Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy is a form of Allied Health support delivered by qualified, registered Occupational Therapists (OTs). Under the Support at Home program, Occupational Therapy sits within the Clinical Supports category, alongside services like Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Dietetics, Speech Pathology, Psychology, Exercise Physiology and Social Work. 

An Occupational Therapist working with you at home might focus on: 

• Home safety assessments to identify trip hazards, poor lighting, or other risks around the house 

• Fall prevention strategies, including practical changes to reduce the chance of a fall 

• Mobility aid and assistive equipment recommendations, such as a four-wheel walker, raised toilet seat, or shower chair 

• Home modification recommendations, including grab rails and other safety installations 

• Education and training on safer techniques for everyday activities like showering, dressing, and moving around the home 

• Support after a hospital stay or fall, helping rebuild confidence and reduce the risk of it happening again 

A home safety assessment typically involves an Occupational Therapist walking through your home with you, looking closely at things many people don’t think to question, doorway widths, step heights, lighting in hallways and bathrooms, rug placement, and how furniture is arranged around common walking paths. Recommendations might be as simple as repositioning a rug, or as involved as installing a grab rail or trialling new equipment. 

We have established relationships with Occupational Therapists across Melbourne, and we’re also happy to work with your existing Occupational Therapist if you have one (they’ll simply need to be onboarded with us first, just speak to your Care Partner to arrange this).  

If you’re already working with an Occupational Therapist but would prefer to switch to one of our in-house team, we’ll work closely with you to carry across the routine and recommendations you’re used to, so there’s no disruption to your progress. 

Because Occupational Therapy falls under Clinical Supports, it is fully government-funded, with no co-contribution required, regardless of your income or assets. Equipment and home modifications recommended by your Occupational Therapist, such as grab rails or larger bathroom changes, may be funded through your regular Support at Home budget or, for larger items, through the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme. Because funding categories can vary based on your specific classification, it’s worth discussing your situation directly with your Care Partner, who can map out exactly what’s covered. 

If you’re not yet receiving government funding, Chris Barnard Health also offers privately funded Occupational Therapy assessments, so a funding gap never has to mean going without support. 

At Chris Barnard Health, every Occupational Therapy recommendation feeds directly into a fully personalised Care Plan, nothing is one-size-fits-all, because the right mobility or safety solution for one person can look completely different for another, even with a similar diagnosis.

Every Occupational Therapist we work with is registered, experienced, and selected not just for clinical expertise but for the ability to build genuine rapport in your home, an environment that’s personal, not clinical. We choose professionals we would trust to walk through our own family members’ homes.

Your Occupational Therapist’s observations and recommendations are shared with your Care Partner and, where relevant, your nursing and personal care team, so a risk identified during a home safety assessment, like a fall hazard or a decline in mobility, gets picked up and acted on quickly, not lost between services.

Your first Occupational Therapy visit typically involves a thorough walkthrough of your home and a conversation about your goals, concerns, and daily routines. From there, your Occupational Therapist puts together practical, tailored recommendations, whether that’s a piece of equipment, a home modification, or simply some guidance on safer movement for specific tasks. As with all our services, your plan can be reviewed and adjusted over time as your needs change.

Occupational Therapy, like every service we provide, is guided by your rights under the Aged Care Act 2024. This includes the right to: 

• Make decisions about your care, including which recommendations you choose to act on 

• Be treated with dignity and respect throughout every assessment and visit 

• Be involved in planning your services, including who delivers them and how 

• Speak up if a recommendation or approach isn’t working for you, with the assurance that your feedback will be taken seriously 

If something ever goes wrong, we respond using a structured, best-practice approach called open disclosure, informing you promptly, listening to your observations, and working with you to put things right. Transparency isn’t an afterthought for us, it’s built into how we operate. 

Occupational Therapy is available to eligible Support at Home participants, generally people aged 65 or over (50 or over for First Nations people) who need coordinated support to remain safely and independently at home, or younger people with a disability, dementia, or other care needs not met through other specialist services. Occupational Therapy is also a core part of our Restorative Care Pathway and the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme, for those needing more intensive support to regain or maintain independence. 

• Recommendations that actually get implemented. Because Occupational Therapy findings feed directly into your personalised Care Plan, and are shared across your wider care team, safety recommendations don’t sit in a report, they become part of the support you receive. 

• A hands-on, attentive approach. Mobility and safety needs shift over time, so rather than a “set and forget” assessment, we check in regularly to make sure your home and equipment keep pace with any changes, rather than waiting for a fall or crisis to prompt a review. 

Call us on 1300 602 469 to find out more about Occupational Therapy and how it fits within Support at Home or fill out our contact form on the website and a member of our team will be in touch.