Moving out of the family home to lead an independent life can be especially challenging for someone with a disability. Learning to prepare your meals, travel safely to the doctor’s office, managing household tasks, and managing finances are some of the tasks that are essential for fostering self-sufficiency. With proper guidance, individuals with complex care needs can easily develop these independent living skills and have more control over their life. As one of the most trusted Disability support providers in Sydney, we have helped numerous clients ensure a seamless transition into independent living through our care services. In this blog, we share some practical strategies for people with disabilities pursuing independent living.
- Start Planning Early The first step to prepare for independent living is to have a plan in place. List all the life skills you need to develop for living without the help of your family. Now, slowly build up the required skills while you are still living in your family home. You may not realise that there’s actually so much that others are presently doing for you. This may include things such as personal care, cooking, and managing finances. For someone who isn’t prepared for living independently, having to pay the bills or doing the laundry all of a sudden can be quite overwhelming.. Therefore, talk to your family about your plan to live independently well in advance so they can start helping you work on it before you move out. Being encouraged to begin doing more things for yourself will go a long way in building up your confidence for when you leave home.
- Build a Strong Support Network Living on your own when you have a disability becomes a lot easier if you have a strong support network. Having friends, family members, or caretakers by your side who look out for you is a big advantage that can help significantly improve the quality of your life. When you are aware that there is someone who you can rely on, you are able to not only manage your physical condition more easily but also feel a lot stronger mentally.
- Engage In the Local Community Once your journey to independence starts progressing beyond decisions pertaining to everyday at-home rituals, you need to start engaging in the local community. To build your capacity for independence, you can start by walking to the nearby park or catching the local train for grocery shopping. You may need some support initially, but after a while you may feel confident going anywhere independently. In the beginning, you can even look for Disability support providers in Ingleburn, like Care 2 You Healthcare who can work with you to understand your specific needs and help you engage in the local community more easily. Besides that, you can also consider joining a community group that closely relates to your hobbies and interests.
- Keep a Positive Attitude When you are living with a disability, staying optimistic is your best bet. Once you fully accept your physical condition, you are able to live with it more easily. Maintaining a positive attitude, especially during big life decisions such as transitioning from family home to independent living is extremely important. In fact, people within your support network must also stay positive to offer you the best possible help. Having everyone on the same emotional wavelength can help you approach any potential disability related challenges in your life head on and possibly achieve many new goals in life.