Let’s Talk Allied Health

Have you come across the term “allied health” recently? Chances are that you have, with allied health clinics and advertising popping up everywhere. Allied health now makes up about a third of Australia’s health services. But what does allied health mean and how can we know what each of the allied health professionals do? 

Allied health is a term referring to health professionals outside of medical, dental and nursing professions. They are trained to address various aspects of health and wellbeing, with jobs roles that are very varied and oftentimes overlapping. This provides the perfect opportunity to work within a multidisciplinary team. There are no specific guidelines about which professions fall under allied health, but let’s go through some of the services you might find listed under an allied health banner. Naturally, we’ll start with Occupational Therapy. 

Occupational Therapy focuses on supporting people to participate in their everyday tasks, activities and occupations. Have a browse through our previous newsletters for more information on Occupational Therapy. 

Physiotherapy specialises in the human body and its movement. Physiotherapists provide services which assess and address damage or health conditions which impact the bodily structures. 

Speech Pathology addresses communication difficulties such as speech, comprehension and social skills. Speech Pathologists also see people who have difficulty swallowing and can find ways to safely eat and drink. 

Exercise Physiology aims to optimise a person’s physical function, health or wellness through exercise-based approaches. This also has a strong emphasis on promoting positive behaviour changes through education, advice and support. 

Dietetics provides expertise in food and nutrition to support people to maintain their health and reduce the risk of developing a chronic disease. 

Social Work focuses on personal and social well-being by assisting people to link into services which will address their particular needs. This can include housing solutions, family services (such as counselling), unemployment support, etc. 

Some other allied health professions include counselling and psychology, social work, podiatry, audiology, optometry, and many more.  For clients and patients, having an allied health team is a wonderful way to receive specialised and holistic input. The health professionals can liaise amongst themselves to make sure needs are being addressed fully. At Active Performance, we currently provide Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Speech Pathology services. Our team always take a collaborative approach to our work and aim for our clients to be very well cared for. 

Written By Grace Booysen – Occupational Therapy