Three kinds of help around the home
These kinds of help can overlap. You might want someone to prepare breakfast on a busy morning and practise cooking with you on another day. Explain both preferences when planning support.
| Support | What it can look like |
|---|---|
| Personal care | Assistance with showering, dressing, grooming and other personal routines. |
| Household support | Help with laundry, cleaning, dishes or preparing meals. |
| Building skills | Practising a task together, such as planning meals or using a shopping list. |
Describe a routine in small steps
An example morning might include getting out of bed, showering, choosing clothes, preparing breakfast and getting ready to leave. For each step, note what you can do comfortably and where assistance would help.
Be specific about timing. If an appointment starts at 9 am, work backwards from your travel time. Include time to move at your own pace instead of squeezing every task into a rushed visit.
Your privacy and preferences matter
- Explain how you would like a worker to ask before helping.
- Mention preferences about personal care, communication and who is present.
- Decide where care information should be kept and who may see it.
- Say which tasks you want to keep doing independently.
- Agree on how to pause or change a task if you feel uncomfortable.
Separate assistance from everyday expenses
Disability-related assistance and ordinary household costs are different. Help with preparing a meal is different from paying for the groceries. The supports you use need to fit your plan and current NDIS funding rules.
Keep a short record of what works during the first few visits. A task taking longer than expected, feeling rushed or needing a different time are useful reasons to revisit the routine with your provider.
TAKE THIS WITH YOU
Before your first conversation
- List the daily tasks you want help with.
- Mark the times that matter most.
- Note what you want to do yourself.
- Include privacy, communication and worker preferences.