LifeWorks Occupational Therapy in Subiaco, Western Australia | Mental health service

LifeWorks Occupational Therapy

Locality: Subiaco, Western Australia

Phone: +61 451 178 880

Address: 23/3 Wexford St 6008 Subiaco, WA, Australia

Website: http://www.lifeworksot.com.au

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• Mental health service
• Occupational therapist

25.01.2022 This week, we are celebrating the links we have with other wonderful health professionals and services in Perth. Today the focus is on the excellent team at Pain Science in Joondalup. We have our Joondalup location in the Pain Science rooms, and we work as part of the pain management multidisciplinary team. http://painscience.com.au/

25.01.2022 Pacing can be a very useful strategy in managing chronic pain or fatigue. Our Occupational Therapists are very skilled in assisting people with developing and implementing a pacing plan. If you need some assistance with this, please give us a call on 0451 178 880.

25.01.2022 This week we are celebrating all the wonderful Perth-based health professionals and services we are affiliated with. Today we are sharing the details for Dr John Salmon (Pain Specialist), based in Cottesloe. We work very closely with Dr Salmon and other allied health professionals in his network. Dr Salmon is a strong supporter of multidisciplinary care for people with persistent pain. https://www.paincareperth.com/

24.01.2022 What is Occupational Therapy? https://youtu.be/ArH_f579Y58

23.01.2022 The Covid-19 Pandemic: What Lifeworks OT is doing to protect you These are uncertain times with the current Corona virus infection. No one really knows how it will all unfold yet. While we are not panicking, it is sensible for us to take some action to protect all our clients and staff. At Lifeworks Occupational Therapy we care very much about our clients and staff and we would like to reassure you that we are doing our best to keep surfaces and our hands clean and will main...tain a safe social distance both in the clinic and during home visits. This means we will not shake hands when we greet you, and will only use direct hands on contact when essential. We are struggling to source hand sanitiser as the stock piling and associated outages continues, but if we have it, it will be available for you to use. Alternatively we have soap and single use paper towel provided for your use in the bathroom at our clinics. Considering this, we would ask that you please consider the health and safety of yourself and our staff when attending appointments. If you are in self-isolation due to overseas travel, illness or potential contact with Corona Virus, please contact us to see if we can provide your OT services via telehealth. We will do the same for you if any of our OTs are in self-isolation. If this is not possible, we ask you to reschedule your appointments to after your quarantine/isolation period. If you are well and come in to see us, or we come to see you at home, please: 1. Maintain a 1.5 metre social distance where possible. 2. Wash or sanitise your hands before and after appointments where possible. 3. If you need to cough or sneeze, please use a tissue and dispose of it or cover your mouth and nose with your elbow. 4. Refrain from bringing additional family members/carers with you if possible as the less people in contact with everyone the better. 5. We sincerely appreciate your understanding on the above. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you Jacintha Bell and the Lifeworks OT team. For more information please refer to the WA Health Department websites https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Coronavirus https://healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Coronavirus

23.01.2022 Great article on the use of virtual reality in treatment for schizophrenia/psychosis. https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com//the-cutting-edge-of-sc/

22.01.2022 Introducing Rebecca Chalupsky (Occupational Therapist), who is based at our Subiaco Clinic, predominantly conducting Scrambler Therapy sessions. Rebecca has previously worked within several Residential Aged Care Facilities providing pain management and activity facilitation and worked within the community providing aids, assistive technology and home modifications. As well as being an OT, Rebecca is a lymphedema therapist and is accredited with the Australasian Lymphology Ass...ociation. Rebecca’s interest in pain management was sparked with her involvement in a peer support group run by Jacintha at LifeWorks OT. Her fascination and enthusiasm continue to grow as she explores neuromodulation and graded motor imagery techniques used within the context of chronic pain management. Rebecca is an OT because she believes that everyone regardless of age, race, disability or illness has something very valuable to share with the world. Her passion is to empower people to utilize their unique strengths in order to engage with the world, doing the things they find meaningful, to their best ability. Rebecca’s other passions are visual arts and swimming. Rebecca's special interests include Chronic Pain Management, Neuromodulation/Scrambler Therapy, Lymphoedema therapy, Dementia Care, Sensory Modulation, Paediatric Occupational Therapy. Rebecca will soon be offering lymphodaema therapy at Lifeworks OT, to complement our other services. See more

21.01.2022 Many people who come to us with a chronic pain condition, including fibromyalgia, report significant cognitive difficulties. We also observe these challenges when we see people completing functional tasks. OTs can help people with cognitive difficulties find ways to compensate for their difficulty and improve their cognitive functioning. One of the critical findings from our study is that people with fibromyalgia demonstrated worse subjective and objective cognitive functio...ning in daily life, compared with people of the same sex, age and education level without fibromyalgia, Kratz said. Another important finding challenges the notion that people with fibromyalgia are especially sensitive to changes in their cognition or are over-reporting the extent of their cognitive problems. https://www.healio.com//fibromyalgia-linked-to-worse-cogni See more

21.01.2022 In continuing our theme of celebrating some of the wonderful services we are affiliated with, we'd like to recognise the amazing team at the Bibra Lake Specialist Centre who provide psychiatric and psychological care. We have our Bibra Lake location at the Bibra Lake Specialist Centre rooms, and work alongside the skilled clinicians there to provide multidisciplinary care for good mental health. http://www.blsc.net.au/

21.01.2022 Curtin University's Occupational Therapy Cockburn Student Clinic is still operating via telehealth. This is a fanatastic opportunity for people to access additional OT services at no cost. Please see below for further details: Curtin's OT students work with people in the community over the age of 16. We work with clients who... Need ongoing therapy after completion of therapy with their service provider Don’t have funds for therapy Are currently seeing an OT but would like more regular sessions (we work together with the OT) Would like to work on extra goals Our service can assist clients with Neurological conditions Chronic conditions Social deprivation Cognitive impairments Difficulty managing their day Mental health conditions Some interventions we look at are Pain management Fatigue management Cognitive rehabilitation and compensatory strategies Sleep hygiene Managing their day and tasks Upper limb therapy (limited due to Telehealth) Equipment prescription Social engagement Stress management Adaptations to ADL’s Clients can be referred by a health professional or they can refer themselves. Here is the link to our website and referral form https://healthsciences.curtin.edu.au//curtin-clinics-cock/

20.01.2022 Check out our blog, Rebecca (OT) has done a very good explanatory series on Scrambler Therapy. https://lifeworksot.com.au/what-is-scrambler-therapy/

20.01.2022 Perth people, please keep watch and stay safe today.

20.01.2022 "There is now strong evidence on what would make it easier for people with psychosocial disabilities to access the NDIS. This includes: assertive yet respectful and skilled outreach to those who are hard to engage stronger, more targeted support to help people navigate the NDIS better training and support for assessors to understand the fluctuating nature of psychosocial disabilities assessments that consider a span of time, not just how a person is functioning in the moment."

19.01.2022 "Learning about pain changed so much for me. Learning that my brain produced pain, not my neck, was a huge revelation" Learning about your pain can be an important part of your journey in empowering you to live well and manage your pain.

19.01.2022 Hope everyone is managing okay on day 2 of lockdown. Just a little update from us. We can still offer appointments via telehealth, but can only see people face to face if telehealth is not suitable and they are experiencing severe/life-threatening mental health symptoms. We have already been in touch with anyone who has bookings this week. Please reach out if you need additional support. Keep safe and well.

19.01.2022 Apologies to all our current clients and those who have been trying to contact us over the phone. We have been inundated recently with referrals and phone calls. This is great, but we dont quite have the capacity to keep up. Rest assured, we are working very hard behind the scenes to increase our capacity and get back to you all as soon as we can. Providing you with a quality service is very important to us. If you have any queries, please email [email protected]

18.01.2022 BUSHFIRE EMERGENCY INFORMATION FOR DISABLED PEOPLE IN WA My team have spoken with DFES this afternoon, and the following information is correct: IF YOU A...RE IN THE RED ZONE You MUST ring 000 now. You absolutely have permission to call 000 and hold the line until you speak to somebody. According to DFES, if you have any disability that impacts your movement away from the fire and you are in the red zone, you MUST call 000 so that evacuation can be arranged. IF YOU ARE IN THE YELLOW/ORANGE ZONE You must reach out to a neighbour, family member, carer, or other support person to assist you to make your exit from the area. Do not wait. Once you are in the red zone, support may not be able to reach out. It’s really important that you evacuate as soon as possible. If you cannot reach or do not have access to support, call 000. IF YOU ARE IN THE BLUE ZONE Identify the people you will ask to assist you to make your exit from the area. Reach out to those people to ensure they are aware.

18.01.2022 Excellent advice Fiona!

16.01.2022 A great post from Painless, stressing the gender disparity in pain related health care. If you are a woman, and you have experienced this, you are unfortunately not alone. At Lifeworks OT we are committed to equality. This means we listen to your story, we believe your experience is exactly as you have described it, and we address your concerns accordingly, no matter your gender (or anything else).

16.01.2022 This is an excellent, free, accessible online pain management program for anyone with persistent pain who can not access face to face programs for any reason.

15.01.2022 This is exactly what occupational therapists can help young people with chronic physical conditions to do! "These data suggest that having a CPC [chronic physical condition] may be a significant risk factor for subsequent development of mental illness in youth. The relationship between CPCs and mental health conditions may be mediated, in part, by limitations in physical activity. [Interventions]should identify opportunities to both bolster individual strengths and to modify the physical or social environment to maximize youth ability to fully participate in activities important to their developmental progress, investigators concluded." https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com//chronic-physical-cond/

15.01.2022 Next in our series of celebration of Lifeworks OT affiliates, is Jeremy Ingram at Western Integrated Health. We share our Subiaco Clinic with Jeremy, where he provides an excellent physical rehabilitation service for people with chronic conditions. Jeremy is always smiling, full of energy and committed to evidence-based practice. He is regularly citing the latest research, and applying it with his patients. It is a real pleasure to be working with Jeremy and seeing what a significant contribution he can make in people's lives. https://www.wihealth.com.au/

15.01.2022 This seminar is being presented by our innovative OT and virtual reality guru, Ian Cheok!

15.01.2022 "Don’t tell your friend with chronic illness that your cousin’s friend’s daughter had this, too, and theirs was worse. Don’t joke they should just suck it up, because I can pretty reliably guarantee you they already are. Don’t tell them because they’re functional, they’re healthier than Joe next door. Even within the chronic illness community, I have encountered this. Because the hard truth is you have no idea. Remember always that what you see is the surface. This is true of life in general. And what you see on the surface is never the whole story. Be kind."

14.01.2022 As the holiday season approaches, we want to let you all know that Lifeworks will still have occupational therapy appointments available on most days (except pu...blic holidays). Although the holiday season can be a time of joy, love, family and relaxation, it can also be a time of great stress, sadness, isolation and pain. We will be available to support those with chronic conditions who need it over this time. Please call on 0451 178 880 or email [email protected] if you would like to make a booking, or refer a client. See more

14.01.2022 Good news that there is due to be an overhaul of NDIS, especially for people with a psycho-social disability. "It also calls for more flexibility in the use of NDIS funds and clarifying access for people with a "psycho-social" disability......Disability support groups have raised concern about the slow transition of people with a psycho-social disability into the NDIS, which requires a person to have a permanent impairment or an impairment likely to be permanent. The review recommended clarifying what permanency means when requesting access to the NDIS, noting the episodic and fluctuating nature of some mental health conditions."

14.01.2022 Great news for people living in the Midland/Hills region of Perth! We are very excited to announce that we have just opened a new location at the Midland Consulting Rooms, alongside our wonderful colleagues at PainWest. Our amazing OT, Jacqui Self, will be offering a Pain Management clinic on Wednesday mornings from today. Jacqui is also able to visit people in the Hills area at home if is is too difficult to come in to the clinic. Please call 0451178880 for more information or to book an appointment. https://www.painwest.com.au https://lifeworksot.com.au/

13.01.2022 Happy Occupational Therapy week to all our wonderful OT colleagues, and all the people who have benefited from OT in some way!

13.01.2022 Lifeworks Occupational Therapy is honoured to be situated on the ancestral lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people. We acknowledge the First Australians as the traditional owners of the lands we live and work on, and pay respect to their Elders both past and present. We recognise the negative effects of colonisation, and the very real impact that this continues to have on the lives of many Indigenous Australians, such as intergenerational trauma, health disparity, social discrimination and much more. Lifeworks is committed to providing an equitable health and disability service for all Australians.

13.01.2022 Curtin Universitys Occupational Therapy Cockburn Student Clinic is still operating via telehealth. This is a fanatastic opportunity for people to access additional OT services at no cost. Please see below for further details: Curtins OT students work with people in the community over the age of 16. We work with clients who... Need ongoing therapy after completion of therapy with their service provider Dont have funds for therapy Are currently seeing an OT but would like more regular sessions (we work together with the OT) Would like to work on extra goals Our service can assist clients with Neurological conditions Chronic conditions Social deprivation Cognitive impairments Difficulty managing their day Mental health conditions Some interventions we look at are Pain management Fatigue management Cognitive rehabilitation and compensatory strategies Sleep hygiene Managing their day and tasks Upper limb therapy (limited due to Telehealth) Equipment prescription Social engagement Stress management Adaptations to ADLs Clients can be referred by a health professional or they can refer themselves. Here is the link to our website and referral form https://healthsciences.curtin.edu.au//curtin-clinics-cock/

13.01.2022 If you were wondering about hypermobility spectrum disorders, this page provides a great explanation. If you have, or think you have, a hypermobility spectrum disorder and need some assistance to access suitable services - please get in touch on 0451 178 880

12.01.2022 Occupational Therapists use everyday, meaningful activities in their treatment approach, assisting people to recover through "doing".

12.01.2022 https://greatergood.berkeley.edu//four_things_to_do_every_

11.01.2022 The busy Lifeworks team will be taking a break on Monday 30th September (Queens Birthday Public Holiday), and trying to practice what we preach about pacing, and taking quality time to rest. We will be back on deck and raring to go on Tuesday 1st October.

11.01.2022 "The report says that people with depression are more than four times as likely still to have depression 18 months later if they have problem debt, yet few people receive support from their GPs about their financial circumstances". We see this a lot in practice, where peoples social stressors, such as finances, contribute significantly to their mental health. As occupational therapists, we look to problem solve and minimise these stressors as much as possible. Unfortunately there is little solution to poverty when our welfare system pays people less than anyone can manage to live on. It is not just GPs who need to be aware of this, it is our politicians and law-makers. Increasing the Newstart Allowance would significantly improve health (including mental health) of recipients, and reduce costs and burden on our health system.

10.01.2022 Check out this excellent article on NDIS Functional Assessments by our amazing Senior OT - Elyse Graham https://lifeworksot.com.au/ndis-ot-functional-assessment-w/

10.01.2022 Struggling to wear a mask as a person living with a disability? The WA government has stated; Masks are not mandatory for children under 12 years of age or a p...erson who has a physical or mental illness, condition or disability. However they do help stop the spread of COVID-19. So here are some tips to help you if you are struggling to wear a mask. READ MORE - https://ndsp.com.au/disability-and-mandatory-mask-wearing/

10.01.2022 Most people have experienced a good night’s sleep at some point in their life, and consequently know when they have not had a good night’s sleep. The quality of your sleep has a significant impact on the other aspects of your life - your thinking, feeling, and doing. Occupational therapists view sleep as an occupation (meaningful activity) in itself, as it as something that impacts on your ability to do all the other activities that are important to you. When you have a chr...onic health condition, persistent pain or mental illness, the quality of your sleep can be impacted, and conversely, poor sleep can have a significant impact on your other symptoms. Occupational therapists have a unique ability to be able to assess your sleep circumstance and recommend changes to your environment, habits and routines, thoughts and behaviours, with the goal of improving the quality of your sleep. This may involve an interview to assess factors associated with your sleep and your goals, a home assessment to review your sleeping environment, as well as monitoring of certain factors relating to sleep, such as day time activity. Once a comprehensive assessment has been conducted, we can then work together with you to modify your environment, and make changes and adaptations aimed at improving the quality of your sleep. See more

10.01.2022 Recently, one of our NDIS clients, a man in his 20's who lives with a psychosocial disability, cooked a meal from scratch for the first time in his life. He made a beautiful lamb and vegetable stir-fry. He was overjoyed with what he had created. He is one step closer to looking after himself independently. #ThisisOT #lifeworksoccupationaltherapy

09.01.2022 A message for our clients: We hope you are safe and well, and coping with all the changes to our lives that have occurred due to COVID-19. We would like to let you know that we are here to support you, and are continuing to provide occupational therapy services. We have temporarily ceased any clinic-based consultations in order to reduce any risk to our clients and our staff. All of our staff are now currently working from home. Our preference is to provide OT services as ...much as possible via telehealth. This means either telephone or online consultations. This is the best way to still provide services and remove any risk of infection. We understand however, that for some of our clients, this is neither suitable or possible. Where telehealth is not appropriate, and an occupational therapy service is essential, we are continuing to see clients in their homes or in the community. We do this with all the physical distancing and hygiene precautions in place. We will contact you prior to your appointment to see if it is possible for us to provide your service via telehealth. If it is not possible and we are planning to come to your home, please let us know if you or anyone in your household are unwell with any symptoms of COVID-19, such as a fever, cough or sore throat. We care very much about our clients and staff and we would like to reassure you that we are doing our best to keep surfaces and our hands clean and will maintain a safe physical distance during home visits. This means we will not shake hands when we greet you, and will only use direct hands on contact when essential. If you are well and we come to see you at home or in the community, please: Maintain a 1.5 metre physical distance where possible. Wash or sanitise your hands before and after appointments where possible. If you need to cough or sneeze, please use a tissue and dispose of it or cover your mouth and nose with your elbow.Refrain from having additional family members/carers with you if possible as the less people in contact with everyone the better.We know that at this time some of our clients may be finding it particularly difficult with increased isolation, anxiety or a reduction in their usual supports and services. We would like you to know that if this applies to you, please reach out to us to ask for help, and we will try our best to help you access the support you need. We sincerely appreciate your understanding of the above. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us. Best Wishes The Lifeworks Occupational Therapy Team

09.01.2022 "We hear you. We support you. We stand with you."

09.01.2022 https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51873799

08.01.2022 Are you looking for online appointments with Occupational Therapists for chronic pain management, psychosocial disability or chronic health condition management? As many health practices are moving to online appointments, we thought it would be helpful to outline some of the benefits of online appointments. You will probably hear the terms telehealth, online appointments and digital health all used interchangeably. Online appointments are easy to do, and can be just as effec...tive as in-person appointments. In fact, sometimes, they can even be better. Some of the benefits of online appointments include: 1. It is easy to access, you dont have to travel anywhere 2. You can be in the comfort of your own home 3. You can choose the best therapist for you, anywhere in the world 4. Once you have settled in to online appointments, the therapeutic relationship with your therapist can be the same as it is in-person 5. It does not require technology skills or high-tech equipment 6. It is secure/private. At Lifeworks Occupational Therapy, we use Zoom as our online platform. Please see Zooms privacy policy for more details: https://zoom.us/privacy If you would like to book an appointment with one of our therapists, you can do so online through our website: https://lifeworksot.com.au/ or by contacting us on 0451178880 or [email protected]. We are currently offering online appointments as a first option and some face to face appointments where essential. In future posts we will provide some hints and tips on how to get the most out of your online appointment.

08.01.2022 Happy New Year to all of you from the team at Lifeworks Occupational Therapy! We wish you all a year of healing and recovery, and for those who understand this - as many spoons as you need. These are our committments for 2020 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10217639171745524&set=a.1947581163639&type=3&eid=ARBUwtXngG6j9IH38Sez6r8SUFSt96KQsbibxIn6fkbiCJQiPcpQXfFJAdcwHw3SrTY0x2um3IPYW-xh&ifg=1

08.01.2022 "Life is made up of meaningful everyday activities or occupations such as walking, gardening, preparing a meal, painting, doing the laundry or playing with your children. Occupations are part of life; they describe who we are and how we feel about ourselves. Occupations help bring meaning to life. Occupational therapy recognizes that everyday occupational engagement influences mental and physical health. Mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, psychosis, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress and personality disorders can impact upon a persons ability to engage in meaningful activities." https://www.effectiveliving.com.au/what-is-a-mental-healt/

08.01.2022 Being mindful in the face of uncertainty - Heidi Perera (Senior Occupational Therapist) In the face of uncertainty, all we have is the present. Mindfulness is something that most of us have probably heard about by now. It has become more mainstream over recent years, but its actually an ancient Buddhist tradition which dates back thousands of years (it doesnt conflict with any religious beliefs or traditions you may currently hold). Put simply, mindfulness means paying att...Continue reading

08.01.2022 There is a lot of advice going around at the moment that we should stick to a daily routine, but not so much on how to actually go about this! Here, Jacintha provides some tips on how to successfully set up a daily routine. If you need any help with this, please get in touch at www.lifeworksot.com.au or 0451178880 or [email protected]

07.01.2022 The next wonderful service we would like to celebrate this week, is Dr Mark Schutze (Pain Specialist) and his team at Pain West in Midland. Dr Schutze and his team are very supportive of a multidisciplinary approach. We like working with them so much, we are very pleased to announce that we are going to be running a clinic from the Pain West rooms (Midland Consulting rooms) commencing in late October 2019. https://www.painwest.com.au/

07.01.2022 A brief video explaining some of the current understanding about the link between hypermobility and anxiety. A fascinating statistic in there is that 20% of the normal population experience anxiety/panic, but a whopping 70% of the hypermobile population experience anxiety/panic.

07.01.2022 https://youtu.be/TtZaMdOy4K8

07.01.2022 I highly recommend this program for anyone with hypermobility, and best news is it can be accessed from the comfort of your own home for free for the next 3 months! "Join us as we speak today with Jeannie Di Bon at 2:00pm EST / 7:00pm GMT about her Strengthen Your Hypermobile Core: Free Home Movement Program. It is important that we keep moving on a daily basis even when we are in isolation or are social distancing. Hypermobility Movement Therapist, Jeannie Di Bon, has dec...ided to gift her online hypermobility movement program for the next 3 months. The program will now be free of charge. Strengthen Your Hypermobile Core was written and designed by Jeannie, who also has hEDS, and all the exercises are modified for hypermobility. Over 4000 members of our community accessed the program in its first few days which is incredible! Register for the webinar here: https://bit.ly/2yfpG6v" See more

07.01.2022 If you are planning on getting a spinal cord stimulator or other implantable stimulation treatment for chronic pain management, your Pain Specialist may have referred you to an Occupational Therapist. This is for an assessment prior to implant, and follow up post implant and is a very important aspect of your treatment process. It will give you the best opportunity of having a successful outcome with your treatment, as well as helping you to make the most of this treatment. ...All the research around spinal cord stimulation states that a multidisciplinary approach to assessment and treatment leads to the best outcomes. When you have your occupational therapy assessment prior to spinal cord stimulation, your occupational therapist will discuss a number of things with you. Your OT will check that you have a good understanding of the procedure, and the expected outcomes. They will discuss your goals of treatment with you. They will check that you are in the best possible biological, psychological and social position to undergo this type of treatment. If there are barriers, or areas for improvement, your OT can assist you to make and carry out a suitable plan of action. Your OT will also assist you with a suitable rehabilitation plan post implant. We recommend you see your occupational therapist at least once prior to implant for assessment, and then at least twice post implant for rehabilitation See more

07.01.2022 Great article from the New York Times! https://www.nytimes.com//12/02/ups/pain-and-the-mind.html

07.01.2022 One day, the mountain that is in front of you will be so far behind you, it will barely be visible in the distance. But the person you become in learning to get over it? That will stay with you forever. And that is the point of the mountain. Brianna Weist

06.01.2022 The outcomes of this study fit very much with what we see in practice, and I would agree with Prof Collies statement that an increase in the rate of unemployment benefit is the solution. "Key findings of the study include: Newstart recipients were 6.8 times as likely to described their own health as poor. Those on the disability pension were 18.3 times more likely to report poor health. Nearly half (48.6%) of Newstart recipients reported mental or behavioural problems, com...pared with 21% among wage earners. Both disability pensioners and Newstart recipients were significantly more likely to report having five or more conditions than wage earners. Newstart recipients were at 1.5 to 2 times increased risk than wage earners of hospitalisation. 70% of disability pensioners reported a behavioural condition, despite only 16% saying it was their primary disability." "The lead researcher, Prof Alex Collie, told Guardian Australia that an increase in the rate of the unemployment benefit could turn these health outcomes around and help get people back into work." https://www.theguardian.com//newstart-recipients-six-times See more

06.01.2022 This is a must see for anyone with HSD/EDS. I have heard Dr Collins speak several times, and also had the pleasure of meeting her. She is incredibly generous with her knowledge on dietary changes and supplementation to improve the health and function of those living with HSD/EDS.

05.01.2022 One of our OT colleagues is conducting some research on what people with chronic pain find meaningful in their rehabilitation. If you, or anyone you know might meet the criteria outlined below, please consider participating in this research. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157375208788264&set=a.10151344748198264&type=3&av=897308280300557&eav=AfYAlo1B-lrn4nIqUXmB9eMd7OIvIcM5-w35EI511us_bmWtJHAIRZesQKuf2CB67yE&eid=ARCPA7yqWozfuKICpmg4UApSepKSwPjcM2G5M4HeDcEqV3aSYHvr-Nnz7pFeqw_47TQpHKEvOM3deDrk&ifg=1

05.01.2022 Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from all of us at Lifeworks Occupational Therapy.

03.01.2022 An excellent support group option for those living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome/Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders.

03.01.2022 Great news for NDIS participants!

02.01.2022 There’s Other Mental Health Options Besides A Psych, & They’re More Accessible Than You Think. Occupational Therapists are one of these options. If your mental health condition impacts on your ability to function at home, care for yourself/others, work/study or do any of the things that are important to you, then a mental health occupational therapist is a good choice. Even better - you can access Medicare Better Access to Mental Health rebates when you see a mental health endorsed occupational therapist. Please get in touch if you would like to know more - [email protected] or 0451 178 880

02.01.2022 We had an amazing staff education on spinal cord stimulation in York yesterday. The location and education was kindly provided by Dr John Salmon, and the beautiful spread was kindly provided by Heather and Natalie from Abbott. It was so beautiful and picturesque, none of us wanted to leave. We even got to see someone paragliding! How lucky we are.

02.01.2022 "This bushfire season has shocked Australia, and indeed the world. When disaster strikes people with disability can find themselves the most at risk and the least able to access support. However, there are some amazing resources and services available to help. We encourage you to share this information with the people you support who are in high risk areas." https://www.disabilityservicesconsulting.com.au//bushfire-

02.01.2022 Congratulations to our amazing OT, Ian Cheok, for winning the 2019 Innovators in Practice Award for all his wonderful involvement with the development of Virtual Reality technology in occupational therapy!

02.01.2022 VIRTUAL REALITY OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY Virtual reality technology allows you to be exposed to a computer-generated environment. Using a head-mounted display, computer graphics let you enter a safe three-dimensional, immersive, simulated virtual environment. This simulated environment changes in a natural way depending on the your head or body movements. While we are still in the early stages of VR adoption in healthcare, there is a coming wave of VR devices and applications t...hat will transform the way healthcare is delivered. Clinical research have shown that virtual reality (VR) can be used effectively for pain management, mental health recovery and neurorehabilitation. VR can create an environment for people in which they can heal and reduce stress. VR can also be used to help people learn new skills that they can apply in real-world situations. At Lifeworks, we are currently developing our unique Virtual Reality Occupational Therapy programs in Pain Management and Mental Health Recovery.

01.01.2022 Happy OT Week to all our fellow occupational therapists!

01.01.2022 Have your say: "The Australian Government is funding a trial of eight Adult Mental Health Centres across Australia, with one to be established in each state and territory. The Centres will be located at: Corio (Geelong) VIC Penrith NSW... Canberra ACT Launceston TAS Townsville QLD Greater Darwin NT North Perth WA Adelaide SA The Centres are designed to provide a welcoming, low stigma, no wrong door entry point for adults to access mental health information, services and supports. The Centres are intended to complement, not replace or duplicate, mental health services already provided in the community. For some people, attending a Centre may be their first experience engaging with a mental health service. Primary Health Networks (PHNs) will be responsible for establishing the Centres in each State and Territory, except in South Australia where SA Health is responsible for the Centre. PHNs will undertake local consultation to co-design and shape services to meet the particular needs of the local area where the Centre is located, within a service model framework informed by this consultation."

01.01.2022 "To those able-bodied individuals reading this who may be struggling with this new norm of being home, Id suggest this is a time to learn from the chronically ill and disabled people whose experience you have been knowingly or unwittingly discounting all these days."