Allied Health Professionals
Allied health practitioners (AHP) are university qualified with specialised expertise that they apply as part of a direct patient care role. AHPs conduct assessments to assess, prevent, diagnose and treat a range of conditions and illnesses to help people:
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Develop skills and abilities to manage their disabilities
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Become more independent
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Become healthier and be more active
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Increase function to build capacity.
Individuals may be treated by one or more AHPs from different specialisations at the same time to optimise benefits and outcomes of therapy.
Therapy Assistant
Therapy Assistant (Allied health assistant) AHA) work under the delegation and supervision of AHPs to assist with and complete less complex clinical and non-clinical tasks with individuals. Duties will differ based on the AHAs experience, knowledge and skill level. Some of the tasks include but are not limited to:
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Assisting with therapy or exercise programs
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Implementing a therapy program developed by the AHP
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Supporting and supervising activities of daily living and
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Working towards independence goals..
Dietician & Nutritionist
Dietitians support people to maintain or improve their health and wellbeing through nutrition and dietetics. Doctors may refer individuals to dietitians to assist them with specific health conditions and to address nutritional concerns, which may include overweight, underweight, nutritional deficiencies and other diet related conditions. Dietitians provide evidence-based nutrition services, dietary counselling and therapy:.
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Develop a healthy eating plan, so you can make food choices that will help to maintain good health and improve your overall quality of life through healthy eating
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Address sensory eating difficulties, so you or your child can work to build willingness to try and accept different foods and texture, reduce level of discomfort at mealtime & mprove food intake.
Exercise Physiology
Exercise physiologists assess people who have existing, or are at risk of developing, medical conditions or injuries, and treat using exercise-based interventions. Treatment may include health and physical activity education, advice and support. a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It’s easy. Just click “Edit Text” or double click me to add your own content and make changes to the font. Feel free to drag and drop me anywhere you like on your page. I’m a great place for you to tell a story and let your users know a little more about you.
Exercise physiologists develop a personalised exercise plan, so you can improve your physical and mental wellbeing following a stroke, acquired brain injury, mental health or multiple sclerosis, etc. increase your endurance so you can perform activities for longer periods of time and improve your overall quality of life through exercise.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapists (OTs) work with people to teach them how to be as independent as possible with their everyday tasks. They support participants to build their knowledge and skills to either modify existing ways or find new ways of doing activities and to manage change. OTs can also prescribe equipment like wheelchairs, shower chairs and scooters, and make recommendations on home or vehicle modifications, if required. Tasks occupational therapists provide include:
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Memory activities to help you to remember things, so you can remember people’s names, remember routines, recall instructions and remember where you put things.
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Attention activities to help you to keep focussed on your tasks, so you can play in sports and games, engage and contribute to conversations, read, write or watch a movie, write a list and do the grocery shopping or prepare a meal.
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Adaption activities to help you manage changes in your life, so you can cope with meeting someone new, be imaginative and creative and develop or build your sense of humour
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Develop your fine motor skills, so you can learn to hold a pencil and write your name as well as learn or improve your writing, colouring, drawing, etc
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Develop your skills for self-caring including hygiene, so you can manage your own showering and toileting, tie your shoe laces, get dressed, clean your teeth, brush your hair, etc.
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Hand-eye co-ordination activities, so you can learn to throw, catch, kick, etc.
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Support so you can learn to complete daily activities.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapists assess, diagnose, treat and prevent a wide range of health conditions and movement disorders affecting the muscles and/ or bones. For example, they help repair damage, reduce stiffness and pain, increase mobility and improve quality of life. Tasks physiotherapists provide include:
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Joint mobilisation or manipulation, so you can iImprove mobility to move more easily and to perform self-care more independently, do activities you enjoy for a longer time., manage and possibly reduce pain and discomfort
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Muscle stretching and tailored exercises, so you can improve your coordination, strength and flexibility, manage your own health and wellbeing and improve your mobility.
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Assess and recommend mobility aids or assess whether the mobility equipment you are using suits your needs, so you can feel confident that the equipment you are using is suitable for you, for example, walker, wheelchair or standing frame etc. or feel comfortable and safe using the equipment recommended to you by your allied health practitioner(s).
Speech Therapy
A speech pathologist studies, diagnoses and treats communication disorders. This includes supporting those who have difficulties with speaking, listening, understanding language, social skills and stuttering. They can help people who experience difficulties swallowing food and drink safely. Tasks undertaken by speech therapists include:
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Form speech and words, so you can Learn new sounds and use new words.
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Expressive language skills, so you can learn how to ask for something, tell someone how you are feeling, learn how to convey a message, improve your relationships, improve your social skills and build your confidence to have conversations.
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Speech fluency, so you can learn new skills to help reduce stuttering and have a flowing conversation with someone.
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Learn saliva control techniques, so you can: increase your self-esteem, prevent your lips or skin from drying and cracking, improve your speech, prevent infection and discomfort and eat and drink more comfortably.
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Receive mealtime assistance, so you can: learn how to chew and swallow so that you can eat and drink in a safe way, become more independent at meal time and socialise more independently.
Podiatry
Podiatrists assess, diagnose, treat and manage conditions of the feet, ankles and legs. They also provide rehabilitation for people when they have medical and surgical conditions which affect their lower limbs. A podiatrist may prescribe foot orthoses to provide pressure distribution to treat and prevent corns, calluses and ulcers.
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Assess and recommend foot orthoses, so you can improve your independence to complete your daily living activities, increase your mobility and enable you to participate in the activities you choose, reduce pain so that you can participant more enjoyably in life and ncrease your independence in the community.
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Develop a management plan, so you can maintain foot health and anage and possibly reduce discomfort.
Prosthetist / Orthotist
Prosthetist/orthotists assess and treat the physical and functional limitations acquired due to illnesses and/or disabilities, including limb amputations. They are trained to prescribe, design, fit and monitor prostheses or orthoses. Assess and prescribe devices, so you can improve your independence to complete your daily living activities, increase your mobility and enable you to participate in the activities you choose, reduce pain so that you can participant more enjoyably in life and increase your independence in the community.
Psychology
A psychologist is a person who is trained in the science and profession of how people think, behave and learn. The work they do is varied. Psychologists work with people, and often their families to help them make desired changes to behaviours. For example, to overcome relationship problems, anger issues, substance abuse or provide strategies to better manage a person’s mental health disorders.
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Counselling, so you can develop your skills to help you deal with anxiety and/or depression, understand and work through your relationship problems, work through overcoming eating disorders, learning difficulties, substance abuse, etc., learn to deal with any trauma or abuse you may have experienced and develop skills to help you deal with any mental health issues you face on a daily basis.
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Controlled breathing techniques, grounding skills or relaxation techniques so you can reduce your stress levels, remain calm when you are in difficult a situation, for example, using public transport, in a noisy or confronting environment, etc., feel more in control when you are distressed, decrease symptoms of depression, increase motivation and manage anxiety, improve the quality of your sleep and daily routine, increase your confidence to help you with building and maintain existing and new relationships; and take part in activities in the community that you enjoy.
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