Newcastle Herald

How NDIS providers can help with long term care

How NDIS providers can help with long term care
How NDIS providers can help with long term care

Story sponsored by All About You Supports.

While there are many disabled people, not all of them are lucky enough to get the right support for their disabilities when they need it. This is where NDIS comes in. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a national scheme in Australia that offers support and care for the disabled population.

NDIS service providers are an integral part of the scheme as they provide care for those with disabilities and help them live their lives as smoothly as they can.

In this article, we'll discuss how NDIS provides support to the disabled and how can the NDIS providers help with long-term care.

NDIS and Disability Support

The National Disability Insurance Scheme is a unique program that provides support for disabled people. As per the rules of this scheme, a disabled person is allowed to draw benefits from the national fund if they require long-term medical care and other forms of assistance.

However, there's an eligibility criterion for getting support from NDIS such as the type of disability, age, and the level of difficulty in carrying out day-to-day tasks. If you are eligible for drawing benefits from the NDIS and require a doctor's opinion, you will have to submit a letter that describes your disability and your long-term care requirements.

The policy of the National Disability Insurance company sets out rules and regulations that ensure that only those people who require such benefits get them. Everyone must read and understand the provisions of the policy before taking a final decision.

There are many different levels of long-term care benefits available in the national insurance scheme and, depending on your need and your financial status, you can avail yourself of the different schemes.

NDIS Providers for Long-Term Care

Every disabled person has different needs and requirements depending on their disability. The NDIS offers different budgets that mainly fall into three categories: core, capital, and capacity-building support.

Core supports are activities that help you in your everyday life. This includes assistance with daily life activities, assistance with social and community participation, consumables, and transport. Capital support provides funding for equipment, home, and vehicle modifications. Capacity building will help you to acquire new skill sets.

An NDIS registered provider can help provide long-term care for core supports and capacity building supports such as assistance with daily life, transport, assistance with household tasks, assistance with community participation, and help improve your overall health and well-being.

Below, we'll discuss how NDIS providers help with long-term care.

  • Assist with Daily Living

Under the NDIS, assistance with daily life falls in the core supports category. It refers to the support provided to participants to carry out daily personal activities that help them live as independently as possible in their homes and communities.

Assistance with daily living covers support with daily personal activities. Support groups include guardianship, residential care, respite care, daycare, home-health maintenance, meal services, leisure, and travel programs.

The most common types of support provided under the scheme are home care, medical support, personal assistance, personal care assistance, transportation services, support for individuals with restricted mobility, vision, and hearing support, and assistance for older persons.

Daily living assistance includes the simple tasks and chores that you need to do in a day like eating, showering, or getting around. NDIS providers assist or support those who are unable to do these tasks by themselves.

Tasks such as helping you with household chores like cleaning or cooking, driving you to places or assisting you on public transport, and assisting you for appointments are also provided by NDIS caregivers.

Several centers offer special needs and customized supports under the scheme. However, you need to register with the Social Service to avail of these benefits. If you want to know more about this, you can get details on the website of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

  • Assist with Social and Community Participation

This includes activities that help you connect with others and socialize within your community. NDIS care providers may assist you with attending community-based activities and help you participate in social groups.

By participating in community events, the NDIS providers help you break a barrier that may be preventing you from participating fully in your community. Recreational activities like going to a movie or joining a sports club are some examples of social and community participation that NDIS providers can provide support for.

The NDIS providers will help you commute to and from the activity venue, may attend the event or class with you, help with interpretation, if required, and assist you while using the toilet, eating, or taking care of any of your other personal needs.

The most common support category that families often choose when they apply for NDIS is assistance with social and community participation. This is because it helps improve the participants' standard of living. However, you should always consider all of your options and seek the assistance that meets your needs and your community's needs as well.

  • Assist with Travelling

The NDIS provides training and support to its participants for using public transport. For those participants who may find it difficult to commute by themselves, the NDIS can provide funding for a support worker to drive you to and from places or someone who can accompany you on your travels.

NDIS providers may assist participants with shopping trips, social events, or medical appointments. Most often, the trips are charged at an hourly rate. This includes the time the care provider takes to reach the given location and the time taken to return.

  • Supported Independent Living (SIL)

Supported Independent Living, or SIL, is primarily for those participants who require 24/7 assistance from an NDIS provider to carry out daily tasks and live as independently as possible. SIL involves living in shared accommodation and covers the cost of the support providers.

In SIL, an NDIS provider arranges for the support staff to help the participant carry out the day-to-day tasks. If living independently is one of your key goals, then SIL can be beneficial for you. Living independently will not only increase the participant's self-worth, but will enable them to get a sense of freedom.

How NDIS providers can help with long term care
How NDIS providers can help with long term care

Finding a Quality Disability Service Provider

When looking for an NDIS service provider, consider the factors given below.

  • Reliability: Look for a service provider that can meet the standards promised and can provide quality service. If a caretaker doesn't come on time, isn't reliable with tasks, or is insensitive to your needs, they are the ideal candidate for your care. To provide care for disability participants, attention to small things like meal timings, medication timings, or exercise routines is essential.
  • Respect: Respect and trust are essential on both ends, especially when it comes to caring for disabled participants. Before you hire an NDIS provider, make sure you're confident in their skill set and know that there's a level of mutual trust and respect between you and your providers. Since every disabled person is an individual first, it's essential to respect their views. While most NDIS providers may have the required skillset and knowledge, look for a provider that will work in sync with the user and can be supportive in a positive manner.
  • Sense of Independence: The main aim of the NDIS to provide assistance and support to disabled individuals in order to help them live as independently as possible. Thus, it's important to find a provider that respects your individuality, listens to your views and opinions, and is considerate towards your efforts to be as independent as possible.

These factors not only help the participants to feel a sense of freedom and independence but also ensures that the bond between the NDIS service provider and the user is strong and based on mutual respect.

Conclusion

Although most people know about the importance of disability assistance services, very few are aware of the fact that such a service is provided under the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

The primary intention of introducing such the NDIS was to provide an improved level of service delivery to those who are incapable of working independently. NDIS works towards achieving two important objectives-that of ensuring the safety and security of all citizens, and that of ensuring quality health care and medical treatment for all disabled persons.

The support provided by NDIS providers can help make the lives of participants go more smoothly and reduce their dependence on others. For this reason, many providers in the field are offering services by skilled professionals who are trained to work efficiently with disabled individuals.

NDIS service providers can assist individuals in carrying out their daily tasks, help them participate in social and community gatherings, and also assist them in gaining new skill sets to lead as independent a life as possible.

When choosing an NDIS provider, make sure to look for a reliable, trust-worthy, and reputable company or professional. Finding a good NDIS provider is crucial to ensure that your needs are well taken care of and you can lead a respectable and independent life.