The Southern Highlands has one of the oldest age profiles of any region within reach of Sydney, yet occupational therapy in the Southern Highlands is thin on the ground. Many families in Bowral, Mittagong, Moss Vale and the villages find that the nearest OT with capacity is a long drive away, or attached to a clinic when what they really need is someone to assess the home itself. This guide covers what a mobile OT can do across the Highlands, and how visits are funded.
For home safety, falls prevention, equipment and home modifications, the assessment belongs in your home, not a clinic. Mobile occupational therapists travel to the Southern Highlands from Sydney in about an hour via the Hume Motorway, so distance should not stop you from getting a proper in-home assessment.
An ageing region with long distances between services
Around 28 per cent of Wingecarribee residents are aged 65 or over, well above the Sydney average, and official forecasts expect the retiree population to keep growing as more people leave the city for the Highlands. Villages such as Bundanoon and Exeter have some of the oldest age profiles in the state, and many residents live on acreage or in older, cold-climate homes with steps, uneven access and bathrooms that were never designed for changing mobility.
Bowral and District Hospital does an important job for the region, but it is a small rural hospital, and specialist allied health often means travelling up the Hume or waiting for a visiting service. That is exactly the gap mobile OT fills.
What an in-home OT visit covers in the Highlands
- Falls prevention and home safety: a room-by-room assessment of steps, rails, lighting, heating-related trip hazards and bathroom safety, with practical recommendations that respect the character of older homes;
- Equipment prescription: walkers, shower chairs, beds, recliners and transfer aids, matched to real doorways, floors and distances, not showroom conditions;
- Home modification assessments: grab rails, ramps, step modifications and bathroom changes, with reports that support funding applications;
- NDIS assessments: functional capacity assessments, assistive technology reports and supported living evidence for participants across Wingecarribee and Wollondilly;
- Post-hospital reconditioning: rebuilding confidence with daily tasks after a fall, illness or hospital stay.
Need an OT to come to Bowral, Mittagong or Moss Vale?
Youcentric Care Group is based in Western Sydney, in the same local health district as Bowral and District Hospital, and takes Southern Highlands bookings by arrangement. We respond to referrals within 24 hours.
How OT is funded in the Southern Highlands
Support at Home (aged care). Since 1 November 2025, the Support at Home program has replaced Home Care Packages for in-home aged care. Occupational therapy sits in the clinical supports category, and equipment and home modifications are funded through a separate assistive technology and home modifications scheme, with an OT assessment as the key piece of evidence. My Aged Care remains the entry point on 1800 200 422.
The NDIS. Participants across Wingecarribee and Wollondilly can use plan funding for OT assessments and therapy. If your plan review is coming up and your last report is old, book the assessment early; report turnaround matters more than distance.
Medicare and private. A GP Chronic Condition Management Plan can rebate up to five allied health sessions per calendar year, and private bookings need no referral at all. Funding details are current as at July 2026; confirm your own situation with My Aged Care, the NDIA or your GP.
Towns and villages we can visit
By arrangement, home visits are available across the Highlands and Wollondilly: Bowral, Mittagong, Moss Vale, Burradoo, Berrima, Bundanoon, Robertson, Hill Top, Colo Vale and Yerrinbool, plus Picton, Tahmoor, Thirlmere, Bargo, The Oaks and Wilton on the Wollondilly side. Coming from Liverpool, most of the region is reachable in about an hour on the Hume, which keeps travel practical for single-visit assessments.
Frequently asked questions
Do you charge for travel to the Southern Highlands?
Travel arrangements depend on your funding type and location, and we confirm any travel component clearly before booking so there are no surprises. Call 1300 316 664 for a quote for your town.
Can you assess acreage and rural properties?
Yes. Access paths, distances between buildings, outdoor steps and driveways are part of the assessment on rural blocks, because most falls happen where daily routines actually take place.
How quickly can someone be seen?
We respond to every referral within 24 hours and schedule Highlands visits in planned runs, with reports delivered within 2 to 3 weeks of the assessment.
Bring the OT to the Highlands, not the other way around
In-home assessments for older residents and NDIS participants across Bowral, Mittagong, Moss Vale and the villages. 24 hour referral response, reports in 2 to 3 weeks.
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