Identifying suitable accommodation and housing

Therapy Pro therapists are experienced in working with NDIS participants and their carers to provide the necessary assessments and reports for identifying suitable accommodation / housing (formerly known as Exploring Housing Options – EHOP).

Each individual and their circumstances is unique. Accordingly, our approach is personalized to each person we work with.

For example, if the housing option is known (sometimes the client is already residing in the home of choice) the appropriate approach may be to frame the assessment for that environment and make recommendations to either provide increased services or continuation of existing services or further training, therapeutic input etc. as required. Generally, a full functional assessment by an occupational therapist is recommended as this provides a good overview of current abilities and needs.

If the housing option is unknown, the recommended assessments generally involve a multidisciplinary team to conduct functional assessment, sensory and behavioural assessment, safety assessment and social/emotional assessment. The recommendations for the client prepared by a lead therapist are then based on information gathered from those who know the person best (parents, siblings, support workers, Supports coordinator etc.) to, as well as the completed assessments.

Recommendations typically include information regarding:

• Level of participation in activities of daily living (personal care, meal preparation and eating, safety in the kitchen, laundry, cleaning, medication management, sleep patterns etc)
• Living with others – sensitivity to how many others the client can tolerate, for example a share house of 4 or 5 as compared to supported accommodation with 12
• Sensory assessment (as appropriate)
• Home safety – such as ability to use phone for emergencies, personal safety risks etc
• Community access needs – need for 1:1 supervision or can be semi-independent
• Financial management
• Hobbies/interests/vocational exploration
• Level of supervision required in the home – sleep vs wake shifts at night usually need to be justified
• Risk and mitigating factors (where appropriate – particularly relevant in mental health)

Our therapists travel to wherever the client is most comfortable for the assessments. For housing options, their home is the best environment to ensure the most accurate assessment. We aim to make these assessments as streamlined and stress-free as possible for the client.

For more information on how we support identifying suitable accommodation / housing options, please contact us.