At the age of 66, Peter has led a colourful life.
Hailing from Wongan Hills in the Wheatbelt but raised in Geraldton, Peter started out his eclectic career as a priest at the age of 17, a role he took on for seven years before he gave it up to move down to Perth and study a Law and Arts degree, which later led him to open up his own law firm.
In between graduating and opening up his law firm, he worked as a croupier at the then newly opened Burswood Casino before taking up a job as a security officer at an Argyle Diamond Mine.
But despite his many career pathways, life presented some personal challenges for Peter.
Having experienced some deep psychological trauma during his childhood, Peter turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism for much of his adult life.
It wasn’t until he was in his 40s that he suffered a stroke and his health began to decline rapidly.
“I remember I was walking to work one day and I just didn’t feel right. Then suddenly, I couldn’t even walk properly,” he recalled. “So, I went to hospital and later found out that I had a stroke.”
As a result of his stroke, Peter suffered numerous falls and subsequently lost much of his independence when it came to carrying out basic everyday tasks.
Peter says his declining physical health and losing his independence took a toll on his mental health.
“I was incredibly depressed,” he said. “I didn’t want to go anywhere, I just wanted to sleep all day.”
NDIS Journey
With support and encouragement from his sister Colleen, Peter received an NDIS plan which allowed him to seek some additional disability support from organisations like MercyCare.
Around 18 months ago, he was paired with MercyCare support worker for disability Giorgia. With her support, Peter has been able to reach his goal of carrying out basic everyday tasks to regain his independence.
“Giorgia has been incredible to me,” Peter says. “I can talk to her about anything and not get judged.”
As Peter’s support worker, Giorgia assists Peter with light household duties, medication checks, wellbeing and personal care, as well as taking him to his appointments or to the shops to pay bills or buy food.
Supporting him two days a week, Giorgia says Peter has come a long way from when she first met him 18 months ago, so much so that he’s even regained some of his independence at home.
“When I first met Peter, he used to sleep a lot,” Giorgia said. “Now he seems much happier and is even doing more of the things he enjoys.”
Since regaining some of his confidence and independence at home, Peter has since taken up hobbies, delving in art, sculpturing and even music, having recently written a song about his past trauma as a way of sharing his experience with those close to him.
“MercyCare have been wonderful to me,” he said. “All in all, I am very happy.”
