Building capacity focuses on enhancing the skills and abilities a person needs to perform daily tasks with greater confidence and independence.

For example, if your client is having trouble with their strength and balance, you could encourage them to try chair yoga. The benefits of chair yoga and tips for getting started can be found on the LiveUp website.

Modifying the task involves adjusting how it is performed to make it easier, safer, or more effective for a person to complete.

Modifying the environment involves changing a person’s surroundings to make it easier for them to perform daily tasks.

Providing information involves offering relevant details and guidance about available services, resources, and support options that can enhance a person’s ability to care for themselves at home.

For example, you could encourage them to take LiveUp’s free healthy ageing quiz for personalised advice on how to live a full and independent life for longer.

Consider these factors or suggestions before recommending any of these items for use:

These suggestions are not a substitute for professional assessment and advice. Your clients will likely need an occupational therapy or physiotherapy review if they present with:

·  Significant mobility concerns and risk for falling
·  Chronic pain conditions, such as arthritis
·  Other medical conditions impacting their ability to perform daily activities

However, these items and reablement opportunities can be helpful for clients with mild difficulties or those who are waiting for an allied health assessment.

·  When considering items such as wall-mounted or free-standing drying racks, think about the indoor and outdoor space available. Is there enough room to walk safely around a wall-mounted rack? Is there a protected location for a free-standing rack so it won’t get blown over by the wind? Asking yourself these types of questions will help ensure that any AT you recommend will be ideal for your clients and their unique circumstances.

·  With regards to garment steamers, they can still be heavy and require a sustained hold on the trigger during use. They should be used with caution by people who have joint pain in their hands.

·  Be mindful that laundry can be a sensitive topic for some people, especially for those experiencing incontinence. Acknowledging their sensitivity could help them feel more comfortable in exploring assistive devices and other reablement strategies.

Consider incorporating these reablement approaches to complement the use of AT and enhance your clients’ abilities:

·  Consider referring your client to a physiotherapist if they are experiencing poor balance or significant weakness in their upper and lower limbs. They could benefit from a targeted strength and balance programme.

·  Consider referring your client to an occupational therapist if they are having difficulty with daily tasks due to fatigue or a decline in their functional abilities. OTs can help people gradually improve their skills by starting with simple tasks and progressing to more complex ones as their confidence grows. OTs can also provide tips on using energy more efficiently.

·  Support your clients to participate in everyday activities and exercise programs that can help keep them and their hands healthy. The benefits of exercise and tips for keeping hands healthy can be explored at LiveUp.

·  Encourage your clients to perform any laundry tasks that they are still able to.  Actively participating in meaningful activities is vital for a person’s overall well-being, as it helps them meet their basic needs, stay mobile, and make decisions for themselves.  

·  Identify tasks that your clients could do with your support or supervision. Your presence might encourage them to challenge themselves.

People experiencing difficulty with pegs could benefit from the following changes to essential laundry tasks:

·  Only use pegs when necessary. Indoor drying racks don’t typically require pegs, as there’s no wind to blow the garments away.

·  Where possible, hang garments on clothes hangers instead of using pegs.

People having difficulty managing fatigue could benefit from the following changes to essential laundry tasks:

·  Do small loads of laundry regularly instead of one big load every so often.

·  Prioritise items for ironing and tackle small amounts at a time.

·  Dry clothes on coat hangers to reduce wrinkling and the need to iron.

·  Use a laundry trolley to transport items that need to be moved throughout the house or garden.

·  If using an electric clothes dryer, hang the clothes immediately after the cycle to minimise creases and the need to iron.

·  Stop tasks and rest before experiencing feelings of tiredness.

To continue performing essential laundry tasks independently, your clients could benefit from the following changes to their environment:

·  Inspect outdoor paths and gardens for any damage and other trip hazards. If you find any issues, refer them to your coordinator for maintenance.

·  If your client’s home requires modifications, refer them to an occupational therapist for assessment and recommendations.

·  Mount drying racks at a height the client can reach.

If your client is having difficulty with these tasks because of an ongoing condition like arthritis or Parkinson’s disease, advise your coordinator. Your client may benefit from a referral to a specialist organisation that can offer more tailored resources and assistance, such as the Arthritis Foundation.

The MCFS guide is designed to help older adults find and choose simple assistive devices for all areas of life. It includes suggested devices available from well-known retailers and reliable online stores, as well as useful tips and advice from occupational therapists.

The Assistive Technology (AT) Essentials Guide introduces the benefits of AT and the role it plays as part of a wellness and reablement service delivery approach. The guide aims to build awareness and product knowledge for home care providers and can be accessed as an eBook or downloaded as a PDF.

Reablement Essentials are practical guides researched and curated by our Sector Support and Development team. These guides can help you better understand key wellness and reablement concepts, communicate their value to your clients, and ultimately empower your clients to pursue happier, healthier, and more independent lives.

LiveUp is an online healthy ageing guide that offers free personalised suggestions for healthy ageing. Users can take the LiveUp quick quiz to find advice, local activities, and assistive devices tailored to their needs, so they can age their own way.

NED is Australia’s largest online database of assistive technology (AT). It serves as a comprehensive resource for people, carers, and allied health professionals to find, compare, and purchase AT, helping people with disabilities or mobility issues to live more independently.