Help Accessing Allied Health and Therapy for Seniors in Adelaide

Allied health, such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy, can help you stay strong, steady and independent at home. Kindora Connect helps older people in Adelaide access allied health under Support at Home (formerly Home Care Packages): getting to appointments, taking part in sessions and keeping up with the exercises your therapist sets.

The therapy itself comes from registered health professionals. Our role is the practical support around it, so appointments are not missed and progress is not lost between visits.

What allied health can Support at Home fund?

The Support at Home service list includes allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, podiatrists, dietitians, exercise physiologists, speech pathologists, psychologists and social workers. Allied health sits in the clinical supports group, which has no participant contribution.

The service list says treatment should give you the skills and knowledge to manage your own condition where possible. Sessions can be in person or by telehealth, one-to-one or in a group, and some programs are carried out by an assistant or aged care worker under the professional’s supervision.

How can Kindora Connect help you access allied health?

• getting you to and from physiotherapy, OT, podiatry or other appointments
• support at the appointment, such as helping you remember questions and instructions
• help to practise home exercise programs your therapist has set, as directed
• encouragement to use aids and equipment the way your therapist recommends
• letting your family or care team know about changes in your mobility or health

Support workers do not assess, diagnose or treat. If something your therapist asked for is not working, we tell the right person rather than changing the plan ourselves.

Who does this help?

• you are recovering from a fall or hospital stay and have a physio program to follow
• you find it hard to get to appointments now you no longer drive
• you forget the exercises between visits, or lose motivation doing them alone
• your family would like someone alongside you at appointments

How does this work under Support at Home?

Kindora Connect is an associated provider through VitalCare Support. VitalCare Support is the registered provider and manages your Support at Home budget. Kindora Connect plans and delivers your day-to-day services and is your main contact for your care.

Read what associated provider means for Support at Home.

Allied health needs to be an approved service in your support plan. If you already have another funded program in place, such as a Chronic Disease Management Plan through your GP, the service list says that should be used first. Hospital care and medical treatment are funded through the health system, not Support at Home.

What about restorative care?

If you need a short, intensive burst of therapy, for example after an illness, the Support at Home Restorative Care Pathway funds coordinated allied health and nursing to help you regain function. See our guide to Support at Home classifications and budgets.