Do you ever have that disturbing nightmare where you're trying to run but your feet won't move? It can be distressing, but of course that panic, that your body won't do what your brain wants it to, is relieved by waking up.

We'd like to introduce you to three much loved people for whom being unable to move in the way they want is a painful and distressing reality, and to ask you for your help to get special equipment that will make a difference.

Trinity has profound intellectual and physical disability. The CMV virus, harmless in most of us, can be devastating if a woman contracts it for the first time during pregnancy. That happened to Trin's mum and Trin was born with profound disability.

"She is wonderful so much of the time, remarkable really" says her grandmother Colleen, who looked after Trin until just a few years ago when Trin joined The Tipping Foundation household at Sebastopol. "But I can only imagine her pain, sitting so long in that wheelchair, and being unable to communicate her needs easily. Things break down for her and it's hard to know what to do."

"But we do know that Trin's great joy was taking a "swim" in the old claw footed bath in the pergola out back"Colleen says. "Leaving the chair and stretching her body out in the warm water. She misses it so much, and I know it's not just Trin but also Keiran and the others with whom she shares as well. Keiran can hardly move at all in his chair. They all have profound disabilities, and need a lot of support."

You can make a wonderful difference by helping us to install a Parker bath for Trin and the five people with whom she shares her home. It is specialised equipment that is accessible, therapeutic, and safe for the person bathing and the person supporting. However, it is costly and cannot otherwise be funded.

Access to a bath is equally important for Robbie who shares The Tipping Foundation house at Kyneton.  Robbie has intellectual disability, autism and scoliosis. A calming bath is a critical circuit breaker for Robbie, but he can't get in and out without help, and that can be dangerous for Robbie and for his support worker.

"I can't tell you what a difference safe access to the bath would make for Robbie" says Karina, his support coordinator. "An inflatable bath lift cushion would enable Robbie to lower himself into the bath and then bring himself back up, independently of physical support. It would be so liberating!"

Will you help us to buy a specialised Bath Lift Cushion for Robbie this Winter?

Wayne, suffered brain injury at birth. For his first 5 years he had no mobility and couldn't speak. His parents worked intensively for many years to help him gain as much movement and speech as he could.

Wayne, now in his mid-forties, has been a member of a Tipping Foundation house for 23 years. Noeline has been his support worker for 17 of those years. Noeline says that Wayne understands most things and has a wonderfully warm sense of humour that he often expresses by stamping his feet. However, Wayne can become distressed and pose a physical danger to himself and to staff. Two carers have been injured recently while trying to support Wayne to move. 

"Being unable to move independently when he wants to frustrates Wayne terribly. A small thing that would make a big difference every day would be a Fisher Lane dining chair with lockable castors that Wayne could move in and out when he wants to".

Your gift will help us to buy the specialised equipment that Trinity, Robbie, and Wayne need to live with greater independence and less pain.

Please donate or set up a regular gift today.