ADULT HOME MODIFICATION ASSESSMENTS
Home Modification Assessments for Adults
Find practical changes that make everyday activities at home safer, easier and more manageable.
The design of a home can affect how someone moves around, completes everyday activities and receives support.
A home modification assessment looks at the person, the activity and the home together. The goal is to understand what is getting in the way and identify changes that support safety, independence and confidence at home.
Strive to Thrive Therapy provides mobile home modification assessments for adults across Greater Brisbane, including Brisbane’s northside and southside, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands and Moreton Bay.
We assess the home, explore suitable options, provide clear recommendations and written reports, and work with suppliers or other professionals where needed.
What is a home modification assessment?
A home modification assessment looks at how the layout and features of a home affect a person’s ability to move around and complete everyday activities.
The assessment starts with what the person wants or needs to do. The Occupational Therapist then considers the person’s movement, routines, equipment, support and goals alongside the physical home environment.
The aim is to find a practical solution that works for the person and the way they use their home.
Who we support
Adults aged 18 and over who are experiencing access, transfer or safety barriers within their home.
Where assessment happens
The assessment takes place in the person’s home so the Occupational Therapist can understand the space and see how relevant activities are currently managed.
How we help
We assess the person, activity and home, explore suitable options and provide clear recommendations or written reports where required.
When might a home modification assessment help?
An assessment can help when part of the home is making an everyday activity difficult, unsafe, tiring or more dependent on assistance.
Seeing the person use the actual space helps identify what is creating the barrier and what change is most likely to help.
An assessment may be useful when:
- Entering or leaving the home has become difficult or unsafe.
- Showering, toileting or moving around the bathroom is harder to manage.
- Steps, thresholds, doorways or narrow spaces create an access barrier.
- Transfers are difficult because of the available space, fixtures or layout.
- The person’s mobility, equipment or support needs have changed.
- A grab rail, access solution or other home change is being considered.
- A funder or support team needs Occupational Therapy assessment and supporting recommendations.
Start with the activity, not the modification
The same feature of a home can affect people in different ways. A step, doorway or bathroom layout may be manageable for one person but create a major barrier for another.
Before recommending a change, the Occupational Therapist looks at what the person wants to do and what is making the activity difficult.
What the person wants to do
We begin with the activity or outcome that matters to the person. This might include entering the home, getting into the shower, using the toilet, moving through a doorway or completing a transfer more safely.
How the activity is managed now
The assessment may consider movement, balance, strength, pain, fatigue, transfers and the support the person currently needs.
How the home affects the activity
We look at the space, layout, fixtures, surfaces, heights, doorways, thresholds and other features that may be helping or getting in the way.
Equipment, support and future needs
Current equipment, support arrangements, routines and likely future needs can all affect whether a proposed change will remain practical.
Changes and areas we may assess
The assessment focuses on the part of the home connected to the person’s activity or access concern.
The goal is to make the home work better for the person, improving safety, confidence and participation in everyday routines.
This may include:
- Entry and exit from the home.
- Steps, thresholds and changes in floor level.
- Doorways and internal access.
- Bathroom, shower and toilet access.
- Bedroom access and transfers.
- Grab rails and other support features.
- Minor threshold or access solutions.
- Changes to fixtures or fittings.
- Space needed for mobility or transfer equipment.
- How family members, carers or support workers assist within the space.
Finding the right solution for the person and home
A home modification assessment is not simply about choosing a rail, ramp or building change.
The Occupational Therapist considers the full activity and may explore:
- A change to the home.
- Assistive Technology or equipment.
- A different setup or use of the space.
- Changes to support or assistance.
- A practical strategy or alternative approach.
- A combination of options.
The right solution should improve the activity in everyday life and remain practical for the person, their support team and the home.
This gives everyone clearer direction before time or funding is committed to a change.
What does the assessment process look like?
Step 1: Start with the activity or access concern
Tell us what the person wants or needs to do, which part of the home is causing difficulty and whether any changes or equipment have already been considered.
Step 2: Review the available information
We review the referral and any useful background information, such as photos, plans, previous reports or details about current equipment.
Step 3: Assess the activity in the home
The Occupational Therapist visits the home and considers the person, activity, transfers, equipment, support and environmental barriers together.
Step 4: Explore practical options
Suitable options are discussed with the person. With consent, the Occupational Therapist may also communicate with suppliers, builders, support coordinators or other professionals.
Step 5: Recommend the next step
The Occupational Therapist explains the outcome and provides the agreed recommendations, supporting documentation or written report. Where further technical or building input is needed, we clarify what should happen next.
Clear recommendations and practical next steps
We agree on the required outcome before the assessment begins.
This can include:
- A clear description of the activity or access concern.
- Relevant observations about the person, equipment, support and home.
- Practical home modification recommendations.
- The reasons behind each recommendation.
- Guidance about equipment or other options where relevant.
- Liaison with suppliers or other professionals.
- Written supporting documentation or a formal report.
Working with other professionals
Some recommendations are straightforward. Others may need input from a supplier, builder, designer, engineer, landlord, body corporate or another professional before work proceeds.
The Occupational Therapist explains the person’s functional needs and helps keep the proposed solution connected to the activity it is intended to support.
Strive can collaborate with other professionals where this forms part of the agreed service.
Is a home modification assessment the right pathway?
Home Modification Assessment
This may be the right pathway when the physical home is the main barrier to access, transfers or an everyday activity.
Assistive Technology Assessment
This may be more suitable when the main question is whether equipment or technology could help with an activity, transfer, mobility need or safety concern.
Functional Capacity Assessment
An FCA may be more useful when a broad and current picture of everyday function, support needs and participation is required.
Capacity-Building Occupational Therapy
Ongoing therapy may be more suitable when the person wants to practise skills, establish routines, build confidence or learn strategies over time.
Related home modification resources
Why home modifications matter
Learn how features of the home can affect safety, access and confidence, and why practical changes can make a meaningful difference.
Occupational Therapy and independence at home
Explore how Occupational Therapy can support everyday activities, safety and independence within the home.
How to write an Occupational Therapy referral
See what information can help the team understand the person’s goals, current difficulties, home environment and reason for referral.
Frequently asked questions
Does the assessment need to happen at home?
Yes. The Occupational Therapist usually needs to see the relevant space and understand how the person completes the activity within the home.
Photos or plans can provide useful background information, but they may not show how the person, equipment and environment interact.
Can Strive to Thrive Therapy assess grab rails and other practical changes?
Yes. Grab rails and other home changes can be considered when they relate to the person’s functional needs and the activity being assessed.
The recommendation will depend on the person, the space and how the feature will be used.
Can equipment be considered as part of the assessment?
Yes. Equipment may be considered where it could support the activity or work alongside a change to the home.
In some situations, an Assistive Technology assessment may be the more suitable pathway.
Can Strive to Thrive Therapy work with builders, suppliers or other professionals?
Yes. The Occupational Therapist can communicate with relevant professionals where needed and where this forms part of the agreed service.
The purpose of this collaboration is to keep the proposed solution connected to the person’s functional needs.
What happens when more detailed building input is needed?
Some projects need additional design, building, engineering, approval or technical input.
Where this is identified, we explain what further information or professional involvement is required.
Will I receive a written report?
A written report or supporting documentation can be provided when it forms part of the agreed service.
We clarify what documentation is needed before the assessment begins.
Will the NDIS fund the recommended modification?
The Occupational Therapist can provide assessment findings, recommendations and supporting evidence.
The NDIA or another funder makes the final funding decision.
Start with the activity or access problem
You do not need to know which modification to request.
Tell us what the person wants or needs to do, which part of the home is causing difficulty, what equipment or support is currently used and whether a recommendation or report is needed.
We can review the information and help identify the most useful next step.