News

17 December 2020: myAbility Summer Newsletter

myAbility is excited to share with you the summer edition of myNewsletter. We hope you enjoy reading the articles and the inspiration contained in this newsletter.

Christmas Craft

myAbility Christmas craft instructions:

• Christmas Bon Bon

• Christmas Wreath

21 October 2020: myAbility Service Delivery Update

On Sunday October 18th, the Victorian Government announced an easing of restrictions associated with the current state of disaster as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. We were incredibly pleased and relieved to hear that in light of the reduction in case numbers, permitted Allied Health Professionals (which includes myAbility) were able to return to providing routine services as of 11.59pm that day.

myAbility would like to thank our community for your patience during these challenging times and for being so flexible and adaptive with the implementation of telehealth services. We want to assure all of our clients and your families that we consider health and wellbeing of utmost importance and we will subsequently continue to offer telehealth services for those needing and wishing to minimise contact with persons other than those in their household. Specifically, clients or clients residing with family members that have underlying health conditions placing them at higher risk of COVID 19 complications will continue to be seen using telehealth as a first priority. A myAbility staff member will be in touch with you to discuss your preferences for future appointments and please know that this arrangement can be altered with suitable notice if your circumstances change in any way.

For those clients who are agreeable and appropriate for returning to in home visitation, face to face services, please note that we will contact you on the day of your scheduled appointment to ask several screening questions to ensure the health and safety of all persons involved. In addition, myAbility staff will be wearing the recommended personal protective equipment, undertaking regular hand sanitisation, cleaning any equipment used and maintaining social distancing throughout the session. We encourage you to please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about any of the above statements and practices.

Once again, a big thank you for all of your understanding and perseverance with accessing our services over the past few months. We are extremely excited about seeing many of you in person again and delighted to be able to maintain contact with those wishing to continue with online sessions.

8 October 2020: #THISISOT #OTWeek2020

October 26th to November 1st marks Occupational Therapy Week in Australia. This is an opportunity to celebrate the profession we are so passionate about here within the myAbility team. The theme for 2020 is:

Resilience: Supporting our communities to rebuild, recover, and reengage.

There really couldn’t be a more appropriate time to focus on rebuilding, recovering and reengaging as our local and broader communities emerge from disasters and tragedies that most of us never dreamt we would witness in our lifetimes. Let’s take some time to reflect on the year gone by and instead of highlighting what we may have lost or been without, let’s put a spotlight on what we have gained, survived and emerged from.

myAbility wants to shine a light on what you have rebuilt, recovered from or reengaged in this year. Whether you are a client of myAbility or not, we are inviting you to share your story with us by emailing feedback@myability.com.au

Maybe you have:

• Reengaged with an old friend via the old-fashioned pen pal system or the modern world of videoconferencing. 

• Learnt to be more patient and understanding when teaching someone a new skill, whether it be your child doing home schooling or assisting someone from an older generation in setting up their technology for the online world as we now know it. 

• Finally met your neighbours and shared some homegrown fruit or vegetables from your own backyard.

• Completed a new home project.

• Commenced delving into your family tree and origins.

• Taken up sewing inspired by the need to wear masks. 

• Become more mindful and accepting of the things we cannot change, appreciate what we have and not complain about activities that we once thought were simple or took for granted. 

Whatever your experience is, little or big, send us your words and help inspire others with how your resilience and pOTential kept you moving forwards during some of the trying times of 2020. Stories will be published (with permission) in the next edition of the myNewsletter.

1 October 2020: #21YourWay

This October we are trying to fundraise $250 to support the Down Syndrome Australia Federation by participating in the #21YourWay challenge. To accomplish this myAbility Occupational Therapists Deanne & Cassandra have united for the challenge. As OT's, the heart of our profession is focusing on abilities to optimise engagement in life. As part of the #21YourWay challenge, we are going to pronounce the word ‘Ability’ in 21 different languages.

If you can, please help to cheer us on by donating to the cause or participating in your own challenge. Donations only take a minute and any amount you contribute (no matter how large or small) will go a long way to helping us reach our target and more importantly, supporting Down Syndrome Victoria. Click on the link below to access our fundraising page:

https://21yourway.grassrootz.com/dsav/myability

Stay tuned for the video showcasing our attempt to pronounce ‘Ability’ in 21 different languages….we hope to be up to the challenge by the end of October. Wish us luck!

12 September 2020: myAbility Spring Newsletter

myAbility is excited to share with you the very first edition of ‘myNewsletter’. We hope you enjoy reading the articles and participating in the activities suggested.

10 July 2020: Stage 3 restrictions reinstated for metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire

From 11.59pm on the 8th of July the Victorian Government advised all persons residing in metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire to adhere to *Stage 3 restriction levels in light of the growing number of coronavirus cases detected in recent days. We understand 2020 has been a challenging year for most as the pandemic continues to impact how we live and go about our usual day to day activities. Furthermore, facing another 6 weeks of being in ‘lockdown’ is not only a logistical challenge but also a mental one. myAbility wants you to know that we are here to provide you with support and our services are still available via face to face in home visitation or by telehealth where appropriate. We want to take this opportunity to share some ideas about how you can keep yourself occupied in the coming weeks. We’d love to hear your ideas too. Please email us at feedback@myability.com.au

• Dust off an old puzzle and start making it on the coffee table whilst listening to your favourite music

• Wonder into your backyard (when it’s not raining) with some paper and coloured pencils or paints and have a go at creating some artwork of a flower or plant in your garden. Add an extra challenge by attempting to do it with your non-dominant hand!

• Ask a family member to join you for a good old fashioned game of ‘Hot or Cold’; choose a hand sized object, ask Person 1 to close their eyes whilst the Person 2 hides the object somewhere in the house. Ask Person 1 to open their eyes and find the hidden object whilst Person 2 gives them clues about whether they are ‘Hot – close to the hiding spot’ or ‘Cold – far from the object’

• Take out a recipe book or search on the internet for something you haven’t cooked before and give it a go

• Log into ‘Spotify’ and search for some 80’s pop music then dance in your living room like no one else is watching

• Go through your sock and underwear drawer and throw out all the old pairs that have holes in them

• Use ‘Google translate’ to learn how to say “Hello” and “Goodbye” in another language

*Information about Stage 3 restrictions can be found at www.vic.gov.au or www.dhhs.vic.gov.au

3 June 2020: NDIS Price Guide 2020-21 – effective 1 July 2020

The NDIS has released the latest price guide and support catalogue in line with the Annual Price Review. The release outlines the NDIS pricing arrangements for the 2020-21 financial year.

Highlights of the price guide updates include:

• Psychosocial recovery coaches: added support to participants with a  psychosocial disability

• Individualised Living Options: funding for alternative living arrangements

• Supported Independent Living (SIL) introduction of set price limits

• Employment: supports to increase employment opportunities for          participants

Refer to the NDIS link for the full details.

https://www.ndis.gov.au/providers/price-guides-and-pricing#ndis-price-guide-2020-21-effective-1-july-2020

13 April 2020 : Corona Virus update

Australia is currently impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Most individuals and businesses are experiencing changes to usual practices as a result of the highly contagious virus and the Australian Government has issued various statements and restrictions for people to follow in order to minimise the spread of infection. Specific information can be found on the Australian Government Department of Health website: https://www.health.gov.au/

myAbility is committed to providing safe and effective services and is therefore complying with all advice issued by both State and Federal Governments about minimising the spread of the Coronavirus. myAbility understands it is important for people to maintain access to healthcare services during this time and is subsequently offering Telehealth appointments via an online and secure service.

13 April 2020: Telehealth update

myAbility will discuss Telehealth appointments with all participants prior to conducting a session using this mode. A secure platform will be utilised, and no sessions will be recorded. A detailed User Guide will be issued prior to the planned appointment to ensure participants are aware of necessary steps to participate via the Telehealth system.

13 April 2020: We are open for business

myAbility is now officially open for business.

We wanted to thank all our existing clients for bearing with us as we put in place our improved resources and updated our procedures in light of the current pandemic. Our client safety is our number one concern and we feel confident we have the right processes in place to continue to deliver an exceptional service.

We also wanted to thank our new clients for reaching out to us as we embark on this journey together, by striving towards empowering your life skills.

Stay well and please reach out if you have any questions or would like to know more about our services.