Answers to some of the most asked questions about telehealth at SDN
Telehealth is a convenient way of providing therapy support to you, from the comfort of your home. Our sessions are flexible to support you and your child's needs, and are provided using digital technology methods. This can include your service being delivered via video conferencing methods, such as Zoom or over the phone.
The benefit of Telehealth services is that you have access to a therapist with limited wait times, rather than being stuck on a waitlist for many months. From the benefit of your own home, it limits your travel for convenience and you don't have to pay for therapist travel fees. Telehealth can be used as a fantastic method of continuity of care during COVID-19 and also eliminates in person exposure risks to transmissible diseases, such as COVID-19.
As Telehealth can be conducted in your home, therapy is conducted in a familiar environment and can incorporate your surroundings. Therapists can use existing resources in the home which can further support your child in a cost effective and creative manner. Using your own resources has the added benefit of having supportive tools available to you at all times throughout your week, to engage with your child, play and practice effective strategies.
Telehealth services are extremely adaptable and can include parent coaching and education, creation of resources and completion of assessments.
There are a number of discussions that are equally effective over telehealth. Our initial family consultation (IFC), goal setting sessions, NDIS funding discussions, support team meetings and parent rated assessment questionnaires are just some of the supportive conversations that we can have using this modality.
For a Telehealth appointment you will require:
- A space with adequate lighting
- A device to use that has a camera and audio (phone, computer, tablet)
- Adequate internet connection
Your therapist will work with you around any additional resources that may be used for Telehealth services. The therapist will consider common items in the home environment that may be beneficial to use during Telehealth to support your child's goals.
Absolutely! The benefit of Telehealth is that we can do this anywhere. We can engage on the couch, in the backyard or in the kitchen. Therapists are creative and will consider the space, your child's abilities and engagement to problem solve during appointments.
Telehealth is also beneficial in that the therapist can work with you to engage with your child, developing your skills and abilities and providing valuable coaching and feedback.
Our therapists understand that technology can be challenging and we are more than happy to support you. We are happy to conduct a quick technical run before our first session to ensure you are confident using this and talk you through any challenges.
Technology can sometimes be unpredictable. If technical issues arise due to poor connection, your therapist will provide suggestions on of an alternative. This may be using a phone or a different application as a backup.
Telehealth is well researched and many studies show the effectiveness of this method of therapy service delivery
Just like face-to-face services, your therapist will abide by privacy and confidentiality principles. Therapists will often use passwords to restrict access to video conferencing platforms such as zoom. Therapists ensure they are in a private space to conduct sessions to maintain privacy during the sessions
