Functional Assessment OT for Home and Daily Living: What It Involves and Who It Suits
Not every functional assessment completed by an OT is for an NDIS plan review. Many assessments are completed for participants who are already on plan and their focus is on working toward independence goals in their home, workplace or community. This type of OT session for a functional assessment is less about evidence for the NDIA and more about understanding the specific environments, routines and daily tasks that shape a participant's life, and then designing practical support around them.
This blog explains what home and daily living functional assessment OT involves, who it suits, and how it fits alongside other OT and allied health work.
What a Home and Daily Living Functional Assessment Involves
A home and daily living functional assessment by an occupational therapist looks at how a participant is actually living: what they can do independently, what they struggle with, what supports are already in place, and what would make daily life more accessible and safer.
A typical assessment covers:
- A tour of the participant's home to understand the physical environment, including bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and access to community.
- Observation of daily routines such as morning wake-up, mealtimes, self-care and evening routines.
- Assessment of specific tasks the participant wants to complete more independently, whether that is cooking a meal, using public transport or managing medication.
- Consideration of the participant's sensory profile, cognitive function and communication needs as they affect daily activity.
- Conversation with family, support workers and any other regular supporters about what is working and what is not.
- Written recommendations that connect specific supports, equipment, environmental changes or skill-building goals to the participant's daily life.
How This Is Different From a Functional Capacity Assessment
A home and daily living functional assessment is not the same as an NDIS Functional Capacity Assessment used for plan review submissions. The two overlap in method but serve different purposes. Both are valuable, they just answer different questions.
A Functional Capacity Assessment produces evidence for the NDIA about a participant's overall functional capacity across life domains. It is structured to answer the NDIA's questions about funding.
A home and daily living functional assessment is designed to guide clinical support work. Its audience is the participant, family, support workers and clinical team. Its purpose is to make daily life work better, not to justify a plan.
Who Home and Daily Living Assessments Suit
A home and daily living functional assessment particularly suits:
- NDIS participants working on daily independence goals in their existing plan.
- Adults moving into independent or supported independent living for the first time.
- Participants where behaviours of concern intersect with daily routines and the environment.
- Older adults ageing at home whose function is gradually changing.
- Post-hospital or post-surgical clients returning to daily life.
- Families supporting a participant whose daily routine is becoming unsustainable without additional support.
How It Fits Alongside Other Allied Health
A home and daily living functional assessment often connects to other allied health input. Where behaviours of concern are part of the daily picture, Positive Behaviour Support strategies can be built into the environment and routines identified in the assessment. Where physical function or mobility affects daily activity, physiotherapy input strengthens the plan. Where anxiety or mental health is a factor, psychology often works alongside the OT.
This is one of the reasons a multi-disciplinary provider adds value. A home and daily living assessment delivered by an OT working alongside PBS and psychology gives the family a coherent plan rather than three separate reports.
How AH2U Delivers Home and Daily Living Assessments
Allied Health 2U delivers home and daily living OT assessments across Sydney and Greater Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast for face-to-face delivery, with telehealth available for parts of the assessment where it suits. The work is delivered mobile in the participant's actual home wherever possible, because that is where the assessment is most useful. Our OT team coordinates with the broader AH2U multi-disciplinary team where a participant is also receiving PBS, psychology or other allied health services.
Looking to arrange a home and daily living functional assessment for an NDIS participant? Get in touch with Allied Health 2U on 1300 24 2428.
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