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As a specialist in local area coordination NDIS support, the team at Nextt pride themselves on helping empower people with disability. One of the things we love most about our jobs is seeing our participants grow and transform their lives. Here are three ways our programs have helped participants thrive, according to our NDIS local area coordinators.

1. Living independent lives

One of the key objectives of all our local area coordination NDIS programs is to help participants lead independent lives. With her adult daughters having flown the nest, 48-year-old Sandra Cooper lives alone in Merryland, New South Wales. When her eyesight began rapidly deteriorating due to a genetic eye condition known as Aniridia – which eventually rendered her completely blind in her right eye – she knew she needed some help.

With her loss of vision, completing simple tasks around the home and in the local community became quite difficult, so she enlisted the help of Nextt. Through Nextt and our NDIS local area coordinators, Sandra receives support coordination and direct support services including community access and domestic assistance, as well accessing home modifications through the NDIS and Housing Commission so she can cook her own meals independently.

“With the NDIS, in a short space of time going from seeing to not seeing … the support has helped dramatically.”

For 58-year-old Elizabeth Sherar, living with Cerebral Palsy and juggling a full-time job often meant that she had to rely on her parents to help her with errands. Thanks to the support she received from Nextt – which was funded as part of her National Disability Insurance Scheme plan – Elizabeth has been able to access the community and get travel assistance. With the help of her NDIS local area coordinator and other Nextt staff members, Elizabeth has been able to do her own shopping and banking, as well as get out into the community and go to places like the zoo and the cinemas.

“It’s been fantastic because I don’t have to rely on my parents as much and now when I go to the bank, they know me, just like when I go shopping I go into certain shops… It’s the best thing that’s ever happened.”

2. Connecting with the community

Many people with disability experience isolation due to lack of access and mobility. At Nextt, we love seeing our participants become more connected to their communities. With the help of our local area coordination NDIS specialists, our participants are able to socialise with others and pursue their passions.

For Elizabeth, her Cerebral Palsy has made it difficult for her to travel comfortably on public transport, which has prevented her from socialising with others. Thanks to her Nextt
travel assistance support, Elizabeth can safely and comfortably get to where she needs to be, as a passenger in cars owned by her support workers.

An avid fan of music from the 40s right through to the 80s, Elizabeth enjoys bonding over her passion for music.

“I listen to the local radio station in Melbourne in the eastern suburbs and they’re so intrigued with my music knowledge… Next door to the station there’s a little cafe, so once a month one of the presenters invites me up there to have a coffee and discuss music and the station,” she says.

Being able to connect with her support workers and the presenters at the radio station has been a joy for Elizabeth, and is something she really looks forward to each month.

3. Creating the change they want to see

At Nextt, our local area coordination NDIS programs empower participants to create a positive change in their own lives. Perhaps one of the greatest markers of our success is when our participants help others within their own communities.

For 47-year-old Sandra, this meant helping other people living with vision impairments. After noting a lack of social activities for people over the age of 40 who were living with vision impairments, Sandra realised she wanted more opportunities for social interaction – and that others must feel the same. Through speaking with her NDIS local area coordinator, Sandra was able to partner with Vision Australia to establish her own ten-pin bowling group for people with vision impairments. The group, which attracts roughly seven members for each gathering, meets once a month for a friendly game at the bowling alley, followed by a cup of coffee.

“I really look forward to it,” says Sandra.

For more information about our Nextt NDIS local area coordinators and our support coordination services, get in touch with our friendly team today.

As a person with disability, or a parent or carer of a child with disability, it can be tricky to understand what support is available to you through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The NDIS takes a goal-based approach to funding and services, meaning the services available to you or your loved one will vary depending what you need help to achieve.

What are the NDIS support categories?

Of the 15 support categories of the NDIS, the NDIS Core Supports consists of four funding categories that help you or your loved one develop foundational life skills, which help you with daily activities and community participation.

Here’s what the four NDIS Core Supports aim to help you or your loved one achieve.

Assistance with Daily Life

The first of the NDIS core supports, Assistance with daily life aims to empower people with disability to make household decisions, look after their personal care and complete other domestic tasks, including cooking and cleaning.

Accessing Transport

The ‘Transport’ category of the NDIS core supports helps cover transport costs associated with specialised schooling or education programs, reaching your place of employment or participating in other community or recreational activities.

Accessing Consumables

Consumables is a support category that helps cover the cost of everyday items and services, including interpreting and translating services, as well as help with continence and home enteral nutrition.

Assistance with Social and Community Participation

Assistance with social and community participation covers activities or courses that help participants socialise and connect with others. These could include art classes, sports coaching and vacation camps that have capacity building, mentoring, peer support or individual skill development components.

At Nextt, we have a range of services available that help participants build these foundational skills and are covered by the NDIS including: Support Coordination, Core Supports, Capacity Building, Supported Housing and Attendant Care. Our services help individuals develop functional and meaningful skills to increase participation in everyday life. We can help you or your child build self-care, meal preparation and social communication skills – and so much more – from the comfort of your own home.
Get in touch with us today to learn how we can help you.

If you’d like to learn more about how the NDIS works, we’ve got 10 tips to help you access NDIS funding.

An article in a local Greek language publication, Neos Kosmos (http://neoskosmos.com/news/el/node/64755), has highlighted the amazing work that Nextt does for the most vulnerable people in Australia’s ethnic communities.

97-year old Dimosthenis Papantoniou spent 22 days in nursing care before coming to the realisation that he “did not want to die” in a nursing home. His wife is suffering from dementia, and at first he thought he would live in the nursing home with her, though he was in good health, so that was medically unnecessary. He couldn’t handle the conditions, however For many elderly with an ethnic background, it’s a common story; in addition to the unfamiliar setting of a nursing home, these people often feel uncomfortable being outside of their communities and thrust into unfamiliar cultures and practices not of their own.

But Papantoniou needed help. While he was physically capable of continuing to do things that he was familiar with; such as light gardening – he is also from a generation that has left him unable to do many household chores that traditionally the women of the house would handle; he doesn’t understand how to cook, for example.

Papantoniou’s children have also moved away and work, and he no longer has a driving license, restricting his mobility and his ability to frequently visit his wife. And this is where Nextt has been able to help.

As Papantoniou says in the article: “Once a week comes a lady to clean the house, another to cook and one to go shopping. All this is free of charge. My wife gives her a pension in the nursing home and I live and I maintain the house with my own.”

Nextt’s leading service has been able to provide Papantoniou with the ability to remain independent and active, while also covering the areas that he struggles in. This is a service that we are proud to offer elderly people in all ethnic communities across Australia.