Simply put, functional capacity is the ability to carry out tasks in a variety of everyday situations. A person’s functional capacity is highly individualised and dependent on many factors. Some people experience difficulties with carrying out tasks (reduced functional capacity) and others may be unable to effectively participate in or complete a task (substantially reduced functional capacity). Occupational therapists are experts in activity analysis and assessing functional performance in everyday activities (occupations).

A typical occupational therapy functional capacity assessment can take between 1.5 to 2.5 hours over one or more sessions depending on the complexity of your situation.

A Functional Capacity Assessment can assist with ensuring you have the right level of support and funding to meet your needs and achieve your goals. We skilfully select from a range of standardised and non-standardised assessments to identify what you find challenging or difficult in in the areas of communication, social interaction, learning, mobility, self-care and self-management.

At the completion of the assessment, we provide you with a professional report detailing our observations and recommendations, including practical strategies to enable you to develop your abilities towards increased independence. NDIS refer to this this as building capacity. Upon request, we can offer further occupational therapy to assist you to progress your identified goals.

Supported independent living (SIL) is for people with higher support needs, who need some level of help at home all the time. This means you need a significant amount of help throughout the day, 7 days a week, including overnight support.  It includes help or supervision with daily tasks, like personal care or cooking meals. It helps you live as independently as possible, while building your skills.

Specialist Disability Accommodation(SDA) is a range of housing designed for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. SDA dwellings have accessible features to help you live more independently and allow other supports to be delivered better or more safely.

Participants eligible for SDA:

• have an extreme functional impairment or very high support needs
• meet the specialist disability accommodation needs requirement and the NDIS funding criteria

Our SDA and SIL Assessments thoroughly document all aspects of a person’s specific and unique requirements. SDA and SIL is available through the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme). A comprehensive report can help clarify the requirements and strengthen the application process for this specialist type of housing and supports.