The work in practice

Participant stories

It is easier to picture an assessment when you can see how one actually ran. These are anonymised examples of the referrals we see most — a rural assessment, a wheelchair review, a bathroom that had become unsafe, a child who dreaded appointments, and therapy carried on by video between trips.

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Names and identifying details have been removed and situations combined, so no story describes an individual client.

Wheelchair and seating

A school day without pain

A primary-school-aged participant on the Gold Coast had outgrown a chair set up years earlier. Sitting through class had become painful, and the family had already waited a long time for a review.

What we did

Two appointments, one at home and one at school, watching how the day actually ran
Trialled two cushions and adjusted tilt and back angle between visits
Wrote the prescription with the measurements and justification the supplier needed

Outcome

The chair was approved without a request for further evidence, and the participant could sit through a full school day comfortably.

Wheelchair and seating assessments

Derek Feher completing an assessment with a client on a rural property

Rural Functional Capacity Assessment

An assessment two and a half hours from town

A participant living on a rural property in the Riverland had been told the wait for a local occupational therapist was well over a year. Daily tasks around the property were becoming unsafe.

What we did

Assessment completed on the property during a planned regional trip
Functional Capacity Assessment covering self-care, mobility, property tasks and community access
Follow-up appointments by video so progress did not depend on the next trip

Outcome

The report was delivered within 10 business days and gave the planner clear evidence of daily function, with ongoing support continuing by Telehealth.

Functional Capacity Assessments

Home modifications

Showering safely again

An older couple in rural Queensland were managing a bathroom that had become unsafe. Most services had declined the referral because of the distance.

What we did

Home visit scheduled around the family's seasonal work
Rails and a shower chair prescribed first, so the immediate risk was addressed quickly
Direct contact with the local builder to confirm the detail and sign off the work

Outcome

Showering became safe without a full bathroom rebuild, and the couple stayed in their own home.

Home modification assessments

Derek Feher in a play-based occupational therapy session with a child

Paediatric occupational therapy

From hiding under the table to the front door

A nine-year-old on the Gold Coast found therapy appointments overwhelming and would avoid them entirely. Handwriting was a source of stress at school.

What we did

Sessions built around the child's own interests rather than a set program
Handwriting goals folded into play so practice did not feel like practice
Strategies shared with the family and classroom teacher

Outcome

Six months on, the child was writing their own name unprompted and looking forward to appointments.

Paediatric occupational therapy

Telehealth

Keeping therapy going between trips

A participant in remote Queensland could only be seen in person a few times a year, and progress stalled between visits.

What we did

Video appointments scheduled fortnightly with a family member holding the camera
Equipment set-up and technique reviewed in the participant's own kitchen and bathroom
In-person visit saved for the tasks that genuinely needed hands-on measurement

Outcome

Therapy continued without long gaps, and the in-person trip was used for the work only a visit could do.

Why Telehealth works