Family offer up house

The Jaunay family are offering their former Gonville rental property for use as a home for families to place their children for respite care.

Kate Jaunay has an autistic Downs Syndrome son, 18-year-old Anton, who attends Wanganui High School's Te Atawhai unit during the school term.

The family does not get much sleep at night and a respite house would be a welcome break, she said.

Mrs Jaunay said there will be a meeting for parents and caregivers to network at the Access Ability office, 244 Victoria Ave, on Wednesday at 6pm where they will discuss the respite care home. "We have decided to forgo the rental and offer it for respite."

The plan is that those families who do use the home will chip in a small amount to go toward the rates and insurance.

The Ministry of Health is piloting individualised funding for special needs families where you can send your children for care, and Mrs Jaunay sees this funding stream as something families can tap into for the Gonville respite care.

"Those who send their children will pay their own carer," she said, and more information will be available at the Wednesday meeting where she hopes to get a list of people who would like to be a carer and prepared to do the odd shift, including staying overnight.

The house is empty at the moment and it will require some renovations, a ramp, fencing and a change toilet for its new use.

Times have moved on since the "olden days" when mothers gave birth to children with an intellectual disability.

"They were shown their baby, then the baby was taken away."

Mrs Jaunay said she expected Anton would become able, but his autism kicked in when he was aged 3-4.

Epilepsy attacks followed and the Jaunays put their son on a gluten, dairy and sugar-free diet, which they still follow today.

Anton is also given homeopathic remedies that help with his hyperactivity.

He wears arm covers because he sometimes hits himself. But there's not a mean bone in his body, says his mother.

"He has taught us a lot about letting things go, and forgiveness."