What is Occupational Therapy? A Guide for NDIS Participants and Aged Care Clients

What does an occupational therapist do?

Occupational therapists (OTs) are allied health professionals who help people of all ages perform the everyday activities — occupations — that are meaningful and necessary to them. This includes self-care (bathing, dressing, eating), productivity (work, study, household tasks), and leisure (hobbies, social participation, community access).

When a disability, illness or ageing process affects a person's ability to do these activities, an OT assesses the barriers and designs a plan to overcome them. That might mean developing new skills, modifying the environment, prescribing assistive equipment, or working on sensory processing or cognitive strategies.

What does an OT assessment involve?

An OT assessment is typically conducted in the person's home or in the environment where they perform the activities being assessed. A thorough assessment covers:

• Current abilities and difficulties in daily living activities
• Home environment — layout, safety hazards, accessibility
• Assistive equipment already in use and whether it is appropriate
• Cognitive and sensory factors affecting daily function
• The person's goals and what activities matter most to them
• Support networks — family, carers, other allied health professionals

The assessment results in a report and a therapy plan. For NDIS participants, this report forms the basis of functional capacity documentation that can support plan applications and reviews.

What does OT treatment look like?

OT is highly practical and goal-focused. Depending on the person's needs, OT sessions might involve:

• Practising and building skills for daily tasks — getting dressed, preparing meals, managing personal care
• Training in the use of assistive equipment — wheelchairs, communication devices, adapted utensils
• Sensory processing therapy — for children and adults with autism, sensory sensitivities or processing difficulties
• Cognitive strategies — memory aids, routines and compensatory strategies for people with acquired brain injury or dementia
• Home modification recommendations — identifying and documenting the changes needed to make a home safer and more accessible
• Community access support — building the skills and confidence to access transport, shops, medical appointments

Who benefits from occupational therapy?

OT is relevant across a wide range of disability types, ages and situations:

• NDIS participants with physical, neurological, intellectual or psychosocial disability — for capacity building, functional assessments, AT and home modifications
• Children with autism — sensory processing, daily living skills, school participation and social skills
• People with acquired brain injury or stroke — relearning daily tasks, cognitive strategies and return-to-work support
• Older adults — falls prevention in the home environment, maintaining independence, home modification assessments
• People with progressive neurological conditions — adapting to changing functional capacity over time
• People applying for the NDIS — functional capacity assessments to support access requests

How is OT funded under the NDIS?

Occupational therapy is funded across multiple NDIS support categories depending on the type of service:

• Support Category 07 (Improved Daily Activities) — OT therapy for skills development, sensory processing and capacity building. This is the most common category for OT sessions.
• Support Category 05 (Assistive Technology) — OT assessments and reports supporting AT prescription and funding
• Support Category 10 (Home Modifications) — OT assessment and documentation for home modification funding

You do not need a separate referral to access OT under the NDIS — you need relevant Capacity Building funding in your plan. Your support coordinator can confirm what's available and help you get started.

Is OT different from exercise physiology?

Yes — they are distinct professions with different but complementary roles. Exercise physiology focuses on building physical capacity through exercise — strength, endurance, balance and fitness. Occupational therapy focuses on the skills, environment and equipment needed to perform daily activities.

In practice, many NDIS participants benefit from both. An exercise physiologist might work on building the strength and balance needed to dress independently, while an OT works on the specific technique and adaptive strategies for the dressing task itself. When both services are coordinated by the same provider, outcomes are typically better and plan funding is used more efficiently.

Exercare is building exactly this model — an integrated EP and OT team that shares goals, communicates directly, and delivers coordinated care under one provider.

Frequently asked questions

This article was written by the Exercare team. Exercare is launching occupational therapy services for NDIS and aged care clients in south-east Melbourne in 2026. Join the OT waitlist →