“The first time was excellent because I hadn’t done anything in respite before. The first day I was pretty nervous, but now I love it because I know what I’m actually doing,” says Debra.

“It is a different experience for me. Now I’ve done it several times so I know what’s out there. I’m just waiting on some more NDIS funding so I can go back.

“I love it because I’m out in the big, wide world. I’m seeing more than I used to see. My favourite activity during respite was going to the Fringe. I’ve never done anything like that before. I’ve also caught the tram, and I go shopping with Aimee.”

Aimee says enjoying some respite time gives Debra the opportunity to be more independent.

“She does things independently such as using her cooking skills, planning food for the time she spends in respite accommodation and preparing her shopping list, practising her money-handling skills, and organising her clothes for the day,” says Aimee.

“Debra has been really positive and happy during her respite time. You can tell by the way she talks about it and her body language – just having the opportunity to do things for herself and make her own choices, rather than just being at home.

“The Plympton scosa team has supported Debra by preparing her for what it will be like going into short-term accommodation and helping her to understand that she’ll need to cook for herself, go to the shops herself, use public transport – just making sure she knows what living out of home is like.

“Debra’s goal is to live more independently and to be able to manage her own day-to-day living skills, and it makes me feel good knowing that Debra is feeling good within herself.”