What Holistic Rehab Actually Means

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I hope you don't mind if I talk about my lemon tree. It's only because it's the BEST example I've come across of what happens in holistic rehabilitation (and what happens if we don't do it properly). So I have this beautiful lemon tree in my backyard. The only problem is, it's infested with stinkbugs. Ever since the stinkbugs settled in, the tree is less fruitful; the leaves are sad and brown. Maybe this is the tree-equivalent of an L4-L5 disc bulge. Either way, the tree is NOT happy about … [Read more...]

#RealRehab: When Small Steps Mean Big Progress

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I had a conversation with a client recently that made me pause and reflect on why we actually encourage small steps in rehabilitation. Although she had been unwell for some time with a chronic illness, this client was used to working really hard. In fact, she even believed that working so hard is what caused her to get so sick in the first place. So when we discussed the possibility of her returning to work for one half day per week - she nearly scoffed. "Why bother?" She didn't … [Read more...]

When Rehab Investments Pay Real Dividends

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So... last week's post was a bit depressing. But it needed to be talked about - and I hope we can keep that discussion going. But today, I have a case study to illustrate the immense value of rehab done right. In this example, we can see the value of a rehab as a long term investment. Glen (*name changed) sustained a spinal cord injury in a road accident. He went from being a fit tradie to a man in a wheelchair, secretly terrified that he would be stuck working in a call centre for the … [Read more...]

Case Study: The TPD Claim We Could Have Avoided

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What happens when rehab lets a client down? Poor rehab can set someone down an incredibly dangerous path. In one gentleman's case, the absence of proper rehab - and the absence of people willing to stand up and say NO to what was happening - resulted in his total and permanent disablement. What went wrong? This client was only in his thirties. The idea of anyone being "totally and permanently disabled" is terrible - but a young man like this, with a family? This shouldn't have … [Read more...]

Ingrained Rehab Culture is Holding Us Back

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So here's a guessing game for you. For each quote below, figure out whether it's more likely to be said by (1) our clients or (2) their doctors: "When I feel better, I'll go back to work." "When Mr Bond's pain is controlled, then he can go back to work." When I can cope with everything I need to do at home, then I can go back to work." "When Ms Smith isn't so fragile, she can go back to work." It's not too hard to guess, but the distinction doesn't really matter. Regardless of who's … [Read more...]

Is Work REALLY Good For Our Health?

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So we've all heard about the Health Benefits of Work Position Statement by now. And of course the industry is all abuzz, putting the word out there that work is good for us. We want our clients to work. We want our clients to enjoy all of the benefits that working brings to their lives. We know work is good for them. We know that work is part of the solution and a key to recovery. But do we really believe it? Do you? I posed this question to a room of health professionals when I … [Read more...]

Compliant v Prescriptive Rehabilitation – Where Do We Go From Here?

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As we near the end of this series on the evolution of rehab (click here for the previous posts), I want to talk about the next rungs on the ladder to excellence - compliant rehab and prescriptive rehab. Now compliant rehab, as we know, is a process that is entirely driven by certification of capacity and box-ticking. These certifications drive rehab decisions, and where a desirable certification is not given, we go into overdrive trying to arrange case conferences and pleading with … [Read more...]

Rehabilitation Wasteland: Absent and Medicalised Rehab

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My last post centered around the evolution of rehab - you can read it here if you missed out. Based on the feedback I've received, this piece resonated with a lot of people in the industry. Today I want to expand on the first two stages I laid out in the rehab evolution ladder: Absent rehabilitation, medicalised rehabilitation and... why they really aren't that different. ... hello?... is there any rehab out there? BOTTOM OF THE BARREL: ABSENT REHAB Rehabilitation is absent when we … [Read more...]

Has Anyone Asked?

You can step into any medium to large sized office in Western society and find a wide variety of personalities working there. The language may be different but you’re still bound to find the introvert who desperately tries to build a little exclusion barrier around themselves – especially from the office clown who has already sent the IT guys into fits of laughter by 9am. Norris down the hall has already ensured that there is enough coffee and biscuits in for the boardroom for a meeting about … [Read more...]

Job Seeking in Today’s Job Market

With more than 300 million users in over 200 countries and territories, LinkedIn is significantly ahead of any of its rivals such as Vladeo (50 million) and XING (10 million) and it grows by approximately two new members every second. Four million of those users are in Australia alone. If we as Rehabilitation Professionals are not using LinkedIn to assist our job seekers, then we are not providing the type of assistance and service that they actually need.  What job seeking clients need in … [Read more...]




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