Rebecca's Diary – Moving into SDA Part 2

Wednesday, 8th June 2022

I also have started making a list of appliances that I might need: fridge/freezer, washer/dryer, microwave, TV, air fryer, sandwich toasters, iron, vacuum. Although I’ll have support workers to assist me with things, I still want to be able to use my appliances independently as much as possible – that might be opening the fridge to get a yoghurt out, or being able to open the air fryer to see if something is cooked. Just to know that my apartment is as accessible as possible in all aspects, is something that I definitely want to do. So off I went to Harvey Norman and Good Guys to try out all the appliances, opened and closed numerous fridge/ freezers, sandwich toasters and air fryers. Let’s just say I had very sore arms by the end of it! But I would highly recommend testing the accessibility of appliances or furniture, in person!

Tuesday, 14th June 2022 Today I wrote up and submitted my NDIS Change of Circumstances Form (or Change of Situation Form), to apply for more support worker hours and the assistive technology (AT), that is required for me to move to Melbourne and out into my own home. I think this is the thing I am most nervous about. Everything else is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’. But with the NDIS, they have the power to say ‘no’ to the funding I need, which could ruin my planned move to Melbourne.

Because of this, I put a lot of effort into this form and the supporting evidence I provided to the NDIS. I got AT reports from my OT (along with quotes) and a quote for onsite support from the support provider.

I spent quite a bit of time shaping my ad, in the hope that this will help in attracting the right people. I made sure it included a good balance between being about me personally and also about what I need. when it comes to shift, care, and what I’m looking for in a support worker. I’ve had a bit of recruitment experience, so I’m hoping that experience will pay off.

I am going to schedule interviews in the coming days. Fingers crossed I find the perfect support workers for my team!

Friday, 29th July 2022

I have had to let work know that I need to take more time off than planned because the unpacking and setting up has taken longer than I thought ! It’s important to be flexible with how long things take – you are setting up your life, so you want to make sure it is done properly!

1st August 2022

Today marked my first official day of starting with my new Melbourne support worker team. 

I am thankful to have Mum here to help train all of my new staff initially, because training is something that exhausts me a lot. So to have someone there who already knows my routine is something I would recommend! I have also made videos of all my routines, so new support workers are able to watch these and learn all the steps, and the way that I prefer things to be completed. I also gave these videos to the onsite support provider, so their staff can also become learn without needing 1:1 training sessions with each staff member. The videos will also come in handy when I need to remind staff how to complete a task, as it is very easy to take out my phone and show them the videos (which I have saved on Google Drive).

2nd August 2022

Disappointing to see in the NDIS Portal today that only just over half of the support worker funding I need has actually been put in my Plan. In fact, the new plan has almost the same support hours I used to have in Perth, where Mum was doing half of my personal care and pretty much all of the housework and other ‘adulting’ tasks like grocery shopping and cooking. But that just isn’t an option here in Melbourne! It also doesn’t say anywhere why the hours were the way they were. I contacted my NDIA planner who said to appeal the outcome (which was made by the NDIS Home and Living Team, not the planner), because she wasn’t happy with the outcome either. How can two different people at the NDIS have such different ideas about the support hours I need, when supplied with the same paperwork and evidence?

Thankfully my family have said they will stay as long as it takes to get me settled and my support funding set up right, but having to submit internal review paperwork just adds a whole extra step to this journey that I didn’t need! 

Thursday, 25th August 2022

One month of living in SDA and I am absolutely loving it! 

Thankfully the NDIS have now come back and funded me for the core supports I require, after I appealed the decision. They said it was an ‘administrative error’! I’m glad I had enough courage and knowledge to question what was in my Plan, and didn’t just accept that I would be stuck with not enough care or, worse, be left feeling that I had to move back to Perth because living in Melbourne wasn’t possible with the budget I had. If I can pass on any message to anyone else who doesn’t get the right funding (that you have good evidence for) – please appeal it! Don’t feel that you are stuck with it, you have a definite right to reasonable and necessary support and funding. 

Moving to Melbourne is the best decision I have ever made, and I am already telling people that I am absolutely never ever going back to Perth (to live, at least!). The independence I have in my apartment, having access to some of Melbourne’s best attractions, shops, and cafes at my door step – (including amazing ice-cream at Southbank! ) is something beyond my wildest dreams!