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🇦🇺 Australia /Culture & Society

Sean Dorney was a roaming ABC reporter. Now, just getting out of bed is a struggle

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • Sean Dorney, a former ABC Pacific correspondent, is struggling with motor neurone disease and requires significant assistance with daily tasks.
  • He is awaiting an aged-care funding assessment that could determine if he can remain in his Brisbane home or needs to move to a facility.
  • Dorney relies on his wife, Pauline, and limited paid care hours, highlighting the financial disparity between aged-care and NDIS funding.

Former ABC Pacific correspondent Sean Dorney, once a prominent figure reporting on coups, elections, and conflict across the region, now faces a daily battle with motor neurone disease. Diagnosed a decade ago, the progressive illness has confined the 76-year-old largely to his Brisbane home, requiring assistance for most activities.

Motor neurone disease is not very pretty. I need a lot of help to do almost everything.

— Sean DorneyDescribing his current daily struggles with motor neurone disease.

Dorney's world changed dramatically when he received the diagnosis. Though the disease's progression has been slow, he now needs help with basic tasks like showering and dressing, primarily provided by his wife, Pauline. "Motor neurone disease is not very pretty. I need a lot of help to do almost everything," Dorney shared.

His immediate concern is securing adequate aged-care funding. Dorney is waiting for an assessment that will determine his future living situation, with the possibility of moving into an aged-care facility looming. He noted that he missed out on National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding due to his age at diagnosis, which would have provided significantly more support than the current aged-care system.

I'm exceptionally fortunate I've got the wife I have.

— Sean DorneyExpressing gratitude for his wife Pauline's care and support.

Currently, Dorney's aged-care budget covers only six hours of care per week, requiring two carers at a time for three mornings. This leaves Pauline, a fellow broadcaster whom he met in Papua New Guinea, to manage the bulk of his care, including night care. "The time will come when I'm going to need night care as well because I'm doing all the night care and there's times when it's really exhausting," she admitted.

I was extremely attracted to her and she wasn't so attracted to me. I wore her down in the end.

— Sean DorneyRecounting how he met his wife Pauline in Papua New Guinea.

Recent reforms to the Support at Home program have made a higher funding level available, potentially allowing for two extra mornings of carer support per week. This additional funding could alleviate some of the physical strain on Pauline and improve Dorney's daily care, but he first needs to qualify for the increased support.

That constant sort of routine of showering, dressing, it's a lot of work.

— Pauline DorneyDescribing the demanding nature of caring for her husband.
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Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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