ALLIED HEALTH
Our specialist Allied Health Services include:
- Access Consultation
- Activity of Daily Living (ADL) Assessments
- Careers Counselling
- Driving Assessments and Training (can be from your home)
- Diability and Ages Persons Risk Assessment
- Medico-Legal Risk Assessments
- Occupational Therapy Treatment
- Ergonomic Assessments.
Access Consultation
Access Consultation assists businesses, public facilities, and private individuals comply with legislation and safety standards associated with access for people with disabilities.Fastrack Health’s access consulting service evaluates a person's ability to enter, exit and travel around in buildings, public or private spaces. Advice can also be provided on ways to improve accessibility to a particular building, structure or space for people with physical disabilities.
Activity of Daily Living (ADL) Assessments
Our Fastrack Health Occupational Therapists (OT) can determine the level and type of assistance one requires in order to live as independently as possible. Likewise, an ADL assessment and associated legally binding report can be undertaken as part of our medico-legal services. Our OT will meet at your or the client’s home at an agreed time in order to review the usual activities of daily living. Where able, a person may be asked to demonstrate the performance of daily tasks. This will allow the therapist to identify whether there is scope for improvement and enhanced performance by modifying the way the task is executed or they will determine the most cost effective solutions if specialised equipment is required.
Depending on requirements, the ADL assessment would assess one’s ability to undertake activities including, but not limited to:
- Cleaning and laundering
- Cooking and food preparation
- Gardening
- Mobility and the ability to transfer (ie getting in and out of bed or up from your chair or sofa)
- Transport/driving
- Shopping
- Management of medications
- Ability to handle finances
- Personal care and hygiene.
Ultimately the aim of the ADL assessment is to:
- 1. Maximise one’s ability to be independent
- 2. Minimise injury/aggravation in the home
- 3. Assist to reduce periods of incapacity and disability.
At the conclusion of the ADL assessment we will provide the following:
- A comprehensive report to facilitate independence by identifying difficulties with tasks at home or in the community
- Recommendations on the most cost effective home modifications and/or assistive equipment (if required) including cost and where to source. This would include advice about what government funding and/or medicare and private health rebates are available, for both the assessment and prescribed equipment/modifications if required.
- Follow up assistance with the introduction of equipment into the home.
Careers Counselling
Contact our Career/ Rehabilitation Counsellors for support with:
- Career exploration
- Decision making, planning and goal setting
- Career transition: pathways into vocational education and training, university and industry or returning to study
- Guidance on a range of training options
- Job search and preparation skills
- Advice on course transfer or withdrawal.
Driving Assessments and Training (can be from your home)
Driving is important to most of us and it’s a freedom we often take for granted. An injury or illness can affect your ability to drive, potentially with a big impact on your independence.
Fastrack Health employs specially qualified occupational therapists and driving instructors. We promote safety and independence in driving for people with a range of disabilities or medical issues. This team works together to assess (eg vehicle modification needs), advise, and support people through all the necessary steps towards independent driving.
The Driving Assessment has five parts. An OT Driving Assessment is different from the standard Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) driving test:
1. Medical
A doctor will complete the initial medical assessment based on RMS guidelines. If you’re considered medically fit to undergo the assessment, an appointment will be made.
2. Off-road assessment (approx 1 hour)
Your driving history, visual and physical status, thinking skills, and capabilities will be assessed together with your knowledge of current road laws and rules.
3. The on-road assessment (approx 1 hour)
An Occupational Therapist and driving instructor will assess you using our dual-control automatic vehicle. Your control of the vehicle and driving in varying conditions will be reviewed, taking into account your past driving experience, an unfamiliar car and it being an assessment situation.
4. Feedback and discussion (approx 20 minutes)
Results and recommendations will be discussed at the end of the assessment to make sure you understand of the outcome and our recommendations to the RMS.
5. Report
Following these assessments, we’ll give you a comprehensive report with detailed information about your driving performance together with recommendations.
Recommedations may include:
- Confirmation the OT considers you able to return to driving
- The need for modifications to your vehicle together with a series of lessons
- Driving lessons to upgrade your skills
- Referral to other health professionals eg ophthalmologist, psychologist
- Temporary suspension of your licence while you recover further
- Return to driving with restrictions e.g. a km restricition
- Forfeiting of your driving licence.
Ergonomic Assessments
Our office ergonomics consultants come to your workplace to conduct workstation Ergonomic Assessments. They will ensure that employee workstations are set up in an ergonomically correct manner to minimise the risk of injury, reduce operator fatigue and discomfort, and thus maximise productivity.
Our ergonomic consultants are expert occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nurses or WHS consultants who will look at the following:
- Workstations
- Equipment including chairs & phones
- Computers and computer setup
- Staff posture
- Physical work demands
- Stretches for injury prevention.
As part of the customised Ergonomic Assessment, Fastrack Health consultants can also look at any relevant work, health and safety (WHS/OHS) policies or guidelines that you have at your workplace. We can then provide a detailed report including recommendations for each employee.
An ergonomic assessment is a vital component to your workplace health and wellness program, as this one-off process is a cost effective way of addressing one of the major causes of workplace injuries and workers compensation claims.
Headaches, neck pain and back pain can be caused by poor sitting posture and workstation set up. Making ergonomic improvements will reduce the risks for MSDs (musculoskeletal disorders) and decrease their incidence in the workplace. Our formal report following the assessment also assists employers to meet their duty of care as per Workplace Health & Safety laws.
In addition to safeguarding workers’ health and wellbeing, making the ergonomic improvements recommended by our assessment will also:
- Increase concentration and productivity, as employees aren’t distracted by aches and pains
- Decrease employee absenteeism
- Decrease employee turnover
- Lower workers compensation costs
- Provide duty of care to employees.
Our assessments regularly identify small improvements to workplace ergonomics that bring about measurable results.
Disability and Aged Persons Risk Assessments
Our Disability and Aged Persons Risk Assessments ensure the collection of information that allows for the identification of risks. Our assessments can be during a hospital stay to keep them safe or if they are at home, to prevent them getting worse and to correct whatever has caused them any potential deterioration. A comprehensive assessment leads to the ability to develop a care or community plan that is patient-centred.
It is anticipated that health services will vary in their approach to providing screening and assessment of older or disabled people. The commonality across all health services is the need to ensure that practices and processes maximise the function and allow for the identification and management of any functional decline.
Medico-legal assessments
Fastrack Health provides high quality medico-legal and impairment evaluations. Our team covers the Motor Accident Authority (NSW), WorkCover NSW and Comcare domains. Medico-Legal Assessment services are available at the request of Insurance Companies, Agents or solicitors working with clients in the following areas:
- Specialised medico-legal reports
- Life and disability assessment and reports
- Capacity to work assessments – earning capacity
- File reviews
- Coaching services
- Injury management & claims.
Occupational Therapy Treatment (also in your home)
Occupational therapists are trained to assist people to overcome various problems in order to live more independent lives. People may need assistance due to injury or illness, mental health problems, developmental delay or the effects of ageing.
Our occupational therapists work in many different environments, including nursing homes, hospitals and workplaces. They take a holistic approach to healthcare and treatment, and their goal is to improve skills for living so that people can accomplish more, and improve wellbeing and quality of life. They work with the person, their family, and other healthcare professionals where necessary.
An Occupational Therapy Treatment program typically involves three stages:
- 1. Evaluation – the abilities of the person are assessed in the context of their work, school, home, leisure, general lifestyle and family situation.
- 2. Consultation – having made an assessment, the occupational therapist then consults with the person, other professionals and family members who may be closely involved, to develop a treatment program.
- 3. Treatment – this may take place in a clinic, hospital ward, residential care centre or at the person’s home or workplace. The goal is always to improve skills for living.
ERGONOMIC ASSESSMENTS
Ergonomic assessments, also referred to as workstation assessments, ensure that the employee's workstation is ergonomically designed to minimise the risk of injury and maximise productivity.
Employees often set up their own home office, workstation or work area and in doing so they can make poor decisions about equipment choice and posture. Working from home can also have additional risks such as poor fire emergency planning, trip hazards or electrical concerns.
