Category
All Accommodation Services
Providers / Vacancies
Service Providers
Location

How the NDIS helps people living with disability overcome daily challenges

Posted 2 weeks ago by David McManus
Share
What might come naturally to some is a monumental undertaking for others. [Source: Martin Poole via iStock]
What might come naturally to some is a monumental undertaking for others. [Source: Martin Poole via iStock]

SPONSORED — If you have ever witnessed a person with a disability struggling with routine tasks, you understand how it can affect their self-esteem.

From personal care to pursuing their interests and interacting with others in their community, these challenges can feel like an uphill battle.

It can be even more frustrating if they do not have the right support, especially to perform basic personal care activities, like:

  • bathing;
  • grooming;
  • taking medication;
  • eating and drinking. 

People living with disabilities need all the support they can get, from others or through funding. Fortunately, the National Disability Insurance Scheme was designed to address these challenges.

Day-to-day challenges

Each day, you wake, bathe, prepare your meals, clean the home, shave and perform other tasks you deem fit to live your life. For people living with disabilities, this may not be the case due to overwhelming difficulties.

That is why the NDIS offers them the right support. Since individuals’ levels of disability differ, the type of support each individual receives also varies.

Personal care

Personal care is something people need to carry out in order to maintain an appropriate standard of hygiene and presentation. It involves the entire care routine that ensures body hygiene via:

  • eating and drinking;
  • brushing teeth and grooming; 
  • bathing or showering.

Household tasks

Maintaining the cleanliness of your home is not only good for the sake of mental health and safety, but it also supports nutrition. For an individual living with a disability, this can be physically draining because it involves a lot of movement. 

Household or domestic tasks are essential for independence and improving self-reliance in an individual living with disability. 

Mobility 

People living with disability may face the challenge of mobility restrictions. They may lack the ability to move about as they wish and this can hinder their participation in community activities. If this goes on, without intervention, it can lead to withdrawal from the community.

Social interaction and community participation

Living with disability may impede people from playing an active part in community activities due to a fear of rejection. However, if addressed, active participation can improve emotional well-being. Social interaction has been proven to increase the quality of a person’s life. 

How the NDIS offers support

The NDIS offers support in three major ways. The goal is to empower participants with the right support to enable them to carry out their daily activities with limited reliance on external help.

Core support

In the core support system, people living with disabilities receive help with daily living activities. The support may be provided in their home by a dedicated support worker or in the community by a team of carers.

Capacity building support

This support category focuses on empowering people with disability through developing their skills. This will enable them to navigate and manage their schedules with ease. 

For example, a participant can be trained to use public transport or they might learn how to track finances and the schedules of support workers using a digital tool.

Healthcare experts, like speech pathologists, psychiatrists and occupational therapists, also play a huge role in this category. Their professional guidance helps participants begin a long-term journey to independence.

Assistive technology

For some participants, their challenges with daily tasks often arise due to physical limitations. Hence, the NDIS supports them through funding. This funding is then used to purchase assistive equipment to make their daily routines safer and easier.

Some of the most common assistive equipment the NDIS helps with include:

  • shower chairs;
  • dressing aids; and
  • voice-activated home systems.

Practically, the NDIS can support someone with autism by engaging them with a speech therapist to make navigating school life easier. Additionally, an older participant with early-stage dementia can be supported in managing appointments and taking medications.

Strategies for overcoming challenges

  1. Break complex tasks into smaller steps
  2. Leverage assistive technology
  3. Build a support network
  4. Ignore your limitations: focus on your strengths and abilities
  5. Be open to exploring different types of assistance
  6. Review and adjust your care support as your needs change

Conclusion

Overcoming challenges with daily tasks requires having the right support and adopting the right strategies. With NDIS funding and experienced support services, people living with disability develop the necessary skills to live independently.

Visit Support Network today to learn more about how to get started with support you can trust and subscribe to the Talking Disability newsletter to keep up with NDIS news.

Related content:

Why does the NDIS Pricing Review have experts on the edge?

Government delays rollout of promised foundational supports

What Corri McKenzie’s exit means for people with disability

Share this Article

Share