NDIS Mobility and Transfer Assistance in Melbourne

Transfer support is help moving between positions and places — bed to wheelchair, chair to toilet, wheelchair to car — done safely, for you and for the person assisting.

What transfer support covers

• Transfers between bed, chair, wheelchair, toilet, shower and vehicle
• Assisted use of hoists, both ceiling-mounted and mobile
• Slide sheets, transfer boards, turn discs and standing aids
• Two-person transfers where these are required
• Repositioning in bed or chair to relieve pressure
• Support with walking, including using frames, sticks and crutches
• Assistance getting in and out of vehicles
• Physical assistance following a fall, and support to seek review afterwards

Why technique is not negotiable

Transfers are where the most injuries happen — to participants and to workers. A poorly executed transfer can cause a shoulder injury, a skin tear, a fall or a fracture, and the risk compounds when a worker is unfamiliar with a person’s specific needs or is working alone on a transfer that requires two people.

Your transfer method should be documented, specific to you, and followed consistently by everyone who assists — not improvised by whoever is on shift. Where a hoist is required, it should be used every time, including when someone is in a hurry.

Working with your physiotherapist or OT

Transfer technique should be set by a physiotherapist or occupational therapist who has assessed you, then trained into the workers who assist you. This matters for two reasons: it is safer, and it preserves whatever you can contribute to the transfer yourself. A transfer that does everything for you when you can take weight through your legs quietly costs you that ability over time.

Where your mobility changes — after an illness, a hospital stay or a change in condition — the transfer plan should be reassessed rather than continued out of habit.

Falls

Falls are common and consequential, and most are preventable. Reducing risk usually involves several things together: strength and balance work, reviewing medications that affect balance, appropriate footwear, addressing hazards in the home, and adequate lighting. If you have fallen more than once, ask for a falls risk assessment rather than treating each fall as an isolated event.

How it is funded

Transfer and mobility assistance is funded from Core Supports under Assistance with Daily Life, usually within personal care visits. Equipment — hoists, slings, slide sheets, mobility aids — is funded from Capital Supports as assistive technology following assessment. Ceiling hoist installation may fall under home modifications.

Common questions

What if I do not have a hoist but need one?
An occupational therapist can assess and apply for one through assistive technology funding. In the meantime the transfer method should be whatever can be done safely, which may mean more workers rather than fewer.

Can workers help me with a walking program set by my physio?
Yes, and this is where consistency pays off. A program done daily by support workers achieves far more than one done fortnightly with the physiotherapist.