had cancelled essential support services due to worries about contracting the virus from carers.
"The absence of this regular essential support creates additional risk to their health and wellbeing and can add additional pressure to state health systems," Mr Crawford said.
"The last thing we want is a vulnerable disability client having to call an ambulance or go to a hospital because they … need a catheter changed or something like that.
"That is probably going to expose them to COVID more than if they stay at home."
Mr Crawford said guaranteeing a supply of RATs to the disability care sector would help protect Queenslanders with disabilities.
"Some families … have expressed a lot of concern around it," he said.
"They feel as though they're having to try and sort these tests themselves.
"They're out there trying to fight with everyone else trying to get their hands on what is arguably the scarcest commodity in the country at the moment.
"That's a real problem because they need to know that people that are coming through the door that are providing care for them are COVID negative.
"The only real effective way to do that is with a rapid antigen test."
'I had to be alone overnight'
Karin Swift, who has cerebral palsy, lives alone at Eight Mile Plains, an outer southern suburb of Brisbane, with help from a support team funded by the NDIS.
The 49-year-old has had four of her workers test positive to COVID-19 during the pandemic.
"I had a bit of a time of it when COVID started getting out of control here in Queensland," Ms Swift said.
"It's important the federal government has a strategy for people with disabilities.
"If there is a strategy, people with disabilities don't know what it is and feel like no-one is really looking out for them."
Ms Swift said sourcing RATs was vital to keeping those with disabilities — and their workers — protected.
"I can't run the risk of a person coming into my environment with COVID-19," she said.
