Nikki's journey to independence

Pictured: Nikki at home at her HELP house. 
 

41 year old Nikki has been living independently with the support of HELP for the past 3 years.

Though it was a big change for Nikki to move out of her family home, she found HELP’s shared accommodation offered the right level of support to suit her needs and her NDIS budget.

As Nikki is prone to experience ‘drops’, having in home support, and safety features (like grab rails and nonslip surfaces) throughout the house, has given her an extra sense of security. Nikki says that knowing the house has wheelchair access and other supports available also helps her feel confident that she can continue to live independently as she gets older. 

Nikki likes to stay busy during the week exploring the community, shopping, and attending HELP’s Mitchelton Hub one day a week for the Garden Gurus program. Her support worker helps out with day to day tasks like money management, grocery shopping, and transport, and is also there to assist if Nikki has any falls or health concerns. 

Most weeks Nikki and her housemates Charday, Tess, and Bec sit down to write their shopping list and create a meal plan so that they can cook dinners together. Like any sharehouse, Nikki says it can be tricky to navigate everyone’s different personalities and schedules, but is adapting to their busy household day by day.

This year Nikki plans to give her bedroom a makeover (Marie Kondo style!) and take a mini-break to the beach so she can enjoy the sunshine!

You can explore HELP's range of housing and accommodation here, or find out more about our Supported Independent Living Service here.