Author: Manager

When Paula was studying tourism at university in Peru and later working in customer service for Aeroperú, she could hardly have imagined that in the years ahead, her life would take her to Australia and a completely different path.

She migrated to Australia in 1988 and for the past 19 years, has been working as a support worker helping others improve the quality of their lives by providing both emotional and practical support for individuals and their families.

Paula doesn’t really think of her role as work, it’s more a vocation. As she says, ‘I believe very strongly that this is what I am meant to do, at this time in my life.’

Paula’s primary motivation for beginning her career as a support worker came after the death of her parents.

I couldn’t look after my parents in their final years (because they were still living in Peru), but I decided I could be there for other people’s parents and their family members when they needed me most.

Perhaps Paula’s career change isn’t that surprising given she sees herself as an ‘absolute extension’ of her own parents and her lived experiences.

We all cared for my grandfather in his final years. Dad would return home from his job as an accountant every lunchtime, carry grandad from his bed to the bathroom and shower him. My mum would then dress grandad and I would carefully prepare and feed him his lunch – I had to take great care with this task as grandad was always so impeccably dressed.

When her grandfather eventually passed away, Paula never forgot the many ways her parents preserved his dignity, physical and emotional wellbeing right up until the end.

Although Paula says she has noticed changes in her work over the years, the core of what she does remains the same.

I let people know, that no matter what, my job is to protect the dignity of the person in my care. Sometimes it’s just about sitting next to someone, holding their hand and reassuring them that I am there for them.

One of Paula’s other key roles is to remind her clients about life’s small joys. Much has been written about the power of music and sometimes when words fail, music provides a way for a person to connect with others and engage with memories and emotions.

Just recently, Paula learned that one of her regular clients used to love singers like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald. Her client had often spoken to her of the big bands and dance halls of her youth, when big bands dominated the jazz scene in Australia and around the world.

So, armed with this important information, Paula bought some CDs with this exact type of music. The result – many joyful karaoke sessions and a more engaged, happier and responsive client.

At other times, Paula has learned that the simple act of helping her clients organise their lives often helps them regain a sense of independence. From first-hand experience she argues

We all need structure in our lives and this is particularly important for people with brain injuries.

Paula just loves helping people get their lives in order and is adamant that setting up a weekly timetable outlining social activities, appointments, rest periods and rehabilitation is central to improving the cognitive and emotional challenges faced by some of her clients.

Unsurprisingly, Paula is adored by the people she supports. She still has a thank you note given to her in 2011 that she keeps on her dressing table as a daily reminder of the importance of her work. It says,

I want to take the time to let you know that you are an amazing angel. You are caring, and your professionalism is such a high standard. Never forget how much you are appreciated.

Paula loves her work and says it is a real privilege being allowed into someone’s life. Her advice to others considering this line of work is simple,

Do what you love and follow your heart; it’s not really a job being with people who need you – it’s a gift.

For more information about how we can help you start or built your career in healthcare, please visit https://nextt.com.au/careers/ or call us on 1300 369 568.

Fear can be crippling! It can keep you awake at night second guessing every noise you hear and can certainly make you question everything. For 28 year old Jack Kerswill, dealing with paranoia and hallucinations for over a decade is now becoming easier with the help of disability service provider, Nextt.

Jack was diagnosed with schizophrenia and advanced post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at only 18 years old. He currently lives independently in a public housing unit in Morooka, Queensland and has previously worked as a horticulturist and in information technology (IT).

Jack says for many years he went through life dealing with hallucinations of aliens abducting him, which had a destructive effect on his social life, including the loss of his job.

“For many years I was very quiet about it until I went to a doctor and was referred to a mental health clinic. It took a while to diagnose but they knew something was up,” he explains.

“When I got diagnosed I was working and I think they kind of new something was up because I was going through a lot of emotional issues from my childhood.

“My boss let me off and I was really upset about that as I felt like my job was kind of what
made me ‘me’.”

He says the sudden loss of employment took an emotional toll.

“When they put me on Newstart I felt like I was a burden and not contributing to society.”

Jack describes the diagnosis as a “big relief”, but says it was also met with denial.

“Now I can actually see that even though it seems realistic to me, it’s not real.”

Initially, Jack found it difficult to accept the help he desperately needed as the hallucinations and paranoia felt so real and kept him up at night, but it was his sister who encouraged him to reach out to a mental health specialist.

“Your brain is so powerful, it knows how to ‘get you’,” he explains.

“I would never sleep at night due to the paranoia.

“I go to work, go home and play games all night and once it hit night time, it was absolutely destructive.

“I would have these episodes where I was hallucinating constantly, hearing voices and seeing things.”

After the first episode Jack was admitted to hospital for a week with fear taking a gripping and lasting effect.

To help overcome his mental health challenges, Jack enlisted the help of Nextt through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to improve his independence and reassure him the things he was hearing and seeing weren’t real.

“In the mornings I get two hours of support and an hour at night, across a range of tasks such as cleaning the unit, travelling to doctor appointments, accompanying me to the shops, learning to cook new food, travel training and taking medication,” he explains.

He says Nextt have truly helped him conquer his fears and learn a variety of life skills.

“I could never cook and would always get takeaway, but now I’ve learnt to cook a lot of different foods.

“I used to live in a pigsty, but now my place is one of the cleanest you’ll ever go to.”

“On the bus I would hear voices in my head and wasn’t sure if I was saying it out loud, so a Nextt support worker would reconfirm I wasn’t saying anything and taught me to focus on
different things.”

Jack says he was taught ‘grounding’, a type of meditation to distract your focus when experiencing anxiety, paranoia or hallucinations.

He also says Nextt have helped him achieve his main goals of getting back into employment, losing weight and being able to support himself by overcoming his fears.

“I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am for pushing me this far.”
Jack says the disability service provider is flexible, uses a client-centred approach and describes the Nextt team as “lovely.”

With the huge stigma around mental health and the social and employment challenges it poses, Jack says he wishes more people understood that mental health conditions are acquired in a number of ways.

“Just because someone has a mental health condition, it doesn’t mean they have done something stupid to get poor mental health.”

It is with this understanding, Jack hopes more people will ask for help when they need it.

“Don’t be ignorant … just ask for help!”

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When it comes to accessing NDIS funding, it’s important to know about the different NDIS support categories 2020 – 2021 and what kind of help they can offer participants.

There are 15 NDIS support categories in total, which are divided into three key areas: NDIS core supports, capital services, and capacity building activities. Here’s a brief overview of what supports and services they each cover.

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a. Core Supports

The first batch of NDIS support categories 2020 – 2021are classified as core supports. These services assist NDIS participants in being able to complete daily living activities, as well as help them work towards their individual NDIS goals.

The NDIS core support categories are:

1. Assistance with daily life: this category covers supports and services that help you with daily activities, such as assistance with household decision making, supervision within shared living arrangements, personal care and domestic help, as well as food services such as Meals on Wheels.
2. Transport: this NDIS support category covers transport-based supports and services, such as specialised transport to school or work, as well as access to community activities and other recreational and vocational programs.
3. Consumables: this category covers consumable products or services that help with daily activities, such as interpreting, translating, continence and home enteral nutrition services.
4. Assistances with social and community participation: this NDIS support category enables participants to participate within social and community groups, such as accessing camps, art classes and other programs that help the participant work towards development goals.

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b. Capital

The second of the NDIS support categories2020 – 2021 is capital. These supports relate to any investments that NDIS participants need to make to assist them in daily life.

The NDIS capital support categories are:

5. Assistive technology: this support category helps cover costs of assistive technologies, such as hearing aids and wheelchairs.
6. Home modifications: this NDIS support category helps to cover costs associated with making homes more liveable and accessible for participants, such as adding stair climbers and guard rails.

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c. Capacity Building

Most of the NDIS support categories 2020 – 2021 are classified as capacity building activities. This relates to any support or services that helps NDIS participants build skills that will enable them to live as independently as possible.

The capacity building NDIS support categories are:

7. Coordination of supports: this support category covers the costs associated with NDIS support coordination, which allows participants to consult with NDIS support coordinators to create their individual NDIS plans.
8. Improved living arrangements: this NDIS support category deals with accessing better living arrangements, including moving into group homes, individual accommodation support and assistance with achieving tenancy obligations.
9. Increased social and community participation: this category provides access to a wide range of community programs, including childcare, peer support, fitness groups and respite services.
10. Find a job: this NDIS support category provides support for participants to find employment, including employment preparation and work transition programs.
11. Improved relationships: this category covers costs of programs that help participants build skills to improve their interpersonal relationships, including individualised social skill development programs or intensive behaviour intervention programs.
12. Improved health and wellbeing: this NDIS support category helps participants improve their physical health through accessing fitness, physiotherapy and dietary services.
13. Improved learning: this category aims to help participants become lifelong learners, and can include services such as school transition programs.
14. Improved life choices: this NDIS support category aims to empower participants to make good life choices. It incorporates range of services including building organisational, managerial and financial skills.
15. Improved daily living: this final NDIS support category covers other services and support that build participants’ life skills. These could include a variety of therapy services, such as early intervention programs, the Nextt Steps Programor occupational therapy.

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As an NDIS-approved support coordinator and provider, Nextt can help you and your loved ones get the help you need. Call 1300 369 568 or send us a message to find out more about what Nextt services might be right for you.

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When it comes to disability support coordination, there are so many things to consider. From thinking about what goals you or your loved one want to work towards, to finding out what services actually exist and how much funding is available to you, a lots of work goes into getting the help you need.

One of the easiest ways to streamline this process is to go through a NDIS provider that offers disability support coordination services. Here are five benefits of choosing Nextt who can take care of your NDIS support coordination.

1. Help get your individual plan started
The NDIS is a goals-based scheme that recognises the individual needs of each participant. That’s where individual plans come in. Your individual plan will set out the goals you or your loved one want to work towards, allowing you to access NDIS funding to achieve them.

At Nextt, our support coordinators are here to help you get started on your individual plan. We can help you with deciding on some of the goals you want to work on, as well as putting your actual plan together. We also take care of all the paperwork to help you access your NDIS funding, to make sure you get as much value out of the NDIS as possible.

2. Work with you to develop skills and resilience
Achieving your goals is much easier when you have a strong support system around you. At Nextt, your support coordinator will become a key member of your team that’ll work with you to develop the skills and resilience you need to become successful. We’ll check in with you or your loved one at regular intervals to make sure you’re on the right track and developing in a way and at a pace that’s right for you.

3. Help to find and access mainstream services
Disability support coordination goes much further than just helping you access NDIS funding. At Nextt, we take a holistic approach to helping our clients get more out of life. From enrolling in an education course to finding a job, our support coordinators can help you find and access a variety of mainstream services.

4. Assist you in finding appropriate disability housing
Another aspect of our holistic services is to ensure that our clients have a safe place to call home. For some NDIS participants who require 24/7 in-home supports, our Nextt support coordinators can help you find a suitable home where you can get all the help you need. As Australia’s largest provider of disability housing, we have vacancies across the country, including Sydney, Newcastle, Geelong and Ballarat.

5. Support your parents and carers
At Nextt, we know that clients with a great support system are more likely to be successful in achieving their goals. That’s why we provide support to parents, carers and other family members who support our clients every day. One of the ways we do this is to provide parent training, so parents and guardians know the best way to help their children succeed in achieving their NDIS individual goals.

To find out more about how Nextt can help you or your loved one through NDIS disability support coordination, contact our specialist team today for your free one hour consultation.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provides funding for people with disability to get the help that they need to lead happy, dignified lives. As everyone is unique, so too are their goals and needs. So, how does the NDIS help people with disability achieve their individual goals?

The NDIS provides a range of personalised services to help people with disability live independent lives. The NDIS also provides support to participants’ families and carers, to help participants strengthen their support system and connect with their community.

Here are eight ways the NDIS can help you and your loved ones.

1. Information and referral
For many people with disability, support starts with having easier access to information. Through the NDIS, you can access information about the most effective support options, referral to the relevant support services, help to build individual capacity such as diagnosis advice, as well as links to local support coordination, clubs, associations, initiatives or programs.

2. Individualised plans and supports
As the NDIS is a goals-based program, the things you want to achieve and skills you want to build will be unique to you.

With so many people participating in the program, how does the NDIS help participants achieve their individual goals? The key is through individualised plans and supports.

You can access NDIS funding to plan your goals and aspirations, access programs or services to help you achieve your goals, as well as to manage your individual plan. The NDIS also provides support to families and carers, so that you have a strong support system to help you achieve your goals.

3. Early intervention
We know the earlier people with disability can get support, the better chance of success they have.

So, how does the NDIS help children with disability? Through funding early intervention programs that give children with disability the best possible start to life.

4. Funded supports
Depending on the goals of your plan, you may be eligible for funded supports. This could involve choosing support providers for ongoing support programs, such as the Nextt Steps Program, or for one-off costs, such as buying a new wheelchair.

5. Housing
Affordable, stable housing is key for helping people with disability achieve their life goals and aspirations. As housing policy is handled by State Governments, it’s common to ask ‘how does the NDIS help with housing?’ The answer lies in providing ongoing support for daily living, which may include some housing costs or setting up a new home for a group of participants with 24/7 in home support.

6. Assistive Technology
The NDIS also provides funding for assistive technology. This is defined as ‘any device or system that allows individuals to perform tasks they would otherwise be unable to do or increases the ease and safety with which tasks can be performed.’ These may include devices such as mobility canes, wheelchairs, hearing aids and bed rails.

7. Auslan Translation Services
NDIS participants with hearing impairment may require an Auslan translator interpreting and translation services in activities of daily life. Pending your needs and individual support plan, these Auslan services may be covered by the NDIS.

8. Support to access community services and activities
How does the NDIS help people with disability connect with the community? Through covering the cost of services like specialised transport or holiday camps that are already available in your local area.

For more information about how the NDIS can help you and your loved ones, be sure to check out the Federal Government’s NDIS website.

At Nextt, our aim is for all our client to live happy, independent lives. For many adults with disability, this means taking a step towards independent living. Disability housing is a great way to achieve this goal.

Here are four things you probably didn’t know about disability housing in Australia.

There are many different types of disability housing

There are misconceptions around what disability housing is and what it looks like.

The NDIS funding model is based on a capacity building framework and approach. What does that mean, and what is capacity building? NDIS capacity building is the process in which individuals develop their skills and abilities to perform functions, solve problems, set and achieve objectives, and understand and deal with their development needs in a broader context and in a sustainable manner. This approach empowers the NDIS participant to facilitate their own personal development, moving from the person whose ‘capacity is being developed’ to the ‘capacity builder.’

Here are five reasons why we believe in NDIS capacity building.

It focuses on the strength of the individual
Capacity building shifts the narrative around disability services from a deficit, needs-based model to an abundance, strength-building model. This allows participants, their parents and carers, as well as disability service providers to approach disability services with a growth mindset. Building on the strengths of participants, rather than focusing on their disability, empowers participants to become life-long learners.

It takes a holistic approach to the provision of services
At Nextt, we know that people need time and on-going, long-term support to reach their goals. We also know that it takes a multi-disciplinary team to help participants reach their full potential. The NDIS capacity building framework uses a variety of strategies and tactics at the individual, organisational and systemic levels that make it sustainable and effective. From teaching life skills like cooking, to developing vocational skills in the workplace, capacity building overcomes multi-dimensional barriers to achieving goals and wraps a multitude of services around an individual.

It’s empowering
One of the best things about the NDIS capacity building programs is that they empower participants. The aim of capacity building is to show participants that with proper planning, execution and support, they can achieve something that they set their mind to. This shows participants that they can have an influence over their environment and actively create their own future.

It teaches problem solving skills
NDIS capacity building programs necessitate the development of problem solving skills. They take a problem-based approach that acknowledges participants as life-long learners, who will continuously learn new skills as they encounter new challenges. Participants play an active role in setting their own goals, choosing the right development strategies for themselves, and reflecting on their own progress. At Nextt, we’ve seen how this helps participants grow in confidence, as well as ability.

It prepares NDIS participants for real life
As NDIS capacity building programs grow the skills and capabilities of participants, they better prepare participants for real life. Focusing on developing self-care skills, communication and contributing to the household and community, capacity building aims to help participants lead independent lives and better participate in society.

For more information about what is capacity building, what it means for you, and how our capacity building programs, such as Nextt Steps, can help you or your loved one, contact the Nextt team today.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has been a major initiative designed to help Australians living with disability access the support they need to improve their quality of life. Knowing how to access the funding available through the scheme is important for anyone assisting someone with a disability.

What is NDIS funding?
NDIS has meant that people with disability can now get the ongoing support that they need to lead happy, independent lives. However, understanding the NDIS funding eligibility requirements can be a bit tricky. That’s why we’ve put together this helpful checklist to give you the information you need to get the help that you deserve.

Here are our four easy steps to accessing NDIS funding.

1. Work out if you have NDIS funding eligibility

To become a participant in the NDIS, you or your loved one must meet the following eligibility criteria:

Have a permanent impairment that significantly affects your ability to take part in everyday activities, or have a developmental delay
Be less than 65 years of age when you first apply for the NDIS
Live in Australia in an NDIS area on a specified date
Be an Australian citizen or hold a permanent residency visa

2. Know what you’re entitled to

There are 15 different categories of NDIS funding, all of which cover assisting participants in achieving different outcomes. It’s important to read up on what you are entitled to through the NDIS.

The types of assistance you may be able to access if you qualify for NDIS funding eligibility include:
Access to information and referrals
Support to access community services and activities
Individualised support plans
Early intervention programs
Assistive technology

3. Get your paperwork together

Aside from the usual confirmation of identity and place of residence, there is a bit of paperwork involved with accessing NDIS funding eligibility. Much of it is in regards to providing evidence of your disability or your child’s developmental delay. You should work with your healthcare practitioners to fill out the relevant paperwork regarding your diagnosis and ongoing needs.

4. Go through a support provider

One of the easiest ways to go about accessing NDIS funding is to go through an NDIS approved early intervention or support provider. Nextt is an approved NDIS core supports provider, which helps participants build skills to go about their daily lives, become more independent and participate in the community. We can also help with support coordination to help you or your loved one build your individual NDIS support plan.

So, whether you need NDIS funding autism support, or any other disability condition, get in touch with our helpful team today for a free one hour consultation to find out how we can help you and your family access NDIS funding.