Therapy Archives - Northcott Annual Report 2022-23

Life-changing therapy support for Prayaag

By teamSupporting Customers

Prayaag and his mum.

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

A young boy is being hugged by a man. The young boy has his hands up in the air and is smiling. The man is smiling.

Early connections make a difference

By teamSupporting Customers

Kaayan and his dad.

Early connections make a difference

A phone call from Northcott’s Early Childhood Services team provided the support and connections Yojana needed for her son, Kaayan.

Kaayan was diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome when he was 2 years old. This genetic condition causes neurological symptoms, including intellectual disability, distinctive facial features, speech delay and movement and balance problems. Sadly, Kaayan is not eligible to receive funding under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) due to his visa status. In 2022, our Early Childhood Service, Therapy Services and Fundraising team worked together to find a way to provide Kaayan and his family with vital early intervention services and support.

Kaayan and his parents.

Early Childhood support

Our Early Childhood team supports families with young children with disability or developmental delay to access NDIS funding and link with support and services. When a child is ineligible for funding, our team links their family with services, information and other referral pathways so they can get the support they need. For Kaayan, this meant referrals to the local community health team where he could access some occupational therapy and physiotherapy sessions free of charge as well as receive grant funded lower body equipment to assist with balance and posture development. Our team provided Kaayan’s mother Yojana with information about the Inclusion Support Program in preschools, and helped with placing Kaayan on the preschool waiting list. The family was also linked to support to help with their visa application and advocacy for Medicare services. Their Northcott Early Childhood Coordinator also passed on information about transitioning to kindergarten and available support for Kaayan.

“The strategies and information from the Northcott Early Childhood team was really good at a time when I had no one who could help me,”

“I am very thankful to the Northcott Early Childhood team who have given us a way to access funding, services and support.”
– Yojana

Therapy support

Kaayan was also linked to Northcott’s Fundraising and Therapy teams who nominated him to receive therapy services free of charge, thanks to donations from our generous community of partners and supporters. The occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech therapy he has received throughout 2023 have had a positive impact on his development.

“The strategies the Northcott therapists have given me for mobility, for his attention, for his feeding are really helpful. Compared to last year, Kaayan is now standing, holding onto support. He is walking around with support. Before he was just taking a few steps, but now if he can hold on, he will go everywhere. He has also started eating finger food by himself … and has become more expressive than he was last year,” his mother explains.

Dianne – Kaayan’s physiotherapist
“I’ve been supporting Kaayan with his mobility goals via telehealth. Joseph, a Northcott Allied Health Assistant, has been following through with occasional home visits to encourage greater independence in walking with minimal assistance at home. We hope to extend the opportunity to support Kaayan at day care so he can get consistent support at play during his days at home and with his peers.”

Jiwon – Kaayan’s occupational therapist
“Kaayan had three occupational therapy sessions at his home from June-July 2023. The occupational therapy goals for Kaayan and his family are to improve his fine motor skills so that he can enjoy activities with different toys. Improved fine motor skills will also enable Kaayan to be independent with his self-care activities such as eating. Kaayan is currently learning how to grasp blocks, makers and squeezy balls. Direction and guidance are provided to his mother to continue those plays throughout the week.”

Sereena – Kaayan’s speech pathologist
“Kaayan and his family have been receiving speech pathology intervention via telehealth. Play skills such as acknowledging any form of communicative intent and joint attention have been used to build on and develop Kaayan’s communication. A combination of parent training and occasionally in-person allied health assistant sessions have been conducted to support with his play and communication skills. Kaayan’s family have done an amazing job in supporting him with his development.”

Giving Day 2022

Kaayan was the face of our 2022 Giving Day campaign. Kaayan’s parents came to Australia in search of a better life. They would desperately like to become permanent residents but have faced visa difficulties because of Kaayan’s condition. Without permanent residency, Kaayan isn’t eligible for NDIS funding or Medicare services. Ensuring their son can access the vital therapy services and supports he needs has caused significant financial pressure and emotional stress for Yojana and her husband.

On our Giving Day on 29 November 2022, our generous matching partners and wonderful donors raised $126,000 for children with disability, like Kaayan, who aren’t eligible to receive NDIS funding for vital therapy services. Thanks to this support, Kaayan has received occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech pathology and allied health assistance from our Therapy team. Our Therapy team has also been able to support several other children in urgent need of therapeutic support, but not eligible for NDIS funding.

Our thanks go Baresque, botton+gardiner, Western Earthmoving, Skipper Jacobs Charitable Trust and KPMG for making this campaign a success!

Watch our video to learn more

In FY2023, Northcott’s Early Childhood Services supported 15,856 children and their families. This included assisting with 5,582 first NDIS Plans and 3,907 plan reviews, as well providing connections, information and referrals.

18 October 2023