AussieCare offers “Occupational therapy” that is a client-centred health profession concerned with promoting health and well-being through occupation. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. Occupational therapists achieve this outcome by working with people and communities to enhance their ability to engage in the occupations they want to, need to, or are expected to do, or by modifying the occupation or the environment to better support their occupational engagement.
Our occupational therapists have a broad education in medical, social behavioural, psychological, psychosocial and occupational sciences which equips them with the attitudes, skills and knowledge to work collaboratively with people, individually or in groups or communities. They will work with all our clients, including those who have an impairment of body structure or function owing to a health condition, or who are restricted in their participation or who are socially excluded owing to their membership of social or minority groups.
Our occupational therapists believe that participation can be supported or restricted by the physical, social, cultural, attitudinal and legislative environments. Therefore occupational therapy practice is focussed on enabling individuals to change aspects of their client, the occupation, the environment or some combination of these to enhance occupational participation.
What services do occupational therapists provide in the NDIS?
Occupational therapists are skilled in a number of areas, including mental health, rehabilitation, pain management, driving assessments and paediatrics. They can help you to identify interests and goals, manage daily routines at home and in the community, modify daily tasks to make them easier to perform, and recommend activities that you can participate effectively in.
Our occupational therapists will provide a range of supports and services to our NDIS clients, services such as
- Assistive technology (aids and equipment)
- Home modifications
- Vehicle modifications and driving assessments
- Assessment of client support needs
- Coordinating respite care
- Housing assessments for clients requiring Specialist Disability Accommodation
- Transport assistance
- Orientation and mobility training
- Supported employment evaluation and training services
- Helping children to reach their developmental goals through interventions such as play-based therapy
Our clients are actively involved in the occupational therapy process. The outcomes are client-driven and measured in terms of participation, satisfaction derived from occupational participation and/or improvement in occupational performance.
