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About Chris and her goal
Chris is 42 years old, and is an NDIS participant.
She lives on her own in specialist disability accommodation (SDA).
Chris enjoys:
- playing her flute
- art, like painting and drawing
- going to the gym
- watching television and movies
- going out for food and drinks in her community
- going on holidays with her family.
Chris had a stroke and now has difficulty with:
- remembering to do things
- planning things for herself
- getting started and completing activities in her day-to-day life.
Chris wanted to be more independent.
Chris wanted to remember to practise playing her flute so she can get better at it.
She no longer wanted her family or support workers to remind her to do this activity every day.
Chris’ current supports
Chris needs support with tasks during the day. She has support from:
- her family
- support workers
- an occupational therapist
- a physiotherapist
- a neuropsychologist.
Chris’ future supports needs
Chris talked to her occupational therapist about her goal to be more independent.
They talked about the supports she needed to reach her goal.
Her occupational therapist thought assistive technology could help, and Chris agreed.
Choosing assistive technology with Chris
Chris’ occupational therapist thought about assistive technology that:
- met Chris’s needs
- was right for her.
Chris’ occupational therapist used the framework for evaluation of assistive technology to look at 2 assistive technology products:
1. Smart watch
Smart watches are a type of wearable assistive technology that a person can wear on their body.
A smart watch can:
- keep a person healthy
- remind a person to do things
- help a person plan things for themself
- help a person organise things for themself
- help a person get started and complete activities in their day-to-day life.
2. Sofihub
Sofihub is an assistive technology product that can help a person:
- do more things on their own
- develop their skills.
Sofihub can be set up to communicate with the person at any time:
- in the morning
- in the afternoon
- overnight.
Movement sensors can be put in the person’s home.
The sensors help Sofihub know when they are nearby.
This could be on:
- doors
- drawers and cupboards
- beds
- furniture, such as chairs, table and sofa.
Sofihub will only communicate with the person:
- at set times of the day and week that they choose
- when they are near one of the sensors in their home.
Sofihub can be used to help a person remember to do activities or tasks. For example to:
- do an activity, like playing the flute
- take medication
- prepare meals
- put the bins out.
Chris’ outcomes
Chris wanted to try Sofihub so her occupational therapist:
- did the paperwork and sent it to her funding organisation. This included reports and quotes.
Once Chris had the funding, her occupational therapist went to her home to:
- set up Sofihub
- show Chris how to use it safely.
Sofihub was set up to help Chris remember to practise playing her flute 3 times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The Sofihub unit was placed on Chris’ bedside table.
Sofihub was set to communicate with Chris at 4pm and 4.30pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The volume was set high so that Chris could hear Sofihub wherever she was in her home.
At 4pm Sofihub would say: “Hi Chris, would you like to practise playing your flute”
The sensor was placed on Chris’ flute stand.
The sensors helped Sofihub know if Chris was nearby.
If there was no movement at the sensor, Sofihub would communicate with Chris again at 4.30pm.
Sofihub would say: “Hi Chris, have you started playing your flute”
After 1 month of using Sofihub, Chris and her occupational therapist checked to see if:
- it met her needs
- was right for her.
Sofihub had helped Chris to practise her flute.
They decided that Sofihub was not the right technology for Chris. She said,
“I liked Sofihub talking to me when I first had it in my home, it felt like there was another person here that was talking to me. It also helped me to remember to play my flute. But I am starting to find the prompts annoying, and I don’t want it in my home anymore”
Because of this, Chris asked her occupational therapist to take Sofihub away.
Chris and her occupational therapist are now looking at other supports to help reach her goal.