We've been looking at how your individual life goals can help shape what your NDIS package can look like. I am a member of Ipswich Rocks Facebook Group. #ipswichrocks. Members of the group paint rocks and hide them for others to find. I joined the group to promote my business Ignite Artists during the FUSED Festival but not its a fun way to interact with my local community.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme is for all Australians under 65 years of age and is designed to increase the social and economic participation of people living with disability. You can access the scheme if you have:-
- A life long disability
- Need assistance with daily living tasks
- Or therapy and/or equipment to improve your level of independence in the community.
The ndis provides more choices for individuals and families living with disabilities. This people are now actively encourage to take part in decisions about:-
- What they want their life to look like now and into the future.
- To achieve this the ndia want to know what you goals are. Goals are they things you want to do. This could be learning how to build a boat or finding a part-time job. If you want life to look like it does now, that's cool too!
- However you might be a parent of a 5 year old. At five I didn't know what I could do. Let alone decide what I wanted to be when I grew-up but my bet is you want to give your child every chance to reach their full potential (whatever that means for their type of disability). At the same time you will want to look after yourselves and other children in the family. That might mean some respite care and siblings activities. For families with children with disabilities that means selecting options that benefit everyone in the family. Initial your goals may be therapy and education based.
- In planning for the ndis I suggest you don't focus on the money, rather
- What you want to do (goals & activities)
- How you want to do these things (e.g centre based activities vs one-on-one support)
- Types of assistance you will need (e.g. help to get your child ready for school or some-one to come and do some cooking or house work while you have time with the children. and respite care will come in here too.)
- Equipment to maximised independence or the might be an assistance dog.
- How to improve communication with the wider community. (e.g school or workplace)
- What therapies with maximise your independence over a lifespan.
While I have always been clear on my goals and the activities I needed to do to achieve my goals, I found my planner and now my physio were able to help me think of more ways to increase my independence, safety and confidence. The ndis is about living your best life and for all of us that will look very different.
Living my best life
During my life I thought I wanted to do many different things, until I found my true passion at 45 - art! However I also want to be an advocate for other people with disabilities. This started when I joined the 'Leaders For Tomorrow' Program and the 'Everybody Counts Campaign. So when I started planning for the ndis I knew my goals and I also knew I wanted changes. Until now I don't think I've been living my best life.
One thing I knew was I wanted less services and less support workers in my life. I was feeling suffocated and not in control in my own home. However, I knew I wasn't ready to employ my own team of support workers either. This is why I chose to partially self-manage with they assistance of a plan manager. Other options included having the NDIA manage your supports; or a host provider manage your package on your behalf. Your host provider and support provider should be two different services.
It is my belief that if I do everything I can to look after my health and well-being I will be able to live on my own for longer. A huge part of the ndis is about planning for the future not just what's happening in the next two years.
We all have a number of goals even if we don't label or recognize them as goals . . .
SOLD!
Things I want to do .,
- Make art
- Sell art - Art Exhibitions
- Encourage other to make art and be professional artists.
- Advocate for people with disabilities (Qld representatives on the Support Studio Network and write a blog).
- Keep physical active
- Take a healthy approach to the aging process.
These are the type of responses to the goals the ndia is looking for. Not 'I want to be the iron-man champion of Australia', but hey if that is your goal go for it!
So you might have a LONG TERM GOAL the ndis can support you with, like moving into you own home or a home where others live.
LONG TERM = 5 YEARS OR MORE
A long term goal like:- Exhibiting my artwork overseas might achieve by reaching milestones or SHORT TERM GOALS.
SHORT TERM GOAL = 1 TO 2 YEARS
My short term goals for 2018 - 2019 are:-
- Enter local art competition
- Host a solo exhibition outside Ipswich
- Visit as many exhibition as I can
- Continue to work with Aspire Art Gallery, Brisbane Rotary and Lethbridge Gallery..
Each of these short term goals will assist me to achieve my long term goals.
DAILY ACTIVITIES
These help me achieve my short term goals:-
- Make artwork to exhibit and sell
- Enter art competitions
- Visit art galleries and exhibition openings
- Write gallery submissions
- Be involve with arts connect
- Deliver art to galleries
- Plan exhibitions and opening nights
- Attend and present visual arts workshops
- Be involve in community activities like Ipswich Rocks.
Entry for Facebook competition
and like my photo
person with the most likes wins!
I will be hiding these next week
Keep an eye on Ignite Artists Facebook Page for rock locations
What support did I ask for to achieve these goals?
The NDIS provides reasonable and necessary supports to allow me to achieve my goals. These include my core supports in home and community individual supports, mobility and assisted technology, ot/physio and hydrotherapy and my Plan Management Fees.
I believe knowing my goals and how I wanted to achieve them helped my planner design the package I needed. I don't need assistance with social interaction so things link activity day programs are not in my package.
My struggles with my supports continues to be that nitty-gitty stuff and life seems to get in the way. Transport and getting to my appointments is an on-going thorn in my side. My health is not what I hoped meaning Hydrotherapy is not an option. But my weekly routine is working better than ever.
If you live in Ipswich remember to lock out for my rocks.
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