It’s Important to Keep Active

activity focused support

There are many reasons to maintain an active lifestyle. This doesn’t mean you have to go and complete a marathon or workout for hours a day in the gym. Keeping active can be something as simple as getting out and about with friends for a walk on the beach, playing mini golf or even playing chess for mental stimulation.


Being active is an integral part of overall wellbeing. Being active can:

 – Help stamina and muscle strength

 – Reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression

 – Improve mood

 – Promote general feelings of wellbeing

 – Decrease the risk of or prevent secondary health conditions such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and obesity.


If you’re living with disability, exercise can have additional benefits in day-to-day life, such as:

 – Assisting with limiting or reducing muscle wastage due to difficulty with moving certain parts of the body

 – Improving any imbalance between overused and underused muscle groups

 – Improving balance problems caused by weak muscles, which can help with doing everyday movements

 – Helping to control joint swelling and pain

Training with a disability can be challenging. Below are some tips given by disabilitysupportguide.com.au :

 – Don’t focus on your lack of mobility or health issues. Instead of worrying about the activities you can’t do or enjoy, concentrate on        finding activities that you can enjoy and do.

 – Stop exercising if you experience any pain, discomfort, nausea, chest pain, or shortness of breath. Listening to your body is the best way to avoid injury.

 – Find someone to train with, as having a partner to train with or do an activity with can motivate you.

 – Be proud when you make the effort to exercise. Some days can be harder than others when it comes to getting the motivation to go to the gym.

 – Be creative. Depending on the type of disability you have, you may need to be creative in the type of exercises or activities that you do.

If you would like to have a chat about how Shine Disability Care can help you to achieve your goals, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We love to co-ordinate with our clients to ensure we are pursuing your personal goals and not offering a generic support plan.

NDIS – We want you to be heard

NDIS We Want To Hear From You

The Minister for NDIS Bill Shorten has come out stating that they are putting NDIS participants back in the driver seat and want to hear from participants in regards to their personal experiences and feedback. The Review submission process is based around co-design and is fully accessible so all people with disability can take part and have their say, including online, on the phone, via video or by writing in. The complete article can be found here

If you want to talk to us at Shine Disability Care to talk about how we can help you reach your goals or have a chat please feel free to contact us.

Gaining Confidence Through Personalised Support

disability confidence support

Disability Confidence Support Service

Achieving confidence is a journey, not a destination. You may have achieved some level of confidence at different points throughout your life. If you want to achieve true personal confidence, then you need to work towards it consistently over time. The best, most efficient way to achieve this is through Disability Confidence Support by Shine Disability Care.


Your confidence levels will fluctuate depending on many factors. How well you sleep, what you eat, how much exercise you get, whether you’re feeling stressed, and how you feel about yourself physically. If you’re constantly feeling low, then it’s likely you won’t experience any improvement in your confidence levels until you address these issues.


The team at Shine Disability Care has a vast amount of experience in confidence training from both personal growth & helping participants set goals.


Here are three things that you can do to improve your confidence levels in your own time:

a) Get enough rest. Sleep is the best way to recharge your body and mind after a long day. When you don’t get enough sleep, you’ll find that you’re less able to focus, make decisions, and perform tasks effectively.

b) Eat well. Eating a balanced diet full of nutritious foods will help you stay energized and focused throughout the day.

c) Exercise regularly. Regular physical activity helps to keep your body fit and strong, which means you’ll be able to deal with everyday stresses and challenges better.

disability confidence support

Once you’ve identified the root causes of your lack of confidence, you should try to change them. By doing this, you’ll be helping to create a positive mindset to build confidence and become happier.


Try These Actions to Gain Confidence

a) Spend time alone – Spending time alone gives you the opportunity to reflect on your thoughts and feelings without being distracted by others.

b) Listen to music – Music can help to calm your nerves and lift your mood.

c) Do something nice for someone else – Doing something kind for someone else will give you a sense of satisfaction and happiness.

d) Try yoga – Yoga is great for increasing flexibility and balance, both of which are important for maintaining good posture.

e) Read books – Reading is a great way to expand your knowledge base and learn new skills.

f) Take a break – Taking a break from stressful situations will allow you to relax and regain your composure.

disability confidence support

Gaining confidence isn’t always easy, but it’s nice when people make it easier. Shine Disability Care is helping people to gain confidence. The NDIS recognises that these support services are beneficial and they are continuing to be developed. The important thing to remember is that people with disabilities are not defined by their disability. They can have full, active and fulfilling lives that may include personalised support from Shine Disability Care.



If this is a support service that you think you can benefit from, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email, phone or our contact page.

DSA – Disability Sports Australia

support worker

When you think of disability sports, what comes to mind?

If you’re like most people, it’s probably something like wheelchair basketball or the Paralympics. But there are so many other sports that people with disabilities can participate in. These include achery, boccia, cycling (adapted and non-adapted), equestrian, fencing, goalball, judo, powerlifting, shooting, sitting volleyball and swimming to name just a few.

Disability Sports Australia is a national disability sport organisation that promotes the development of disabled people through sport, recreation and social activities. The organisation was founded in 1985 as the Australian Paralympic Committee before changing its name to Disability Sports Australia in 1990.

The organisation hosts the Australian Open Wheelchair Championships every year. This is one of the top wheelchair tennis tournaments in the world. It also holds other events like a beach volleyball tournament held on Bondi Beach.

Disability Sports Australia

They are dedicated to providing opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in sport. The DSA supports athletes who want to compete internationally by helping them train and compete at their best. It also provides support for young athletes aged between 12 and 18 through programs like “Young Achievers”. This encourages kids to get involved in activities that are fun but also build confidence and self-esteem.

D.S.A is an organisation that aims to empower people with disabilities through participation in sport. They provide information about different types of disability and how they affect participation in physical activity. Provide information about training programs available around Australia. They also encourage participation from all ages & help connect people with other clubs across Australia.

If you’re interested or know of someone who might be interested in this opportunity it would be a great idea to check out https://www.sports.org.au/ for more information on how to apply.

Sunshine Coast Disability Support

sunshine coast disability support

Shine Disability Care is a Sunshine Coast disability support agency that specializes in providing the highest quality of care and services to people living with disabilities. We are a well-established organization that has been around for many years, allowing us to create lasting relationships with our clients. Our team consists of experienced support workers who work one on one with individuals so they can provide them all the necessary care and services they need for their individual needs.


Hello!

Hi, I’m Chris. I’m a Shine Disability Care Director.

I help people of all ages, genders & disabilities live a life that they want. This is done through group activities, 1 on 1 in-home care, community access, sports and many more. Our services are available all over the Sunshine Coast from Beach to Bush.

Shine Disability Care is a well-established Sunshine Coast Disability Support Agency servicing the regions from Caloundra, Maroochydore, Nambour & Noosa. Our team is comprised of experienced disability support workers who work one on one with individuals to provide them all the necessary care and services needed for their individual needs. You can rely on us when it comes to disability support services! We have extensive experience providing support, you can trust that you can count on us to do everything we can to help you achieve what you set out to achieve.


Supporting People with Disabilities

There are a number of services available to help people with disabilities, which range from support care, group activities, yard maintenance and specialists through the NDIS. The NDIS is a new system here in QLD and is under 2 years old at the time of writing this. The NDIS is fantastic to allow people with a disability access help that they wouldn’t normally be able to afford themselves or receive through government funding.

You can apply to the NDIS via their website: www.ndis.gov.au or by calling 1800 800 110 or speaking to an organisation who can assist you such as ourselves here at Shine Disability Care.


We are here for you! If you or someone you know is living with a disability and needs support, do not hesitate to contact us and speak with our team. Having access to services that are designed specifically for people living with disabilities is paramount in helping them live their life as close to normal as possible.

2O21: The Year In Disability Reviewed

2021 NDIS disability year reviewed

As we complete the year of 2021, it is a good chance to reflect upon the year that was and think about the coming year. 2021 has repeatedly shown the power of a community that can stand together embracing diversity and change.

In July 2021, Advocates warned people with disability will die or end up in intensive care after it was revealed an unvaccinated resident of another disability care home had caught COVID-19. Figures from late June revealed only 5,000 Australians in disability care – fewer than one in five people – were fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Eighteen per cent of the Australian population – an estimated 4.4 million people – have disability.

While Australia’s governments share the age, gender and vaccination status of people who have died of COVID, they’re not in the practice of sharing whether people who have died had disability.

COVID-19 Government Statistics “Australia has abysmal rates of vaccinations of people with disability and it’s time the nation turned this around by finishing the job on the phase 1a and 1b vaccine rollouts to the disability community.”

Ten people in Australia have died with COVID-19 in New South Wales during the latest outbreak of the Delta variant, with one of these people having no pre-existing conditions.

Also in July, the Government was forced to abandon its controversial plan to introduce independent assessments to the national disability insurance scheme after it was rejected by state and territory ministers.

The Coalition had wanted to force 450,000 NDIS participants and new applicants to undergo an interview with a government-contracted allied health professional – rather than submitting reports from their own treating specialists and doctors.

Independent assessments were proposed to address what the government said were increasingly inconsistent decisions about package sizes and eligibility, but the disability community viewed them as a cost-cutting measure. Guardian Australia revealed in April that secret government documents showed the assessments would reduce package sizes for participants on average.

The government later changed tack, saying the assessments were needed to address what it claimed was the scheme’s unsustainable growth trajectory.

The assessments were part of a broader overhaul of the scheme, which the government hoped would include a change to the “reasonable and necessary” test which determines what support a person can receive and a specific ban of certain goods and services considered “ordinary living expenses”.

The disability community says trust in the federal government has been “destroyed” by scrapped controversial plans for independent assessments for participants of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Concerns had been raised about a lack of genuine government consultation and transparency, the ‘one-size-fits-all’ model being culturally inappropriate, and the reforms undermining the principles of choice and control that the NDIS was built on.

Between July and November 2021 the AAT received 2,503 NDIS appeals, compared with 590 for the same five-month period in 2020.

This represents a 324% increase and means there have been more appeals lodged in the first five months of this financial year than all of 2020-21 (2,091 appeals). In the past year, most NDIS Participants have had their funding packages drastically cut, some package have been reduced to the point where carers have been forced to give up their job to care for their family member, or participants who require 24 hour nursing care have been forced to move from their own homes to nursing homes, or are “living” in hospitals.

Disability advocates – who are funded to help people challenge NDIA decisions – have reported a deluge of requests for help from “terrified” NDIS participants.

While people with disabilities are attending their NDIS appeals without any legal representation, the NDIA uses up to three lawyers to represent it in one tribunal hearing. he low number of people with disabilities with legal representation for their NDIS appeals comes as it was revealed in Senate Estimates last week that the NDIA spent $13.4 million in AAT legal fees in 2019-20 and was frequently represented by Minter Ellison, an Australian top-tier law firm.

Without settlement offers from the NDIA’s lawyers, people with disabilities can go several months without funding for services they need. Concerns have been raised with the lack of transparency around out of tribunal settlement cases. Disability legal advocates have requested the NDIA publish de-identified accounts of tribunal settlements to promote transparency.

It’s time for a commitment to inclusive policy making and processes that put people with disabilities at the heart of the conversation, to ensure equal access to disability services for all Australians.

As well as giving people with disabilities a seat at the table to inform decision-making processes, it is necessary we rethink how we care for our communities and put efforts toward significant reforms to the NDIS.

The disability community deserves a commitment from the government to live up to their promises and build a system that enables equal access to disability services for all Australians.

Let’s hope that 2022 will be a far better year for the disability sector than 2021, otherwise I hold grave fears for the future of all Australians with Disabilities.

Changing NDIS Service Providers

changing ndis service providers

Changing NDIS Service Providers

Shine Disability Care has recently been receiving many calls about wehther they can change to our NDIS services. Most people do not know where to start, although they know that they are not happy with their current service provider and would like to consider others. We would like to share the key points of this process with you.

Your Rights When Changing Providers

Firstly, it is important for you to know that as an NDIS participant (or the nominee of a participant), you have numerous rights as the client of a service provider. One of these is that it is your right to change NDIS service providers at any time.

How Do I Change Providers?

To change a service provider, the first thing you need to do is to end the service agreement with your current service provider. This must occur before you can change to a new service provider. It is advisable to end this agreement in writing, such as in an email, so that there is a written record of the date you requested it. In some cases, people have contacted us and indicated that there is no service agreement with their current provider. This is disappointing, because it is a requirement of being an NDIS-registered provider that there is a service agreement. It is also advisable to have a service agreement even if you are managing the funds yourself, or you are accessing the services of a plan manager. A service agreement is very important in protecting your rights, especially in situations such as changing service providers. If there is no service agreement is it still advisable to formally end the verbal agreement that you have with that service provider.

You should also check the terms and conditions of any service agreement you have with the provider. In some cases, the termination of the agreement will be effective immediately. In other cases, the service provider may include a statement that termination becomes effective after a period of time (e.g. two weeks) from the date that you notify them that you wish to end the agreement. When you are requesting that a service agreement cease, it is also helpful if you can request an acknowledgement of your request in writing.


Top Tips For Changing Providers

  • Have a written service agreement with your services providers.
  • Understand the termination times in your service agreements.
  • Request in writing to end your service agreement with the current service provider.
  • Request an acknowlegement of your request in writing.
  • For Agency managed funds, check the MyPlace Portal after 14 days to see if the service booking has been cancelled.
  • If the service booking has not been cancelled, call the NDIA and ask the NDIA to end the serivce booking.
  • Only disclose why you wish to change the service providers if you choose to.


    Agency Mananged Participants

    If the NDIS funding is agency managed, there is another critical step that must occur. The former service provider must end their service booking on the MyPlace portal, so ensure that you also request this of them. A service booking can only end a minimum 14 days after the date that the service provider makes a request in the MyPlace portal (so that the service provider has time to make claims for any outstanding services that have been provided). Therefore, the request by the service provider to end the service booking must been completed as soon as practicable. If it is not, your new service provider cannot create their own service booking. Some service providers do not ensure that they end service bookings when requested, and on several occasions we have had to call the NDIA and request that the NDIA end the service booking.

    The transition between service providers can be smooth if all these steps are followed. Please note that you are not required to disclose to the former service provider why you wish to change service providers. It is entirely up to you if you choose to disclose your reasons for changing NDIS service providers.

    If you’re not happy with your current situation feel free to reach out annomously to Shine Disability Care via email or on our contact page

  • NDIS Funding and How It Can Help You

    ndis funding

    Types of support budgets

    Every person living with a disability has different needs. Your NDIS funding is there to provide you with the supports you need for your disability and help you work towards your goals.


    Your funding is based on what is ‘reasonable’ and ‘necessary’ to pursue your goals, in addition to the support provided by family, friends, and other community and government services.

    There are three types of support budgets that may be funded in your NDIS plan.


    Core supports budget

    Your Core budget is the most flexible, and includes four categories of support:


  • Consumables (e.g. purchasing everyday use items such as continence aids)
  • Daily Activities (e.g. assistance with self-care activities during the day or evening)
  • Assistance with Social and Community Participation (e.g. supports to enable you to engage in social or recreational activities)
  • Transport (e.g. if you are unable to use public transport because of your disability).


    The good news is you can generally use Core budget funds allocated against one support category to purchase supports under another support category unless funds have been set aside for a specific purpose such as periodic payments for transport, or any Core budget line item type that is:


  • Compensation
  • Specialised Disability Accommodation i.e. accommodation for participants who require specialist housing solutions due to significant functional impairment and/or very high support needs.
  • In-kind e.g. Government pre-paid supports such as school transport or some therapy supports.
  • Stated item (including Quotes for certain items) e.g. assistance in a shared living arrangement.


    In these cases the funds within a category must only be used for that specific purpose. For details about your Core supports please refer to your NDIS plan.

    Capacity Building budget
    The Capacity Building funding is allocated across eight support sub-categories, each matched with the goals in your plan. You can choose how to spend these funds to purchase any approved individual support within its category, but won’t be able to move funding from one category to another.


    The Capacity Building support categories include:

  • Choice and Control e.g. training in planning and plan management.
  • Daily Activity e.g. therapy aimed at building your capacity to participate.
  • Employment e.g. employment related assessment and counselling.
  • Home Living e.g. support to obtain/retain appropriate accommodation.
  • Lifelong Learning e.g. assistance moving from school to further education.
  • Relationships e.g. positive behavioural support strategies to reduce behaviours of concern.
  • Social and Community Participation e.g. Individual life skills development and training including public transport training and support, developing skills for community, social and recreational participation.


    Support Coordination (if required) is included in the Capacity Building budget. This is a fixed amount for strengthening participant’s abilities to coordinate and implement supports in their plans and to participate more fully in the community.


    Capital Support budget

    The Capital Support budget relates to supports such as assistive technology or modifications to your home and as such depends on quotes from suppliers. Funds within this budget can only be used for their specific purpose (e.g. a rail in the bathroom or a wheelchair) and cannot be used to fund other items.


    The Capital Support budget has two support categories:


  • Assistive Technology – includes equipment items for mobility, personal care, communication and recreational inclusion (e.g. wheelchairs or vehicle modifications)
  • Home Modifications (e.g. rail in the bathroom).


    Starting your plan

    The NDIS can work with you to put your plan into action, and depending on your situation there are a range of people who can help you implement your plan and support you to start receiving supports.

    These would have been discussed with you during your planning process and may be a Local Area Coordinator or an ECEI Coordinator. Some people may also have a Support Coordinator funded in their plan to help them get started.

    Aside from getting funding you should also look at how to maximize it so that you know what to do when the time comes.

    You can start your plan by yourself if you are self-managed.

    Further information can be found on the NDIS’s website

  • Why you should have supports delivered by an NDIS Registered Provider

    ndis registered providers

    Did you know that there are registered and unregistered support providers? Have you ever wondered what the benefits of having services delivered by a registered provider are? Shine Disability Care is a NDIS Registered Provider and below we have listed our top reasons why you’d be better off with us?

    Auditing Process

    Registered Providers go through an extensive auditing process done by third party companies to ensure that they follow the NDIS best practices and guidelines that are proportionate to the size and scale of their companies. This means that you can be assured that NDIS policy and procedures are being followed and that the company you’re dealing with have qualified support workers and the correct insurances for your protection.

    The NDIS was created so that participants have support to reach their goals and be included in the community. NDIS Registered Providers have the tools to implement plans that assist you to reach these goals and personnel that can modify or adapt a plan if your goals change. By having support services completed by an unregistered provider from we have seen the sessions turn into more of a baby sitting service rather than an interactive session that is purely focused on your goals.

    Miss Conceptions of NDIS Registered Providers

    Some people believe that registered providers lose the personal service that you get from an unregistered provider or support worker. With Shine Disability Care you get the best of both worlds. We spend our time to find you a support worker within our team that will most suit you and we don’t keep swapping support staff around. We know that you and other participants want to have structure and have someone you can build a working relationship with. This is what separates Shine Disability Care from the large NDIS companies that are out there.

    If you would like more information about Shine Disability Care and the services, we provide please don’t hesitate to contact us.

    How to get the most from your NDIS Plan

    ndis-price-guide
    When thinking about the NDIS, the most important thing to remember is it was created to assist you and is all about you. We talk to people all the time that state that their plan doesn’t cover the cost for the full assistance they require.

    There are a few important things to consider for you to get the most from your plan. These are the things we value as the most important:

    Know how the NDIS works and know the different terminology used
    We all know that understanding government funded schemes can be complicated to understand, however it’s important that you do your best to understand how it works so that you know how to get the funds that you’re entitled to. If you are unsure or need assistance then there is plenty of support out there for you:

  • You can ask questions for free on Facebook via the many Facebook groups that have been created for NDIS participants, NDIS family supports and NDIS plan managers.
  • You can contact NDIS plan managers directly and see if they will answer some questions for you or alternatively pay for the services of a Plan Manager as they are specialised in getting the most from your plan.

    Learn and keep a copy of the NDIS Price Guide
    The NDIS price guide is easily accessible from the NDIS website directly or through our website at NDIS Pricing 2020/21. Knowing the price of services empowers you to calculate what funds you may require considering your own personal needs.

    Create a list of goals that you want to achieve
    Making the time to sit and create a list of goals you want to achieve will also help you calculate the funds needed to achieve these goals. The important thing to remember here is, this is why the NDIS was created in the first place. That is help you reach your goals and help you integrate into the community.

    Be prepared for your plan meeting
    You need to ensure that you have all the information you may need for your plan meeting. It is better to be overprepared the underprepared. The type of information that will assist you here would consist of:

  • Medical reports: this would be reports from your GP, specialists, therapy workers and any support reports you have access to.
  • Potential supports and support providers that you have been researching.
  • Your list of goals you have created and costings spreadsheets that show how the funding you require will assist you and are necessary for you to achieve your goals.

    These are just a few important things that we feel will be relevant and help you get the most from your NDIS funding. If you do require assistance or any support services, please don’t hesitate to contact the friendly team at Shine Disability Care