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Home / New Zealand

Covid 19: The battle to get support for long Covid

Katie  Harris
By Katie Harris
Multimedia Journalist·NZ Herald·
19 Sep, 2022 07:51 AM4 mins to read

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Scout Barbour-Evans has been battling to get home help after their condition has left them barely able to stand. Video / @scoutriver

A young Dunedin solo parent has been left barely able to stand and crawling round the house due to fatigue and dizziness from long Covid.

Scout Barbour-Evans, 27, said their condition is also impacting their toddler who is being forced to eat takeaways because they're too exhausted to cook.

They've been battling to get home help for months while they recover from their condition and feel they've been left "high and dry".

Sadly, their case is not unique.

The Government admits policies to support people with long Covid in their homes remains under development more than two years since the pandemic began.

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Te Whatu Ora Health NZ Care in the Community manager Daniel Hirst told the Herald in the meantime the agency would work directly with Barbour-Evans on the best option for them.

"It is important to note that long Covid, as a recognised condition, is in its infancy and the pathology is not yet well understood. We absolutely recognise the need for those whose domestic situation is being severely impacted by long Covid-like symptoms can get the support they need."

Barbour-Evans said they are still struggling to trust that help would come after so many "false starts" and they would have to see action before they believe it's really happening.

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Despite the fresh updates on their request for support, Barbour-Evans said it doesn't change how long Covid sufferers have been left "high and dry" by the Government.

"It's atrocious that it's taken journalists investigating to get as far as we've got now."

Long Covid is a wide-range of lingering symptoms that can include debilitating fatigue and aches to brain fog and depression in perhaps one in 10 Covid infections.

Before getting Covid in April Barbour-Evans said they had been the sort of parent who made their own bread, jam and home cooked meals.

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"Both foraged and homegrown ingredients so I've had to really work on adjusting my expectations of myself.

"I'm grieving a lot because I overcame so many health challenges, both physical and mental, before Covid knocked me down. I had battled through everything to get a degree, to start a business, and then the uncontrolled Covid spread in our schools disabled me again."

Barbour-Evans said they don't have words to describe the fatigue they are experiencing. Even being touched, they said, feels "excruciating".

"My symptoms range from the fatigue and the post-exertion malaise, to being more prone to other infections, to my blood pressure tanking when I stand up. I can walk short distances but if I stand still I get the dizzies, and when I have to get up or down I get dizzy too."

As time goes on, they said things are getting harder and harder.

"This isn't fair to my toddler. She didn't ask for any of this. I can barely cook right now let alone sit and play with her."

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They said results from Official Information Act (OIA) requests they've sent were "incredibly disappointing", as there had been "lots of hui, no action".

"They've had 2.5 years to plan for this and it was utterly negligent to let Covid spread without a plan.

"I'm angry, I'm lonely, and I am too exhausted to be fighting like this."

Ministry of Health long Covid expert advisory group chairman, chief allied health professions officer Dr Martin Chadwick said there needs to be a holistic approach to treatment options for long Covid as each person will present with a range of symptoms.

"Support could include also energy conservation and fatigue management, confidence building, muscle strengthening, anxiety management, nutritional advice, speech and swallowing advice, breathing re-education, assessment for aids and adaptations and activities to support individuals to regain function."

On Thursday the ministry released long Covid guidelines for health professionals, individuals and those caring for people with long Covid.

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The guidelines look at the options for care available to people with the condition like Barbour-Evans and what resources are available to people to manage those symptoms.

Ministry for Social Development client delivery director Graham Allpress said their staff let Barbour-Evans know they needed to apply for home support through the Ministry of Health, and advised them to get a referral from their doctor to get a needs assessment completed.

"Depending on the person's circumstance, someone who has long Covid may be able to apply for Jobseeker Support with deferred work obligations or Supported Living Payment."

Barbour-Evans told the Herald last month their GP said they were unable to find anyone to conduct a needs assessment.

"She just couldn't find anything at all."

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