Allied Health

The service works in partnership with the clinical units and other services of ROYAL REHAB to provide individual rehabilitation programs for clients.

Nutrition and Dietetics

The Nutrition Service at ROYAL REHAB provides both inpatient and outpatient services. A clinic is also conducted at the Grosvenor Centre, a Department of Community Services residential facility.

The dietitians are responsible of the nutritional care of all clients on special diets. Dietitians provide assessment, prescription of diets and education to clients and carers. The types of diets seen at ROYAL REHAB include diets for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, weight reduction, tube feeding, poor appetite and malnutrition, swallowing difficulties, kidney disease, burns, food allergies, food intolerances, gastrointestinal diseases, taste changes, cancer or its treatment and any other diseases or disorders which may affect food intake and alter nutritional requirements.

ROYAL REHAB Nutrition Department was the first in Australia to implement the CBORD Windows Nutrition and Menu Management system. This system ensures that inpatients receive a choice from a nutritionally balanced diet that meets their specific requirements.

More Information:

Dieticians Association of Australia; www.daa.asn.au

Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy aims to assist individuals with disabilities become as independent as possible in performing tasks and activities which are relevant to the various roles they have in life. Our aim is to assist people in becoming independent in tasks which they will need to do in their own homes and communities before they are discharged from hospital. The department provides services to clients in the centre, at home, as outpatients and in their local community.

We help put the tasks and activities which clients learn in the Centre into a functional context by doing real tasks such as going out to a supermarket and practicing buying real items which the person would normally use. Other activities include;

• making a splint for someone's hand so they can grasp their cutlery to feed themselves
• going to a client’s home to ensure their wheelchair will be able to be manoeuvred in all areas of their house and ensure it is safe for them.
• teaching someone with memory problems strategies so they can remember to purchase everything they need at a supermarket.

Australian Association of Occupational Therapists; www.ausot.com.au

Recreational Therapy

The Recreation Therapy Service is an integral part of the rehabilitation process, focusing on individual needs and goals and assists clients to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to participate in their chosen recreation interest on return to community life.

An important aspect of the service has been the development of the 'disAbility Leisure, Arts, Sports and Lifestyle Web Guide'. This resource links to people and organisations from across the globe who provide many 'can do' examples from all areas of life following disabling injury/illness. The site aims to raise client awareness of life's possibilities so that people can more quickly connect to the things they love doing or discover new avenues of interest.

Link to site here .......

 

Physiotherapy

All clients will have physiotherapy to optimise their physical recovery.

Physiotherapy will help with weak or tight muscles, stiff joints, poor co-ordination, balance, walking and general fitness along with everyday activities such as rolling in bed, sitting, standing up and reaching forward/using hands.

Physiotherapists assess each client individually and prescribe an exercise program tailored to their needs. This program will be carried out in a well equipped gym with physiotherapists assisting as necessary and may consist of:
 Strengthening exercises
 Stretches
 Balance exercises in sitting and standing
 Transfer practice (eg. moving form bed to chair)
 Walking practice (with appropriate aids if necessary)
 Stair practice
 Aquatic physiotherapy

More Information:

Website of physiotherapy eXercises for people with spinal cord injury

Australian Physiotherapy Association; www.physiotherapy.asn.au

Social Work

Social Workers assist clients and their carers to deal with the emotional impact of illness, traumatic injury and disability and the adjustment to hospitalisation. Social Workers help clients and carers to adjust to life changes and challenges, deal with grief and loss, explore emotions, thoughts and behaviour, improve relationships and plan for the future.

Social workers provide counselling to individuals and families, assisting clients with financial, accommodation, legal and other problems, run groups to provide support for carers, discharge planning and linking clients to community support services for assistance post-discharge.

Social workers have a key role in advocating for the needs of clients and families in the health system to ensure they have a voice and are empowered to participate actively in the rehabilitation process and to make their own decisions as much as possible.

More Information:

Physical Disability Council of NSW; www.pdcnsw.org.au
Centrelink; www.centrelink.gov.au
Carers Association of NSW; www.carernsw.asn.au

Psychology

The psychology service provides psychological assessment, cognitive rehabilitation, behaviour management, cognitive behaviour therapy, counselling, community reintegration and community education.

Speech Pathology

The Speech Pathology Service provides individually tailored rehabilitation programs for clients with acquired speech, swallowing, language, cognitive, voice and/or swallowing problems. The speech pathology team's expertise stretches across all specialised units at ROYAL REHAB. The rehabilitation process includes education and engagement of family and friends where possible. Services may be delivered 1:1 or may occur in a group format.

Types of intervention might include:

• providing strategies for safer swallowing for someone with motor neurone disease
• retraining reading and writing skills following a stroke
• teaching someone how to speak after a traumatic brain injury
• helping a spinal injury client to maximise breath support for improved volume when talking
• prescribing and training someone to use alternative methods of communication (such as speech output computer devices) if they are unable to speak
• educating and training appropriate social communication (such as how to greet someone, being polite, tone of voice) with someone following acquired brain injury

The Speech Pathology Service has several active research commitments ensuring that the best available evidence is applied to our clients.

For more information on Speech Pathology, please see the speech pathology brochures or go to the association website www.speechpathologyaustralia.or.au

 

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