Enabling all people to participate

Marga Grey

Occupational Therapist, QLD

This might be one of a thousand definitions of OT I have attempted to use over decades. Since I planned to study OT, I had to answer the simple question (with a complex answer): What is OT? The 2021 OT-week theme resonates with what I want to achieve with all my clients and their families.

As OT’s, we are supporting people to be independent, to live a full life, to overcome daily struggles and to feel in control of their lives. However, we are creative and innovative, we change intervention to match research, evidence, and our client’s individual needs. The way I provide services and support my clients have changed over the years BUT the core of occupational therapy does not change.

I feel blessed to be in a profession where I can make a real change in the life of real people, especially in the life of young and vulnerable children. Parents of these children have struggles, they have too much to do, too many appointments to attend and too many children and family members to support. I have often seen a child progressing, meeting one small goal after the other, while the parent is falling apart.

One of the struggles that parents have is therapy-homework, another is travelling to appointments. I have tried to accommodate these struggles in providing clear instructions for homework, appropriate exercises, and specific movement activities to build foundational skills. However, many parents could not commit and did not continue with essential homework between appointments – yes, I’ll say this amongst my fellow therapists - it is frustrating!

I have often seen a child progressing, meeting one small goal after the other, while the parent is falling apart.

Another frustration for me as a therapist is to see a family’s funds declining and that children are denied access to therapy because of a lack of funds. Many children need occupational therapy but are not eligible to access government funds such as NDIS or Complex/Chronic Needs Plans.

New technology has enabled me to enable children and their families to participate in home exercise courses to develop motor skills that improve participation in everyday tasks.

Online courses enable access to remote living clients, to those with travel challenges, and to those with limited funds.

Technology reduces travelling to appointments as support and additional intervention can be accessed via Telehealth.

Spaced appointments at a clinic with effective homework courses ensure steady progress in the client while saving money and time.

CoordiKids enables my clients to participate in homework exercises, access online consultations, be included in support and build skills towards independence. CoordiKids offers online exercises to improve competence in learning and sport.

I have been amazed over the last 2 years to see how children participate in more activities because of new skills and improved support. And of course, how tired parents appreciate affordable online, and often after-hours consultations, where they feel relaxed as the children are all fast asleep in bed!

Technology, online options, and innovative courses are changing intervention for the better, making support accessible to many more.