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Monique moves out of her family home

By Supporting Customers

Monique

Housing

Monique moves out of her family home

Northcott is one of the top 5 housing providers in Australia. Northcott manages 123 disability homes with 9 more under construction (July 2023).

When Monique’s parents heard about Northcott’s new disability accommodation close to their family home, they knew they’d found a place that Monique could call home.

Meet Monique

Twenty-eight-year-old Monique has a lovable, inquisitive personality that draws everyone in around her. For most of her life, Monique has been cared for by her mother Deb, father Nicholas and other family members.

“Monique has NEXMIF disorder which is a chromosomal disorder and presents with autism, Tourettes, a lack of speech and other behavioural issues. She was only diagnosed a few years ago and she has accessed occupational therapy and life skills services with Northcott since then,” says Deb.

Worries about Monique’s future

While Monique was happy living at home, her parents worried about her future and what the next phase of her life would look when they were no longer around.

“Several families in our lives lost a parent and it made us realised we are not getting any younger,” says Deb. Deb was also keenly aware of the lack of modern, robust, single occupancy disability accommodation options around the Riverina region.

At the same time Deb was having these concerns, Northcott announced plans for new purpose-built accommodation with specialist disability housing provider Casa Capace in Gobbagombalin, a suburb of Wagga Wagga.

When Monique and her family attended an information session with Northcott about the new properties, it piqued Deb’s interest. It was the first time Deb felt confident about her daughter moving into a place that would be right for her to truly call home.

Planning for the move

The first stage of supporting Monique to move into the home was the hardest. This involved applying for and securing the right type of funding.

“Applying for funding is a long process in general and when we first applied, the funding we got was for shared living”, says Sam Terzi, Northcott Service Manager. This was not what Monique’s family wanted for her; they wanted her to live independently.

Together with Monique’s family and the Regional Disability Advocacy Service, the Northcott team went to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and advocated for more funds to allow Monique to be in the right type of accommodation for her.

The team was instrumental in gathering the information needed to prove a single occupancy home was most suitable for Monique.

“The wait for the result was again long and tense, but in the end, we got the result we were after!” says Sam.

“I am so pleased for Monique to be able work towards being more independent and really happy for her family as well.

” Northcott supported Monique to move into her new home in early 2023.

Monique and Will

Monique today

When Monique first moved in, she showed significant behavioural issues like banging her head on the wall and having emotional outbursts. She was only able to spend a few hours at the new house before returning to her parents. After a period of transition with tailored support, Monique has now settled in well and lives full time in the Gobbagombalin property. Monique and her family couldn’t be happier.

Will, one of Monique’s support workers, works with her almost every day. Before Monique moved into Northcott’s property, Will and other members of her support team spent time with Deb to learn about Monique’s different communication cues and be able to clearly understand what she needs.

“I absolutely love working with Monique. She is a very smart girl. We know when Monique rubs her hands a certain way that means she wants to have a barbeque on Friday and boy does Monique love her barbeque,” says Will.

Monique loves to cook, and her team are currently working towards a future goal of Monique being able to cook meals for herself as independently as possible.

With Monique now living independently, life has also changed for Deb. No longer Monique’s primary carer, she says she is enjoying spending time as mother and daughter. “I still go to all of Monique’s appointments with her and visit several times a week, but I’ve definitely noticed she is more affectionate with me now.”

27 October 2023
A group of people, four older men, two women and a young man and seated and standing around a wooden outdoor table in the outdoor area of a house. Everyone looks happy. Not everyone is looking at the camera.

A new home for David and Chris

By Supporting Customers

David (back), Chris (front right) with their housemates and support staff.

Housing

A new home for David and Chris

When Chris and David’s Northcott-supported disability property no longer met their support requirements, our team found them a new home, better suited to their needs.

Chris and David’s needs

Chris and David are long-term friends and Northcott housemates. They have lived together for more than 7 years, initially in Carlingford, and since September 2022, in Oatlands.

Although the pair were comfortable and happy in Carlingford, a review of their living situation revealed things had changed over time and their home no longer fully supported their needs.

Due to weakening of his knee joints, David needed better support while walking around the home. He also had limited opportunities to socialise with the other residents living there.

“David was participating in an arts and craft day program 4 days a week to meet his social needs. He is 60 years old and it was time that he started experiencing social outings to enjoy and relax, rather than learn and create,” says Alan, David’s brother.

For Chris, a lack of communal areas around the home was impacting his opportunity to socialise.

A more suitable option

After Chris and David’s Northcott team put the word out about finding a new home, two vacancies came up in a five-bedroom purpose-built Northcott house in Oatlands, just 10 minutes from where they were living. The team felt the home and current residents were a perfect match for Chris and David – allowing them to live as independently as possible and experience a socially abundant life.

“Not only are the current residents, Guy and Graeme, of similar ages to David and Chris, but they also have similar social needs such as engaging in smaller group outings rather than centre based programs,” explains Alys, Service Coordinator at the Oatlands home.

“The wall rail system built around the house is also a great solution to keep David more mobile while living as independently as possible. This home also has a separate section with two rooms and a common area so David and Chris can have their own space within the larger home.”

David (left) and Chris.

The transition

Before Chris and David could move into the new home, significant work had to be done to ensure the change would lead to a better life for everyone.

Alys started liaising with all the stakeholders, including talking with the families of the customers to highlight the benefits for Chris and David. Once all families agreed to the move, Chris and David regularly visited the Oatlands house to start to feel comfortable and get to know their new housemates.

“For the move itself, we set up Chris and David’s rooms to help make the transition more comfortable. On the day of the move, we planned a picnic to bring all the housemates together. It was an epic day for everyone,” Alys remembers.

Positive outcomes for all

David and Chris are now living in a newer, purpose-built home that better meets their needs, with closer proximity to shops, the local pharmacy and access to transport.

“It’s great how, despite the move, I have been able to keep my life going – my doctors, my work, my favourite restaurants,” says Chris.

“In my opinion, the most important benefit of the move is an enriched quality of life for all residents. The group community access and social interactions for all residents have increased. Since their needs and goals match, all four of them can enjoy the outdoors by visiting Sydney’s surrounds rather than participating in centre based programs,” says Alys.

Chris and David’s families are also happy with the outcome.

“Change can be daunting and challenging but ultimately, this change has delivered great outcomes for everyone. I am extremely happy with the staff at Northcott and am confident that my brother is well taken care of,” says Alan, David’s brother.

24 October 2023
Two people in blue Citi T-shirts are seated in front of a room, talking with a grou pof young men who are all seated at desks in a U-shape.

Citi Foundation volunteers

By Our supporters

Citi Foundation volunteers at our Work & Study service.

Donor Profile

Citi Foundation Volunteers

In June, we welcomed volunteers from Citi Australia to our North Parramatta office for Citi Global Community Day.

The volunteers lent a hand and got to know customers who are benefitting from programs like NEXT, which is supported by Citi Foundation.

Citi Australia CEO Mark Woodruff shared his advice with our Work & Study participants on preparing for job interviews and writing their resumes. The volunteers conducted mock interviews with participants which helped them to practice their social skills and to anticipate what questions might be asked when they start applying for jobs.

Several of the Work & Study participants left an impression on Citi volunteer Simon, who shared, “The customers I spoke with were engaged, talkative and energetic. I can see potential in these young adults and enjoyed chatting to them.”

The volunteers also helped with improving our sensory garden by planting colourful flowers and vegetables in our garden beds, as well as clearing the existing space to make the garden area a more pleasant place for our customers to enjoy and spend time in.

Our Like Skills participants exercised their film making skills and conducted a video interview of the volunteers on their experiences helping out at Northcott Parramatta for the day.

The volunteers and staff then worked with customers to edit the footage into a short video. The volunteers also got involved with creating arts and craft with our Life Skills customers and used a hand over technique to assist customers to create a stencil of birds using a collage.

Over in the library, the volunteers assisted Northcott Librarian Judi in cataloguing books. We were told that Judi even threw in a few historical facts and cinnamon buns for their efforts.

Citi staff also helped the Fundraising team write birthday cards for our engaged and loyal donors.

We are so thankful to the volunteers at Citi for gifting their time and skills to support us. We know customers enjoyed getting to know some fresh faces and our fleet vehicles are looking refreshed after their day’s efforts.

24 October 2023
A headshot of a woman wearing a denim overshirt and a purple t-shirt. She is smiling.

When opportunity knocks …

By Our people
HousingNIStaff

When opportunity knocks …

A headshot of a woman wearing a denim overshirt and a purple t-shirt. She is smiling.

Kayla May, Service Coordinator

“The opportunities are there; you just have to take them.”
– Kayla 

Since stepping up to a Service Coordinator role, our Deniliquin-based staff member Kayla May has enjoyed playing a greater role in improving quality of life for her customers.

Kayla’s career path

“I started in this disability home in 2015. I was a casual support worker. Back in my 20s, I started working in community aged care and supporting young people with complex disabilities.

“I found I enjoyed looking after people. When I moved to the disability home, I enjoyed building relationships with the customers. I would do eight hour shifts instead of visiting a person for one hour. It was more rewarding for me. I’ve now got relationships with the customers and their families, and there’s something special about that.

“Since becoming a service coordinator, I’m enjoying a closer connection with the allied health practitioners who visit our house. I have also built a really good connection with our support coordinator. I like to know the ins and outs of my customers’ plans so I can have a say about what funding they might need. If someone needs a holiday, or new equipment, I’ll let the support coordinator know and talk about what we need to do to make it happen.”

A woman is lying in a wheelchair with another woman leaning over looking and talking to her.

Kayla loves her job supporting customers living in Northcott’s disability home in Deniliquin.

Internship program

“In 2022, I had the opportunity to participate in the Northcott Innovation (NI) Supported Living Lab Internship program. I liked the idea of getting workers together without managers to solve some of the complex issues we have. I also liked being given the opportunity to participate from Deniliquin, which is a very long way from head office.

“I really enjoyed getting to know other support workers. Working out in Deni, we don’t have that connection with other staff. It was really good to know that we’re not alone, that others have issues.

“I was very nervous, but also excited when my idea was chosen by NI to be presented to the Northcott Board. I’m now working with NI to develop my project further. It is a really good feeling to know I’m actually making a difference.”
– Kayla

Kayla’s innovative idea from the Internship

The challenge
Customer support plans are often complex. Bringing new support workers up to speed on each customer’s unique support needs and preferences is time consuming. How can Northcott improve this for customers and staff?

The solution
InstaSupport – short, informative videos that demonstrate how customers prefer to be supported – as per their support plans. At the start of a shift, new support workers watch the videos to quickly learn about each customer’s individual needs and preferences.

Working in disability

“If disability is what you want to do, Northcott is a great place to work.

“When I started working here [at Northcott’s disability home in Deniliquin], I never thought I’d be a service coordinator eight years later. It was never in the plan. When it was suggested that I should step up, that’s just what I did.

“A big aspect I focus on in this house is keeping the skills our customers have. For example, we have one customer who can do her own washing. That means a lot to her. Seeing the smile on her face when she accomplishes that, it’s rewarding.

“Working in disability is not as scary as you think. It can be complex at times, it can be difficult at times, but you have all the support you need. It’s really rewarding. It is a great job.”

19 October 2023
Two young women sitting a table talking. They are in front of a whiteboard which says "support workers", "young adults" "communicate.

A role helping all young 
people with disability

By Innovative Projects
Two young women sitting a table talking. They are in front of a whiteboard which says "support workers", "young adults" "communicate.

Tyra Buteux (left) and Hannah Ogden (right) are Northcott’s Community Research Officers.

ResearchStaffWork and Study Skills

A role helping all young
people with disability

Of the Northcott staff who have shared with us that they have a disability, 84% of them have an invisible disability.

Hannah Ogden and Tyra Buteux are customers from our Casula Work & Study service. They have joined our workforce as our first Community Research Officers.

Hannah and Tyra work with Sam Frain, Northcott’s Senior Manager for Research and Innovation, and a team of researchers and co-workers undertaking a research project into relationships between young people with intellectual disability and their paid support workers. As young people with intellectual disability themselves, the pair provide ideas on how to best carry out research with this cohort of young people. They participate in meetings with other researchers and have helped to design workshops so young participants with disability feel comfortable sharing their stories. One of their more challenging tasks is helping to translate complex written information into language that is easy to understand by young people with disability.

Tyra

“Me, Sam and Hannah work with Sally from Flinders University and Karen from the University of New South Wales. We talk about everyday harms, abuse and when things are not going well between a support worker and young person with intellectual disability.

We also work with Ruby and Rachel who are community researchers, like me and Hannah. We see them online on Zoom. I like that we all have different skills in how we work in a team and solve problems.

We are helping to plan workshops because we know what it’s like [for young people with intellectual disability]. It’s important that we tell the other researchers, so they know how to help young people.

The best thing about this job is helping people. It feels good to be helping to make things better. I have also enjoyed going to places and meeting new people. When I first went to the city, it was new to me, so, I got a little bit anxious about it. Afterwards I was okay. I’m definitely more confident when I get to meet new people now.”

Hannah

“Me, Tyra, Ruby and Rachel are all young adults with disability. We are part of the research group because we have a better understanding about what looks right and what looks wrong for people like us.

I got this job is because I wanted to speak my mind and be heard. I wanted to be a voice for people like me to improve the system because there are some cracks that people are not aware of.

It feels really good to have this job. I like being a double agent … I am a staff member on one day, then a customer on the other day.

My favourite thing has been going on to the university campus. I’ve been driving past the uni for the past 26 years going to the Children’s Hospital for appointments. I’ve dreamed of just stepping one foot on there. To be able to go there and be in a meeting room, it’s like my dream came true. We work for Northcott, but we’re part of their research team. So, in a way, we’re staff of the University of New South Wales.”

About the project

Northcott is proud to be a research partner in “Confronting everyday harms: preventing abuse of people with disability”, led by the Flinders University Disability & Community Inclusion research team.

“Everyday harms” is the term used to describe the little interactions which can either build or break a support relationship. These actions, which can include ignoring somebody, silencing a person or simply not acknowledging them, can have a huge impact on the quality of paid support.

Hannah and Tyra’s research project is identifying these types of actions and looking for ways to turn them into positive practice so they do not become forms of abuse or violence for people with disability.

The research is being delivered in collaboration with Flinders University, University of NSW Sydney Social Policy Research Centre, University of Melbourne, NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, Northcott, VACRO, Purple Orange, SA Department of Human Services, Bedford Phoenix Inc, Mable, Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA), Novita, and genU. The project is funded by an Australian Linkages Grant.

19 October 2023
A group shot of seven people, all looking at the camera, smiling. They are a culturally diverse group.

Supported Living Lab Internship

By Innovative Projects

Insert caption

HousingNIStaff

Supported Living Lab Internship

5 PROJECTS from the 2022 program are being explored further by Northcott and NI teams.

Our second cohort of interns graduated from the Northcott Innovation (NI) Supported Living Lab Internship program in September 2023. This unique learning opportunity offers Northcott support workers a chance to learn human-centred design skills while contributing to better outcomes for customers who live in our disability homes and the staff who support them.

Northcott’s innovation subsidiary NI works alongside customers and people with disability to find ways to do things better or solve challenges in the disability sector. One of the team’s initiatives is the Supported Living Lab (SL/Lab). This co-design hub is focused on improving the quality of supports and services provided to Northcott customers living in our homes.

In 2022, NI launched the SL/Lab Internship Program for support workers from our disability homes. An enthusiastic group of frontline workers from across NSW participated in the inaugural internship, and the second cohort will complete their internship later in 2023.

Over 7 months, interns learn skills in communication, problem solving and human-centred design from experts and educators from Northcott and the disability sector. Additionally, through a partnership with the University of Technology Sydney’s School of Design, they gain skills in design thinking and the design process. Each participant brings a challenge to the group that they believe, if solved, will positively impact the lives of customers. Over the course of the internship, participants put their new skills to use to explore and develop a solution to their issue before pitching their idea to the NI Board. Solutions with the potential to make a difference to customers and/or staff are adopted by NI and Northcott for further development and, down the track, implementation.

Insert caption

Our 2023 Interns

Evelyn
“I have gained an understanding of and experience in Human Centred Service design, which puts customers’ needs, desires and abilities at the centre of the development process.”

Bernard
“I have enjoyed learning how to identify problems, how to choose strategies to address the issues and how to plan and execute the tactics needed to achieve customers’ goals.”

Sofia
“I’ve enjoyed hearing and experiencing how to work with others. It’s been good making new friends as it is hard to find others because we all work in small groups.”

Bernard
“I am walking away with knowledge I can apply at work and in my lifetime experiences. I am not the same guy who started at the beginning of the program. I have grown and am proud of my educators and myself.”

Kumba
“I found it interesting having people with lived experience of disability educate us about their experiences and the ways we can support them better. I also enjoyed the UTS session … and having the opportunity to meet members of Northcott who shared their work experiences.”

Mitul
“This has given me the opportunity to think outside the box, learn from my own experiences, identify problems and find solutions. It has enabled me to be a changemaker and stand up for customer voice and choice.”

19 October 2023
A young man in a large woollen coat and hat is holding a pile of books and standing in front of book shelves. It looks like a library. He is smiling at the camera.

Gaining confidence 
and job skills after school

By Innovative Projects
FundraisingWork + Study Skills

Gaining confidence
and job skills after school

Download descriptive audio transcript

Our second Life After School program was a life-changing experience for 28 participants. The young adults with disability gained vital employment skills and valuable work experience out in the real world.

After completing Life After School, participants said they felt more confident about looking for work and understanding workplaces.

At the group’s graduation in June, Northcott’s Program Coordinator, Tanjina Rahman said: “It makes me feel overwhelmed to see how much the participants have achieved. It’s not only how this program has shaped them to find a job or gain employment skills. It’s about how they have improved their communication skills and grown in social confidence to go out there and talk to people, nurture friendships.”

3 Life After School graduates landed jobs while participating in the program!

What is Life After School?

Life After School is a 6-month face-to-face program providing practical support, mentoring, coaching and work experience opportunities for young people with borderline disability who are not eligible to receive NDIS funding. The program aims to support participants to develop skills to find and keep a job.

In 2023, Life After School was delivered at four Northcott centres, in collaboration with TAFE and Disability Employment Services. In a group setting, participants completed modules to prepare them for applying for jobs and understanding workplaces. Each participant also completed a work experience placement in an industry or business of their choice, including Bunnings and Target. Northcott’s Library, Life Skills service, Therapy Services and Administration team also offered work experience opportunities.

Life After School is funded by an Australian Government Information Linkages and Capacity (ILC) Building grant.

What participants said

Sam, aspiring occupational therapist

Sam

“I learned a lot more about work and etiquette … I didn’t have a lot of experience with that, or a lot of knowledge. I also learned more about how important communication is in life and in work. The program has definitely helped.

“I’ve learned I want to do a lot more with people with autism. I think I’ve got knowledge that is really helpful and I want to work doing therapies that are very fun and engaging. After the program, I’m thinking of exploring more opportunities in the therapy space and practicing things I’ve learned.”

 

Lloyd, aspiring librarian

Lloyd

“I feel clearer about what I should be doing to get a job. I was really unsure before about how it works. Now I feel more coherent about using websites such as Seek and Indeed and Jura to search for jobs. Also, how to write resumes, I never knew that before. I didn’t understand it but now I do.

“Working the Northcott Library has been very rewarding. It has built my skills up higher in shelving, knowing how to catalogue and the Dewey Decimals system.”

 

Taneisha, aspiring writer

Taniesha

“When I first joined the program, I isolated myself from people and I didn’t talk much. But after a few lessons, I managed to gain some new confidence.

“I’ll be enrolling in a course at TAFE called Statement of Creative Writing, while working part-time in a retail job. Because of Bunnings [work experience], I hope that I can be transferred from a trainee to an employee, to help me to become a writer.”

19 October 2023
A young woman is smiling at the camera. Next to her is a sign that says "The Savage Queen, made by Bec".

Bringing Bec’s business to life

By Supporting Customers

Bec is a Life Skills customers at our Darra centre in Queensland.

Life Skills

Bringing Bec’s business to life

Northcott has seven offices in Queensland. We began delivering Life Skills and Skills 4 Life services in 2023.

With support from Northcott, Bec is realising her goal of starting her own business.

When Northcott started offering Life Skills from the Darra office, Bec was one of our long-term customers who began accessing the service to gain skills to build her independence. With the new skills she’s learnt, Bec is now the proud owner of her own small business, The Savage Queen, which sells beautiful handmade candles and jewellery.

“I started bringing my card-making materials to Northcott and a coordinator encouraged me to take my hobbies and turn them into a business, which I thought was a good idea,” says Bec.

Creating a business

In consultation with Bec, Northcott introduced an entrepreneurial skills program within the Life Skills service, with the goal of supporting Bec to start her own business.

Creating a business can be complex, but Bec was determined to learn the process. She was supported through every step by Northcott Service Coordinator, Luka Thomas.

“We supported Bec to develop a business plan and every week we discuss a different part of the plan. While she already has strong creative skills and knows how to make earrings and candles, we had to figure out the logistics. This included things like setting up an ABN, coming up with the name for the business, deciding what products to sell and the marketing side of things,” says Luka.

“It has been really rewarding to see Bec not only grow her business but to have her trust in me. I love hearing about her success and to see her be proud of herself.”

Bec at her stall with support worker, Luka.

Selling crafts at local markets

The Savage Queen is thriving! With Luka’s support, Bec has hosted market stalls in Brisbane with great success.

“It was about a 3-month process for me to make all the inventory, get a site booked and eventually do the market,” says Bec.

Although the process was long, it was extremely rewarding for both Bec and Luka.

“The markets have given Bec a purpose and you can see that she takes that responsibility with such pride. She is able to have choice and control over what she is doing, and she is learning that her voice matters,” says Luka.

What’s next for Bec?

The next stage of supporting Bec with The Savage Queen is developing a website so she can sell her products online. This will involve assisting Bec to organise photography of the products as well as set up social media accounts to promote her products. Luka will also support Bec to learn about how to navigate the internet appropriately and safely.

Bec has recently moved out of home and hopes to use the money she earns from The Savage Queen to help with her expenses.

“It makes me feel good to earn my own money. I plan on using the money to decorate and buy things for my own house. I look forward to doing more markets with support from Northcott,” says Bec.

18 October 2023
A young man with glasses and a blue tie-dye t-shirt is standing in front of an adult who is wearing a cap and a brown t-shirt. The man in the cap is giving a thumbs up. The younger man is smiling at the camera.

Opening up Luikas’ world

By Supporting Customers
Skills 4 Life

Opening up Luikas’ world

Download descriptive audio transcript

Our Skills 4 Life program has been the perfect after-school activity for Luikas, a young Indigenous participant from Taree. While learning everyday skills, he’s been building his independence, growing in confidence and making new friends.

Luikas was born genetically deaf and at 18 months old, he received bilateral cochlear implants. Now aged 15, he is non-verbal and has been attending Skills 4 Life with our Taree team to improve his social skills and participate in the community.

“We were having trouble with Luikas connecting with other people. He could connect with adults really well, but with kids there was a barrier. Now that they are older, they take a lot more time [to connect with],” explains Michelle, Luikas’ mother.

Luikas attends Northcott’s Skills 4 Life program in Taree.

What is Skills 4 Life?

Skill 4 Life is a skill development program that supports teenagers with disability to gain independence by learning practical life skills in a fun environment. It runs two afternoons a week during school terms.

Michelle says the program appealed to her for Luikas because it rolled a range of different activities together, all of which she knew Luikas would benefit from.

“It’s been hard to get Luikas interested in doing things that could benefit him outside of school. I knew this program would offer things that would be good for him. They would cook with him, take him shopping and teach him about money,” she says.

Michelle also liked the idea of Luikas interacting with other kids with disability and being part of a community.

How Luikas has benefitted

Michelle has seen big changes in Luikas over the past year. She says he loves going to the program and always come home happy.

“He has changed a lot. He’s more independent and he does a lot more for himself. It’s his social skills and the community participation that’s seen the biggest benefit,” she says.

“I think he enjoys just being out. He gets picked up from school [by Northcott] and that gives him a sense of independence.

“When he first went, he really liked it. He had a worker named Brody, and he got on really well with him. He hadn’t had male workers around him previously.”

Interacting with the other participants has also been beneficial for Luikas, who uses Auslan. The group has been learning Auslan to be able to communicate together.

A world of potential

Although Luikas has attended mainstream schooling since year 2 and is doing well in many of his classes, Michelle admits she had “a lot of doubts” about his future before he reached high school.

Thanks to support from Northcott and a supportive community around him, Michelle says she can now see Luikas finding work after finishing school.

“With a lot of help, I think getting a job is definitely possible. He’s changed. He’s really capable.

“I say to him all the time, ‘Me and dad are really proud of you, bud.’”

18 October 2023
A teenage boy is in a standing wheelchair being hugged by a woman. They are smiling at each other.

Life-changing therapy support for Prayaag

By Supporting Customers

Prayaag and his mum.

Therapy

Life-changing therapy support for Prayaag

Our young customer Prayaag is enjoying a more independent life, thanks to a new standing wheelchair and tailored occupational therapy support.

Prayaag’s goals

Prayaag has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). This is causing a progressive loss of mobility and muscle strength, which impacts his ability to complete activities and tasks independently.

When Prayaag started accessing Therapy services with Northcott, he told us his goal was to remain as independent as possible.

“I wanted to be able to go to the movies and shops with my friends – without the support of my mother or a support worker. I wanted to order food independently at food courts, and complete wood technology and hospitality subjects at school,” Prayaag recalls.

Prayaag’s Northcott Occupational Therapist, Erin Thornton, identified areas where therapy could support him to achieve his goals.

“One of the main barriers to Prayaag’s goals was loss of strength in his upper limbs (hand, arm, shoulder) due to his disability. This affected his ability to reach outwards and upwards for objects in his environment from a seated position in his wheelchair,” says Erin.

Around this time, Prayaag was also starting to outgrow his power wheelchair.

Prayaag in his standing wheelchair.

Finding a solution

Erin identified that a standing power wheelchair might give Prayaag the independence he was looking for. A standing wheelchair supports a user to be in an upright or standing position, allowing them to interact with people and objects at eye level.

Prayaag and his family were keen to explore this option, so Erin began a lengthy assessment and trial process.

“The assessment, which was conducted in liaison with Prayaag’s physiotherapist and other health and medical professionals, started with identifying the issues Prayaag was currently experiencing with his wheelchair,” explains Erin.

“It involved assessing his posture to ensure that the seating on the new wheelchair would meet his postural support needs and provide him with a functional seated position.

“Prayaag also completed trials of the standing power wheelchair so that we could assess, measure and gather evidence of the functional benefits he received from being able to move in and out of a standing position. We also needed to confirm that the wheelchair was compatible with the environments he spends his time, such as home and school,” Erin says.

Erin was also involved in Prayaag’s application for NDIS funding to cover the cost of the wheelchair and the additional therapy he would need to get the most from the equipment.

“I was able to advocate for Prayaag’s needs and communicate just how beneficial the standing wheelchair is for his independence and ability to engage in activities,” Erin explains.

New-found independence

Since receiving his new standing wheelchair in September 2022, Prayaag has been enjoying a whole new level of independence.

“I can now get snacks or a drink from the cupboard or fridge at home, use the microwave, and help my family with preparing meals. I can help mum with the grocery shopping and get items from the shelves, order my own food at the food court, play arcade games at Time Zone and more independently access the equipment in the wood technology and hospitality rooms at school,” Prayaag says.

Standing has also had some huge social benefits for Prayaag. He is now able to stand up and hug his mum. He also says his friends tend to hang around and talk to him more at school when he’s standing up and at eye level with them.

“It’s been so rewarding to see all of the functional tasks that Prayaag can do now…and all of the other social and psychological benefits that have flowed on from this,” says Erin.

18 October 2023