Supporting the Carer Without Taking Away Independence: Where Low-Cost Assistive Technology Can Help
A reminder goes off.
A visual timer shows how long is left.
A person presses a button when they need help.
A communication card makes a choice clear.
A smart switch lets someone operate a light without asking another person to do it.
A simple adapted utensil makes part of a meal easier to manage independently.
Each example is small.
But across a day, small changes can make a meaningful difference to both a person with disability and the family or friends who support them.
The important principle: assistive technology should not be chosen simply to make caring easier. Start with the participant. If a support reduces a disability-related barrier, helps the person do more independently, communicate choices, participate or access help safely, it may also have the secondary benefit of reducing unnecessary repetitive assistance from the people around them.
First: what do we mean by a carer?
During National Carers Week, the word carer has a specific meaning.
Carers are people who provide unpaid care and support to a family member or friend.
That might include someone caring for a person with:
- disability;
- a chronic health condition;
- mental ill-health;
- terminal illness;
- alcohol or other drug-related needs;
- age-related support needs.
A carer might be a:
- parent;
- partner;
- adult child;
- sibling;
- grandparent;
- friend;
- neighbour;
- young person supporting somebody in their family.
They may provide a great deal of support without describing themselves as a “carer”.
A carer is not the same thing as a paid support worker
This distinction matters.
A paid disability support worker provides a formal service as part of their employment or business.
An unpaid carer supports somebody because of their family, friendship or personal relationship with that person.
Both may be important in a participant's life, but they are not interchangeable.
National Carers Week specifically recognises unpaid family and friend carers.
What does this have to do with assistive technology?
A lot of everyday caring consists of small, repeated actions.
For example:
- reminding somebody what happens next;
- repeating the time of an appointment;
- turning something on or off;
- helping someone reach or operate an item;
- prompting the next step in a routine;
- checking whether somebody needs help;
- interpreting choices;
- finding an object;
- helping someone organise belongings;
- supporting a task that is difficult because of grip, coordination, vision, hearing or another disability-related barrier.
Some of those tasks will always involve another person.
Others may be opportunities for assistive technology.
The aim should be more choice, not less
It is possible to choose technology that makes life easier for everyone around the participant but gives the participant less control.
That is not the direction we should aim for.
For example, imagine a reminder system.
A useful system might help the person know:
- what is happening;
- when it is happening;
- what they need to do next;
- how much time is left.
A less useful approach might simply give somebody else more ways to issue instructions remotely.
The technology may look similar.
The effect on the participant can be very different.
A useful question: who gains control?
Before choosing a support, ask:
Does this technology give the participant more control over their own life?
That might mean more control over:
- communication;
- their environment;
- daily routines;
- asking for help;
- making choices;
- moving through a task;
- participating in an activity.
If the only clear benefit is that somebody else can monitor, direct or control the participant more easily, it is worth reconsidering the approach.
Small assistive technology can change repeated support tasks
| Repeated support situation | Possible assistive technology direction | Participant-focused outcome |
|---|---|---|
| “What are we doing next?” | Visual schedule, task board or accessible digital planner. | The person can check the next activity for themselves. |
| Repeated reminders about time | Visual timer, vibrating reminder, alarm or accessible clock. | Better access to elapsed time and upcoming events. |
| Needing another person to operate a light or appliance | Accessible switch or appropriate environmental control. | Greater control over the person's own environment. |
| Difficulty asking for help from another room | Appropriate call button, alert or communication system. | The person can initiate the request for assistance. |
| Choices are difficult to communicate | Communication cards, boards or suitable AAC. | The person's own preferences can be communicated more clearly. |
| Difficulty completing a sequence | Step-by-step visual prompt or checklist. | The person can complete more of the task with fewer verbal prompts. |
| Difficulty gripping everyday items | Appropriate adapted handle, utensil or grip support. | Greater independence with the activity itself. |
| Missing an audible alert | Appropriate visual or vibrating alert. | Important information reaches the person in an accessible way. |
Less prompting can be good for both people
Imagine somebody who needs to leave home at 8:30.
Without an accessible reminder system, a family member might need to say:
“You need to get ready.”
Then ten minutes later:
“Remember your bag.”
Then:
“We leave in fifteen minutes.”
Then:
“Shoes now.”
Then:
“We need to go.”
If a suitable visual schedule, timer or reminder system lets the participant access that information themselves, the technology may reduce repeated prompting.
The important outcome is not:
“The carer has fewer jobs.”
The stronger outcome is:
“The participant has more independent access to the information they need.”
The reduced prompting is a useful secondary result.
Assistive technology does not replace relationships
There is a danger in talking about technology as if independence means doing everything alone.
It does not.
People support each other.
Families support each other.
Friends support each other.
A participant may actively want help with some tasks and prefer to do others independently.
Assistive technology should create options.
It should not turn human relationships into a project to eliminate all assistance.
The NDIS also recognises informal support
The NDIS describes help from family, friends, carers and the community as informal supports.
When deciding what reasonable and necessary supports belong in a participant's plan, the NDIA considers what it is reasonable to expect those informal supports to provide.
That consideration includes the person's individual circumstances and the sustainability of informal support.
For adults, NDIA guidance includes consideration of the longer-term health, safety and other impacts on family and carers.
This does not mean the NDIS simply funds anything that might reduce pressure on a family.
NDIS-funded supports still need to meet the funding criteria for the participant.
The NDIS funds the participant's support — not general convenience for the household
This is an important distinction when thinking about assistive technology.
A product may make life easier for a family and still not be an NDIS support.
For an NDIS-funded assistive technology purchase, the important questions include whether the item:
- is directly related to the participant's disability;
- addresses a disability-related functional need;
- helps the participant work towards their goals;
- is likely to be effective and beneficial;
- represents value for money;
- is something the NDIS rules allow to be funded.
“This saves the family time” is not, by itself, enough.
A better way to describe the outcome
Participant-focused
“The visual timer gives the participant an accessible way to understand elapsed time and transition between activities with fewer verbal prompts.”
Carer-convenience focused
“The timer means the parent doesn't have to keep reminding them.”
Both statements may describe part of what happens.
But the first explains the assistive function for the participant.
That is the important starting point.
Independence can mean initiating help
Independence is not always about completing the whole task without another person.
Sometimes greater independence means being able to decide when help is needed and request it.
For example, an accessible call button might allow someone to:
- ask for assistance when they choose;
- avoid calling out repeatedly;
- communicate from another room;
- have more privacy between support tasks.
The other person still provides assistance.
But the participant gains more control over when the interaction starts.
Communication supports can reduce guessing
Sometimes a carer knows a participant extremely well.
They may recognise expressions, movements or routines that unfamiliar people do not understand.
That knowledge can be valuable.
But wherever possible, a communication support can help the participant communicate more directly.
This might include:
- a yes/no system;
- choice cards;
- a communication board;
- symbols;
- written communication;
- a speech-generating device;
- another AAC method suited to the person.
This can reduce the need for someone else to guess or speak on the participant's behalf.
Read: AAC in Everyday Life – Low-Cost Communication Supports Beyond Speech
Environmental controls can change who performs the action
Something as ordinary as turning on a lamp can involve another person many times each day if the switch is inaccessible.
An appropriate accessible switch or environmental control may let the participant perform that action themselves.
The same principle can sometimes apply to:
- lighting;
- fans;
- certain compatible appliances;
- doorbells or alerts;
- other appropriate household controls.
But mainstream smart-home technology is not automatically an NDIS support simply because it is convenient.
The disability-related function and current NDIS rules still matter.
Safety technology needs a participant-rights lens
Safety products can be useful.
They can also become overly restrictive if chosen only from the perspective of the person doing the caring.
For example, consider a movement or door alert.
The useful question is not just:
“Will this tell the carer when the person moves?”
Also ask:
- What safety problem are we addressing?
- Does the participant understand and agree with how it is being used where they are able to do so?
- Is there a less intrusive way to achieve the same outcome?
- Who receives the information?
- Is any personal information or video being collected?
- Does the technology unnecessarily restrict the person's movement, privacy or choice?
Safety should not automatically mean surveillance.
Cameras deserve particular care
A camera can have legitimate uses in some disability-support situations.
But a camera is also a privacy-sensitive device.
Consider:
- consent;
- where the camera is placed;
- who can view footage;
- whether audio is recorded;
- where recordings are stored;
- who has account access;
- whether continuous recording is actually necessary;
- whether a simpler alert would meet the need.
The most feature-rich solution is not always the most appropriate one.
Sometimes the simplest tool is enough
Assistive technology does not need Wi-Fi, an app or artificial intelligence to be useful.
Sometimes an effective support is:
- a labelled organiser;
- a visual timer;
- a non-slip aid;
- adapted cutlery;
- a simple communication card;
- a magnifier;
- a reminder device;
- an easy-access switch;
- a visual checklist.
Low complexity can have advantages.
There may be:
- less setup;
- less charging;
- less maintenance;
- less training;
- less dependence on internet access;
- fewer privacy issues.
But low cost does not always mean low risk
Price alone does not determine whether assistive technology is safe to choose without professional advice.
The NDIA distinguishes between low-risk and higher-risk assistive technology.
Some inexpensive items can still create safety risks.
If an item could cause harm when incorrectly selected, fitted or used, appropriate professional advice may be needed even if the purchase price is relatively low.
What is low-cost assistive technology under current NDIS guidance?
The NDIA currently describes low-cost assistive technology as AT costing less than $1,500.
It is generally readily available and does not usually need to be custom-made or modified.
For low-cost, low-risk AT, participants generally do not need to submit a quote or seek approval before purchase when they have appropriate available funding.
The item still needs to:
- be directly related to the participant's disability;
- help with their disability-related functional needs or goals;
- be an NDIS support under the current rules;
- fit the participant's plan and available funding.
Where does low-cost AT funding usually sit?
Current NDIA guidance says funding for low-cost assistive technology is generally available in the participant's Core budget under Consumables.
Where appropriate flexible Core funding is available, it may also be possible to use that flexibility for eligible low-cost AT.
The exact claiming pathway then depends on how the participant's NDIS funding is managed.
NDIA-managed, plan-managed and self-managed purchases
| Funding management | Current low-cost AT purchasing pathway |
|---|---|
| NDIA-managed | The item needs to be purchased through an appropriately registered NDIS provider, which claims payment through the NDIS. |
| Plan-managed | The participant can generally purchase from a supplier and provide the invoice and required documentation to their plan manager. |
| Self-managed | The participant may pay the supplier and submit an eligible claim for reimbursement, keeping invoices and supporting records. |
Think about the participant's whole day
A useful exercise is to look at repeated points of assistance across an ordinary day.
Ask these questions
- Which tasks does the person want to do more independently?
- Where do they repeatedly need prompting?
- Where do they need to wait for somebody else?
- Where is communication difficult?
- Which environmental controls are inaccessible?
- Which tasks are difficult because of grip, vision, hearing, coordination or another functional barrier?
- Where does the person need a safer way to request assistance?
- Which supports are working well already and should not be replaced unnecessarily?
Do not assume every repeated support task needs a technological solution.
Some will not.
But patterns often reveal small opportunities for greater independence.
Example: the morning routine
Consider a participant who relies on a parent for repeated verbal prompts each morning.
The support might currently look like:
- wake-up reminder;
- clothing reminder;
- breakfast reminder;
- medication reminder;
- bag reminder;
- time-to-leave reminder.
Depending on the person's disability-related needs, some of that information may be made more accessible through:
- a visual schedule;
- a checklist;
- timers;
- accessible alarms;
- a dedicated reminder device;
- another appropriate prompting system.
The parent may still be involved.
But the participant may no longer need to receive every piece of information verbally from another person.
Example: asking for assistance at night
A participant may need support during the night but otherwise value privacy and independence.
An appropriate call or alert system might enable them to request assistance when it is needed rather than requiring another person to check repeatedly.
Depending on the person's needs, this could potentially support:
- privacy;
- choice;
- communication;
- timely assistance.
The correct solution depends on the individual and the safety risk involved.
Example: making choices without somebody speaking for you
A family member may be very good at anticipating what a participant wants.
That can be helpful.
But if an accessible communication system enables the person to make the choice directly, that is a stronger form of independence.
The goal is not simply to make decision-making faster.
It is to keep the participant's own voice at the centre.
Example: controlling part of the home environment
If somebody cannot physically reach or operate a particular switch, they may need another person each time they want to use it.
Where safe and appropriate, an accessible control may change the task from:
“Can you turn this on for me?”
to:
the participant operating it themselves.
That can be a small change with a large effect on everyday autonomy.
Not every carer-support problem should be solved through the participant's NDIS plan
This is another important distinction.
The NDIS funds supports for the participant where those supports meet the relevant criteria.
Carers themselves may also need support.
That support may come through other systems.
Carer Gateway is an Australian Government program providing free services and support for carers.
Depending on eligibility and circumstances, services can include:
- counselling;
- coaching;
- peer support;
- skills courses;
- tailored support packages;
- planned respite;
- emergency respite.
Supporting a participant and supporting their carer are related goals, but they are not always funded through the same system.
Carer wellbeing and participant independence are not opposing goals
It can sound as though there are only two possibilities:
the family does everything
or:
the participant must do everything independently.
Real life is more nuanced.
A good support arrangement can include:
- things the participant does independently;
- things they do with assistive technology;
- things they do with another person's support;
- things a paid support worker assists with;
- things family and friends naturally do together.
The balance will be different for every person.
Assistive technology can support sustainability
When the same unnecessary manual assistance is required dozens of times each week, finding an appropriate alternative can sometimes make support arrangements more sustainable.
But the focus should remain on function.
For example:
Instead of saying:
“We need this because Mum is exhausted from reminding him.”
a stronger assistive technology question is:
“What accessible system could help him independently understand and follow the routine?”
The carer's workload may improve as a result.
But the technology is solving the participant's functional access problem.
Training can matter as much as the equipment
Sometimes technology fails not because the product is wrong, but because nobody has established how it will be used.
Depending on the support, people around the participant may need to understand:
- how the device works;
- when to prompt and when to wait;
- how to charge or maintain it;
- what to do if it fails;
- how to position it safely;
- how to respect the participant's choices when using it.
Current NDIA guidance also recognises that, in some circumstances, training for family or carers may form part of therapy supports where it helps the participant with everyday activities, maintenance supports or independence.
Don't automate away opportunities to build skills
Technology can sometimes complete a task automatically.
That is useful when automation removes a genuine barrier.
But sometimes the better support is one that helps the participant practise or complete more of the task themselves.
For example:
- a checklist may be preferable to somebody remotely completing the task;
- an accessible switch may be preferable to fully automating an activity the person wants to control;
- a communication support may be preferable to another person making the choice;
- a reminder may be preferable to somebody repeatedly directing the activity.
The right balance depends on the individual person's goals and abilities.
What does “NDIS Claims Ready” mean at LowCost AT?
When LowCost AT describes a product as NDIS Claims Ready, it means we have prepared product information, NDIS guidance and invoicing documentation to help participants, nominees, support coordinators and plan managers assess and submit an appropriate claim.
It does not mean the product is “NDIS approved”, automatically funded or guaranteed to be claimable.
The participant's disability-related needs, current plan, available funding and NDIS rules still determine whether the purchase is appropriate.
A practical checklist before choosing technology
- Start with the participant's goal or functional barrier. What is difficult now?
- Ask what the participant wants. More independence is meaningful only if it reflects their preferences.
- Identify the repeated support task. Is another person currently providing information, physical assistance, communication or environmental access?
- Look for the least complicated suitable solution. More technology is not automatically better.
- Check safety and risk. Low price does not automatically mean low risk.
- Consider privacy. Especially for cameras, location systems and remote monitoring.
- Consider backup options. What happens if a battery dies or the internet fails?
- Check whether the product is an NDIS support.
- Check the participant has suitable funding.
- Get professional advice where the choice is complex or higher risk.
Looking for low-cost assistive technology?
LowCost AT focuses on the function a product can support — whether that's communication, prompting, environmental access, daily living or another disability-related need. Our NDIS Claims Ready information and invoicing documentation can help participants and their supports assess appropriate purchases.
Using your NDIS funding with LowCost AT Contact LowCost ATNational Carers Week 2026
National Carers Week runs from 11 to 17 October 2026.
The theme is:
“Care for a carer: Making carers visible.”
More than 3 million Australians provide unpaid care to a family member or friend.
That contribution can be easy to overlook precisely because so much of it happens as part of everyday family and community life.
Recognising carers should not mean reducing the independence of the person receiving support.
And supporting participant independence should not mean pretending family and friends are unaffected by the support they provide.
Both people matter.
If you are an unpaid carer and need support yourself
Carer Gateway provides free Australian Government-funded support for carers.
Available services can include counselling, coaching, peer support, practical assistance and respite depending on individual circumstances.
Carer Gateway can be contacted on 1800 422 737.
This is separate from LowCost AT and from the participant's NDIS purchasing pathway.
Good assistive technology should give the participant more agency
The strongest outcome is not simply that a family member has one less task to complete.
It is that the participant can do something, understand something, control something, communicate something or request something with greater independence.
When that happens, both people may benefit.
The participant gains more choice and control.
The carer can spend less time providing assistance that technology can appropriately replace — and more time being a parent, partner, sibling, child or friend.
NDIS purchasing information Contact LowCost ATFrequently asked questions
What is an unpaid carer?
An unpaid carer is someone who provides care and support to a family member or friend because of disability, illness, a health condition, age or another support need. This is different from a paid disability support worker.
Can assistive technology help carers?
Assistive technology is primarily intended to address the participant's disability-related functional needs. When it helps the participant communicate, complete a task, access information or control their environment more independently, it may also reduce some unnecessary repetitive assistance provided by family or carers.
Will the NDIS fund technology just because it makes caring easier?
No. An NDIS-funded support needs to meet the relevant funding criteria for the participant. Convenience for a family member or carer by itself does not make a product an NDIS support.
What is low-cost assistive technology?
Current NDIA guidance describes low-cost assistive technology as AT costing less than $1,500. It still needs to be directly related to the participant's disability, appropriate for their needs and something the NDIS rules allow to be funded.
Can low-cost AT be purchased from Consumables?
Current NDIA guidance says funding for eligible low-cost assistive technology is generally available through the Core budget under Consumables. The participant must have appropriate available funding and the item must be an NDIS support.
Does independence mean the participant should not need help from family?
No. Independence does not mean doing everything alone. It can mean having more choice over what the person does themselves, when they ask for assistance and how they communicate their needs.
Can an alert button support independence?
Potentially. An appropriate alert or call system may allow a participant to initiate a request for help rather than relying on another person to continually check on them. Suitability depends on the person's disability-related needs and the safety context.
Are cameras considered assistive technology?
A camera may have a legitimate disability-related purpose in some circumstances, but it also raises privacy, consent and monitoring issues. A camera is not automatically an NDIS support, and a less intrusive solution may sometimes be more appropriate.
Should I get professional advice before choosing assistive technology?
Professional advice is particularly important for higher-risk, complex or individualised assistive technology. Even some inexpensive products can be higher risk. Appropriate allied health or assistive technology advice can help ensure the support is safe and suitable.
Can family members receive training to support assistive technology use?
In some circumstances, the NDIS can fund training for family or carers where it forms part of appropriate therapy support and helps the participant with everyday activities, equipment use, maintenance supports or independence.
Where can unpaid carers get help for themselves?
Carer Gateway is an Australian Government program that provides free services and support for carers, including counselling, coaching, peer support, practical supports and respite options depending on eligibility and circumstances. Carer Gateway can be contacted on 1800 422 737.
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