OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
Occupational Therapists assist individuals to maximise independence and wellbeing, so they can do the things they love to do, want to do, and need to do.
Our Occupational Therapist, Julia Dayhew, has 30 years of experience in helping people from ages 6 to 101, to help people achieve goals regarding mental health, physical health, work, home, school and play.
Julia has particular interest in cognitive-motor training and is the only Occupational Therapist in the Northern Rivers offering the fun Smartstep cognitive-motor activity. It promotes body and brain coordination and can be used for problems with balance, coordination, motor planning, reaction and step speed, concentration, cognitive processing speed, body awareness, and even standing tolerance. Sessions can help build confidence to try new things or previously loved activities, stay upright and balanced, and be quicker to move.
Early Life – It can feel at times that "something is not quite right" for your child or they may have diagnoses such as Developmental Coordination Disorder or Autism Spectrum Disorder. They may experience problems with low tone, motor planning, and general coordination. In addition, they may have difficulties with concentration, listening and managing emotions. Julia utilises strategies including the FUN Smartstep cognitive-motor activity, to assist your child's confidence in physical coordination and trying activities (such as bike riding), as well as assisting with increased body awareness, concentration, listening and self-regulation. She sees patients both privately and funded through the NDIS.
Adolescence – This can be a confusing and challenging time of life. Deciding what we want and having the confidence to try, as well as maintaining a steady emotional life and meeting expectations, is a lot to juggle. Julia has experience working with adolescents to manage current issues and realistic goals for study, work, home, social life through her vast experience in OT for Mental Health issues.
Midlife- This is an important time for determining our goals for future well-being, mobility, and independence. Having a strong background in health promotion, Julia is passionate about assisting people in mid-life to maximise their health and set goals and habits to age well. Once we reach 30 years of age, we lose muscle mass (related to strength) at a rate of 1% each year. Also, most people by 50 recognise their balance is not as good as it used to be. Both good balance and muscle strength, as well as healthy lifestyle factors and habits, are essential for maximising independence and mobility in the future.
Older years – Whether we have an injury, health condition or not, most of us aspire to be as independent as possible. We want to stay upright, maintain our mobility, and stay in our homes as we age. One-third of people over the age of 65 will fall and many will experience subsequent falls, both of which can lead to trauma and ongoing problems. The good news is most falls are preventable and Julia has a passion for assessing people's balance, strength, sensation, cognition, mental health, low contrast vision, lifestyle and dietary factors related to falls. Julia helps people to understand what can be improved and offers strategies such as the Smartstep cognitive-motor training sessions to target fall risks such as balance, reaction time, cognitive processing speed and confidence in movement.