Meet Rosa. She lives with her husband Vin and is a mother to three children. She has a great sense of humour, enjoys watching movies, relaxing and loves to cook.

Rosa also provides support for the family business.

Rosa was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 10 years ago. Her vision is to remain independent and self-sufficient for as long as possible.

Through her WA NDIS plan Rosa chose the Independent Living Centre WA (now Indigo) to assist her with decisions around the best assistive equipment, technology and home modification solutions that would best support her to continue this independence.

ILC Occupational Therapist Rachel Everison provided the support and assessments for Rosa.

“Rosa loves to spend time in the kitchen, but she was finding meal preparation tasks difficult due to decreased strength in her hands and fatigue, so she wanted to find solutions that would assist her when cooking meals,” said Rachel.

“Rosa also said one of her biggest frustrations was difficulty answering the front door. She was looking for a way to communicate with visitors at the door as it can take her a while to get to there so people often assume she isn’t home and they leave, or she would rush to the door which at times was causing her to fall.

“Rosa was already using a number of assistive equipment items and had some home modifications in place, so I also assessed these as well to make sure they were suitable for her needs and to make sure she was safe when using them.”

After spending time with Rosa and discussing what she was aiming to achieve both at home and in the community, Rachel worked with her to find the most suitable home modifications and assistive technology items.

This included installation of a new ramp with kerbing and handrails out the front of her home so Rosa can safely access her home using her walker and scooter.  An “L-shaped” combination grab rail was also installed in the bathroom area to assist Rosa with standing up and sitting down independently and safely.

Rosa also has a number of mobility aids she uses depending on how mobile she is at the time. The walker she was using was not suitable in its size or features so a new four-wheeled-walker, which Rosa can manoeuvre easily and can be lifted in and out of her car, was prescribed by Rachel.

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In addition, Rosa was prescribed a Pride Serta Lift Recline Chair, to assist with her comfort and transfers.

To assist Rosa with her cooking tasks she now has a kitchen perching stool to help with energy conservation and adaptive small kitchen aids to assist with opening jars, containers and slicing. 

A “Ring” Video Intercom Doorbell also now enables Rosa to see and communicate with visitors via her phone when they arrive, giving her time to safely get to the door without rushing.

“This “Ring” Video Intercom Doorbell makes a huge difference to me, I’m really happy with how it is working for me,” said Rosa.

 “The meal preparation aids also enable me to continue to cook independently in the kitchen, which is very important to me, to be able to prepare the family meal myself.”

Rachel said she really enjoyed meeting Rosa and found it rewarding to be able to work with her and to see the difference these items make to her life.

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Below is a list of the equipment that Rosa currently uses:

• Pelican Thermoregulatory bedding 

If you feel any of these products would assist you to live more independently and safely please give us a call on 08 9381 0600 and we can talk to you about what equipment may meet your needs. You can also visit NED our National Equipment Database where you can search over 10,000 equipment and technology products that may suit your individual circumstances and goals.

If you are eligible or registered for NDIS call us on Ph: 08 9381 0600 to discuss how our experienced allied health professionals can assist you to achieve your goals.