Announcements, Equipment, Exercise, Falls Prevention, Massage Therapy, Mobility, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry

Our Multidisciplinary Team Approach To Mobility Assessments

Posted on May 4, 2022November 27, 2023 by Nicole Cook

04
May

We can help you take the guesswork and uncertainty out of whether your client would benefit from the success of physiotherapy, an exercise program or assistive equipment to improve their mobility when movement is challenging.

Our multidisciplinary team understand that mobility inside the home, within the community and beyond is a requirement for independence and a cornerstone of quality of life at all ages.

To assess mobility, our team may:

Perform a thorough subjective assessment to ascertain what aspects of movement a client is finding challenging and what effect that has on their lives.
Analyse gait on a variety of surfaces.
Evaluate a person’s ability to move in bed, sit and stand up.
Assess stair or step climbing, if appropriate.
Determine the need for mobility aids.
Assess strength, endurance, and balance to understand the causes of loss of mobility.

Once a thorough assessment has been performed, we will work with clients to create goals of treatment and individualised interventions that can help them to reach those objectives.

Here’s five signs that a person may need a mobility assessment:

Reduced ability to manage activities of daily living due to problems with walking, standing up or stair climbing.
Loss of confidence in leaving the house.
Family members or caregivers reporting an increased need to assist with standing-up and walking.
A history of falling or fear of falling.
Anyone returning home after a period of prolonged hospitalisation due to injury or illness who is experiencing a reduction in function.

With our multidisciplinary and holistic wellbeing approach, Empower’s assessment reports provide clarity and direction to equip you with the knowledge to determine the best care plan going forward.

Go to our online referral to get started. https://www.empowerhealthcare.com.au/referrals/

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, Community, Equipment, Falls Prevention, In Home Care, NDIS, Physiotherapy, Wellbeing

Walking (Gait) Aid Prescriptions with our Physiotherapists

Posted on May 2, 2022November 27, 2023 by Nicole Cook

02
May

At Empower, we make delivering the best care and outcomes our highest priority and that is why we ensure that every cent spent from our client’s packages is having the greatest impact on improving their quality of life.

This is especially true when it comes to decisions about equipment. Our physiotherapists know that walking aid prescription is about so much more than walking. The correct walking aid allows independence, security and dignity. Unfortunately, the incorrect aid, or an aid poorly fitted, can have the opposite effect.

What is a walking (gait) aid?

Walking aids are also referred to as gait aids. A gait aid is one of several devices a client may be issued in order to improve their walking pattern, balance or safety while mobilising independently. Gait aids fall into multiple categories and include the following:

• Walking sticks or canes

• Crutches

• Walkers

• Standing Aids: to assist with manual handling often used with in rehabilitation.

• Single Point Stick – SPS
• 4-Point Stick – 4PS
• Pick Up Frame – PUF
• 2-Wheel Frame – 2WF/TWF
• 3-Wheel Frame – 3WF
• 4-Wheel Frame – 4WF
• Gutter Frame – GF
• Crutches
• Rollator
• Platform Frame – PF
• Forearm Support Walker
• Posterior Support Frame

How do physiotherapists view gait aids?

A physiotherapist’s goal is to attain the greatest level of function with the smallest amount of equipment. Physios see gait aids as a valuable tool in ensuring safety and independence while working to improve and maintain mobility through strengthening and rehabilitation. The long-term result is more mobility with less reliance on equipment.

Why do we use our physiotherapists for gait aid prescription?

The prescription of gait aids by physiotherapists represents best practice and falls squarely within the scope of practice of physiotherapists who train specifically in the areas of biomechanics, gait analysis, gait rehabilitation and balance. Our physios work towards greater independence and mobility, armed with the experience and latest evidence-based techniques to help people rediscover the joy of movement without fear.

How can assessments by physiotherapists help to optimise home care packages?

• By reducing or delaying the reliance on expensive mobility equipment, physios free up funds for rehabilitation or other needs that may otherwise have fallen outside the budget.

• Involving physios in gait aid prescription and rehabilitation is proven to reduce falls in the elderly. This reduces the long-term consequences and expenses of injuries.

• Physiotherapists have a deep understanding of the woo by morrock predicted outcomes of various medical and physical conditions and can advise which gait aids may only be needed temporarily and could be hired rather than bought.

• Expertly fitted aids allow for greater independence and function, empowering people to live safely at home for longer.

A case study:

Peta was discharged from hospital after spending 3 weeks recovering from surgery. Once home, she found that she was very unsteady and fearful of falling after spending so much time in bed. Her case manager contacted Empower Healthcare for an assessment for a gait aid and a physiotherapist visited her at home and conducted a complete physical and functional assessment. The physio determined that the main cause her balance difficulties was deconditioning due to a long period of convalescence and prescribed an exercise program. They also recommended that a 4-wheeled walker be hired, rather than purchased as Peta was most likely to improve to her previous level of function. After 3 months, the walker was returned as Peta no longer needed it. She also did not need any modifications to her home as she was able to move around freely and confidently once more.

The right walking (gait) aid can be life changing and saving so give Empower a call to book a walking aid assessment with one of our physiotherapists.

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Announcements, Exercise, Mobility, Osteopathy, Physiotherapy, Uncategorized

Get back into movement with Osteopaths and Physiotherapists

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

10
Sep

Reduced mobility can occur at any stage of life and for many reasons. Difficulties with moving around due to injury, chronic disease, or disability can have a profound effect on independence and wellbeing, interfering with work, relationships and community participation.

Seeing an osteopath or physiotherapist can help most people improve their mobility, even when complex health conditions are present.

Here are some of the ways they do it.

Effective Pain Management is often the first step in improving movement. An instinctive response that many people have when experiencing pain, is to keep still. Unfortunately, this often has the effect of increasing pain over time. By performing holistic assessments, osteopaths and physiotherapists seek to find the causes of pain and then intervene to reduce and manage painful symptoms, freeing up movement.

Easing stiffness in joints can allow for increased mobility as range of movement improves. Osteopaths and physiotherapists employ a wide range of techniques and strategies to reduce stiffness, some involving hands on treatment while others are activity based.

Increasing flexibility of soft tissues can assist in correcting postural causes of mobility restrictions.

Improving strength through individualised and function-based exercises that address the underlying causes of immobility.

Balance training to reduce the risk and fear of falling as both can be powerful inhibitors of mobility. Osteopaths and physiotherapists apply their deep understanding of human movement and balance to address the causes of falling and reduce the anxiety that often follows having experienced a fall.

Walking aid recommendations and adjustments to support independent and safe mobility inside the home and in the community.

Referral for services that promote mobility, this may include home adaption, medical care, nutrition management and home care support.

Movement is not only the result of quality clinical treatment, but also a powerful therapeutic tool and osteopaths and physiotherapists can help people unlock the benefits and joy of moving more. It all starts with an assessment and in most cases, the result is improved vitality, independence, and quality of life.

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

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Announcements, Equipment, Exercise, Falls Prevention, Residential Aged Care, Wellbeing

Empower Healthcare collaborates with Mayflower on design of Wellness Centre

Posted on October 26, 2020November 27, 2023 by Nicole Cook

26
Oct

The team at Empower are thrilled to have been able to support, our partners in health, Mayflower with the design of the Wellness Centre in their new building.

As Allied Health Professionals our recommendations for the equipment and general use of the room has been carefully considered to ensure it caters to a range of people including staff, residents, older people in the community and clients with disabilities.

The Wellness Centre will provide a whole range of physical, social, and mental benefits for everyone at Mayflower. We envisage that this space will promote a culture of wellbeing for everyone as it will encourage and invite residents to get together, have a laugh and participate in daily physical activity.

Whether the goal is to improve walking, optimise heart and lung function through cardiovascular exercise or strengthen bones and muscles, there is something in the space for everyone.

The inclusion of parallel bars (which are great for getting people back on their feet after a stroke or surgery) an adjoining treatment room (for private hands on therapy by our Physiotherapists) and a wall of floor to ceiling mirrors (to monitor technique and visible improvements) positions the humble space to resemble a smaller rehabilitation style gym.

It’s a credit to the team at Mayflower for their hard work and determination in providing a space that truly promotes wellbeing. We are honoured to have been involved in this project and couldn’t be happier with the end result.

We’re looking forward to the grand opening of the facility.

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.

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