Specialist Disability Accommodation and Natural Supports
People who live in SDA can use the built in features of the home to reduce the cost of overall supports. This might mean that a person no longer needs 24/7 paid supports. For very few, this will mean they are able to live without paid supports.
What this looks like: An example of Natural Supports in SDA may be where a person has designed their home so well that they are able to do most activities of daily living without supports at all, with drop in supports provided by family, friends or neighbours.
Some families have chosen to build SDA property in close proximity to their homes, meaning they can provide support to their family member without the need for intervention from formal supports. This is very rare, and requires a high degree of planning to undertake, including thinking about succession or legacy planning.
This model of support needs to be carefully considered and planned. It’s worthwhile thinking about setting up a Circle of Support to make sure that you have some regulation or governance over your natural supports, and to have people you check in with regularly.
