Announcements, Dietetics

Nutrition and the immune system

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Nicole Cook

29
Jun

Winter has arrived for much of Australia, bringing lower temperatures and increased rates of seasonal colds and flu alongside the ongoing COVID pandemic.

One of the most powerful tools we have in maintaining good immune function and health during the winter months is our diet.

While there is no single food that ensures good immune function, eating to support a healthy immune system does not need to be complicated. Making sure your diet is varied and consist mainly of unprocessed foods will get you most of the way there.

For the rest, there are a few key micronutrients the have been identified as critical for the growth and function of immune cells, including:

Iron
Iron is a component of the enzymes needed for immune cell function.
Sources include red meat, beans, nuts and fortified breakfast cereals.

Vitamin A
Vitamin A helps protect against infections by keeping skin and the lining of the mouth, stomach, intestines, and respiratory system healthy.
Sources include orange and red fruits, and vegetables like carrots, apricots, and bell peppers.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is vital for the formation of antibodies and white blood cells.
Sources include citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, and tomatoes.

Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps regulate antimicrobial proteins that can directly kill pathogens.
Sources include sunlight, fatty fish (like salmon), egg yolks, and fortified dairy.

Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects cell membranes from damage.
Sources include seeds, nuts, vegetables oils and peanut butter.

Zinc
Zinc is needed for wound healing and supports immune response.
Sources include meats, whole grains, milk, seeds, and nuts.

Selenium
Selenium is an essential trace mineral important for fighting infection and immune function.
Sources include seafood, Brazil nuts, red meat, and poultry.

The best place to get your nutrients is through foods but if you struggle getting everything you need through diet alone Dietitians can help with menu planning, food choice and supplementation if needed.

Finally, remember that diet is important but there are other things we can do to help our bodies fight infections and stay healthy. Getting enough sleep, reducing stress, and staying active all contribute to maintaining and improving resilience to infection and well-being during the colder months and throughout the year.

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Dietetics, In Home Care, NDIS

Dietitian Meg eats, sleeps, and dreams healthy eating

Posted on March 15, 2022March 15, 2022 by Nicole Cook

15
Mar

Dietitian Meg eats, sleeps, and dreams healthy eating

Meg qualified as a Dietitian in Queensland and moved to Melbourne to pursue her passion for food. She spends her spare time visiting markets, trying new cuisines and exploring the incredible food offering. Meg eats, sleeps, and dreams healthy eating and having suffered her own gut health problems for ten years she has a special interest in gut health.

Gut health issues require specialised recipes to suit the gut health requirements but more specifically focusing on how to change a diet whilst maintaining a healthy variety of nutrients. Meg enjoys helping people alter their favourite recipes and meals to suit their own gut health requirements whilst still enjoying their favourite foods.

Working as a Community Dietitian offers variety because each client is different. They have their own unique goals, challenges and lifestyles, and the solutions are not a one-size fits all approach. Meg and all Empower dietitians take the time to sit and listen to clients about their needs and wants when it comes to nutritional support, offering a unique person-centred approach.

Meg says

Working in the community provides a rare opportunity to see someone’s living conditions whilst taking their diet history. This helps tailor any recommendations to ensure they are suited to their current living environment.

Empower Dietitians improve the independence and quality of life of our clients by providing reliable and trusted food and nutritional support to live their lives the way they want.

Let Us Help You with Your Dietetics Needs

As a registered NDIS provider with experience in the assessment & treatment of a variety of conditions and strong partnerships with leading equipment and home modification providers, we can facilitate all your allied health needs provisioned under the NDIS.

We assist NDIS participants from 15 onwards.

Our convenient, NDIS services range from provide clients with high quality occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, and dietetics, and in the comfort of their own environment including timely and effective communication to support the administration of your clients’ funds.

We want your participants to experience the best allied health services, and stay independent, happy, healthy in their own home.

Our NDIS Dietitians Help With Wellbeing

Our team of experienced NDIS dietitians provide diet advice to improve health and manage specific conditions with weight loss or gain, difficulty in eating food and managing food allergies.

Here’s how our NDIS dietitians help with wellbeing:

Improve overall health and mental happiness
Education around good food choices
Introduce tasty and nutritious meal ideas for fussy eaters
Reduce mealtime stress and create positive experiences
Improve gut health, manage appetite and weight problems

Our NDIS dietitian offers everything a mainstream dietitian does, plus a whole lot more, such as:

Supporting diets for people who experience difficulties with chewing and swallowing
Fussy eating or resistant/picky eating
Excessive weight gain which impacts physical or social function
Stressful mealtimes and other mealtime challenges such as food refusal, not coming to the table, eating with distractions or avoidance to eat socially
Bowel issues (e.g. constipation, diarrhoea, coeliac disease, limited fluid/fibre intake)

Download Empower Dietetics Flyer

Download Empower’s NDIS Flyer

How To Arrange Dietetic Services With Empower

Our friendly support team to get started on (03) 9583 1364…

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Announcements, Dietetics, In Home Care, NDIS, Residential Aged Care

How Dietitians help manage malnutrition

Posted on October 6, 2021October 7, 2021 by Nicole Cook

06
Oct

Too little, or too much of one thing – malnutrition comes in many forms.

Whether it be insufficient nutrient intake, excessive intake of low nutrient foods or diets that are missing specific nutrients, an imbalance in what we eat can lead to poor health outcomes. Our Empower Healthcare dietitians can help manage malnutrition.

Dietitians are trained to identify the causes and risk factors for malnutrition across all age groups. They work with people struggling to meet their nutritional needs to develop interventions that restore the balance of nutrients required for vitality, energy, health and well-being.

Food First

When possible, dietitians develop diet plans that place good quality, nutrient rich foods at the core of treating malnutrition. Simple substitutions and manageable changes take preference. The unique needs of people are also incorporated into menus and meal plans in consultation with clients, their families and caregivers.

Supplementation

Where food alone cannot meet the nutritional needs of clients due to specific deficiencies, physical barriers or illness, dietitians may recommend supplements to boost intake. In cases where a person cannot receive food by mouth, dietitians may create a plan for supplements to be provided by a tube as the only source of nutrition. Improving energy and vitality through careful use of supplementation can restore food tolerance and appetite, as well as improve physical function, independence and quality of life.

Monitoring

Managing and treating malnutrition requires careful monitoring to ensure that strategies are working and nutritional status is improving. Dietitians consult with clients and caregivers in person or via telehealth to follow up on dietary interventions and adjust them to the changing needs of their clients. Diet and food preferences are sensitive and complex- involving personal, financial, cultural and psychological factors. When poor nutrition negatively impacts health, dietitians play a vital role in restoring balance and well-being, taking all factors into consideration while ensuring that food and eating be as safe, enjoyable and beneficial as possible.

Book a Referral today to help your clients manage malnutrition.

Read some of our other blogs

Six signs that your client or resident may need a dietitian

Have you considered Group Therapy?

About Empower

We Change Lives

Empower Healthcare is a national allied-health service provider and partner with Home Care package providers, NDIS plan managers & Aged Care organisations to deliver life changing allied health services. We offer a full-service platform from physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry, dietetics to osteopathy, massage therapy and most recently, home nursing services and pride ourselves in the delivery of high-quality therapy solutions, value packed services and responsive ethos.

It is a very exciting time with Empower Healthcare building on the success of its Victorian operation and now expanding nationally into NSW & WA. With a growing team of 100+ clinicians, we provide over 1,500 treatments every day and service more than 100 healthcare organisations. Building on this strong foundation, we are well positioned and committed to delivering exceptional care.

Our therapists genuinely care about the people we work with and take the time to build strong relationships that holistically improve social, physical and mental wellbeing to live happier and healthier lives.

How To Get Clients Started With Our Home Care & NDIS Services

Simply click on the image below for our referral form.

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Community, Dietetics, Exercise, Falls Prevention, Home Nursing, In Home Care, Massage Therapy, NDIS, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Residential Aged Care, Wellbeing

Why Nathan enjoys being an Allied Health Assistant

Posted on August 30, 2021December 15, 2023 by Nicole Cook

30
Aug

Empower Healthcare has a team of Allied Health Assistants (AHA’s) that work under the direction of Physiotherapists to deliver holistic care.

This diverse role can range from delivering tailored treatment plans to providing education to clients and families. Far from dull, the role of an AHA is another service approach available to freeing up funds for improved access to extended therapy, equipment and medical needs.

Nathan shares his experience as an Allied Health Assistant

Being an Allied Health Assistant (AHA) at Empower allows me to use my experience to make a connection with people and their community whilst offering the support and guidance they need to achieve their goals. Since completing my Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance, I have gained experience in aged care, community health, and in-home care.

I have been involved in many community health programs including hydrotherapy, chronic pain management, and balance and strengthening exercise programs, working alongside several different health professionals most notably Physiotherapists, Exercise Physiologists, Occupational Therapists and Psychologists.

Working as an AHA in the community allows me to see and share in the clients benefits and achievements which is inspiring. Working closely with people from all walks of life and being a part of their story is a special feeling. I am very fortunate to be able to help empower others and have a positive impact on their wellbeing.

Outside of work I love spending time with my family which includes my wife, my two energetic, competitive and rapidly growing boys, and our much loved (spoilt) border collie Tilly. I try to stay fit and active and enjoy jogging, riding, and walking. I also love getting to work in the garden especially growing veggies and chilies. In my down time I love to read (usually historical fiction), and enjoy watching most sports including AFL, basketball and soccer, and I am a tragic fan of the Tour de France.

READ TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ALLIED HEALTH ASSISTANTS

About Empower Healthcare

We Change Lives

Changing lives is what we do.

Delivering high quality allied health services is how we do it.

Empower Healthcare was founded in 2016 by two people who were determined to improve the standards of allied health services in residential aged care and knew how to do it. With industry knowledge and an innovative approach, Adam and Matthew set about defining what allied health services can be when quality and person-centred care is placed before all else in healthcare.

The partnership, that merged clinical expertise with business acumen, soon established Empower Healthcare as a leading provider of quality physiotherapy services in residential aged care facilities in Victoria. This success fueled the expansion of our services within residential aged care, home care and NDIS to deliver occupational therapy, physiotherapy, nursing, podiatry, dietetics, osteopathy, massage and speech pathology.

Now offering comprehensive allied health services with more than 180 dedicated and passionate clinicians working in Victoria, Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland, Empower Healthcare is growing and taking our unique approach with us.

A lot has changed over the years but not our commitment to the highest quality care, delivered by expert clinicians, aimed at improving the independence and quality of life of our clients- helping our clients live their lives the way they want to.

How To Get Clients Started With Our Home Care & NDIS Services

Simply click on the image below for our referral form.

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Announcements, Community, Dietetics, Foot Care, Home Nursing, In Home Care, Occupational Therapy, Pain, Physiotherapy, Podiatry

Follow the gold standard in wound care

Posted on August 24, 2021August 24, 2021 by Nicole Cook

24
Aug

A Team Approach to Wound Care

On any given day, half a million Australians are living with a poorly healing or chronic wound. These wounds can be very difficult to live with and manage as they are often in hard-to-reach areas of the body and can impair mobility and independence. Examples of chronic wounds include leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers and pressure injuries.

Research has shown that a multidisciplinary approach is the gold standard in preventing and managing wounds and the pain, disability and loss of independence that they can cause. Each clinician brings skills and expertise, with the shared goal of maintaining and improving quality of life.

Nurses

Assess for risk factors that can lead to chronic wounds.

Assist in the management of underlying health conditions that can cause hard-to-heal wounds.

Assess wounds to determine the best treatment approach.

Treat- including cleaning, applying pharmaceuticals and dressing wounds.

Refer for additional care when required.

Podiatrists

Perform wound assessments on the foot, ankle and leg at every visit.

Are the cornerstone of diabetic foot care.

Ensure correct footwear to reduce pressure injury and falls related wounds.

Dietitians

Understand that good, balanced nutrition is the first step in preventing chronic wound formation.

Assess for the nutritional causes of chronic wounds, including poorly managed blood glucose and malnutrition.

Create meal plans that ensure adequate nutritional intake to prevent wounds and aid healing.

Physiotherapists

Assess for risk factors that can lead to chronic wounds.

Intervene with rehabilitation programs to reduce risks of falls, loss of mobility and poor circulation.

Assist with pressure care by implementing pressure relieving strategies.

Occupational Therapists

Perform assessments of clients and their environments for wound risk factors.

Reduce the risk of wounds by assisting with adapting homes to be safer and easier to move around in.

Recommend pressure preventing and relieving equipment and accessories.

Provide therapy that assists clients function safely and independently in their homes and communities.

By determining the unique needs of each client, an individualised treatment program can be developed that includes the health care team members best suited to providing the most effective treatment for the management of chronic wounds- promoting healing, health and vitality.

Here’s 4 reasons why you should place wound care at the heart of client care.

Click to Download Infographic

References

http://www.aushsi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Chronic-Wounds-Issues-Paper-20-Oct-2017.pdf

https://www.qut.edu.au/institute-of-health-and-biomedical-innovation/about/news/news?id=145230

About Empower Healthcare

We Change Lives

Changing lives is what we do.

Delivering high quality allied health services is how we do it.

How To Get Clients Started With Our Home Care & NDIS Services

Simply click on the image below for our referral form.

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Announcements, Dietetics, Falls Prevention, Home Nursing, In Home Care, Occupational Therapy, Osteopathy, Physiotherapy, Wellbeing

Managing Osteoporosis: How Allied Health Professionals can help keep bones healthy

Posted on August 17, 2021November 27, 2023 by Nicole Cook

17
Aug

Managing Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a common cause of fractures and loss of independence for older adults. While many people may experience this disease, osteoporosis is preventable and treatable and there is a lot that can be done to improve bone density at all stages of life.

Exercise

Exercise is the first step in preventing loss of bone density and some of the consequences that impact on vitality and quality of life. Physiotherapists design safe exercise programs that include weight bearing and muscle strengthening and are developed to be enjoyable and appropriate for the unique needs of their clients. Allied Health Assistants can supervise and assist with exercise programs to ensure that people get the best results, safely and effectively, inside their homes or communities.

Diet

Getting enough calcium and vitamin D at all ages is the key to protecting bone health and density. The best way to do that is through diet, not supplementation, where possible. Dietitians can help by using a Food First approach to create balanced meal plans that are rich in dairy products, fruits, and vegetables to support bone strength, while still including the food that people enjoy as well as suit their tastes and needs.

Fall prevention

People who live with osteoporosis are more at risk of fractures and loss of independence as a result, with only 30% of older women who suffer an osteoporotic hip fracture being able to return to independence. Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Occupational Therapists, Nurses and Allied Health Assistants all play vital roles in maintaining safe mobility, preventing falls and reducing the consequences when they happen. Interventions that are most effective at preventing falls include:

• The use of correctly selected and fitted equipment such as walking frames.

• Occupational therapist assisted home modifications that support a safe and independent lifestyle.

• Assessment and management of specific health risk factors that increase the likelihood of falling.

• Individualised exercise programs that include strengthening, balance training and functional activities.

• Good medication management and monitoring.

It is never too early or too late to start improving bone health. Small choices, made regularly, can have the biggest effect on health and when those choices seem daunting, there is support available to help.

How To Get Started With Empower

To arrange a referral, click on the image below

About Empower Healthcare

We Change Lives

Changing lives is what we do.

Delivering high quality allied health services is how we do it.

The partnership, that merged clinical expertise with business acumen, soon established Empower Healthcare as a leading provider of quality physiotherapy services in residential aged care facilities in Victoria. This success fuelled the expansion of our services within residential aged care, home care and NDIS to deliver occupational therapy, physiotherapy, nursing, podiatry, dietetics, osteopathy, massage and speech pathology.

How To Get Clients Started With Our Home Care & NDIS Services

Simply click on the image below for our referral form.

…

Continue reading →

Announcements, Dietetics, In Home Care

Dietetic Services Now Available in WA!

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Nicole Cook

09
Jul

We now offer Dietetic Services in WA!

Empower Healthcare Dietitians are experts in customising and optimising diets and nutrition to improve health and quality of life, while treating and preventing a range of chronic health conditions.

We provide services to clients with Home Care packages, NDIS funding or if they live in residential aged care facilities.

Our passionate team is dedicated to providing the highest standard of care to holistically improve social, physical and mental well being and we are now happy to extend these services to the Western Australian community.

We provide a broad range of services including:

Nutrition assessments
Condition specific nutrition therapy
Personalised nutrition plans
Diabetes dietary management
Weight loss management
Malnutrition and poor appetite management
Heart disease, high cholesterol and blood pressure dietary control and management
Gastrointestinal health issues
Endometriosis and PCOS
Liver disease, cirrhosis and diet
Kidney disease and renal diet
Enteral feed regime
Eating disorders

Empower take a motivational interviewing approach, to provide nutrition counselling and education for the management of chronic health conditions. We provide personalised advice that empowers your clients to meet their health goals.

The Empower Difference

Changing Lives Through Exceptional Care

We pride ourselves in the delivery of innovative, high-quality, allied health solutions that constantly evolve to exceed the needs of your clients and their communities. Our service model integrates five service commitments that empower you to help your clients improve their sense of self-identity, quality of life, and ability to live safely in their environment.

Extensive service offerings
Care provided by highly skilled clinicians
A team approach to delivering continuity of care
User friendly referral process
Superior reports providing clarity on future care needs.

Click on your relevant health care industry sector below to learn more.

How To Get Clients Started With Our Home Care & NDIS Services

Simply click on the image below for our referral form.

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Announcements, Dietetics, Home Nursing, In Home Care, Massage Therapy, NDIS, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry

How a Multidisciplinary Allied Health Team Can Help People Manage Diabetes

Posted on June 10, 2021November 27, 2023 by Nicole Cook

10
Jun

Many chronic conditions like Diabetes, require more than 1 or 2 allied health team members for good management. Diabetes is an example of a complicated condition where an assessment may reveal the need for referral to a few members of the multidisciplinary team.

Here are a some of the ways that the various professions can help people managing Diabetes.

Nurses

Nurses monitor blood sugar levels and assist with medication management. They also manage the general health of people, including the comorbidities that are common in people with Diabetes, such as high blood pressure, kidney disfunction and eye disorders.

Dietitians

A well-managed diet is a cornerstone of diabetes care. Dietitians can develop individualized meal plans that take the tastes and preferences of people into account, while ensuring that blood glucose levels remain stable.

Podiatrists

Foot care is an essential part of care for people who are struggling to manage their sugar levels. Podiatrists ensure the correct footwear, nail care and skin management of the feet to prevent ulcers and ingrown toenails.

Physiotherapists

Diabetes can result in various complications that reduce mobility and having input from a physiotherapist to promote strength, balance and endurance can improve the independence and health outcomes of people with diabetes at any stage of the disease.

Occupational Therapists

Unfortunately, some of the health consequences of diabetes can result in disability requiring relearning and reablement for some of life’s vital activities of daily living. OT’s can provide rehabilitation to improve the function of people managing some of the more serious effects of diabetes and assist with the adaptions that homes may need to make living independently at home possible and enjoyable.

Massage Therapists

Along with the benefits of relaxation and improved well-being, massage may also be useful in managing the painful neuropathies that occur in people with diabetes. Combined with the effects on circulation and stress relief, massage therapy is an important adjunct to other therapies in the management of diabetes.

If your client is not on top of their diabetes care plan, let Empower Healthcare bring together the expertise and skills of different allied health professionals to support your client in management of their complex condition.

The Empower Difference

Changing Lives Through Exceptional Care

Extensive service offerings
Care provided by highly skilled clinicians
A team approach to delivering continuity of care
User friendly referral process
Superior reports providing clarity on future care needs.

Click on your relevant health care industry sector below to learn more.

How To Get Clients Started With Our Home Care & NDIS Services

Simply click on the image below for our referral form.

…

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Dietetics, NDIS, Occupational Therapy

Have you considered Group Therapy?

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Nicole Cook

18
May

Attending group therapy is a great alternative or additional service for people living with a disability or chronic health condition. Therapy groups can help to combat feelings of isolation and boredom while facilitating learning and skill development.

Group Therapy programs are carefully developed to suit the needs of the participants with emphasis on learning, skill development, improved independence, and social support. The Dietitians, Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists who run therapy groups assess the individual needs of participants and tailor group sessions to benefit all those who attend.

Proven benefits of Group Therapy include:

Interacting with others experiencing similar circumstances enriches the learning experience.
Working and learning in a group allows the opportunity to learn from peers.
Providing a sense of support.
Improved motivation, while decreasing social isolation and depression.
Increased coping skills and mood.
Improved life satisfaction.
Effective skill development that is cost effective and convenient.

Group therapy can be utilised for cooking, activities of daily living, social skills development, exercise, and education.

This fun, social and effective way to learn and improve skills and function can be funded through the NDIS and conveniently provided by mobile therapists in many different settings from group homes, day services and community houses to retirement villages and gyms.

Call 13000 HELPU or 1300 043 578 to find out more about our programs and how to access group therapy services through Empower Healthcare.

Promoting Independence At Home and in the Community

At Empower Healthcare, we are passionate about promoting the independence and quality of life of people living, studying, and working at home and in the community.

We know that our clients have their own goals, dreams and ambitions and that achieving them is a journey that takes time and consistency, that’s why our organisation is shaped around a commitment to continuity of staff for clients. We believe that people get better outcomes when they can build strong relationships and trust with the clinicians who treat them.

Changing Lives With Exceptional Care

We understand that our clients have needs and goals that are as unique as they are. Our focus is on tailoring therapy and nursing support to suit each individual we see. We acknowledge that when choosing us, our clients expect services that place dignity, integrity, and respect at their core. We achieve this by approaching things differently – by delivering innovative, high-quality therapy solutions that constantly evolve to exceed the needs of our clients and their communities. Our service model integrates five service commitments that empower clients to improve their independence, quality of life, and ability to live, work and thrive in their own homes and communities.

Click Here for NDIS

How To Get Clients Started With Our NDIS Services

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Announcements, Dietetics, In Home Care, NDIS, Residential Aged Care, Wellbeing

Six signs that your client or resident may need a dietitian

Posted on February 11, 2021November 27, 2023 by Nicole Cook

11
Feb

Malnutrition is often missed in older people.

Appetite and weight tend to decrease slowly as older people who manage their own shopping, food preparation and eating reduce dietary intake without realising it. Family members and carers who see the person regularly may only begin noticing the weight loss after significant physical changes have occurred. While the causes of weight loss are complex, here are a few indicators that someone may need dietary intervention:

Unplanned weight loss in the last 3-6 months
Falling Body Mass Index (BMI)
Reduced nutritional intake
Low levels of nutrients noted during blood analysis
A history of alcohol misuse
Use of medicines including insulin, chemotherapy, antacids, or diuretics.

Dieticians specialise in improving and optimising nutrition by considering the needs and preferences of the individual. Early, practical intervention can help in maintaining general health, activity levels and independence for older people living in the community and in residential aged care.

About Empower

We Change Lives

How To Get Clients Started With Our Home Care & NDIS Services

Simply click on the image below for our referral form.

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