Home & Living · Northern Melbourne
Home & Living Occupational Therapy Assessments in Northern Melbourne
AnnOT provides functional assessment and clinical reasoning to help understand what support a person may require to live safely, sustainably and as independently as possible.
Where relevant to the referral, assessment may consider current living arrangements, daily support needs, informal and paid supports, environmental factors and evidence relating to Home & Living decisions, including SIL or SDA-related questions.
Understanding daily support needs
What can a Home & Living assessment explore?
The purpose is not to choose a housing model for someone. It is to understand how the person's functional abilities, risks, environment and support needs affect everyday living, and to provide clear clinical evidence relevant to the referral question.
Assessment is individualised. The information considered depends on the person's goals, current supports, living situation and the specific decision that needs evidence.
Areas may include
- ✓ Personal care and daily routines
- ✓ Meal preparation, domestic tasks and household management
- ✓ Medication routines, appointments and self-management
- ✓ Mobility, transfers, access and use of the home
- ✓ Cognition, communication, decision-making and safety
- ✓ Overnight needs, supervision and assistance
- ✓ Current informal and paid supports
- ✓ Environmental barriers and assistive technology
- ✓ Goals for greater independence and participation
SIL and SDA
Different questions require different evidence
Supported Independent Living and Specialist Disability Accommodation are not the same thing.
Supported Independent Living (SIL)
SIL relates to support from workers in the home. An OT assessment may help describe the person's day-to-day functional support needs, level of assistance or supervision, risks, opportunities for capacity building and how supports may be organised around the person's functional needs.
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)
SDA is specialised housing, not the support workers who provide daily assistance. Where relevant, OT assessment may consider how a person's functional impairment and environmental needs relate to housing accessibility, safety and the suitability of a proposed living environment.
AnnOT does not determine NDIS eligibility or funding. Final funding decisions are made by the NDIA.
Assessment process
How the AnnOT process works
Referral review
Clarify the decision or evidence required.
Background information
Review relevant reports, supports and living history.
Functional assessment
Assess daily activities, risks, support needs and environment.
Clinical analysis
Consider practical support options and functional evidence.
Report
Provide agreed documentation and recommendations.
For Support Coordinators and referrers
Clarify the referral question before assessment starts
Home & Living reports are most useful when the clinical question is clear. Referrers are welcome to call Anju before submitting a referral to discuss what evidence is being requested and whether AnnOT is a suitable fit.
Helpful information may include
- • Current living arrangement and household
- • Existing formal and informal supports
- • Current NDIS goals and relevant plan information
- • Recent clinical reports or risk information
- • What has changed or why new evidence is needed
- • The specific Home & Living question to address
Local community practice
Home & Living assessments across Northern Melbourne
In-person appointments are available across selected northern, north-eastern and north-western Melbourne areas. Availability depends on the person's location, the service required and current travel capacity.
Nearby areas including Yan Yean, Yarrambat and Plenty may also be considered. Telehealth may be available more broadly where the service is suitable for online delivery.
Frequently asked questions