Is Respite or Transition to Independent Living right for you?
MediStays provides Short Term Accommodation (STA) for Participants of the NDIS, working with individuals to find the right solution for their situation. MediStays’ has flexible options for participants either looking for a respite stay, or trialling possibilities for more independent living.
Our variety of fit-for-purpose accommodation choices can make your stay more comfortable and successful. The MediStays team’s comprehensive funding knowledge can support your journey to get there.
Best of Both Worlds: A Medical Background for Private Accommodation
MediStays is built from a medical background. So, we understand the needs of people on a health journey.
From our medical accommodation perspective, MediStays’ services have been designed with participants of the NDIS in mind.
Providing guidance on accommodation options, MediStays supports participants to achieve their goals and navigate funding.
The NDIS funds three streams of accommodation:
- Short Term Accommodation (STA)
- Medium Term Accommodation (MTA)
- Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)
MediStays provides STA and MTA, and for this blog post we will focus on Short Term Accommodation (STA).
The MediStays accommodation options are very flexible. They offer a range of prices, locations and accessibility features.
We support participants to understand their STA funding to access care. Many MediStays’ guests have booked with us to make the most of medical and allied health therapy.
By booking STA accommodation through MediStays, participants can access and attend therapeutic appointments in the city. This can be funded by drawing on their Core Supports.
MediStays’ flexible approach, plus expertise in health and medical travel, is a powerful combo.
Depending on the type and levels of supports, the MediStays solution often proves more cost-effective for NDIS Participants than referrer or holiday accommodation options
To find out how MediStays can support you to book STA with your NDIS funding, see our Services page.
Different from many NDIS STA options, the MediStays’ offering allows participants to arrange their own level of supports.
Many NDIS Short Term Accommodation properties offer accommodation, support workers and meals as a package. However, in MediStays experience, many participants often request accommodation only – without supports included.
This can be because they want to experience short term accommodation with their family or informal supports. It can also be an opportunity to try STA in a new environment with their support worker from home.
Bringing their regular supports from home can boost participants’ confidence to stay somewhere new. This continuity of the same people, yet in a new environment, can foster a smoother transition. Whereas, a new environment and new supports all at once could be overwhelming for the participant.
When booking private accommodation with MediStays, participants of the NDIS can have complete control over their choice of supports. They have the ability to choose their own formal supports and how they accompany informal supports.
Both formal and informal supports can stay at the property, on a schedule the participant chooses.
Schedules and supports can be designed to achieve the goals of the participant’s NDIS plan. A flexible short term stay is ideal for creating more space for leisure time with family and friends. This can be a rare opportunity for loved ones regularly providing informal support.
What situations are best for a Short Term Stay?
We all like to take a break from our home environment and everyday routines at times. It’s a normal and healthy thing to do in our modern lifestyles.
Sometimes a short stay away from home:
- Gives us a chance to try new things
- Is an opportunity to develop new skills
- Creates a break from our usual routines
- Allows a respite from home life responsibilities
There are two broad categories for why people book STA with MediStays:
Taking a respite break:
Participants of the NDIS reside in a variety of living situations, and have a diverse range of desires and needs.
Current living arrangements could be in shared SDA, or their family home. However, a new view from STA could be just what they need to recharge their batteries. A fresh perspective can help people feel inspired to try new things for themselves.
The added benefit is, informal supports get time for themselves too! Supports can also feel stress from their role. A respite break for everyone helps sustain the permanent living situation.
Growing independent living skills:
For some participants of the NDIS, transitioning to a more independent living is a very important goal to them.
The most realistic way to achieve this goal is to have a good plan with the right supports. A key aspect of this is developing core life skills before taking any big leaps.
Growth can look like:
- Practice cooking your own meals
- Opportunities for new social experiences
- Taking on a new hobby
- Learning to navigate public transport independently
Empowering participants in decision making processes
What motivates participants of the NDIS to pursue Short Term Accommodation? Empowering participants to make their own choices is key to independent living success.
Some motivating factors include:
- The possibilities to try new things
- Increasing their social/joyful experiences
- Choosing preferences for their lifestyle
We firmly believe that participants should have choices and agency around their own wellbeing, progress and growth. However, empowering participants with more choices in STA differs from the status quo.
MediStays’ flexible accommodation options allow participants to be included in decision-making processes.
With standard accommodation options and popular holiday websites, there is no understanding of the NDIS or advocacy for guests to access funding options for their stay.
Through MediStays, we find you the most fit-for-purpose private accommodation options. We also work closely with you, your NDIS Support Coordinator and Plan Manager to take the stress out of managing NDIS Short Term Accommodation payments.
What might an effective Short Term Stay look like in practice?
Let’s imagine an example scenario together…
Greg* is an adult with an intellectual disability. This affects his ability to manage living independently at home. His strength is his passion for cars. It motivates his biggest dream, which is to visit a car race like the Grand Prix one day.
Greg lives with his ageing parents, *Robert and *Gill. Greg is a participant of the NDIS and wants a chance to live more independently. Meanwhile, Robert and Gill have been the core supports for Greg for over four decades. Both parents would really benefit from a break in support responsibilities.
MediStays can support Greg’s plan to grow his independence, and allow his parents to relax while he stretches his wings.
Our Care Navigators are experts in matching the goals of NDIS participants to short term accommodation and opportunities that align. They focus on finding Greg flexible and pragmatic options for his plan, including opportunities to try new things.
Their recommendation to book a two bedroom, fully self-contained property proves the best solution. Greg is able to book a short term stay as a guest for eight nights.
The intention is a change of scenery, opportunities to try new things, and a supporting break for his parents. This can be fulfilled relatively close to home, so he only needs to travel one hour to the accommodation.
Because Robert and Gill are staying at home, formal overnight support workers are accommodated in the second bedroom. The ability to arrange formal supports independently of his accommodation agreement is a big positive for Greg!
Greg can bring formal supports he has met in the past, who helped assist him and his parents at home. They understand Greg’s passion for cars and know how to integrate this into supporting his goals.
Greg’s eight day plan includes:
- Visiting the Grand Prix for two days
- Learning how to cook
- Shopping at a local market
- Planning a sightseeing day to the city
- Building a cleaning routine
In collaboration with his parents, Greg’s Support Coordinator arranges formal supports for his stay. Their roles support him to plan and carry out the actions needed to fulfil his goals and plan. Greg’s parents are also able to visit whenever Greg would like. The short term stay provides a great opportunity for Greg to spend quality time with his parents. He can choose an activity to do together, or even cook them dinner!
After his STA, new possibilities opened up for Greg. Greg, Robert and Gill are now planning the build of a detached accommodation studio for Greg. Situated on his parents’ property, formal supports throughout the week will help him continue building out his growth plan.
*All names are fictional people to illustrate the example and are not based on real situations.
Greater options for rural and regional participants of the NDIS
Now let’s meet *Amanda.
Amanda is a participant of the NDIS that has lived rurally with her parents, *Ann and *Shane, her whole life.
In recent years, Amanda has grown more and more passionate about experiencing life in the city. Last year she made this one of her big goals.
In the past, it has been difficult for Ann and Shane to get enough time away from their farm to go on longer trips and holidays with their daughter.
Thankfully, by booking STA, Amanda can spend a whole fortnight in the city with formal support arranged as she needs.
Medistays chose the best accommodation to meet her needs: a self-contained property, quiet location, close to public transport and with a 24-hour onsite manager if needed. Amanda also opted for a walk-in shower to support some mobility limitations she lives with.
With many pet friendly options now available, Amanda was able to take her small dog with her.
Amanda’s parents are able to take a few days off from the farm and come to stay with their daughter. Taking a few days off is much more realistic and achievable for them than an entire fortnight!
With paid support there to meet Amanda’s needs, Ann and Shane instead relax on their break. Together, Amanda, Ann and Shane spend some much-deserved quality time together, and have some fun in the city.
Amanda may decide a permanent move to the city is not her thing after all. Yet she feels more confident since getting outside of her comfort zone. She gained experience in navigating the train system, being among big crowds of strangers, and got used to a level of noisy busyness the farm never has.
Now, she feels like she can tackle other big goals in her life too.
For Ann and Shane, they felt a renewed sense of connection in their relationship with Amanda. Between the farm and providing informal support to Amanda, they don’t get as many opportunities to just laugh and have fun together.
Their goal now is to organise more periods of formal support every few months, to enjoy free time together as a family.
What a Guest says about booking NDIS funded STA through MediStays
Our Care Navigator, Melissa, received this email from the mother of an NDIS participant. Her daughter needs medical care and they book NDIS funded STA with MediStays.
She shared with us:
“I have been using STA for a while but was limited to one destination, which didn’t help for appointment travel. I googled NDIS STA and MediStays popped up.
Medistays supported us by making it easy to book, modify or ask questions.
MediStays have accommodation in most major centres, which suits hospital and doctor visits. I have described MediStays to friends and family as our easy option that is reliable and uses clean accommodation.”
Are you looking to transition to a more independent lifestyle? Or do you wish to support someone to make more empowered choices about their living arrangements?
Short Term Accommodation is a great way to experiment with different ways of living for each individual’s situation. If you want to explore MediStays’ NDIS Participant options in more detail, head over to our STA Accommodation page.
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