Getting out and about and sharing experiences with others is an important part of life. The NDIS and My Aged Care schemes can provide funding to increase your social and community participation.
Read on to learn more about the types of community social and recreational activities you can access. Discover how you can enjoy increased social and community participation with the assistance of a Nursed Care support worker or peer support worker.
Read on to learn more about the types of community social and recreational activities you can access. Discover how you can enjoy increased social and community participation with the assistance of a Nursed Care support worker or peer support worker.
Funding support for community activities
Connecting with people with shared interests and hobbies can bring great joy and satisfaction. As things change, older people and people with disability may find they would like to make new friends or get out more.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and My Aged Care scheme provide eligible people with core support and community participation funding to increase their social activity.
The importance of connections
Social connections enhance our happiness and security and can help us feel a sense of purpose.
Becoming more active in the community and joining in with social and community activities can help you feel more positive and avoid loneliness. Participating in a group and sharing similar activities can lead to increased social network.
Having some support and assistance to join recreational activities is a great way to enhance your skills, gain independence and results in increased social connections.
What is social and community participation?
Social and community participation means different things to different people, but really it refers to any activities that enable you to interact with others and do what you enjoy.
An example might be:
- Attending a group at a community centre
- Going to a seniors social group or disability social club meeting
- Joining in with crafts and arts class
- Attending community events
- Playing a game or sport like bingo or lawn bowls
- Meeting a friend for a coffee at a local cafe, movie or walk
- Visiting a place of interest like a museum or gallery
- Volunteering in the community
Benefits of social and community participation
There are many benefits for increasing your involvement and activity in the local community, including:
- Growing your social network
- Learning skills that can help you find a job
- Feeling more connected and included in social life
- Accessing peer support and sharing experiences with people who have similar interests
- Increased independence and mobility in the community
- Finding enjoyment from participating in hobbies, clubs and groups
- Being involved in recreational activities or learning a new skill
How are social and community participation funded?
If you are an NDIS participant, your NDIS plan will outline your goals around increasing your community participation, implementing capacity building supports and enabling individual skill development.
Typically, NDIS funding for social and community participation or support is taken from the Capacity Building components of your NDIS plan. However, in some cases, the Core Support budget can be used, or you can access resources from more than one support category.
Supports and their relevant support category will be outlined in your NDIS plan, to enable the claim reimbursement of your community participation funding.
Social and community support for older people
Older people will find many benefits in increased social participation. Meeting with other people can reduce feelings of social isolation and core loneliness. Having a wider social circle is also good for a person’s health!
Older people often have wonderful skills that can be put to good use in the community. For example, older people can volunteer at places like libraries. Some people create crafts that can be sold to raise money for charity. Many older people enjoy mentoring younger people who have similar interests.
There are many different types of roles, and a volunteer role can often be well suited to your skills and interests. Contacting your local council is often a good place to start if you want to establish volunteer arrangements.
Increased social and community connections
Another important part of social and community participation funding is enhancing life skills. This means involving a person in activities that enable them to live more independently. You can use this funding for activities like:
- support to use public transport
- attending a cooking class so you can cook with more confidence at home
- planning vacation activities with a support worker
Nursed Care for social and community participation
Some the activities our clients have used their NDIS funding for include:
- trying out horse riding sessions
- attending art classes and craft class
- assistance taking a course in a financial planning to improve skills in money management
- joining a board games group and finding a new hobby in playing Dungeons and Dragons
- personalised sports coaching to be able to join the local netball team
- life transition planning to prepare for a move
Related Questions
There are upper price limits placed on all NDIS funded activities. How much you pay for social support services will vary on the individual support item listed in your plan. Community participation funding can be used in a variety of ways.
While the intent of the Capacity Building supports budget is to enable you to enjoy community life, there are only some components that can be funded.
For example, you may be able to have support people take you to a local café or the movies. The cost of the support worker could be covered, but not the cost of your food, drinks or movie ticket.
The NDIS will not generally cover the cost of tuition fees if you want to undertake a course. However, you may receive funding to get to and from the classes and having someone to support you with your study.
Your support coordinator can explain which capacity building activities can be funded through your NDIS plan. Always double check your Core Supports entitlement.
There are many ways you can receive support to become more active in the community and increase community participation. Your local area coordinator can connect you with existing disability groups and clubs.
A support worker can take you to social activities or help you practice and build skills in using public transport, to improve your independence.
Make sure your NDIS plan includes the kinds of activities you would like to try and the assistance and supports you need to be able to do so.
You may prefer to receive mentoring assistance to make new friends and connections. Core Supports assistance is designed to be flexible and suit your needs and preferences.
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