COVID-19 Update | Feb 1st

As you may already be aware the West Australian State Government has issued a mandatory, 5 day lockdown due to a case of community transmission of COVID 19.

Please refer to this link for details of the announcement https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/perth-metro-peel-and-south-west-enter-hard-lockdown

In the interests of our clients, their support teams and our staff, all applicable face-to-face services will be completed virtually for the duration of the 5 day lockdown. 

This includes:

• Functional capacity assessments
• Specialist disability accommodation assessments
• Initial assessments
• Assistive technology applications up until the point where equipment trials are required, all trials will be delayed until further notice

• • This means as soon as we can trial equipment, we have already completed large sections of the application to reduce the delays

• Progress reports for upcoming plan reviews

Pending further advice from the WA State Government, some face to face visits may resume after the 5 day lockdown with appropriate safety measures in place. However, we will notify all clients of these outcomes as the situation progresses.

Your allocated therapist will be in contact to make a plan regarding your therapy services as soon as possible.

We will focus on re-arranging sessions for clients who had bookings in the next 2 weeks, until we have clarity on the lockdownduration beyond this week.

We understand that this is a challenging time for everyone, particularly our valued clients. We are here to support you, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any queries or concerns.

Please contact Optimal Therapy if you have any further questions.

Frequently Asked Questions about virtual services:

1. How do remote/virtual assessments work?
   A remote/virtual session is very similar to a face-to-face one except it will be done using a computer or mobile device. If you’ve ever used the video call feature such as FaceTime on your iPhone, you’ve already used a similar type of technology! You can view our guide on what to expect in a virtual assessment here. 
2. How long is a session?
   Assessments will take a similar time as if we were completing them face to face.
   
3. What resources will I need at home to access remote/virtual services? At the most basic level you will need a phone. Ideally, you will have an internet connection and personal computer or mobile device with audio and video capabilities.
4. I’m not very good with technology. Is it easy to set up? Yes, we can use multiple different platforms depending which you are comfortable with.
   Zoom is the primary platform we will use, its free, easy to download and works with devices that run on either Windows, iOS, macOS and Android operating systems. You can use an iPad, iPhone, or any other brand of tablet/smart device with audio and video capabilities. If you are more comfortable with facetime, what’s app video call or some other application, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate.
5. Does Zoom have security issues? There have been many articles published about security issues with Zoom, many of them from competitors, or uninformed sources. We have found that it is the most user friendly platform for our clients, and have put additional security measures in place to make it as safe as it can be. However, it is still a web based platform with limitations. And so if you would prefer to use another platform please let us know. Microsoft Teams, Whats App and Face-time are alternative platforms we can use.
6. How much do virtual/remote services cost? The same as a face to face session, we just don’t charge travel as there isn’t any!
7. Can I access remote/virtual services under my NDIS plan? Yes, all remote/virtual services can be funded under your current NDIS plan.