Caregivers of people with disabilities say navigating the NDIS to try to get more support for their loved ones is leaving them feeling exhausted and taking a toll on their mental health.
It comes as accessing the NDIS becomes increasingly difficult, after cuts in funding for some sectors began to be rolled out on October 1.
Amanda Solarino, who lives in Romsey just outside Melbourne, is the full-time carer for her 21-year-old son Alex, who is autistic, non‑verbal and has an intellectual disability.
Ms Solarino said she was continuously replacing furniture and fixing walls as a result of her son's escalating aggression, and she struggled to get the help she needed from the NDIS.
"Alex's aggression isn't just directed at us or the furniture anymore — he's now turning it on Erica, his 19‑year‑old sister," she said.
"She's so anxious she won't walk down the hallway unless she knows exactly where he is."
Her son's disability also comes at a steep financial cost.
"No one's paying to fix the furniture he breaks ... the $2,000 couch he breaks with his head or the two beds he's broken in the last 18 months," she said.
Ms Solarino said Alex had been kicked out of programmes providing day care in their area, and in a neighbouring town, leaving the family with one…