Daily Living Skills are skills you use in your everyday life. They are activities in your home, at school, work or in the community. Things like cooking, cleaning, using money, exercising or getting around are considered Daily Living Skills.
Interchange can support you with your Daily Living Skills. We can help you to do tasks on your own, or with our assistance when needed, so you can live a happy and fulfilling life – a life you choose.
A goal, I am working towards is, being able to feel independent enough, to live with one other person of my choice. My Support Workers are helping me to achive this goal by assisting me with food shopping trips and helping me make dinner. Charlotte, Osborne Park Neighbourhood
Daily Living Skills Interchange can help me with
Your Health
Your Health is important to us. Living a healthy lifestyle with exercise, good nutrition, and personal hygiene can make you feel better and ensures quality of life. We can support you with managing your health, accompany you to your medical appointments and help you to stay fit and healthy. Our employees have the training and confidence to help you with all your medication needs and follow best practice around prompting and administration of medication.
Your Personal Care
Personal appearance and hygiene can help boost your confidence and give you a sense of personal pride. Healthy personal hygiene is all about daily habits. Things such as showering, brushing teeth, using deodorant, getting dressed and combing hair, can make you feel happier, healthier and more confident. Your Support Staff can help you with your daily grooming and self-care.
Your Shopping
Shopping is a great way to interact with your community, further your social skills and grow your independence. It also teaches you important life skills such as money handling or budgeting. Your Support Worker can work with you to plan your shopping lists and budgets, accompany you to the shops and help you get the things you need for your day-to-day life.
Your Money and Budgeting
Learning how to manage your own money is very important for your financial independence. We can support you with setting up and navigating your bank account and services. We can also assist you with effective budgeting and money planning to enhance your financial security.
Your Nutrition
A healthy diet has many benefits. Eating healthy foods creates more energy, helps maintain a healthy weight and prevents the risk of illness later in life. But preparing a healthy meal isn’t always easy! We can support you with research, diet planning, cooking, and eating healthy foods.
Your Home
Do you have some chores at home? Let’s get them done together! Cleaning and maintaining your home can be hard work but our Support Workers are there to give you a hand. Washing, ironing, cleaning or gardening are some of the life skills we can help you to build. We can also provide support to run your home by making sure bills are paid on time, and helping you with home maintenance.
Your Transport
Knowing your way around nurtures your independence and gives you more opportunities for work or recreational activities. We help you to get familiar with different transport options so you can go wherever you feel like, whenever you feel like.
Your Hobbies
Hobbies are a huge part of a fulfilled lifestyle and something you might want to take up. Maybe you love fishing, playing board games, painting or enjoy spending time at the beach. Hobbies can also be a great way to meet other people and make friends while doing something you love. Let us know what you are passionate about and we can do it together.
Your Community
Many of us like to spend time in our local communities. Whether we’re shopping, playing sport or just going for a walk, participating in the community shapes the way we live our life. As an active and engaged member of your local community you can develop connections, skills and a sense of belonging. Our Support Workers take your lead. They can assist one to one, take you to join others as part of a larger group or help you to pursue your passions in shared interest or hobby groups with like-minded people.
Your Relationships
Relationships come in all shapes and forms – from friends, family, support workers, carers and other members of the community. Without meaningful relationships, life can be lonely so building up skills that help you connect to others are important. We can support you with your social interactions, communication and forming those vital meaningful relationships with the people you care about.
Your Exercise
Everyone has a different level of ability when it comes to exercise, so you don’t need to get up and run a marathon tomorrow. Daily exercise can start with something as simple as a walk to the shops, the local train station or just a few arm raises. Or perhaps you feel like joining a gym instead? Together with your Support Worker you can find out what amount of exercise is right for you to help boost energy levels, improve your wellbeing and stay fit and healthy.
I recently started a new hobby – bike riding. I enjoy being outside exercising but it also teaches me about road rules and safety.
How are Daily Living Skills funded?
Daily Living Skills are funded under one of the following in your NDIS plan.
Can Interchange support me in my home?
We sure can! Our Support Workers can come to your home to help you out with your daily tasks. They can also support you to go out and about and connect with your local community. We can provide support to you from several hours per week to several hours per day. It’s great to check first what supports your NDIS Plan includes. If you need help contact us and we are happy to walk you through it.
Can Interchange help me to become more independent?
Most definitely. One of our organisational core values is empowerment. We want to support you in living the life you choose with as little or as much help as you want. Together we can create a support plan and work out what you want to achieve and make it happen.
Stories of Interchange – Meet Sharon
Since Sharon never lived by herself before and didn’t really know how to take care of herself it was important to introduce her to daily life skills to further her independence and confidence. She is now responsible for her own budgeting, shopping, cooking and maintaining her home with little guidance from us. – Support Worker, Interchange
Sharon is a young Aboriginal woman in her mid 20’s. Sharon had a troubled youth and was incarcerated in 2017 for two years. On release, Interchange were asked to support Sharon to move into her own home with a 24/7 support team.
At first, Sharon had difficulties coping. The young woman had never lived alone and didn’t know how to take care of herself. Her Support Team slowly introduced her to daily living skills to further her independence and confidence. She is now responsible for her own budgeting, shopping, cooking and maintaining her home with little guidance from her Support Workers.
When first released, Sharon was housebound, but with the encouragement of her team, she started to visit Kings Park where she feels a strong connection to her Aboriginal heritage. Since then, Sharon has also discovered she has a talent for painting. Combining these new-found passions, she now enjoys working on her incredible artworks surrounded by native flora and cultural significance.
Reconnecting with herself and the land has been a wonderful part of Sharon’s journey, but reconnecting with her family was another goal that Sharon wanted to achieve in order to heal old wounds. Supported by her team, Sharon is now in regular contact with her mum and brother, and her grandmother, Cellia.
Sharon supported the nomination of her team for the 2020 HESTA Awards in the category Team Excellence – Disability Services. The team were amongst the winners of the prestigious award, being recognised for their significant contribution to the lives of people living with disability.
I just want to thank my team for everything they have done. They take me seriously and listen to me and what I want. They’ve helped me change myself and my life. I couldn’t have done it without them.’ – Sharon, Interchange Customer
Find out more about Sharon and the Team HERE
To find out more about how we can support you in your day-to-day life, please Contact Us at enquiry@interchangewa.org.au and we will be in touch shortly.