Everyday life is made up of hundreds of small things. Preparing breakfast, Getting ready for the day, Shopping, Cooking, Keeping your space organised, Planning what needs to be done next.
When someone needs support with some of these activities, the goal should not simply be to complete the task as quickly as possible. Good daily living support is about working with the person.
What Is Daily Living Support?
Daily living support can help participants with everyday activities they may find difficult to complete without assistance.
Depending on the person’s individual needs, this may involve support with personal routines, meal preparation, cleaning, household activities or other day-to-day tasks.
Current NDIS Core Supports can include Assistance with Daily Life. The NDIS gives examples such as support workers assisting with cooking, cleaning and personal care when these supports relate to a participant’s disability needs and plan but the way that support is delivered matters just as much as the task itself.
Doing With, Not Always Doing For
There is an important difference between helping someone and automatically doing everything for them.
Imagine someone enjoys preparing their own breakfast but needs assistance reaching certain items or following part of the process.
Doing the entire task for them may be faster, but it removes an opportunity for choice and participation.
Good support looks for the right balance.
That might mean providing hands-on assistance where it is needed while giving the participant space to do the parts they are comfortable doing themselves.
Over time, some participants may want to build new skills. Others may simply want reliable assistance that makes their routine easier. Both approaches can be valid.
Your Routine Is Your Routine
There is no universal ‘correct’ way to structure everyday life.
Some people like to start their mornings early. Others do not. Some participants enjoy cooking. Someone else may find it tiring or stressful.
People also have different cultural practices, food preferences, communication styles and household routines.Person-centred daily living support respects those differences. The support worker is entering the participant’s everyday life, not the other way around.
Small Choices Matter
Choice and control are often discussed as big ideas, but they also appear in very ordinary moments.
What would you like for lunch? Which task would you prefer to do first? Would you like some help or would you like to try it yourself? Where would you like these things kept?
Those may sound like small questions, but together they help ensure the participant remains involved in decisions about their own life.
Building Skills at a Comfortable Pace
For participants who want to build greater independence, everyday routines can provide natural opportunities for learning.
A participant may work towards preparing a simple meal, organising a shopping list, completing more of their household routine or becoming more confident managing their day.
The NDIS describes supports as helping participants complete daily living activities and build independence and skills, where the supports are eligible and included within the participant’s plan.
There should not be pressure to reach somebody else’s idea of independence. The goals should belong to the participant.
Consistency Can Make Everyday Support Easier
Relationships also matter.
When support workers understand someone’s preferences, communication style and routines, everyday support can feel much more natural.
Participants should not have to explain themselves from the beginning every time they receive support.
Clear communication between the participant, family where appropriate and support team can help create greater consistency while still allowing support to change when the participant’s needs or preferences change.
Daily Living Support at Kaya
At Kaya Disability Supports, we believe everyday support should feel respectful, practical and personal.
We take the time to understand how each participant prefers to do things rather than expecting them to fit into somebody else’s routine.
Whether someone needs assistance with everyday activities or wants support to build greater confidence with particular tasks, our focus is on providing support in a way that keeps the individual involved.
Because independence does not always mean doing everything alone. Sometimes, it means having the right support to do more of life in the way that works for you.
Official sources consulted
• NDIS: What are Core Supports? (ndis.gov.au)
• NDIS: What are NDIS supports? (ndis.gov.au)