Allied Health Blog

Celebration Week: Danielle Flanagan, Early Childhood Intervention

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 02:48:48 +0000

This year Danielle Flanagan celebrates five years within our Early Childhood Intervention Service (ECIS) team. Her work as an Allied Health Assistant involves a lot of problem solving; optimising office processes and a “formidable amount” of Carelink+ data! Danielle has also enjoyed inclusion support and therapy assistance working with families in the community.

What is the biggest change you’ve seen from when you started at VMCH to now?

In news that will surprise no-one… working from home as a consequence of COVID-19 has required the biggest adjustment. The other major transition was the introduction of the NDIS – it has changed the way ECIS has delivered service.

What does it mean to you to work at VMCH?

I derive a sense of purpose in work doing jobs that help people. So I feel grateful to be working for an organisation that is individual-focused – an organisation that cares, supports and communicates with staff, and promotes values that align with my own.

What do you love most about your role?

The team. People drawn to working with children in an ECIS must have a playful spirit at heart. The work demands people be thoughtful, intuitive, enthusiastic, warm, experts in patience and problem-solving. People with these skills make for excellent colleagues too!

What do you like to do outside of work?

Pre-iso, dancing was the cornerstone of my social life. Nowadays, like many other Melbournians who don’t watch TV, I’m finding time for long-considered-never-prioritised solo pursuits (watercolour and sumi-e painting, running half-marathons, exploring different music, growing veggies, and cooking creatively). I also spend a lot of time singing, making cubbies, crafting, rearranging furniture to make tunnels and obstacle courses. My two-year-old enjoys these activities too.

OT an important support for VMCH clients

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 01:00:00 +0000

Starting out as a VMCH volunteer gave Taryn Muller a thirst for helping people to reach for their goals. Since then she’s worked her way up from disability support volunteer to casual Disability Support Worker, to occupational therapy student, to a fully-qualified Occupational Therapist.

What is your current role and what does it involve?

My role is predominately out in the community, supporting older clients and people living with disability to engage and participate in everyday tasks or activities that are meaningful to them.

What was your previous role at VMCH and what led you to leave that role and pursue this one?

Whilst studying as an occupational therapy student, I was employed as a casual Disability Support Worker. It gave me a broader understanding of what it is like to support and care for someone with a disability. I feel this has helped me in my career as an Occupational Therapist to know what is or isn’t achievable for care staff in the disability sector and how important it is to engage those closest to the client to achieve a holistic outcome for all.

Why did you choose to work for VMCH?

I chose to work for VMCH after starting out as a volunteer. I absolutely loved the environment, friendly staff and unique nature of the work and people we support. I feel that VMCH really value their clients and want to achieve the best outcomes for them.

What do you love most about your job?

I love that I get to meet new people and constantly build my skill-set and knowledge on a wide range of topics. I love the challenge of breaking down barriers clients are currently experiencing and finding creative ways to enable them to participate in an activity, task or role that is otherwise too difficult.

Why is OT important for the people you support?

I believe that OT is an important profession as it fills and compliments a gap that other services don’t provide. We do this through exploration of meaningful goals with a client that can be around any activity, task or role that occupies their time. A quote I love to tell my clients is that “the physiotherapist will assist you to walk again and the occupational therapist will help you get back your passion of dancing”.

What is your future wish for the people you support?

I want them to have the opportunity to tell their story, identify goals that are meaningful to them and then be able to work with a therapist or support team to help to make this goal a reality.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, playing the piano and experimenting in the kitchen. I also love spending time with my dog, Alice (pictured).

Physiotherapy keeps residents moving and enjoying life

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 04:48:38 +0000

Caitlyn Socwell is a physiotherapist, working with those who are ageing at VMCH Corpus Christi Aged Care Residence. She is a firm believer that age should not be a reason to stop moving or enjoying life – and this is a big part of why she loves her job.

What does a ‘normal’ day look like for you?

As a physiotherapist, a ’normal’ day for me never quite looks the same! After checking our referrals and speaking to the nursing staff, we lay out our day which might consist of a meeting, running a manual handling training, reviewing a resident for falls prevention, welcoming a new resident and setting up their equipment needs, running an exercise class, and treating residents to assist with managing their pain.

Why did you choose to become a physiotherapist?

I loved sport! I was an avid softball player back in America and had my fair share of visits to the physio. I loved how their job encompassed health and healing and so made up my mind in grade 7 and didn’t look back.

What is the importance of allied health for those who are ageing, and what is your role in helping them to achieve their goals?

Allied health is an umbrella term that, in VMCH residential aged care, tends to encompass physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and even osteopaths. Our diverse skillsets can help identify a resident’s concern, whether it be pain, reduced function, or inability to perform a certain occupation. We can then diagnose the underlying cause and prescribe treatments to work towards a resident’s goal of pain relief, increasing their walking distance by 50m, or being able to knit again! Age shouldn't give us an excuse to stop moving or enjoying life - we can keep residents going!

What do you love about working for VMCH?

I love working for VMCH as a not-for-profit organisation, where the focus is so clearly placed on those it serves. Being part of an in-house team rather than a contractor means I get to be a part of an amazing team of staff, where we can work together to look after our residents. I also enjoy the inclusivity across the organisation and the innovative attitude of always striving to make things more efficient, technological, and pleasant for staff and residents, alike.

What do you love most about your job?

The residents! As a migrant with no family in Australia, I love going to work each day to work with over 100 residents I refer to as my adopted grandparents!

Why should someone consider a job in allied health with VMCH?

A career as an allied health professional within VMCH offers a great opportunity to work in-house as part of the organisation, providing a great work community (read: family). There’s always room for new ideas and opportunities to improve the life of our elders.

Join us today!