Want to know how to get NDIS support for dementia Gold Coast? Here’s a practical guide from Lotus, your trusted NDIS provider Gold Coast, to help you navigate the process with confidence.

How dementia fits into NDIS support for dementia Gold Coast?

When a person looking for dementia care NDIS, remember the focus is not just the diagnosis but how dementia affects daily life. The NDIS looks at the real challenges you face and how they limit independence. These things include: 

• Lifelong impact: The NDIS needs proof that dementia is permanent and ongoing. A specialist usually confirms it is a condition that gets worse over time and has no cure, showing that the challenges will last for life.
• Daily functional capacity: The heart of NDIS eligibility is understanding how dementia reduces daily functional capacity. These are some of the areas the NDIS looks at:
  • Self-care: Forgetting to shower, eating expired food or needing help choosing the right clothes.
  • Self-management: Trouble paying bills, following a schedule or making decisions.
  • Communication: Difficulty finding the right words and expressing needs.
  • Mobility: Struggles with balance, coordination or vision that may cause falls.
  • Learning: Difficulty learning new skills, like cooking a recipe or catching a bus.
  • Socialising: Struggling to keep up in conversations, which may lead to isolation.

When you meet an NDIS planner, it’s important to describe what life looks like on the hardest days. This helps ensure the right level of funding and support. They may also use rating tools, where more severe impacts can lead to greater support.

Common supports include assistance with showering, medication management tools like alarmed pill boxes, or therapies that build skills and confidence.

4 main kinds of support can dementia care NDIS fund

Support workers (core support)

• Daily tasks: This includes help with showering, dressing, preparing meals and managing medication. For example, one participant had a support worker come every morning for 2 hours to help her get up, shower, and dress.
• Community and social connection: Support workers can also help the person go out, like joining a group or simply going for coffee.

Home help (core support)

• Domestic tasks: Funding can cover cleaning, gardening or home maintenance.

• Safe living: Supports are designed to create a safe and secure environment, especially for those with memory challenges.

Psychosocial recovery (capacity building)

• Therapeutic services: The NDIS can fund professionals like occupational therapists, exercise physiologists or speech therapists to help maintain skills.

• Wellbeing and cognitive support: Activities like memory games, sensory exercises or looking at old photos can help keep the mind active and support emotional wellbeing.
• Respite: Short-term care for the person allows families and caregivers to take a break while ensuring expert support continues.

Coordination

• Support coordination: Think of this as the “plan manager.” They help find the right services and keep the plan running smoothly.
• Plan management: Like a treasurer, this service handles paying bills, keeping receipts, and making the plan easier to manage.

Practical steps for caregivers to access NDIS support for dementia Gold Coast

Lotus, your trusted NDIS provider Gold Coast is always ready to help families navigate the process and access the right support for dementia care.Here’s a practical guide for caregivers:

Check eligibility and gather documents

• The person must have been diagnosed with dementia before age 65.
• Evidence of disability
• Evidence of daily function: Document how dementia affects self-care, managing daily tasks, mobility, and socialising. Use simple language and clear examples.

Apply and set goals

• Start with an initial meeting with a local area coordinator 
• Set clear goals around independence and safety
• Request funding for a support coordinator and plan manager to help manage services and finances.

Prepare for the planning meeting

• Aim for a face-to-face meeting if possible.
• Bring a support person to help explain needs.
• Be honest about what the person can and cannot do.
• Answer questions based on the most challenging days, especially for tools like 

Use Gold Coast support services

• Once approved, engage local providers, like Lotus, for dementia care.
• Funded support can include daily care assistance, memory-focused activities like reminiscence therapy or sensory exercises, and respite care for families.

Seek extra help if needed

• Call the National Dementia Helpline (1800 100 500) for advice and support.
• Advocacy groups can attend meetings or help navigate the process.
• If NDIS eligibility is denied, decisions can be reviewed by the NDIA or appealed to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART).

Lotus is a registered NDIS provider Gold Coast. We are dedicated to supporting you with care and guidance whenever you need NDIS support for dementia Gold Coast. Contact us now!