Q&A Info Session // How to support a loved one through the NDIS // Mon 14- Fri 18 Aug

[NikNik]

Welcome to this month's Q&A Info session!

We are so grateful to be joined by @Former-Member from Mental Illness Fellowship Queensland (MIFQ) who will be answering you NDIS related questions from Monday 14 - Friday 18 August. 

If you're caring for a person with complex mental illness, then this is the place you can find out more about how you can support them through this access process.

Also, if you have experience with the process, please jump in and let us know your experiences so you can support others who are in the same boat.

So please post your questions or experiences below!

[Mazarita]

Hi @NikNik, I would like to follow this and probably just read. So just posting so I get notifications. Kind wishes to all who have experience of this process.

[NikNik]

Hi @Mazarita
So sorry - I was a week ahead of myself. We are kicking off next Monday.
Will keep you posted 🙂

[Former-Member]

Hi everyone, 

 ooking forward to spending time with you all this week again.  In general the week is about the access process.

There is also a brand new website about mental health and the NDIS - Funded by the NDIS and procduced by the Mental Health Coordinating Council (MHCC). It is so great. 

Step 3 and 4 on the reimagine today website show some great information on thes access and application process.

https://reimagine.today/step-3/am-i-eligible/

https://reimagine.today/step-4/how-do-i-submit-an-application/

There are a few videos and some really great case studies too, or you can go back and have a look at information about what the NDIS is and what it means for people living with mental illness.

I really love this website because they use great language because it was made fore people living with mental illness by those with lived experience themselves.

Please don't hesitate to ask any NDIS question, or if you or someone you care for has a plan and want to support others here with some positive advice go for it!

Just tagging you @Mazarita as you wanted to follow. Cheers, 

[patientpatient]

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@NikNik wrote:

If you're caring for a person with complex mental illness, then this is the place you can find out more about how you can support them through this access process.

Hi, I've looked at the information provided and it's the meaning of the word "complex" that could rule out any NDIS assistance in our case. What do you mean by complex mental illness and at what point does a mental illness become complex enough for NDIS assistance? How does Schizophrenia and other mental illnesses fit into the NDIS? What specific assistance is available for those with the illness and their carers?

[Kateeg84]

Hello and thank you for doing this thread. I know a little about the ndis and the mental health side of things as I started a Facebook group for consumers alone. I can tell you I myself have experienced a lot of difficulties with the application process as whole. The main concern that I myself and many others is the requested information that the ndis ask for. Many of us including myself can be asked to request further information more then once from more than one professional and even after all that get denied access. What I would like to know is if there is something definite a report or assessment from a particular professional that will be accepted by the ndis. If we know exactly what we need to apply from the very beginning then that would make things far less confusing

[Dave1977]

Hi there,

I'm really interested in following this thread/discussion and look forward to joining in.

As far as complex mental illness, my understanding is that the requirement is not about the complexity, but more about how disabling the illness is.

The assistance available is geared almost entirely towards the person with the illness and not for the carer(s), and is centered around the different domains in a person's life. Day to day living, social connections, physical needs, rehabilitation, capacity building, etc.

Hope this is a little helpful and look forward to being part of the discussion this week.

Dave

[Dave1977]

More from a previous post:

So the main thing is that you can apply for supports:

CORE – A support that enables a participant to complete activities of daily living and enables them to work towards their goals and meet their objectives.
CAPITAL – An investment, such as assistive technologies, equipment and home or vehicle modifications, funding for capital costs (e.g. to pay for Specialist Disability Accommodation).
CAPACITY BUILDING - A support that enables a participant to build their independence and skills

[Former-Member]

@Former-Member
Can you give us practical items that would be considered CORE, CAPITAL or CAPACITY BUILDING.
Darcy

[kristin]

I'm very sorry to hear about that @Kateeg84, I thought you and others might find this article of interest:
"Clarity Needed on NDIS Mental Health Care" you can google the title - it's an AAP release so apparently all the media have run it.

Incidentally I found this article on a group page which has both folk with lived experience and service providers in  it - there were several serivice rpoviders/MH workers commenting that they didn't think the acceptance rate for MH was as high as the NDIA has quoted (in their experience). So for what it's worth we aren't alone in this, and hopefully the state and federal govts are now on notice to fix this schmozzle!

Kind regards, Kristin