What is Assistive Technology?
With Your Side enabling a person-centred approach to care, we are also spreading our wings towards Assistive Technology to provide cutting-edge solutions for people living with a disability and their carers. Assistive technology provides practical solutions to everyday life activities that promote greater independence and safety for individuals.
Assistive technology is used as an umbrella term for both assistive products or devices and related services. The World Health Organisation defines assistive devices and technologies as ‘those whose primary purpose is to maintain or improve an individual’s functioning and independence to facilitate participation and enhance overall well-being.”
Mobility Equipment and Daily Living Aids
We know how important and life-changing this assistive technology can be in the lives of individuals living with disability and their carers. That’s why since the inception of the NDIS, we have partnered with Independent Living Specialists (ILS) to help our clients access various assistive technology products and services.
For example with mobility scooters from Independent Living Specialists, we will work with you to tailor a model to suit your needs, whether it be a compact travel scooter or a robust heavy duty mobility scooter for country areas or long distances. This Genie Plus Travel Mobility Scooter from ILS is perfect for someone who likes travel as it automatically folds and can fit into a hatchback plus is airline-friendly. We offer you flexible options for hiring/renting or buying to suit your needs.
Speech Recognition Software, Environment Modifications and Virtual Reality
Currently, we are also working to form other partnerships with a speech recognition software provider which will assist with linguistics for enabling people living with speech disorders.
Another breakthrough is our partnership with a provider of home modification products to make each living space and work environment suitable to disability needs. They offer, for example, height adjustable work tables, kitchen cabinets, and wardrobes which lower or raise with the touch of a button.
In addition to these technologies, we are strategically focusing on partnering with other providers in the virtual reality product space as we believe these will bring about a great change to people living with intellectual disability, mental health and palliative care.
Virtual reality makes it possible to alter perceptions, emotions and physiological states as part of exposure therapy for PTSD and anxiety disorders. With distraction and flooding sensory techniques we can create positive experiences in pain management, such as in palliative care. Virtual reality might also be used to enable a person with an intellectual disability to lead an independent life with virtual reality stimuli. It’s exciting to think of the possibilities of where VR might take us.
Apart from the NDIS, we also look forward to supporting our clients who access mental health respite and dementia information and training with the latest innovations using gaming technology and hardware platforms. Virtual reality experiences can offer perceptually realistic scenarios that can be observed in a therapy context and VR can provide experiences that increase self-compassion or empathy from an observer or care worker.