– Actually, I hardly dare to think about a life without assistance, because then everything stops. Karianne Havsberg says so. She can hardly see or hear, and is practically deaf-blind. This means that she needs extra help on a daily basis. Since 2010, she has had 18 hours a week of user-directed personal assistance (BPA), which makes the weekday go round. The shock was therefore great when in January she received a letter from the Vestre Aker district in Oslo. It says in black and white that the decision on her BPA hours expires on 31 May 2023. – At first I was really looked at. Then I started to cry. Afterwards I got angry, says Karianne. Guide dog Fiona is good to have when Karianne Havsberg has to go out on her own. But Karianne must always be attentive to the world around her. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / NRKFørhunden Fiona is good to have when Karianne Havsberg has to go out on her own. But Karianne must still always be attentive to the world around her. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news Used own arguments Before, Karianne submitted information to prove that she still needs BPA, and the district has continued the scheme. But this time they came up with their own arguments for why they think Karianne no longer needs help. They believe, among other things, that she: has lived in her house for so long that she has become “well acquainted” with the house and the area, and therefore can move around on her own can order goods and services online or on a mobile phone can easily find own shelves in the shops for special goods, she needs to be able to practice becoming more independent, until the BPA lessons disappear Karianne understands none of those arguments. – I really wish the world was as accessible as the district seems to believe. There is nothing else I wish for but to be able to arrange all these things myself. Karianne Havsberg finds it demanding to learn the tools that enable her to surf the internet without looking. She gets help from visual educator Mika Mayumi at Adult Education. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / NRKKarianne Havsberg finds it demanding to learn the tools that enable her to surf the internet without seeing. She gets help from visual educator Mika Mayumi at Adult Education. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news The last point in particular shocked Karianne. – That’s what I do every single day. It sounds like the district thinks I have assistance only because I didn’t bother to learn how to do everything myself, she says with sadness in her voice. The district suddenly turned around Karianne received the letter from the district on 26 January. Five weeks later they called her, suddenly. Then they said that the letter was not meant as a decision, even though the title is “Decision on health and care services”. Karianne and assistant Ingunn go through the fruit and vegetables from the kitchen drawer. It is a typical task that Karianne needs help with, because she cannot see if the food has gone bad. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news Instead, they thought it was a notice of a new assessment, as she has been through before. But Karianne doesn’t dare to believe it yet.In the meantime, she is working on a complaint. – I just have to hope that this goes well, and that the district does not remove the assistance when the complaint is processed. Then everything comes crashing down, she says with a trembling voice. You can read more about what the district says further down in the case. Serious concern for the patients Several others in the district have also received such a letter, and several have also lost sight or hearing. – For some of them, the situation is very serious. For some, this will cause psychological suffering. In the extreme consequence: increased risk of suicide, says Hege Saltnes. She is a psychiatrist and section manager at the National Treatment Service for Dementia and Mental Health (NBSPH). Psychiatrist Hege Saltnes says many are afraid and despair after receiving the letter from Vestre Aker district. Photo: National treatment service for sensory loss and mental health Within a short time they have been contacted by several people who have received such a letter from the district. Many of them are terrified of losing their BPA hours. Several GPs have also contacted the centre, because they are worried about their patients. The Association of the Blind reacts The Norwegian Association of the Blind has also become involved in the case. They have seen several of the letters and say several of them contain the same wording – even the same typos. Therefore, they believe that the district has not made individual assessments, as required by law. – When they send out a letter with the same justification to several people, it seems to me more like a standard decision, says union leader Terje André Olsen. Leader Terje André Olsen of the Association of the Blind believes that the district has treated its residents badly in this case. Photo: Tom-Egil Jensen / Norwegian Federation of the Blind He perceives the letters as an attempt to cut expenses for the district. – You cannot perceive it as something else, when they suddenly consider that you have no need and you use the same wording, even the same typos, in several letters. The district apologizes – I would like to apologize to the residents who have received this letter from us. That’s what Kristin Nilsen, district director of Vestre Aker, says. She says the letter was not meant as a decision, but just a notice that the district will go through the services again. – We know that the wording is not good enough, and that it has created unrest, she says. The district director also emphasizes that no one will now lose their BPA hours. – Together with the resident, we must assess whether the services can be provided in other ways, whether services can be provided to a different extent or whether we should simply continue as before, says Nilsen. She also promises that the district will look at how they have handled the case, and learn from it.
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Blind and deaf-blind people received a letter from Vestre Aker district that they are losing their BPA lessons – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
