"My name is Brett and I'm currently stuck in a nursing home as there is nowhere else for me to get the supports I need..."

EVEN though Brett Nelthropp is 32, most of the people in his life are octogenarians.

He lives in a nursing home, and apart from the staff, rarely sees any young people. His mother Sally, 66, and father, Alan 75, of Doonside, are his most regular visitors.

Brett Nelthropp, who suffered brain injury after a cardiac arrest, is among the 6,500 Australians under 65 stranded in nursing homes due to lack of more appropriate accommodation.

Sally Nelthropp said her son has never been on a social outing since he entered the nursing home five years ago, and "young people are non-existent in his life, including former friends".

He is a quadriplegic and cannot speak but Mrs Nelthropp said he can hear, and blinks in response to questions. "Young people don't want to be confronted with a nursing home even to visit Granny," she said. "To go and see a young person … they don't want to do it."

Brett says...

Hello to everyone visiting our website! I have my Secretary, Mum, typing this on my behalf.  She is now computer literate after my previous good coaching before my ABI in 2000.  She tells me she still has to struggle sometimes and misses my coaching very much.

Mum is hoping that I will be able to do some computer work with help from someone who can see to my special needs.  Maybe an eye blink operated one. 

But I will need some sort of rehabilitation before that and I can't get that in a Nursing Home.  I have never had any rehabilitation, except for passive exercises to stop my limbs from twisting that Mum and Dad do for me when they visit.

I have now been a quadraplegic who can't communicate (except through eye-blinks to 'Yes' and 'No' questions) for six years following 2 cardiac arrests.

Mum and Dad visit every day and my three brothers and sister come when they can.  I am the youngest and came along ten years after my brothers and sisters.  A bit of a surprise for Mum and Dad!!  The others have families and work every day.

I am stuck here in a Nursing home with 130 oldies and I am only 31 years old!  I have been here since I was 25!  Hope you like my birthday photo.  I think it's not a bad one!

I have never been on any social outings.  The only time I've left the Nursing Home has been to go by ambulance to hospital.  If I'm lucky and I'm up high enough, I can see out of the back window of the ambulance.

At the Nursing Home I have a TV in my room and I enjoy watching the evening news to keep me up to date.  I also like any comedy shows and movies.  Mum and Dad bring in my old James Bond VHS videos I taped before my injury in 2000 and they are full of action.

You won't believe it but I actually watch and listen to the afternoon soapies.  They speak a little slowly (helps to spread out the serial!) and if I miss a day, I can always catch up if the nurses or sisters have changed my TV channel to something they want to see.  Same with the radio.

I like books being read to me with lots of illustrations (secretly I am reading along) as I know a lot by heart and Mum and Dad bring me some 'talking books' from the Library.  I love CD's...even Mozart now!

I would love to go live where there are others of my own age and perhaps be able to get and use a motorised wheelchair, but again I need rehab before that can happen.