NDIS Personal Care Support — at no cost

What's included in NDIS personal care?

NDIS personal care covers the everyday help a person needs to look after themselves at home. In practice that usually means support with showering or bathing, dressing and undressing, grooming tasks such as hair, shaving and oral care, toileting and continence support, and help moving safely in and out of bed, a chair or a shower.

How much help is needed varies widely. Some people need a worker present for a whole morning routine; others only need prompting, supervision or a hand with one or two steps. Support can be a short visit at the start and end of the day, several visits, or assistance spread across the day where routines take longer.

Because the work is personal, the match between the participant and the worker matters as much as the tasks themselves. Preferences about the gender of the worker, language, cultural background and consistent staffing are all reasonable to raise when you enquire. Personal care often sits alongside other daily help, so many people look at support workers at the same time.

• Showering
• Dressing
• Grooming
• Toileting
• Continence support

What is NDIS assistance with self-care?

Assistance with self-care is the phrase used in many NDIS plans for the everyday help people describe more plainly as personal care. It covers the same ground: showering or bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting and continence support, and help moving safely in and out of bed or a chair.

The level of help varies enormously from person to person. Some people need a worker present for the whole routine; others need prompting, supervision or a hand with one or two steps. It can be a short morning and evening visit, or support spread across the day.

Because it is such personal work, the fit between the participant and the worker matters as much as the tasks themselves. Preferences about the gender of the worker, language, cultural background and consistency of staffing are all reasonable things to raise. Where self-care support sits alongside other daily help, people often look at support workers at the same time.