Meet our Occupational Therapy team
Positive, practical and holistic – our occupational therapists enjoy setting our clients up for successful independent living in their homes and daily life.
Find out why our occupational therapists love what they do. Hint – the impact they can have on the overall wellbeing, independence and senior health for our clients is very rewarding.
Louise
How long have you been an occupational therapist?
My occupational therapy career began after a wonderful 15-year career as a Registered Nurse and a break to be a mum. My first occupational therapist (OT) role was in a community paediatric setting in January 2020 – just before COVID hit… it was a steep learning curve! I jumped into integratedliving just over two years ago.
Why did you choose to become an occupational therapist?
My Year 10 school work experience back in 1986, was with my cousin who was an occupational therapist in aged care.
I loved seeing that there were ways to help people overcome difficulties with equipment, and playing games and certain crafts to stimulate different parts of the brain.
When I was nursing, I worked with OTs, loved the approach to ‘health care’ and found it to be very holistic, practical and positive. When I had to make a decision about whether to go back to nursing or retrain as an OT, I decided to get on board the OT train!
What are the rewards of working with senior clients?
I love hearing what is important to our seniors and helping them achieve a life they want to live. There is such a wealth of knowledge, experience and desire to live a full life – it’s pretty infectious.
Clare
How long have you been an occupational therapist?
I have been an occupational therapist for 11 years, and with integratedliving almost seven years.
Why did you choose to become an occupational therapist?
I knew I wanted to work in health but have a fear of needles so that ruled out nursing. I wanted to have a career that involved being creative and problem-solving, so occupational therapy seemed like a good fit.
What are the rewards of working with senior clients?
We can improve independence in the years of retirement and support people to remain living at home for as long as possible.
Alex
How long have you been an occupational therapist?
I have been an occupational therapist for eight years.
Why did you choose to become an occupational therapist?
Growing up, my father unfortunately passed away from cancer at a young age. I can remember an OT coming into our house to set him up for end-of-life care by providing the necessary equipment for him to remain at home.
While this was a difficult time for me and my family, I can remember feeling grateful that the occupational therapist was able to set him up for care at home, and that really left a mark with me, that you can help people out in their time of need.
The more I read into occupational therapy, the more I thought it could be a really rewarding career, and it is!
What are the rewards of working with senior clients?
I love just being able to provide some sort of intervention or advice which can make a hell of a difference to their daily living. It could be a simple handrail at the front steps. It could be an aid to improve independence with kitchen tasks. I like knowing that I have made a difference, knowing that my interventions may be the difference between staying at home or moving to another facility.
Donna
How long have you been an occupational therapist?
I graduated in 1998 from University of Queensland and have worked as an occupational therapist continually since then in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.
Why did you choose to become an occupational therapist?
In high school I was undecided about what I wanted to do. I considered nursing but started an Arts Degree majoring in psychology and sociology. I went to a ‘courses and careers day’ being held by the university and came across the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at UQ. It offered the occupational therapy, physio and speech pathology courses and I learnt about OT that way.
It seemed interesting to me, as it has both physical and biological as well as psychological and cognitive components, and OTs work with different people across so many varied fields of practice. So, I applied and was accepted to change over my degree.
What are the rewards of working with senior clients?
I always enjoy the conversations we have. I enjoy hearing about all the things that people have done, learning from the experience and knowledge that they have, and the sense of humour that older people have!
Sophie
How long have you been an occupational therapist?
Almost five years.
Why did you choose to become an occupational therapist?
I love working with people and the problem solving involved in this job. The fact one degree allows me to work in such a huge variety of settings and with different demographics is amazing. I know I will never be bored with this career!
What are the rewards of working with senior clients?
I absolutely love working with older adults to keep them at home and as independent as possible. I love facilitating functional capacity and independence with tasks that people may have not thought they’d be able to again.