Facilities and Services
Occupational therapy is a profession concerned with promoting health and well-being through occupation. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate fully in the activities of their everyday life. It does this by using specific activities to enable people to do things that will enhance their ability to participate or by modifying the physical environment to better support participation.
Occupational therapists help their clients manage demands, adapt to tasks, and overcome challenges in their everyday lives. They do this by using a person's usual daily activities and tasks (their 'occupations') in a therapeutic way.
The Occupational therapy service provides a service to the inpatient units of St Vincent’s hospital, St George’s hospital, Caritas Christi and Port Phillip prison across acute, sub acute, community and correctional health.
The acute Occupational therapist's aim is to enable patients to engage in their usual or expected occupations (ADL tasks) post injury, illness, or surgery. This is achieved through the assessment of each individual's capacity to perform ADL tasks essential for their safe discharge. Interventions may also include cognitive and perceptual assessment, pressure injury prevention/management, upper limb management, assistive equipment prescription, education and training in task performance, and advice on minor home environment modification depending on the patient's presenting issues and reason for admission.
The Rehabilitation Occupational therapist’s work collaboratively with patients to increase participation, confidence and level of independence, in the everyday tasks that they need and want to do. Together, the patient and occupational therapist develop goals, to guide a “person-centred” intervention program. We work with patients with a wide range of conditions, including stroke, multiple sclerosis, neurological tumours, amputation, joint replacement, and patients’ with complex co-morbidities, who are deconditioned following long hospital stays. The location of both Rehab units allow intervention programs to take place, where possible, in real life environments, such as cafes, shops, parks, museums, galleries, patients’ homes, and on public transport.
The GEM Units specialise in the care of the older person. Occupational therapists work within the multidisciplinary GEM team to provide assessments and interventions to increase the older person’s quality of life, safety, participation and independence in everyday occupations that they need and/or want to do. Daily occupations such as dressing, showering, cooking, shopping and returning to leisure pursuits may be addressed. The occupational therapists working on the GEM Units provide a range of assessments and interventions depending on the needs of the individual. They may conduct home assessments, cognitive assessments, prescribe equipment to increase client and carer safety, make recommendations for minor home modifications, provide training for carers, and provide education and interventions regarding pressure care, energy conservation and a range of other topics.
Post graduate
The Occupational therapy department promotes St Vincent’s value of Excellence by maintaining a high degree of expertise in its staff through the number of staff with post graduate qualifications.
This includes Doctorate qualifications, Masters of Gerontology, Masters of Occupational therapy and Masters of Health Administration.
Specialty Courses
AMPS trained staff (Assessment, Motor and Process Skills)
University Affiliations
- University of British Columbia, Canada
- Charles Sturt University, NSW
- Australian Catholic University
- Monash University
- Deakin University
Provider of sessional tutoring and lectures to School of Allied Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University