Inviting a Helper into your home can be a bit daunting. At Lend A Friend we try to make this as easy as possible, by matching our Members with Helpers who have similar interests, hobbies, or will be a good personality match. One way that we do this, is by screening our Helpers based on what NDIS participants are looking for, and presenting a Helper Showcase, so you can get a good idea of what to expect from a Helper before committing to a meeting and having them in your home.

We know that meeting the right Helpers will have a profound impact on an individual’s quality of life. So with the right process, together we can discover the right Helper for you!

Different types of Helpers

Just like how all people with a disability are different, all Helpers are different too. They come with their own unique perspectives, educational backgrounds, lived experiences and skillsets.

Depending on the type of services you wish to receive, the main types of Helpers you might meet could include:

Home Care Assistants

These Helpers will be knowledgeable in how to maintain a home, and provide services within the home. They may assist with household maintenance tasks, like helping you with keeping your environment clean, washing clothes, and organising the house. They will be able to assist with meal preparation, light gardening, support with dressing and the typical tasks of daily living.

Community Support Workers

These types of Helpers will help you build your confidence in the community. They will join Members in the community, making sure to help you navigate Adelaide in a safe manner and build skills in interacting with the world outside your home.

This includes transportation to locations outside the home, assisting with social interactions, understanding appointments with other health professionals like Doctors, and facilitating participation in community activities. Community Support Work is a broad category of support, and we try to pair Members with Helpers who have similar interests. So if you have a passion for fitness, we try introduce you to a Helper who knows their way around the gym. When art is your passion, a Helper who is an artist themselves could be a good fit! These Helpers are flexible and are tasked with Helping you broaden your engagement with the community.

Mentors

Mentoring is a big part of Lend A Friend. Mentors believe that rather than just doing tasks in the home and community, their responsibility is building your capacity so that with time, you are empowered to be able to achieve these tasks independently.

Mentors will have proven capacity to achieve certain tasks, and through role modelling, encouragement, assessments and training, will assist NDIS Members to also develop the skillset to achieve these tasks too. This may include learning how to use public transportation, how to navigate around the city, how to interact with staff in the community, learning about budgeting and money handling, and so much more.

Every NDIS Member will have their own NDIS goals they wish to work on, and skills they wish to develop. Our mission is to find a Helper who can make achieving these goals possible

Benefits of Joining Lend A Friend

Are you on the fence about searching for a care professional?

There are many physical and emotional benefits to selecting a care professional for you or a loved one. Some of the benefits of selecting a care professional includes:

• Support to enjoy an improved quality of life
• Peace of mind knowing a qualified care professional is available to assist
• Companionship and check-ins
• Support with medical needs such as injections or needles
• Safety and security knowing that a care professional can prevent accidents or injuries.

With the help of a consistent care professional on hand, you will have peace of mind knowing that your loved one is being taken care of by someone with the right qualifications and experience.