Are you thinking about ageing well proactively but not sure where to start? Perhaps it is for your loved one? Is it education or group activities for your community group you are thinking about? Perhaps you are after retirement transition support or want to make sure you can keep shopping, playing golf or walking to the park?

Or are you in a situation with a more urgent reactive need you would like assistance with? Or do you have a diagnosis and want to optimise your current situation? 

You may have a funding source or perhaps you are self-funding.  

Either way, DYO is happy to collaborate with you about what you are striving to achieve.

Services under this broad Proactive area that DYO may assist you with:

• Home or other environmental modifications advice or prescription.  Could changing your environment (the visible and invisible) make life more optimal for you?  You may want some early advice on how to make your home more suitable as you age. DYO may be able to help with:

• • Home: e.g., ramps, rails, liaising with builders or renovators for access and use,

  • Bathrooms: grabrails for showers, bath modifications, to full renovations,

  • Community: outdoor access/activities, advocacy assistance for councils’ footpaths park access, road crossings, etc,

  • Accommodation assessments. May assist you to identify suitable living (or other environmental) arrangements.

• Equipment/Assistive Technology advice or prescription.  Could a piece of equipment or technology assist you to draw your optimal?  If you need to blow your nose you may use a tissue.  Likewise, lots of equipment and technology is increasingly available to help people with lots of needs.  You can see what is available, have the time proactively to research and consider your needs.  DYO has experience in assisting with problem solving and advice on:

  • Equipment to assist with standing from bed or chairs and mobility,

  • Assistive aids to assist a range of tasks. Small adaptive equipment for daily tasks like eating, showering, toileting,

  • Equipment for getting out in the community like activities of swimming, beach access, trail or park access, bike riding adaptations. Transfer equipment to cars and passenger modifications,

  • Larger equipment like manual and powered wheelchairs, Pressure care, bed care, Hoists both ceiling and wheeled,

  • Safety at home - including falls alarms, technology solutions.

• Accessing the Community problem solving helping you access the world beyond home if you desire.  Problem solving around car use, public transport, walking paths, shopping alternatives, mobility out and about, groups to access, Church or other community venues.

• Functional Capacity assessments. An assessment may assist in providing you the breadth of information needed to assist you in identifying your needs.  This may lead to a burst of input to rehabilitate, recondition or just optimise wellbeing with a lifestyle program.  It may involve problem solving with you on tasks that have become difficult.

• Learning through Living Programs (Therapy in life) or Lifestyle Support Programs – DYO can assist you (or your support team) to develop learning programs.  Examples may be: accessing the community, finding and developing interest-based meaningful participation (e.g. doing what you love or finding it – knitting, gardening, playing the keyboard, art, golf, - it’s never too late to learn), or educational/learning activities with a personalised participation approach, collaborating with support workers (if involved) to optimise their time supporting people of all abilities, e.g., kitchen participation. A problem-solving collaborative, lifelong learning approach to optimise participation.

• Education Health, Wellbeing are related. DYO can tailor a program for you or your group to optimise your health, wellbeing, learning or participation literacy or facilitate a discussion to answer and explore your burning questions.  DYO creators have a strong background in education and will aim to make it relevant, fun and in your zone of learning.  Learning itself is powerful brain medicine, one part of a brain health program. Self management and health/wellbeing coaching also available. 

Services under this broad reactive area that DYO may assist you with:

·        Pre or Post hospitalisation or operation (e.g., hip/knee surgery)

·        Rehabilitation or Reconditioning Assistance

·        Chronic Health, Neurological, Orthopaedic, Oncology, or other diagnosis 

·        Falls prevention or recovery

·        Palliative Care – including palliating at home, optimising your participation, home set up care for dignity or anything else your situation needs

·        Training for you, your carers, or support workers in areas such as manual handling including if unique specific individual needs exist; written instruction for training and carer education for other supported activities as may assist to optimise your situation

·        Collaborating with health professionals, support agencies or your informal support networks as you desire.

·        Second opinion advice

·        Disability if you also have a disability and ageing – please also see the disability page.  Or perhaps you are a parent ageing with an adult child with a disability – DYO can and will see your big picture and assist the whole situation you are planning for to help you optimise. 

·        Or anything on the proactive list above that may apply to your situation.