Disability supports have changed to a model of empowering, not limiting individuals
![David Cunningham is happy to be living in new Specialist Disability Accommodation and was welcomed home by Michaela Brown, Group Chief Operating Office of Home Caring. [Supplied: Home Caring]](https://agedcareguide-assets.imgix.net/news/articles/news/articles/26_4_2022-homecaring.jpg?fm=pjpg)
SPONSORED STORY – When it comes to disability services, David Cunningham is passionate about being an empowered customer. He believes everyone should have control over their life, and the type of environment they call home.
It’s this passion that led him to partner with disability service provider Home Caring. As a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participant living with cerebral palsy, David requires assistance with daily activities. He has been partnering with Home Caring for four years, and David oversees more than 13 contracts that form his NDIS package. He also recently became the first resident in Home Caring’s new Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) development in Schofield Gardens, Sydney.
“The NDIS is all about people with disability being able to decide our own future, in terms of our care. I wanted to live in a new place where I could achieve this,” says David.
Disability support has progressed immensely over the last few years, transitioning from a model that categorised people by their disability, to one that helps individuals reach their goals through individualised supports.
Michaela Brown, Group Chief Operating Officer of Home Caring, says this change is a positive move in the industry, especially in the way it empowers people towards independence.
“We focus on promoting choice for our clients – choice over how they are cared for, the way they live, who their support network is, and what they want to work towards achieving. It’s a partnership where people are supported to live as independently as possible,” says Ms Brown.
“To achieve this, Home Caring delivers care in a collaborative and flexible way. Our support workers are in constant communication with our clients, so that they are providing the support that helps them live life on their terms.”
For David, this means being able to have control over his support services. What David values most is Home Caring’s empowering approach to providing support and accommodation.
“The good thing about Home Caring is that they support customer empowerment, which is really important,” says David.
“They know we can all make decisions for ourselves – even the smallest decision – and support our growth and development as people, and it’s very rare that you find that in our sector. Living at Schofields, I’m my own boss, which is terrific.”
Home Caring provides personalised disability support services, including Specialist Disability Accommodation, to Australians living with disability. For more information, visit www.homecaring.com.au.