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Robyn Delaney, a former psychologist from Greater Western Sydney, was diagnosed with macular degeneration in 2023. Within a matter of months, the then 70-year-old had to give up driving and her career as her central vision deteriorated rapidly.
“I felt like I was starting over again,” she said. “I had to re-learn how to catch public transport, how to use my phone, and how to find my way around my community.”
Thanks to sessions with a Vision Australia psychologist, an assistive technology specialist and her orientation and mobility specialist, Vivienne, it opened up a world of possibilities.
“If I didn’t have Vivienne, I’d be isolated. I wouldn’t even be able to get to my local doctor,” Robyn said.
“Without these supports my life would be much more difficult. I wouldn’t know where to begin.
However, in just under two months, older Australians like Robyn will lose access to these life-changing supports, with the federal government’s new Support at Home program preventing people who experience vision loss after November 1 from receiving the very assistance that helped Robyn rebuild her life.
Specialist services, including orientation and mobility training, orthoptics and specialised assistive technology services, are not covered under the new program, leaving thousands at risk of being unable to live independently.
Robyn now travels independently, including a solo-trip to visit her family in Europe where she went island-hopping in Greece and took a long-haul flight from Melbourne to Stockholm.
“Vivienne gave me the confidence and encouragement to travel on my own. Now I’ve done it once, I’m not afraid to do it again.”
Vision Australia is disappointed by the government's decision to leave this cohort without critical early intervention.
“It is deeply disheartening that the government have left this cohort out to dry,” said Chris Edwards, Vision Australia’s Director of Government Relations.
“This will be detrimental to their ability to live independently and stay mobile.”
With World Sight Day approaching on October 9, Vision Australia hopes this issue will be brought into the spotlight as the implications of this reform are significant.
In 2024, more than 280,000 Australians were receiving a Home Care Package, while 800,000 people accessed support through the Commonwealth Home Support Programme in 2022–23.*
By mid-2025, 87,000 older Australians were already on the waiting list for home care, with forecasts warning the number could balloon to 100,000 by the time reforms take effect.**
Robyn knows just how critical early intervention was for her. “When you’re just starting out it’s hard to get information about what’s available and how to go about getting it,” she said. “I was lucky I got in just in time.”
*Department of Health and Aged Care (2024)