Usually, the onset of dementia is in people over 65 years. The syndrome affects an individual’s memory, thinking, and decision-making capabilities, affecting their daily life. The NDIS participants facing dementia receive adequate funding to avail help for their daily goals. Nowadays, dementia is common in individuals under 65 years, and NDIS providers also extend their support to such participants.
In this article, we shall learn how NDIS supports individuals with early-onset dementia. Before that, let’s understand early-onset dementia a bit more-
What Is Early Onset Dementia?
Dementia causes loss in cognitive function (i.e., the capacity to process thought) beyond the typical effects of biological ageing. It is typically chronic or progressive. Memory, reasoning, direction, comprehension, computation, learning ability, language, and judgement are all impacted.
Changes in mood, emotional regulation, behaviour, or motivation are frequently present alongside the impairment in cognitive function, and they can even occur before it. Most dementia patients require disability support workers to provide them with the needed assistance.
The majority of the time, dementia is an old age disease. Between the ages of 65 and 90, the prevalence of dementia doubles roughly every five years and rises exponentially. However, this doesn’t imply that dementia solely affects the elderly. It is also becoming increasingly common in people in their 40s, 50s, and occasionally even in their 30s.
When a person faces dementia at such an early age, it’s either called younger or early onset dementia when it happens. According to an estimate by the AIHW- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, there are about 386,200 dementia patients in Australia, which makes it 15 per 1000 people.
What Are the Symptoms of Early Onset Dementia?
NDIS-registered providers assist participants facing early-onset dementia since getting the right help at the right time to achieve their daily goals is crucial. However, to receive assistance from NDIS providers, first, one must look for the symptoms and seek medical help. Below are a few signs of early-onset dementia for your reference-
- Memory loss that affects day-to-day abilities
- Difficulty performing familiar tasks
- Problems with language, i.e., expressing and understanding
- Disorientation to time and place
- Impaired judgement
- Problems with abstract thinking
- Misplacing things
- Changes in mood and behaviour
- Changes in personality
- Loss of initiative
How Can NDIS Help in Early Onset Dementia?
If you are living with early-onset dementia, NDIS funding can help you live a more independent life by providing access to the support and services you need. Here are some examples of how the NDIS can help people with early-onset dementia:
Assistance from NDIS planner
You will work with an NDIS planner to develop your personalised NDIS plan. This plan will identify your goals and the reasonable and necessary NDIS providers in Melbourne or elsewhere to help you achieve them. It is important to involve family members, carers and health professionals in this process so that your plan captures all aspects of your life that are important to you.
Allocation of Individualised budget
Based on your plan, the NDIS will allocate an individualised budget that the participants can use to purchase the disability-related goods and services they require. It may include assistive technology, home modifications, personal care, counselling, community access programs and other helpful goods. You may choose to receive your funding as direct payment so that you have greater control over how to spend it appropriately, or you may opt for an agency-managed approach where another organisation manages the funds on your behalf.
Availability of Therapy services
Therapy services can help people with early-onset dementia improve their quality of life and remain as independent as possible. These services may include occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychology and speech pathology. If you receive funding for therapy services through the NDIS, you can choose who provides them and when they are delivered. The NDIS provider can assist the participants’ in-
- Physiotherapy
- Speech pathology
- Nutrition
- Occupational therapy
- Exercise support
Who Is Eligible to Be an NDIS Participant?
NDIS provides required funding to people facing early-onset dementia. However, one must be an NDIS participant to receive such benefits. Below are the criteria required to become a participant. Please check and apply-
- Have a significant impairment or disability that affects their ability to take part in everyday activities
- Require ongoing support to reduce their need for formal support such as community services, personal care or respite care
- Aged under 65 years
- An Australian citizen or a permanent resident, or holding a protected special category visa
- Live in Australia, where the NDIS is available.
In a Nutshell
Early onset dementia can be a difficult diagnosis to come to terms with, but there is help available. If you are aged under 65 years and have been diagnosed with early-onset dementia, you may be eligible for support from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The NDIS can provide funding for therapy Services, assistive technology, home modifications and more. So if you are struggling to cope with your diagnosis, don’t hesitate to reach out for help – the NDIS could be just what you need.
Or, if you are seeking an NDIS provider to help you attain your goals, approach My Link Assist. We offer dedicated support to ensure that you live a happier life. Our team comprises individuals with specialised training in disability support and a compassionate mindset, ready to assist the participants in achieving their goals.
