WHAT WILL IT MEAN FOR YOU ?
How will you choose your host provider? How much of your support you will manage yourself?
In Queensland we are still in the early stages, with the Your Life Your Choice (YLYC) program under the Department of Communities - with the NDIS being introduced in the next 18 months.
Now that you can decide - who do you choose ?
What a great opportunity to really find the right service for you. But there is so much choice - how do you choose? Where do you start?
You can start with the list of approved outlets under the 'Your Life Your Choice" program on the Department of Communities website.
Before you start doing your research on who to choose, I urge you to take a step back and think about the vision you have for your life. Exactly what do you want your life to be like? Let this inform your choice about which lifestyle support service provider/s you may choose for your support needs. For you it may be a family member.
Once you have taken this step you will know what will need to be offered, to make that vision become a reality.
Please see the video below which outlines current planning services being used by NDIS.
Of course everyone's vision will be different, and that's why it is so good that there is a lot of providers to choose from. There will be more in the future too! Your vision is as individual as you are.
Go back to basics
Get out a pen and paper and list or draw what you want your life to look like.
Ask yourself some questions :
? What do you want to be doing each day
? How and when will your day start
? What interests, study or work opportunities would you like to pursue
? What relationships do you have in your life that you want to maintain
? What new relationships do you want to develop
? What are your values, what is important to you
Turn your vision into reality
Once you have a clear vision for how your life will be - make another list! What will your provider will need to do to support you to turn your vision into reality?
? is it a small team of consistent staff
? is it flexibility - being able to choose the times of your support and make changes if and when you want or need to
Once you have developed this list you are ready to research which organisations/individuals are right for you.
? Who can best meet your needs based on your vision
There may be several providers who can - so then it is a matter of asking the right questions to narrow down the contenders. You might need to talk and / or meet with 3 or more to determine the best fit for you.
Engage an advocate or professional consultant
Still overwhelmed? An advocate or professional consultant can help you clearly define your vision for your best life and find the right 'fit' for you!
When you do choose a provider, remember that the relationship between you and your service provider is a partnership, and you need to work together to enable you to live your best life. It requires open and honest communication, clear expectations of what is going to happen, compromise at times - and boundaries. This is a 'business' or ''professional' relationship and needs to be treated as one to sustain a healthy, long term partnership.
Ready to start?
Advanced Care Australia provides consultancy services to assist in defining your needs, and sourcing the most appropriate services for your individual needs. Ask us today about how we can help!