Day Options

Meaningful support throughout the day

Our Day Options is a friendly, fun and inclusive program for adults run by experienced, qualified disability support workers. Individual goals, developmental needs, and personal interests are all taken into consideration when planning activities and outings to ensure everyone gets the most out of each day. Activities vary throughout the year, but will likely include cooking, staying active doing sports like basketball and cricket, art activities such as drawing and painting, getting out into the local community, and much more!

 See what a day at our Clare hub looks like for participant, Peter who enjoys making sandwiches, reading books, and visiting the local recreation centre.

A brief overview of Day Options at Novita 

Our hub-based Day Options program offers flexible support throughout the day for your loved one. We take into consideration their individual goals, their personal likes and dislikes, their interests and needs, and the care givers input to best support the participant to achieve their individual goals. As a team, we are always researching innovative and interesting activities for our participants to try out new activities. Staff within our Day Options program actively take part with our participants to enable the highest level of achievement from each experience and activity. 

A typical day at our program would usually include activities to maintain or learn new life skills, engaging with the community and peer relationship building within a social setting. We believe that the success of each support is based on the collaboration of a dedicated team that puts the participants at the centre of everything we do! Get in touch and we can see how we can best support your loved one. 

Our Day Options program operates at a range of locations throughout South Australia. Contact our Customer Experience Team on 1300 668 482 or email [email protected] for more information, or continue reading below.

 

Individualised support: one-to-one care  

Individualised one-to-one support can be accessed to participate in activities in our community hubs, at home, and in the wider community. One of the main advantages of individualised support is that there is always someone on hand to work alongside your loved one as they strive to achieve their goals and develop new skills. This can be particularly beneficial for participants who have more complex support needs.  Participants are provided with individualised support,  maximise their participation in meaningful group activities or can pursue their own interests. 

 

Group support in the hub 

Supporting participants in a range of meaningful activities in small group settings within our community hubs is an extremely popular choice amongst our Novita families. In group support, as an example, one of our staff members might support three people to take a trip to the local gym or nearby arts centre. One of the main advantages of group support is there tends to be closer interaction with other Novita participants, which enables them to develop closer friendships and networks with other people that participate in life in our hubs. 

 

Individualised and group support: a great combination 

If you like, you may also consider the opportunity to access both individualised and group support together. As an example, you may prefer your loved one to access individualised support to learn how to use assistive technologies like a communication device in conjunction with your loved one’s speech pathologist, while choosing to have group support for activities such as going shopping or heading out to the nearby bowling alley. 

 

Support to join your local community 

Novita is very active in our local communities right across Adelaide and also in regional locations such as Willaston, Gawler, Clare, Port Pirie and Whyalla – and we’re always growing! The activities we offer are diverse and are designed based on feedback we receive from our existing participants and their family members.  

Whether your loved one is into sport, or if they are more into painting and dancing, or perhaps they want to improve their computer skills so they can order their own groceries online, we will work with you to develop a package of services and activities of greatest interest to the person they care about most. 

Some of our activities are provided in our Novita Community Hubs, while many take place in community settings and venues including learning and education centres, sport and leisure centres, art and craft studios, parks and gardens, shopping precincts, cafés and hotels, local schools, libraries, concert halls, local attractions, and more. There are many positive benefits associated with these community activities that include increased social and community participation, new opportunities for socialisation, improved communication skills, enhanced mental health and wellbeing, increased confidence and self-esteem, understanding and acceptance of social norms – the list goes on!  

 

Learn valuable life skills 

One of our main goals at Novita is to work with our participants to develop their skills and increase their independence. We appreciate that everyone is different – we all have different abilities and motivations – and our focus is to work with your loved one at a personal level to open up new opportunities and life pathways. For instance, they may want to learn how to shop independently, which might include learning to use money and even how to get to the supermarket on their own using public transport. 

There are many positive benefits associated with learning life skills including increased social and community participation, improved communication skills, improved language development, increased reading ability, enhanced budgeting and money management skills, increased understanding of hygiene and safety, improved fine motor skills, enhanced sensory stimulation, increased concentration, enhanced mental health and wellbeing, increased confidence and self-esteem, and more. 

If you join our Day Options program, we can work with you to identify the areas in your loved one’s life that they wish to develop.  

 

Opportunities for social inclusion 

Social inclusion means different things to different people. For some people, social inclusion might mean having morning tea in a local cafe, or perhaps undertaking some work experience, or even becoming an industry advocate to foster more meaningful employment opportunities for people living with disability.  

One of our main goals at Novita is to ensure people living with disability are given every opportunity to enjoy meaningful participation in their communities. We work with our participants to understand what sort of activities are important to them, so that they feel valued as someone contributing to their local community. We recognise that for some, however, what is most important is the opportunity to have meaningful, lasting friendships, and Novita can support this. We already work with local councils, in particular, to facilitate greater inclusion, including improving access to community sporting facilities and other learning centers. 

 

Build new friendships 

Having the opportunity to socialise on a regular basis and form friendships is important to all of us. At Novita, we give participants the opportunity to socialise in a wide range of environments. 

There are many positive benefits and outcomes associated with our social events and activities that include the opportunity to form new friendships, increased social and community participation, increased confidence and self-esteem, enhanced mental health and wellbeing, improved communication skills, increased fitness, enhanced sensory stimulation, increased fine motor skills, and more. 

We constantly review our activities and venues to ensure that your loved one is gaining the greatest benefit and enjoyment from their time at Novita, and encourage family and carers to attend particular social events to see just how great they are! 

 

Integrated health and wellbeing services 

There is nothing more important than your health and wellbeing. In our Day Options program, we work with our participants to tailor a range of services that enhance their physical, psychological, and emotional wellbeing in both individual and community settings – such as regular outings to local recreation centres. 

There are many positive benefits associated with these health and wellbeing services that include improved physical and mental health, enhanced emotional wellbeing, enhanced physical strength and movement, improved mobility, balance and coordination, improved circulation, heightened mental alertness, and more. 

To deliver these outcomes, we draw on various resources and techniques with specialist practitioners, including our very own qualified therapists. We also utilise local community facilities – including gyms – and we regularly monitor our participants’ progress to ensure the effectiveness of our support. 

Many of our participants have particular health and therapy support needs. Naturally, we work with them and their family to fully understand their needs and from there, tailor an individualised program. Many of our staff are skilled in providing complex medication administration, gastrostomy care, tracheostomy support, seizure management, mealtime assistance, personal care, and more, so your loved ones will be safe in our care. 

 

Support for effective communication 

We believe everyone has the ability to communicate. At our Day Options program, we can support our participants to explore verbal and non-verbal techniques using assistive technology – such as iPads – to develop their ability to engage and communicate with others. 

We offer both individual and group settings to develop participant communication skills, drawing on expert resources to enhance their learning capacity. We also offer participants the opportunity to demonstrate their communication skills in a wide variety of situations. For example, for those who are particularly brave, we encourage them to consider public speaking, as there are many events and forums at Novita where your voice should be heard and your opinions valued. 

 

Learning to learn: prepare for training and education  

Whatever your goals, at Novita, we support our participants to develop new skills to prepare them to enrol in a training program, certificate course or perhaps to enable them to take on a role in the workplace. We start by understanding participants’ interests and areas of learning that they wish to develop, which may, as an example, include listening and comprehension, speech development, non-verbal communication, reading and writing, counting and money handling, leadership, and other important learning skills. 

While we work closely with your loved one to prepare a tailored development plan, at the same time we also work in close partnership with training and education providers to develop customised programs to meet individual abilities and interests. 

 

Technologies for learning 

Every day in our community hubs we use a variety of new assistive technology resources from our NovitaTech retail store to provide our participants with a diverse range of activities to pursue their personal interests. Whatever your interests may be, NovitaTech acts as a great place for us to source from and facilitate many educational, interactive and developmental activities. 

Visit the NovitaTech website to learn more about our service offering – novitatech.com.au 

 

The arts: becoming the next Picasso 

Many of our staff have great artistic flare and love to share their skills and knowledge with our Day Options participants. On other occasions, we also work with specialist therapists to provide your loved one with unique and exciting experiences in the arts. There are many positive benefits and outcomes associated with producing art that include enhanced sensory stimulation, enhanced means to communicate, increased relaxation, increased fine motor skills, improved concentration, enhanced mental health and wellbeing, greater confidence and self-esteem, increased social and community participation, and more. 

If a participant has an interest in a particular art style, we can work with them to ensure they are given every opportunity to develop their abilities in a fun environment while at the same time making new friends. We also provide accessible technology and equipment to support people living with physical disability to pursue their interests and follow their creative passions. 

 

Sports, fitness and recreation 

Whether you’re a superstar or a beginner, we have sport and recreation activities that cater for all levels of ability. Some of our favourite sports include boccia, basketball, zumba, cricket, badminton, bowling – to name only a few. We ensure our sports and recreation activities are inclusive and can be easily adapted for all to have the chance to participate.  

There are many positive benefits and outcomes associated with our sport and recreation activities too. These include increased fitness and flexibility, improved muscle tone and core strength, improved cardiovascular health, enhanced mobility and motor skills, enhanced mental health and wellbeing, increased social and community participation, and more. 

Sport activities are typically accessed outside of the community hub setting at a local recreation centre or park. Speak with us to find out more about the services available locally to you. 

 

Join us!

Registering for the Day Options program is easy 

We’re here to support you and your family and would love to work together with you to transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) – if you’re not already registered – and tailor services that are right for you. If you are interested in learning more about Novita Day Options, please follow these important steps: 

Step 1 – Contact us to make an appointment 

To learn more about the Day Options program, the NDIS, and to better understand our current Novita programs and supports, we invite you to make a personal appointment with one of our team, call us on 1300 668 482 or email [email protected] 

Step 2  –  Discuss your needs and personal goals 

After booking your welcome consult, it’s time to start thinking about the future, including goals, personal interests, and what the participant would like to get out of the Day Options program. Use this time to prepare a list of questions and points to discuss when you meet with one of our team at Novita. 

Step 3  –  Visit one of our Novita Hubs 

To experience what life is like at Novita, following your initial appointment, we invite you to spend some time in one of our Hubs. This is where a number of our programs and services are provided, and they also act as a base for interaction with our local community, which includes sport and leisure clubs, art and craft groups, markets and places of learning. 

With greater flexibility under the NDIS, we can work with you to design a package of Novita services that meet your needs and expectations.