Consider the first 20 minutes of your day. Getting out of bed, washing, dressing and making breakfast. We do these types of things almost on autopilot most of us. For many Australians with disability, it can take hours, exhaust them or be impossible without assistance. This is where support for self-care activities with the help of NDIS funding really adds up.
This guide helps you understand in simple terms what the support is, what it includes, how it works in your plan, and how to find a provider who sees you as the expert in your life. You’ll find solutions below, whether you’re a participant or a parent or carer looking ahead.
What assistance with self-care activities is covered by the NDIS funding for the Bathroom Door?
Self Care Support is hands-on assistance, encouragement or guidance for personal tasks that most people would never consider.
This is not to take over your life. To provide you with as much choice and independence as is reasonably practicable whilst remaining safe, healthy and comfortable.
Support can encompass:
- Washing hands, bathing, washing hair and grooming
- Getting dressed, undressing and selecting clothing
- Assisting with toileting and continence care
- Assistance with eating and drinking such as support for mealtimes
- Safe movement, transfers and positioning
- Medication prompting
- Overnight support and morning and bedtime routines
Notice the word “assistance”.
A support worker may provide physical assistance, but may also provide coaching, prompting or support you by standing near you to assist you in performing the task.
With time, it is designed to impart skills and self-assurance instead of reliance. It is personal, too. A schedule for a teenager and an older adult who have autism will be different.
A Day in the Life: Where Support Quietly Slots In
“A Day in the Life: Where Support Quietly Slots In” is an article authored by the Wayland Public Schools office of Communication and Marketing.
Imagine a 34-year-old Priya with cerebral palsy living in western Sydney. It was her mother’s morning when she was all she needed, and her mother was tired and fretful about the future.
A support worker is now there at 7:30 am to assist her with showering and dressing and prepare her for breakfast.
Priya takes care of all the details. At 9:00 am she is at work, and her mum is no longer a full-time carer; she’s mum again.
Priya is a fictional character, but her story is very much like that of many families.
Reliable support in the self-care area does more than just change one person’s morning. It helps to sustain relationships, alleviate carer burnout and release energy to work, study, friendships and community life.
Discovering the hidden treasure of your plan is the funding.
The hidden treasure in your plan is the funding. In most current NDIS plans, self-care support will be allocated to Core Supports, under the Assistance with Daily Life category. It is part of other Core budgets like consumables, transport and community participation. Some plans will offer some flexibility within the Core categories, but please be sure to check your plan’s terms.
Cost varies according to the time of the support. The price of weekday daytime is lower than for evenings, for Saturday, Sunday and public holidays, and for overnight service it is considered to be an active hour or sleepover.
The NDIS determines the maximum prices (which are reviewed annually from 1 July), and rates are increased in remote locations. A clear provider will clarify all of this prior to signing any paperwork, and you will have a budget that will last the course of the plan.
The NDIS understands that reasonable, necessary and personal are key terms in disability.
The NDIS knows that reasonable, necessary and personal are a big part of disability. All funded supports will have to pass the reasonable and necessary test set by the NDIS.
In practical terms, the support you need must be related to your disability and be likely to be effective and cost-effective, and consider the support you are receiving from your family, friends and community.
To help a person plan, the NDIS needs to understand what you can do, what you need support with and what is unsafe to do without support, when it comes to self-care activities. There’s a difference between a strong piece of evidence.
Consider bringing:
- An occupational therapy (OT) functional capacity assessment.
- Letters from your GP, specialist or physiotherapist
- A short account of a normal day and an ‘unusual’ day.
- Details of any falls, injuries or near misses.
- To get data on Task completion time and who is currently helping
Be candid about the tough days.
Many people minimise their needs, only to find they are not getting what they need.
Many people do not want to admit their needs because of pride, and then only to realise that their plan is not working because they do not have what they need.
Standard Care or High Intensity? Which Door Are You Knocking On
There are different types of personal care. The usual self-care assistance includes basic activities like bathing, dressing and eating.
High-intensity support is provided for tasks that pose a higher clinical risk, such as complex bowel care, tracheostomy care, enteral feeding and certain forms of catheter care. High intensity supports require training for the worker, typically from a qualified health professional, for the specific individual receiving the support.
If your needs are in this range, state clearly when plans are being made, as there is a difference in funding and skills needed. If a company you are considering doesn’t explain training, steer clear of them.
Support Worker or Sidekick? Selecting the right Provider is crucial.
The individual assisting you with showering and/or getting dressed should have more than a qualification. They require respect, discretion and a personality that meshes with yours.
When comparing providers of assistance with self-care activities, NDIS participants should ask about:
- All staff complete the following training: Worker Screening Check, First Aid, Manual Handling Training.
- As part of this initiative, we have tried to include preferences for gender, language and culture; however, this may not be possible in every instance.
- How they maintain your roster, ensuring you’re never meeting a stranger for the first time each week.
- How they work on keeping your roster consistent, so you’re not seeing a brand new face every week.
- They have their cancellation and lateness/complaints policies.
- A clear service level agreement with a breakdown of costs.
- Experience of your disability type.
The provider can be a registered or, in a few instances, unregistered provider. You can make either choice if you have a self-managed or plan-managed plan.
If your plan is delivered by the NDIS, your plan must be delivered by a registered provider. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission also provides an additional layer of protection by monitoring registered providers.
Most of every hour!
After support begins, you can get the most from it by taking on a few habits:
- Create a 1-page script outline that explains how you like things done, the products you use and any that cause pain or anxiety.
- Connect support to purpose, e.g., showering on their own or picking out outfits without being prompted
- Have regular check-ins with provider to discuss what works
- Review your budget monthly using myplace and/or with your plan manager
- Deal with issues early – good providers want feedback
It needs to run the full term of the plan, so it’s no use having a list that runs out of money in the first six months.
Your support can help when the System Shifts.
Support is possible when the System Shifts. The NDIS is changing.
Government and the NDIS are rolling out a new method for planning, known as new framework planning. It features an assessment of support needs and a combination of flexible and stated budgets. The rollout is gradual, and if your current plan is assessed or renewed, you can continue using it. So, what does this mean for the support with self-care activities that the NDIS supports?
Primarily, it’s about good record-keeping and being up to date. Your needs will continue to be important, and there will be clear evidence of your needs. Keep checking for changes on the NDIS website, consult your provider for updates on upcoming changes and discuss with your support coordinator before your next reassessment.
Ready When You Are: Taking the First Step
A good self-care support should make you feel respected, capable and in control of your life. If you are considering accessing supports and services for self-care activities for yourself or a loved one, review your plan, collect evidence and speak to providers who listen before talking.
We can provide individual, dignified daily living assistance to participants throughout Australia. Contact us today for a no-cost, friendly discussion about support that may be available to you. This article is general information only. If you want to know about your own plan, you should consult the NDIS or a professional.
FAQ’s
What does assistance with self-care activities mean in the NDIS?
With regard to assistance with self-care activities, you might see these services as hands-on support, prompts or supervision for personal care activities including being washed, dressed, using the toilet and eating. It is designed to assist people to live as independently as they can. It is part of Core Supports (Assistance with Daily Life).
What services are included in the NDIS self-care support?
NDIS self-care can include showering and bathing, grooming, dressing, toileting and continence, assistance with eating and drinking, prompts for medication, mobility, and transfers, and morning or bedtime support. The amount of funding that is available will be dependent on your plan, your goals and whether the support is reasonable and necessary for your disability.
Which NDIS budget pays for self-care support?
Self-care funding is typically paid from Core Supports, in the Assistance with Daily Life category. Many plans today provide some flexibility between Core categories, but that will be dependent on how a plan is written. Review your plan or have your planner, support coordinator or plan manager verify.
Who can access self-care supports through the NDIS?
These supports must be provided for in your NDIS plan as a participant of the NDIS. In making the decision about whether to provide you with a service, the NDIS will consider whether you have a disability, whether it is likely to be effective, whether it is likely to be value for money and whether you receive any support that is comparable. Use assessments and medical evidence to support your request.
May I select my own support worker for the NDIS personal care?
Yes. There are NDIS principles of choice and control, so you can select your provider and specify your preferences, like gender and language/cultural background. Self-managed and plan-managed participants can use registered or unregistered providers. For the NDIS-managed participant, they must use registered providers.
What’s the difference between self-care support and high intensity self-care support?
Basic support includes activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing and feeding. High-intensity support is for tasks that have a greater clinical risk, for example: complex bowel care, tracheostomy care or enteral feeding. These supports are to be delivered after training specific to the participant, typically under the guidance of a qualified health professional.
How to include self-care support in my NDIS plan?
Discuss it at your planning meeting, plan reassessment and plan review and present evidence of your daily support needs. An occupational therapy assessment, medical letters, and a daily routine diary are useful evidence. If your circumstances change between reviews, you can ask the NDIS to review your plan. You can include a request with the help of a support coordinator.
