Welcome

• MARCH 1, 2021

There’s nothing we love more than being part of the community we find ourselves in, so it brings us immense pleasure when we have the opportunity to speak with others from within it, from Participants and Support Coordinators right through to Providers. As such, we’d like to introduce you to a new provider who has joined the community and have big plans for the future of the support they offer – Able Digital Wellness.

Considering the positive impact Able Digital Wellness could have on the health and wellbeing of our immediate NDSP Plan Managers family (that’s you!), we wanted to catch up with Scott Chapman, CEO and co-founder of the online platform to find out more (Scott & the Able team are giving away three months of free access to the first 10 people to subscribe, but you can read more on that below too) …

Able Digital Wellness was created to make exercise and healthy living available to NDIS Participants, whenever and wherever via our web-based platform.

The website delivers new ‘Do Anywhere’ exercise videos each week categorised by difficulty, weekly dietary advice and healthy recipes & shopping lists, plus our host of free mental health and wellness content aimed to assist participants and their Support Worker or family members is designed to support a well-rounded healthy lifestyle.

For joining “Team Able” our members also receive a T-shirt, Samsung tablet and chromecast device that enables them to workout with anyone they wish to, in front of their favourite TV or device – anywhere.

I chat with my legendary, Intellectually Disabled nephew, Dan multiple times throughout each day – he lives in a great group home here on the Gold Coast. But, back when the first COVID-19 lockdowns occurred I noticed he was becoming noticeably more agitated with each chat. On top of that, I also noticed that he had begun to put on unhealthy weight as a result of the limitation to his outdoor activities.

That’s when the idea for Able was born.

The idea got me moving, I then spoke with my now co-founding team to help bring that idea to life. Together we dove into some research … That research revealed some sad statistics about the health of many members of the disability community. Here are three such results of our research:

42% of adults with a disability rate their health as poor or fair, compared with 7% of people without a disability.

32% of adults with a disability experience high or very high psychological distress compared with 8% of those without a disability.

It became clear that mental health was as important to wellness as exercise; As one example, a recent study done by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found, that running for 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour reduces the risk of major depression by 26%.

While we considered the issue that my nephew, Dan, and so many other people faced during COVID-19, this research revealed that it isn’t just confined to lockdown periods. It shows that healthy living is an ongoing and constant challenge for many.

From that point, we began to round-out the Able offering, with the weekly diet advice (provided by our dietician), simple recipes, mental health articles, videos and advice as well as content designed specifically for carers and support givers.

Members of Team Able receive a Samsung tablet along with a Google Chromecast device. The portability of the tablet means that if there is internet, they, alongside friends, family or support workers can enjoy the benefit of functional movement together, anywhere. The Chromecast device allows members to “plug and play” Able to the Big Screen. The idea is that wherever you are, you are having fun, creating healthy habits that keep you moving while promoting group participation in a healthy activity.

Further to that, our weekly diet advice, printable recipes and their shopping lists are there to further encourage healthy habits through cooking and meal prep. They also assist with the act of understanding what to buy and how to go grocery shopping with a list in hand – The “Wherever you are” part is super relevant here too; you could be out shopping and you’re “proving you can”!

Who is Able for?

We truly believe Able is for everyone, but considering the stats mentioned earlier, we believe that NDIS Participants will, without doubt, get the most benefit.

We also reckon that building a stronger bond between Support Worker/Carer and participant creates happier healthier people and our content designed specifically for Support Workers & Carers is intended to strengthen those bonds.

Access to group exercise (via Able) with the ability to cast to the loungeroom TV (or individual’s room) means that Supported Independent Living (SIL) environments & group homes have the ability to provide simple, functional exercise to encourage group participation in a fun activity as part of creating a healthier life together. Our nutritional advice is designed to be easily implemented in any house with small things that are focused on each week, these combine to have a big impact. The easy-to-follow cooking and shopping instructions also assist in capacity building. Lastly the Mental Wellness and Carer specific content is designed as an aid to those offering support from within the house.

We’ve created packages for group homes alongside our individual membership to make the platform more available for participants no-matter their situation.

From NDIS Participants, Support Workers and Carers through to Plan Managers, we’ve been almost blown away by how aligned everyone is in their pursuit of a healthier lifestyle, which again, is exactly what we want for everyone in our community.

One key piece of feedback that we have found extremely positive is how good it is to have access to complete wellness options, from mental health and diet through to exercise in one place. The feedback has revealed that this combination is something that many haven’t yet been able to tie together easily for their clients or loved ones.

SO MUCH.
One notable development is that our Exercise Physiologist is in the process of creating a new workout program for chair-based participants as well as a limited mobility program to complement our current workout categories. The goal is to create options for as many participants as possible to engage in improving their overall wellness.

*Because we love you guys for chatting to us, we’re giving 3 months of free membership to the first 10 people who sign up with Able via this page: https://beable.com.au/subscribe/. To receive the 3 months free, Participants will still be required to have capacity in their Plan to cover our sign-up fee so they can receive the full benefit of the Able experience**. This one-off fee covers provision of your Samsung Tablet, Chromecast device and t-shirt (read about our sign-up package here).

We’ve tried to make our membership process super simple – head to the website (beable.com.au), have a look around, hit “Subscribe” in the top of the page and fill in your details!

For now, we provide support to Plan Managed Participants, self-managed Participants and SIL housing. As we’re not yet NDIS registered, we’re unable to offer support to Agency Managed Participants, but we’re hoping to change that in the not-too-distant future!

__

NDSP Plan Managers is a NDIS registered provider specialising in NDIS Plan Management. If you are a NDIS Participant looking for the right Plan Manager, CLICK HERE to get in touch with our friendly team today.

__

*NDSP Plan Managers are a proudly independent and family-owned business and do not directly endorse or have commercial relationships with NDIS Providers.
Any decision to engage with any of these providers rests solely with our clients to ensure continued choice and control. NDSP Plan Managers supports clients undertaking physical activities to achieve their life goals.

https://kynd.com.au/kynd-conversations-health-fitness/

Why is the gap so big?

Co-founders of Able Digital Wellness, Scott Chapman and Tyler Murphy, discuss some of the challenges Australians living with a disability face in managing their health and fitness, and share strategies people can adopt to live happier healthier lives.

Key takeouts:

• The compounding effects of exercise and a healthy diet are huge.
• You don’t need to be fit to get started, you just need to start!
• Exercise needs to be fun! Find something you love doing and prioritise time doing it.
• Celebrate the little wins. Whether you’ve cut out your 3pm sugar snack or walked an extra km, it’s important to celebrate each success. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
• Find a strong support team. The more encouragement you have, the more you’ll be motivated to hit your goals.

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/stanthorpe/power-couple-climb-up-list/news-story/dfbdb2b73e84036021b0f08e25df1ed4

 IT WASN'T long ago that Scott Chapman was running around Sullivan Oval for the Gremlins.

Fast-track a couple years and the former local has landed himself on a list of Australia's top 100 young entrepreneurs.

The first ever Business News Australia Top 100 Young Entrepreneurs list is a comprehensive dive into the nation's colourful and creative business community.

Mr Chapman, along with partner Shae, have found themselves at number 41 on the list.

Though the Chapmans are known for their operation of Zambrero Restaurants on the Gold Coast, their company SS Chapman leveraged them up the list.

As part of the business, SS Chapman has a consulting arm where they work with clients on profit and operational strategies.

The pair have won multiple Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards and last year they were the International Franchise Partners of the year for Zambrero.

"We weren't even aware we'd made the list,” Mr Chapman said. "I got an email from Serena Russo, who owns the job agency, saying congratulations.

"I hadn't read it and thought it was spam to be honest,” he said. "Then I went and had a look at the list and we made the cut so that was pretty exciting.”

FROM OUR PARTNERS

Stream more than 20 news sources with Flash. New customers try 14 days free

The couple is set to open another Zambrero's Mexican restaurant in the coming weeks, up in Toowoomba.

They own and operate several stores and they do media and marketing for the restaurant chain.

"We've got three at the coast now and building one in Toowoomba,” Mr Chapman said. "We've just sold two.

"The one in Toowoomba would be our sixth store but we just sold two of those.

"I'm also a director for charity organisation called Bravehearts.

"The same time again our consulting business contracts to them, at no charge, to help realign their revenue strategies.

"Bravehearts just want to give back basically,” he said. "My sister had a rough run when she was young and that's how I got involved.”

Through Zambrero's they've also set up an 'Plate for Plate'.

"For every meal we sell we donate a meal,” he said. Just our businesses alone, mine and Shae's, have donated nearly 700,000 meals in the last four and a bit years.”

After finishing high school in Stanthorpe, Scott moved to Toowoomba for uni, moved on to Brisbane and then found his way back to town for a few years.

"I went away again and got into media. I went into radio and television with a regional media group and ended up in Dubbo. Then I've been on the coast for about the last 10 years.”

His family are still here, along with friends. He said his younger days in Stanthorpe set him up well for the future.

They have even investigated bringing a Zambrero's to town.

"It's still definitely not ruled out. It's an area we'd like to be for sure.”

Not everything he's done has panned out for the best, but he's had plenty of fun along the way.

"I never really had much formal training - it was all sort of on the job stuff and a lot of bloody hard work.”

The couple is expecting their third child in March and plans were to take a step back for a little while, however Scott doesn't like his chances.

"Taking a step back and having a bit of time off doesn't really work in my mind,” he said. "I'd like it to, I just can't bring myself to do it.

"My parents have always had a phenomenal work ethic. They were forever just ploughing through what they needed to.

"If there's one thing I've learnt along the way, that's that you can be taught everything but work ethic.

"That's one thing I can always thank Stanthorpe and growing up in a rural environment for. Big shout out to the Stanny crew. Go the Gremlins.”