Occupational therapists can help you live a more comfortable life at home by assessing your needs and recommending modifications and devices. They also play an important part in an application to the NDIS for home modifications. An occupational therapist must carry out an assessment for NDIS Category A, B, and complex home modifications. This article explains how an occupational therapist can help you with home modification assessments and improvements.
What do Occupational therapists do?
Occupational therapists (OTs) conduct assessments related to a person’s movement, mobility, and physical capabilities. They also recommend furniture, equipment and devices that can make daily activities easier.
OTs can work with people of any age to support them in their daily lives, including children and older people. OTs may visit education facilities or aged care homes to look at structural changes to the environment.
Occupational therapists become professionally registered through the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
OT services through the NDIS
OTs work with people who have many different types of disabilities, medical conditions and physical limitations. They help people move comfortably and carry out the tasks of everyday life. OTs help find solutions to make challenging activities easier. OTs also advise how to move safely around and reduce the risk of falls or injury. OTs carry out their assessments to determine your specific needs.
Within the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), OTs can help you demonstrate your need for various supports. Most commonly, this will be associated with your home, but it could also relate to your mobility or driving a motor vehicle.
NDIS home modifications
Through the NDIS, people with disability can access funding to make changes to their homes. Occupational therapy services can make a big difference. Home modifications may be
Structural Changes – including any modifications that change the structural framework of a home
Safety Modifications – installing adaptions that help a person stay safe in the home environment
Technological Adaptations – including technologies that make life easier
Home modification services can help you more easily tackle daily activities and will improve your quality of life.
OTs are also involved in designing new homes and recommending complex home modifications. They work closely with builders from design through to modification installation. They need to have the ability to keep clients involved in the process and explain what changes are being made.
OT for Category A minor home modifications
Category A minor home modifications cost less than $10,000. Any occupational therapist can carry out an assessment for Category A minor home modifications. A template for this type of modification request is available on the NDIS website.
OT for Category B minor home modifications
Category B minor home modifications cost between $10,000 and $20,000. An assessment for modifications in this category must be done by a specially trained OT who is an accredited home modifications advisor. To become a home modifications advisor, an OT must have studied the NDIS process, rules and regulations.
OT for complex home modifications
Complex home modifications cost over $20,000 and involve serious and significant changes to a home. As with Category B modifications, an accredited home modifications advisor must conduct an assessment to compile home modifications. In this case, the home modifications advisor will need to go into more detail about your living requirements. An OT can also help to facilitate the two itemised quotes you must include with your documentation. These quotes should include the individual costs of each part of the modification.
Because complex modifications are larger-scale projects, you should also speak to your support coordinator, planner, or community partner.
Meet Nursed Care
Nursed Care is an NDIS-accredited service and support organisation serving NDIS participants in greater Sydney. It’s our mission to help people with disability to create their dream home environment. Nursed Care staff are passionate about helping people with disabilities build their capacity and extend their ability to participate in their community.
Nursed Care provides cohesive NDIS services to our clients and can deliver a cohesive range of care supports as outlined in an NDIS plan. Our goal is to help you participate in community life and achieve independence wherever possible.
Our team works with understanding and empathy to respond to your needs and support you with your daily life. We will help you set and achieve goals for the future. Contact Nursed Care today!
Nursed Care for home modifications
At Nursed Care, we have access to a team of professionals who can assist with building design, planning, modification and construction. This includes project managers, builders and home maintenance officers.
For example, we have worked on:
bathroom renovations to make personal care easier
improved access through widening doorways
installing ramps
complex home modifications
flooring renovations to improve safety
Assistive technology advisors
OTs can also act as assistive technology advisors under the NDIS. Assistive technologies:
can be small pieces of equipment like non-slip mats or special cutlery, or large items like a wheelchair or adjustable bed
include devices that can help you to communicate
OTs can advise about technologies and help ensure you get the right item. In many cases, technologies need to be fitted and tested. Your OT will ensure that the technology is safe for you to use and will benefit your independence.
Related questions
Works may be carried out by a variety of professionals or tradespersons, depending on the scope of the works and the NDIS funding that has been allocated.
Nursed Care are available to assist you with your building and modification jobs. Once we have the plans, often prepared by the building consultant or project manager in consultation, we review them with you. Sometimes, we work with the building consultant to generate additional plans if needed. Once the plans are finalised, the building consultant or project manager will complete the scope of work and initial costs based on the proposed plans. Lastly, we complete the Complex Home Modification application for submission to NDIS.
You may be eligible to access a free occupational therapy assessment with the funding allocated in your NDIS plan. As at 2024, the rate for occupational therapy in the NDIS pricing guide is $194 per hour.
