The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is slowly becoming the new norm in Australian disability assistance and NDIS occupational therapy (OT) is something many people are benefiting from. While OT has existed and been helpful for a long time prior to the insurance scheme, the new and streamlined means of access has allowed more disabled Australian to improve their lives.
NDIS occupational therapy gives those who need help the support, skill and training to overcome challenges in daily tasks. This kind of assistance also involves families and carers in order to ensure that the disabled person is constantly improving in and out of class.
Let’s take a look at the main benefits of NDIS occupational therapy.
What is NDIS occupational therapy?
OT is a client-focused healthcare profession that is concerned with the promotion of health and well-being via occupations. The main objective of NDIS occupational therapy is to help people to take part in the everyday activities of life.
OT’s use their training and expertise to achieve these objectives by helping both communities and individuals improve their ability to take part in the occupations or tasks that they either need to, want to or are expected to. This also involves modifying occupations or environments in order to provide better support to disabled people and their ability to engage.
Occupations refer to the intuitive and simple things that are part of all human experience.
- Activities we carry out in our life roles
- Activities we carry out as part of who we are
- Activities we carry out in order to create life and a better world
However, an occupation:
Is experienced subjectively
For many people to activity of shopping can be fun and relaxing while for others it can be boring and tiresome. These activities can be classified into groups such as “work” but every activity is a mix of pleasure, restoration and productivity.
Is changed by timeframes
The function and meaning of an activity is altered by its placement in the person’s life. Using the shopping example again, it might be different when buying treats as a child to buying groceries as an adult.
Is universal
These activities have been engaged in since the start of human society but have been altered by time and culture. We acknowledge that these activities are universal and pursued by all people as part of living a full life.
Why is NDIS occupational therapy beneficial?
OT has already been proven to provide excellent outcomes for physically and mentally disabled people as well as others with less serious conditions that inhibit their lifestyles. NDIS occupational therapy simply means that more people who need help can access OT’s who will train them to live creative, independent and satisfying lifestyles.
Whether they are helping elderly people with fall prevention techniques, advising the installation of handrails and other home modifications or helping loved ones learn crucial care skills, OT’s do a great deal of work for their clients. All of this work is carefully planned out and matched with the client’s individual’s goals and aspirations.
NDIS occupational therapy works to assist those with disabilities and other cognitive issues to feel like independent and fully realised people. While realistically not all disabilities can be overcome through training and technique, OT gives the best chance to reduce the amount of assistance the client will need when pursing their everyday lives.
Another thing to note about NDIS occupational therapy is that it is purely a way to assist people with handicaps but never to take over their lives and make decisions for them. OT’s are trained always to make sure their client agrees with everything that is being done and never makes choices on their behalf.