Key Takeaways at a Glance
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Distinct Funding Categories: It is crucial to distinguish between Core Supports (Assistance With Daily Living) and Capacity Building Supports (Improved Daily Living) as they serve different purposes in an NDIS plan.
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“Doing For” vs. “Learning to Do”: Assistance With Daily Living is about a support worker helping complete a task now. Improved Daily Living is about therapy or training to build the skills to do it yourself in the future.
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Focus on Independence: The goal of Improved Daily Living is to reduce reliance on carers over time by empowering the participant with new skills and therapies (e.g., speech or occupational therapy).
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Immediate Daily Help: Assistance With Daily Living is for ongoing, essential tasks like showering, meal prep, and cleaning—things the participant cannot currently manage alone.
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Complementary Supports: It is possible (and common) to have both categories in a plan. You might need immediate help getting dressed (Assistance) while you simultaneously attend therapy to learn how to dress yourself (Improved).
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) offers a range of supports designed to help Australians living with disabilities to lead more independent lives. Among these supports, two critical categories often cause confusion: Improved Daily Living and Assistance With Daily Living. Although they may sound similar, these supports serve different purposes and fall under different categories in an NDIS plan.
In this blog, we’ll break down the key differences between these two types of support, so you can better understand how each one may benefit your loved one and the care they receive.
What NDIS Support Categories Are Offered?
The NDIS divides its supports into several categories, each serving a specific purpose. These categories are grouped into Core Supports, Capacity Building Supports, Capital Supports, and Recurring Supports.
- Core Supports: This budget is designed to assist with day-to-day activities that help participants live as independently as possible. It includes categories like Assistance With Daily Living, Transport, and Consumables.
- Capacity Building Supports: These supports are aimed at helping participants build their skills and independence over time. They include categories such as Improved Daily Living, Finding & Keeping a Job, and Increased Social & Community Participation.
- Capital Supports: This includes funding for assistive technology and home modifications to improve the participant’s living environment and help them reach their full potential.
- Recurring Supports: These are payments made directly to the participant to cover regular, ongoing costs like transportation.
For the purposes of this blog, we’ll focus on two critical supports: Assistance With Daily Living, which falls under Core Supports, and Improved Daily Living, which is part of Capacity Building Supports.
What is NDIS Improved Daily Living?
Improved Daily Living is part of the Capacity Building Supports budget, which means it focuses on helping those living with a disability to develop the skills they need to become more independent over time. This category includes supports such as assessments, therapy, and training designed to improve the participant’s ability to manage daily tasks and participate more fully in their community.
Examples of Improved Daily Living Supports:
- Occupational therapy to help develop skills for daily activities like personal care or mobility.
- Speech therapy to improve communication abilities.
- Training for both participants and their support network to manage day-to-day tasks more effectively.
- Personalised assessments and reports from allied health professionals to help identify areas where further support is needed.
The goal of Improved Daily Living is not only to assist with current daily activities but to build long-term skills that will enable greater independence in the future. This support is crucial for people whose disabilities may hinder their capacity for independent living but who have the potential to build these skills with the right support and training.
What is Assistance with Daily Living NDIS?
Assistance With Daily Living falls under the Core Supports budget and is focused on helping participants manage their day-to-day personal tasks. Unlike Improved Daily Living, which is geared towards building skills for future independence, Assistance With Daily Living is designed to provide immediate help with activities that participants may struggle to complete on their own.
Examples of Assistance With Daily Living Supports:
- Help with personal care such as showering, dressing, or grooming.
- Meal preparation and assistance with eating.
- Household tasks like cleaning, laundry, and maintaining a safe home environment.
- Help with mobility around the home or in the community, such as transferring from a bed to a wheelchair or using public transport.
Assistance With Daily Living is often more hands-on and is provided by support workers who assist or supervise you or your loved one, to ensure these tasks are completed. This support is essential for participants who need ongoing, day-to-day help in their home or community to maintain their quality of life.
Key Differences Between Improved Daily Living and Assistance With Daily Living
Although both Improved Daily Living and Assistance With Daily Living aim to enhance the quality of life of your loved one living with a disability, they serve different functions and are suited to different stages of a participant’s NDIS journey:
Focus on Skill Development vs. Task Completion:
- Improved Daily Living is about building skills and independence over time. It provides your loved one with the tools and training to manage their daily tasks with greater autonomy in the future.
- Assistance With Daily Living focuses on providing immediate, ongoing support to complete everyday tasks that your loved one may not be able to manage independently.
Capacity Building vs. Core Supports:
- Improved Daily Living falls under Capacity Building Supports, which means that it’s targeted at long-term skill development.
- Assistance With Daily Living is part of Core Supports, which provides more immediate, flexible help for day-to-day activities.
Independence Goals:
- The goal of Improved Daily Living is to reduce your loved one’s reliance on support over time, as they develop skills to manage their daily activities on their own.
- The goal of Assistance With Daily Living is to provide ongoing help to participants who may always need a level of support to maintain their quality of life.
Care For Family Can Help
Understanding the difference between NDIS Improved Daily Living and Assistance With Daily Living NDIS will really help when planning your loved one’s care. Both types of support play a valuable role in helping them to lead fulfilling lives, but they serve different purposes and fit into different parts of an NDIS plan.
If your loved one needs help with daily tasks right now, Assistance With Daily Living may be the best fit. On the other hand, if they want to build skills for long-term independence, Improved Daily Living could offer the support they need.
Can you have both at the same time? Yes! As experienced NDIS providers in Sydney, Care For Family is here to help you navigate the NDIS and find the right supports for your loved one. We are experts in disability care, from day-to-day assistance to high-level care needs.
Contact us today for more information about how these supports can benefit your family, and get started with the best care, today.
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Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
1. What is the difference between “Improved Daily Living” and “Assistance With Daily Living”?
Assistance With Daily Living (Core Support) pays for someone to help you do a task right now (like cooking dinner). Improved Daily Living (Capacity Building) pays for professionals (like therapists) to teach you the skills to eventually do that task yourself.
2. Can I use my “Improved Daily Living” budget for a cleaner?
Generally, no. A cleaner falls under daily assistance. Improved Daily Living funding is for assessments, therapy, or training—services that build your capacity to manage your own life, rather than just getting the job done.
3. My loved one needs help showering every day. Which category does this fall under?
This would fall under Assistance With Daily Living. This category provides the funding for support workers to come into the home and assist with personal care routines physically.
4. Why would I need “Improved Daily Living” if I already have a carer?
Even with a carer, you may want to build your own independence. This funding allows you to access Occupational Therapists or other allied health professionals who can recommend equipment or techniques to help you do more on your own, potentially reducing your need for a carer in the future.
5. Can Care For Family help with both types of support?
Yes. Care For Family is experienced in navigating the NDIS and can provide the support workers needed for daily assistance, while also helping coordinate the specialised care required for building long-term skills.
