A new outlook on life

Samantha and Kerrie

Individual support from Northcott is helping Samantha regain her confidence and get out in her new community after a life-changing accident.

Four years ago, Samantha was working as an Executive Assistant and living a busy, independent life in Sydney. Then she had a devastating accident, impacting her mobility, balance and capacity to look after herself and live the independent lifestyle she enjoyed so much. Around the same time, Samantha was also diagnosed with bi-polar disorder.

Unable to cope on her own, Samantha moved to Coffs Harbour on the NSW mid north coast to live with her elderly parents. Shortly after, she was approved for NDIS funding so she could access services to help her regain her independence and increase her social and community participation.

Finding the right service

Samantha started accessing Northcott’s Life Skills service in Coffs Harbour around three years ago, joining the group a couple of days of week. While she appreciated the support from the team, the service wasn’t the right fit for her.

“It wasn’t stimulating enough for me. I decided it wasn’t working so I moved to Individual Supports,” she explains.

Samantha was matched with our support worker, Kerrie Simpson, who supports her twice a week with whatever she needs.

“I live with my mum and dad and none of us are really up to walking around the supermarket independently so Kerrie supports with that. Then she assists me with dinner preparation and later we go to exercise physiology,” Samantha says.

“On Thursday, we have brunch, run errands, such as going to the bank and the post office, and then we do aqua aerobics.”

One of Samantha’s main goals has been to get out more and increase her social circle.

She says Kerrie’s positive nature has been encouraging for her, helping to give her confidence to reach out to new people she meets and organise social activities.

“Kerrie is just so positive. Nothing is too much trouble and she’s always supportive. When I said I wanted to organise a birthday get together, Kerrie was really supportive. That made me go ahead and do it,” Samantha says.

Kerrie supports Samantha to do her grocery shopping.

Tailored support after a life-altering event

When Samantha started at Northcott she was adjusting to some huge life changes. The team at Northcott Coffs Harbour remembers Samantha keeping to herself and being quite reserved. She had lost some of her confidence and wasn’t as independent as she once was.

One-on-one support from Northcott has helped Samantha to grow in self-confidence and build a new life in Coffs Harbour. Through the physical activities she’s doing with Kerrie, Samantha’s mobility is improving and she’s now more stable on her feet.

Participating in volunteering work, and then securing part-time employment around 18 months ago has also boosted her confidence.

“Samantha is a lot more confident now and she is walking a lot more. We go to the jetty and the physio. She’s totally changed her attitude on life,” says Kerrie, Samantha’s support worker.

If funding is available, Samantha recommends people consider accessing individual support.

“When you are with your support worker, you don’t need to worry about stuff for the day. And they are good company. That’s so important because when you have a disability you can be isolated,” Samantha says.

“Having a support worker is a good way to get out of your shell and share your life.”