Occupational Therapy
We are dedicated to supporting children and adults (ages 7-65) in developing everyday life skills such as:
- Gross motor skills (whole-body movement involving the large core stabilising muscles of the body to perform everyday functions, such as standing, walking, running, and sitting upright. They also include hand-eye coordination, e.g. throwing, catching and kicking)
- Fine motor skills (coordination of hands and fingers, e.g. doing up buttons and zips, using pencils, writing and tying shoelaces)
- Sensory processing (refers to the way the brain receives, organises and responds to sensory input in order to behave in a meaningful & consistent manner, e.g. sensitivities to loud noises or light, movement seeking, and meltdowns)
- Attention and concentration
- Self-care, e.g. toileting and dressing
- Assess and modify clients’ homes and/or community environments to improve safety and independence
- Adaptive Equipment: Prescribe and educate clients and carers in the use of adaptive equipment to assist function
You may benefit from occupational therapy if you:
- Require assistive devices to enhance comfort, safety and independence with day-to-day tasks
- Would like to improve your daily living independence with personal care, cooking and self-feeding
- Experience difficulties with your balance and coordination
- Have reduced mobility and/or are at increased risk of falls
- Need to regain or enhance your daily life after specific events such as major surgery or stroke
Our occupational therapists are practising members of Occupational Therapy Australia and are registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
Dietitian
Dietitians aim to promote health and the prevention and treatment of illness by enhancing and maximising nutrition. We provide service to children and adults (ages 7-65). We provide:
- Support with feeding difficulties, e.g. picky eaters and problematic feeders
- Nutrition advice and education
- Personalised nutrition plans and weight management strategies
- Diabetes education and management strategies
- Advice to meet nutritional requirements (post-surgical clients, oncology, trauma)
- Develop personalised eating plans following acquired brain injuries and stroke
- Individual interventions to support children who are underweight/overweight
- Advice regarding healthy eating for pregnancy and gestational diabetes
- Dietary advice to optimise recovery post falls, surgery or fracture (osteoporosis)
Our partner Dietitians are members of the Dietetics Association of Australia and are qualified and skilled to provide nutrition and dietary advice.
Speech Pathology
We provide speech pathology services to adults and children (ages 7-65) who have a disability or a range of medical issues. We can assist with:
- Fussy eating, problematic feeding and swallowing difficulties (dysphagia)
- Working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (including diagnostics)
- Speech (intelligibility/clarity)
- Expressive language (use of words, sentences, gestures and writing to convey meaning) and Receptive language (understanding)
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ACC), e.g. iPad.
- Reading/writing (literacy)
- Education for parents and carers to maximise learning outcomes
You may benefit from speech pathology if you:
- Cough when eating or drinking (referred to as aspiration)
- Have difficulties ‘finding’ the right words
- Have difficulties understanding language
- Have unclear speech (reduced intelligibility)
We’re certified practising members of Speech Pathology Australia.
Psychology
MDS have a team of highly skilled psychologists, who provide a range of services to people aged 7-65 that assist in assessing and treating psychological injuries and illness.
Our psychologists are able to provide psychological assessment and ongoing therapeutic counselling to assist individuals who may have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety or who are suffering after a recent traumatic event. Psychologists can also assist with disability and adjustment counselling, anger management, relationship issues as well as early prevention of chronic pain and this barrier to return to work.
We help people to choose realistic lifestyle goals and provide evidence-based, practical strategies to achieve them. Psychologists can also offer neuropsychological assessments that are used to develop management plans following head injury and brain function impairment.
Exercise Physiology
Exercise physiologists analyse their patient’s fitness in order to help them improve their health or maintain good health. They specialise in designing and delivering safe and effective exercise interventions for people (aged 7-65) with chronic medical conditions, injuries or disabilities. Using stress tests and other evaluation tools, the exercise physiologist evaluates a patient’s cardiovascular function and metabolism and then designs a fitness plan that will meet the patient’s goals and/or needs, including building endurance and strength and increasing fitness and flexibility.
Our Exercise Physiologists can assist with:
- Chronic disease management - including chronic pain, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis, cancer recovery, and cardio-respiratory conditions,
- Nutrition and weight loss
- Personal training
- Exercise for older adults - including mobility enhancement, falls prevention and osteoarthritis
- Exercise for mental health improvement - including conditions of anxiety or depression.
- Exercise to assist medical treatment of heart disease, cancers and mental illness.
Please note while exercise programs have demonstrated improvements to many of the symptoms of the above, and improvements to quality of life, there is no evidence that it has the ability to cure these conditions. Thus, patients must continue to follow their doctor's advice.
Allied Health Therapy Assistance
Allied Health Assistants are not qualified to diagnose conditions or prescribe treatment. Their role is to implement the therapy sessions prescribed by our qualified Allied Health Professionals. The use of a certified Allied Health Assistant allows participants to stretch their NDIS funding further and by doing so also allows them to benefit from more regular therapy.
Our Allied Health Assistants can:
- Implement the therapy sessions prescribed by our qualified Allied Health Therapists, to address functional decline and increase independence and quality of life.
- Facilitate participant activities under the supervision of the delegating Allied Health Professional and in accordance with NDIS Competency framework
- Complete progress notes/documentation for the Allied Health Therapist
- Develop participant resources
Our Allied Health Assistants support people aged (7 – 65) with a wide range of therapy needs.
