It is important to recognise that the older we get, the more susceptible we are to ocular diseases. A routine eye examination can prevent a multitude of issues and complications in the long run. Furthermore, by maximising visual performance, residents will stay active for longer and the risk of falls is reduced.
Optometry FAQs
We provide flyers to facilities to be posted on the various notice boards around the facility. This process ensures that you are aware of the upcoming visits.
Advanced communication of upcoming sessions supported by flyers for your community noticeboards to advise residents, relatives and staff of our pending visit.
Twelve month patient review notification system – so facility management doesn’t need to keep track. Healthcare 2 You takes care of this.
We recommend where possible, that you are present at the time of the visit. We encourage you to sit in on the examination as this allow you to witness the clinical skills of our professional staff.
Firstly, the facility’s clinical staff are provided with a detailed report following the examination to ensure that the care staff are aware of any clinical issues that might impact on the manner in which care is delivered. In the event that an optical aide has been recommended, one of our team will contact the NOK to advise them of the clinical findings and to seek guidance in terms of whether the aide will be delivered.
A visiting Optical Dispenser will make contact with residents’ families when necessary to involve them in the care plan and keep them up-to-date. These interactions are undertaken by our staff to reduce additional demands placed on facility management. Feedback Forms are electronically sent to facility management and progress notes are documented for each patient for all interactions.
All relevant documentation provided including Police Compliance checks and Certificates of Currency.
For eye examinations, no cost is incurred as all consultations are bulk billed to Medicare or the Department of Veterans Affairs where appropriate.
NO legally binding contracts and NO cancellation fees – only Service Agreements to meet your accreditation needs. In this way, the pressure is on the Eyecare team to continue to deliver a superior service.
The term reading glasses creates a misconception that they are only for reading. In fact, in the same way distance glasses are to be used to improve distance vision, reading glasses should be called NEAR glasses as they improve near vision. Even if people don’t read, they eat meals (near vision) they participate in crafts (near vision) and other activities where the target if their attention is roughly 45cm in front of them.
Back in 2000 when Eyecare 2 You was born, we took the standard Optometry consulting room, redesigned it and ensured that equipment previously not thought to be portable became portable. This has ensured that we are able to deliver the same comprehensive Eye examination onsite that you would find in the local Optometrist.
Our Optometrists all have significant experience in the field of dealing with people who might have dementia. Our examination techniques have been refined to ensure that we are able to provide all patients, irrespective of their cognitive capacity, a comprehensive examination.
One of the benefits of having a large team is that we have diverse range of ethnicities. We are able to roster on a specific Optometrists whose mother tongue might be something other than English. We have Italian, Greek, German, Russian, Polish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Afrikaans speaking professionals on our team.
Should a recommendation be made by a visiting Optometrist for new spectacles, Healthcare 2 You will always consult the NOK/POA for authority before any order is processed. If an order is approved, the electronic system can only place the order while simultaneously sending a confirmation email to the NOK/POA so that all parties are aware of the placed order.
Healthcare 2 You personally hand deliver the spectacles to residents which are fitted by a dispensing team member. All spectacles are personalised with the resident’s name engraved to help minimise loss.
At this time, the dispenser documents on his/her electronic devise that the delivery is complete whilst simultaneously an email confirming delivery is sent to the power of attorney or Next of Kin contact.
Healthcare 2 You has a fleet of cars on the road each day to attend to various customer service requests. All After Care servicing is included – no charge for on-site adjustments or repairs.
Healthcare 2 You stands by its quality and service. Three months warranty is offered on all prescription lenses and 12 months warranty against manufacturer faults on frames.
Podiatry FAQs
Podiatry treatments are conducted once every 6 weeks. However, more frequent visits in a 6 week cycle are available for facilities with a high number of residents requesting podiatry services.
Eligible residents referred to us will be bulk billed to Medicare under the CDM program. Residents are eligible for up to 5 government-funded services annually. Healthcare 2 You administers this process to significantly minimize the workload for facility staff.
The same Podiatrist is provided with the aim of becoming an integral part of your team.
Detailed documentation, communication and handover systems are in place to ensure continuity of care should another Podiatry needs to step in.
Care plans are regularly reviewed, implemented and evaluated in accordance with policy guidelines. Treatment reports and comprehensive progress notes are documented.
Single-use, re-useable podiatry instruments, packed in self-sealing sterilisation packs – complying with standards of The Australian Podiatry Council.
Physiotherapy FAQs
Aging is a predominant factor in the development of chronic pain. As such, many residents living in residential aged care live with chronic and often, debilitating pain. Our role as physiotherapists is to improve pain management and a resident’s functional mobility to improve their quality of life.
Through ACFI funding, chronic pain management is funded through the 4A – once a week treatment, or 4B – four times a week treatment. Our allied health team are able to assess for pain and then create, develop and provide appropriate treatment directives for each individual resident. Each pain management session involves a minimum of 20 minutes individual hand-on therapy.
Our physiotherapy treatment sessions ensure ethical treatment for the individual resident whilst meeting ACFI validation requirements.
The treatment is funded through ACFI government funding. If you seek more physiotherapy input or would like your loved one to participate in more rehab based treatment (eg. after injury, stroke, etc) we also provide private treatments.
Our allied health team endeavour to provide adequate treatment for individuals to maintain quality of life through individualised exercise programs and the pain management program, in addition to linking into facility staff and lifestyle programs.
However, should your loved one require further treatment we can provide additional private physiotherapy services. We pride ourselves in our transparency; we provide regular updates on sessions to family and will advise if treatment is contraindicated or if we believe clients are being over-serviced.
The use of mobility aids and other equipment can help to maintain independence, reduce the risk of falls and associated injuries and promote quality of life. Our allied health therapists have built relationships with various equipment providers and will work in partnership with them to prescribe the equipment required with consideration to clinical best practice.
We also work with equipment providers to ensure facilities and families are aware of equipment safety features, best practice and the correct use of aids.
For physiotherapy, the ACFI more than covers the cost of this service as does government funding. The only time a family many be charge for physiotherapy services is in the case of private services, which will not be delivered without approval from the family or POA.
Realistically, there is overlap between the scope of practice between physiotherapy and occupational therapy, particularly in aged care. Physiotherapists often focus on the impairment and how to rehabilitate it, whereas occupational therapy takes a holistic approach and can prescribe equipment to allow an individual to continue to complete the activities important to them. For example; a physiotherapist will assist with strengthening your hip to walk after a total hip replacement, an occupational therapist will understand what equipment you will need to assist in your personal hygiene tasks – reaching aids/sock donner etc.
Healthcare 2 You Physiotherapy has several occupational therapists within our team. We collaborate and support each other to grow and develop our skills. This means, our physiotherapists have a greater understanding of holistic care and devices that are available to assist. And our occupational therapists have an improved understanding of injury and rehabilitating these injuries. In addition, it supports ACFI claims through a holistic approach as we can comprehensively assess individual ADL needs and provide the facility with recommendations.
Within the ACFI guidelines, the 4A treatment option, or the once a week treatment, can be provided by a registered nurse. The 4B treatment option, requiring four days a week treatment, can only be provided by an allied health professional, i.e.; a physiotherapist or occupational therapistACFI funding is greater for the 4B treatment option, this can assist in moving an ACFI classification from low to high, significantly improving funding outcomes.
Whilst a RN can provide the treatment for 4A, our team provide a evidence based and in-depth pain assessment. RNs are not formally provided education on how to provide massage therapy within their normal scope of practice. An evidence based treatment approach will assist in meeting accreditation and validation outcomes while giving the resident the best rehab and pain management outcomes.
The outsourcing of a pain management program to Healthcare 2 You ensures no rostering and compliance issues. Our proven and refined documentation has been put through rigorous testing through validations and will support your ACFI claims
Healthcare 2 You provides manual handling training that can be targeted to each level of facility staff. We currently provide training for;
- PCA staff
- Supervisors, i.e.; EN, RNs and Team leaders
- Lifestyle staff
- Maintenance staff
- Laundry and kitchen staff
- Administration personnel
If you require a targeted training session not listed above, we are open to creating a specific session for your facility.
- Manual Handling definitions and hazardous characteristics
- Manual Handling injuries and causes
- Back care and injury prevention
- Minimal-lift policy
- Safe lifting principles
- Safe resident/client transfers
- Facility specific equipment (e.g. Lifting hoists, ceiling hoists, standing hoists, slide sheets)
- Non-clinical manual handling hazards
- Risk assessment and management principles
- Employer/Employee responsibilities under the current OH&S legislation
Our Manual Handling Training program also includes specific competency assessments for clinical staff.
Nutrition FAQs
Malnutrition rates are significant in aged care facilities and needs to be screened for regularly. The best way to do this is by monitoring resident weights once a month. It is recommended that residents who have experienced unintentional weight loss by more than 2kg in one month (or between >3kg in the last 3 months) be referred to a dietitian for assessment and monitoring.
Our menu review services are designed to assess your menu for nutritional adequacy and variety based on best practice guidelines. Each menu review is conducted by an Accredited Practising Dietitian and you will obtain a comprehensive report that will detail the results of the analysis and also provide recommendations to help you improve the quality of the facility menu.
While a face to face consultation is the traditional mode of practice, we understand it is not always achievable for rural locations or facilities with limited budgets. Healthcare 2 You is leading the way in utilising Telehealth by offering Online Nutrition Service.
Our Online Nutrition service provides you with all the Nutrition and Dietetic support and expertise you would expect from a contracted dietitian service. However, on top of this, there is no need to wait for monthly visits or waste time scheduling appointments. Instead your facility can enjoy the benefits of:
- Immediate access to expert advice from an Accredited Practising Dietitian
- Resident consultation reports returned to you within 24 hours of receiving referrals
- Managing the nutritional needs of your clients at convenient times that suit you
- Significantly reduced costs to your facility
It’s like having your own Dietitian at your facility 24/7.