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Assistive Technology Assessments

Occupational therapy assessment, trial and prescription of equipment — from a shower stool to a power wheelchair with complex seating.

The most expensive equipment is the equipment that ends up in the garage. Getting the prescription right the first time is what this service is for.

Select Your Funding to Book an Appointment:

Need help now? Speak with our team on 1300 765 456.

Why Equipment Fails

Unused equipment is common, and the reasons are consistent.

It was chosen from a catalogue rather than prescribed for a person. It was never trialled in the actual home. It fitted the body but not the task, or the task but not the doorway. Nobody was taught how to use it. Or the person's needs changed and the equipment was never reviewed.

None of those are equipment problems. They are process problems, and the process is what an assistive technology assessment provides: assess the person, assess the task, assess the environment, trial, prescribe, fit, train, review.

What We Assess and Prescribe

Mobility — manual and power wheelchairs, walking frames, rollators, scooters, and the seating that goes with them.

Seating and pressure care — pressure-redistributing cushions and mattresses, tilt and recline seating, postural supports. Prescribed on assessed pressure risk and posture rather than on comfort alone.

Transfers and manual handling — ceiling and mobile hoists, slings, standing aids, transfer boards and slide sheets, with training for the people doing the transfers.

Beds and bedroom — adjustable and hi-lo beds, bed rails and poles, mattresses, over-bed tables.

Bathroom and toileting — shower chairs and commodes, over-toilet frames, bidet seats, shower trolleys, grab rails.

Daily living — dressing, kitchen, eating and drinking aids, and equipment supporting independence in specific routines.

Communication devices — assessed jointly with our speech pathologists, who lead on communication technology.

Complexity Matters

Assistive technology is not one category. Simple, low-risk items can often be purchased without assessment, and we will tell you when that is the case rather than manufacture a referral.

Complex items are a different matter. A power wheelchair with custom seating, a ceiling hoist, or a pressure care system for someone with existing skin damage involves clinical risk, significant cost, and specific prescribing requirements. Under the NDIS, higher complexity assistive technology requires assessment and a prescription from a suitably qualified assessor, with evidence of trial and consideration of alternatives.

That process exists because the consequences of getting complex equipment wrong are real — pressure injuries, falls, manual handling injuries to carers, and tens of thousands of dollars of unusable equipment.

Trial Before Prescription

For anything complex, we trial. Suppliers can generally arrange loan or demonstration equipment, and we assess it in the person's own home with the people who will be using it.

Trials routinely change the prescription. A wheelchair that fits perfectly in a clinic will not turn in a 1970s hallway. A hoist that suits the bedroom may not fit under the bed. A cushion that measures well may be intolerable after two hours.

We would rather find that out during a trial than after the invoice.

When to Arrange an Assessment

  • Mobility has changed and current equipment no longer suits
  • Transfers are unsafe, exhausting, or being done by a family member
  • Existing equipment is uncomfortable, unused, or causing pain or skin marks
  • A wheelchair or seating system is due for review, or the person has grown or changed shape
  • An NDIS plan review or Home and Living request needs equipment evidence
  • Hospital discharge is planned and equipment will be needed at home

Seek clinical review urgently, not just equipment, if:

  • Skin is red and does not blanch when pressed, or has broken down over the tailbone, hips, heels or anywhere in contact with a chair or bed — this needs nursing assessment now, and pressure equipment prescribed as a priority rather than in the usual queue
  • A carer has been injured, or nearly injured, during transfers — stop the transfer method and get an urgent assessment
  • Equipment is causing pain, numbness, marking or rubbing
  • There has been a fall from a chair, bed or wheelchair
  • There has been a sudden change in strength, tone, sensation or alertness — this needs GP or specialist review to identify the cause first

What to Expect

An occupational therapist assesses at home. The appointment covers physical assessment — strength, range, posture, sensation, skin, balance and transfer ability — and functional assessment of the tasks the equipment must support.

We measure the person and the environment, and we ask about the whole day, not just the obvious task. Equipment has to work at 3pm as well as at 10am, and it has to work for whoever is assisting.

Where the item is complex, we arrange trials and reassess with the equipment in place. You then receive a written prescription and report with the clinical rationale, specifications, quotes and consideration of alternatives that the funder requires.

After delivery, we fit and adjust the equipment and train the person, family and support workers. We then review — because equipment that fitted in March may not fit in September.

Where We Provide This Service

Occupational therapists across Victoria (Melbourne, Roxburgh Park and the northern suburbs), Queensland (Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich and Logan) and New South Wales (Sydney and Western Sydney), in private homes, retirement villages, supported accommodation and residential aged care.

Funding We Accept

  • NDIS — assistive technology is funded under Capital supports, with evidence requirements that increase with cost and complexity. Assessment sits under Capacity Building.
  • Support at Home — AT-HM scheme — three tiers up to $500, $2,000 and $15,000 in a 12-month period, separate from and upfront of your ongoing supports. Complex equipment requires occupational therapy prescription.
  • Home Care Packages and CHSP — for eligible clients.
  • TAC and workers compensation — where related to an accepted claim.
  • DVA — for eligible veterans with a valid referral.
  • Private — no referral required.

Simple Process

Getting Started

1

Make a referral

Individuals, families and carers, support coordinators and plan managers, GPs and specialists, aged care providers, hospital discharge planners and equipment suppliers can all refer.

2

We call you for an initial discussion

Our team asks what the equipment needs to do, what is currently being used and why it is not working, whether there are pressure or skin concerns, who assists with transfers, and what funding is in place. Where a trial will be needed, we explain the timeframe upfront.

3

Assessment

Physical, functional and environmental assessment at home, with the people who assist present where possible.

4

Trial

Loan or demonstration equipment trialled in the real environment for anything complex.

5

Prescription and report

A written prescription with specifications, rationale, alternatives considered and quotes, written to your funder's evidence requirements.

6

Delivery, fitting, training and review

Fitting and adjustment, training for everyone who uses it, and scheduled review.

Got Questions?

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an OT assessment to get equipment funded?
For simple, low-cost items, often not. For complex or higher-cost assistive technology, yes, and the assessment is what makes approval likely rather than a coin toss.
How long does the process take?
Simple items can be arranged in weeks. Complex equipment involves trials, quotes, funder approval and manufacture, and commonly takes several months. Custom seating and power wheelchairs are at the longer end.
Can I choose my own supplier?
Generally yes. We prescribe to a specification rather than to a brand, and we will explain what features matter and why so you can compare properly.
My equipment doesn't fit properly. Can you help?
Yes, and please raise it early. Equipment causing pain, marking or difficulty usually needs adjustment rather than replacement, and unaddressed poor fit is how pressure injuries start.
What if my needs change?
Tell us. Equipment prescribed for a person's function at one point in time may not suit six months later, particularly with progressive conditions. Review is part of the service, not an admission that something went wrong.
Do you assess in residential aged care?
Yes, including seating, pressure care and manual handling equipment, with training for care staff.
What are the funding tiers for NDIS AT prescription?
There are different types of AT which can be funded through the NDIS. It is important to remember that NDIS will only fund equipment which is related to your disability and is not considered a day-to-day household item. You may be able to purchase an equipment if it costs less than $1,500 and is considered low-risk (What is low-cost assistive technology | NDIS). Confirm with your treating therapist, support coordinator, plan manager, or NDIS planner if the equipment can be purchased or if an AT advisor is required to be involved. For any equipment over $1,500 or if it is considered high-risk (even if it costs less than $1,500), a treating therapist such as an occupational therapist is required to be involved for assessment, trial and recommendation of the equipment. For high-risk or items costing over $1,500, once the report is reviewed by the NDIS contact person, funding is allocated in the new plan. This is added under Capital Supports category of the NDIS plan for Assistive Technology.
What can / can't be done: with links to government sources
NDIS has specific guidelines on what can and cannot be funded. It is important to remember that only equipment related to the participant's primary disability can be funded. Generally funded when reasonable, necessary, and related to your disability: Mobility aids (wheelchairs, walkers, scooters); Communication aids and devices; Daily living and self-care aids; Home modifications directly required for access and safety; Vision and hearing aids/devices. Generally not funded: Everyday items everyone needs, like standard household furniture or appliances (though the NDIS may fund the extra cost of adapting a general item for your disability); Items more appropriately funded by another government service (e.g. some health system equipment); AT that doesn't relate to your disability or isn't linked to your plan goals.

Ready to Book?

Book an Assistive Technology Assessment

Contact inOne Healthcare on 1300 765 456, email info@inonehealthcare.com.au, or submit a referral online.

Monday to Saturday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. Closed Sunday.

Related: AT-HM Scheme Assessments · Home Modification Assessments · Pressure Sores · After a Fall

Ready to get started?

Make a referral or contact our team today.

Make A Referral 1300 765 456 info@inonehealthcare.com.au

Reviewed by Anchalpreet Kaur, Occupational Therapist, OCC0002654853. Last reviewed 10/09/2026.

This page provides general information only and is not a substitute for individual clinical advice.