CARER CONNECTIONS
AFFORD ALLIED HEALTH MAKES COMMUNICATING EASY The Afford Specialist Services was recently launched, which includes our professional Allied Health Team, who are introducing amazing programs across our sites. Recently the team rolled out a new initiative for our clients called PODD. A PODD (Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display) is a book to support communication between people with complex communication needs and their family, friends, carers or support workers. The PODD is custom made for each client and contains a range of symbols and words. Carla McKinnon, a Therapy Intervention Assistant in the Allied Health Team at Afford, recently completed a two day introductory PODD workshop along with our Queensland Speech Pathologist, Tayla Campbell at The Royal Rehab in Ryde. The training helps our therapists to be able to customise these books on their client’s behalf, as well as put together the books. Queensland Speech Pathologist, Lauren Macintosh is another Allied Health Team member who also has extensive experience with PODD and the training. When people cannot speak, we often speak less to them as well. This brings about a cycle of limited language “input”. These communication aids offer personalised vocabulary and photos and there are a variety of templates to suit the language level of the client with an emphasis on extending their current level. PODDS can promote and grow with the client’s language development. Aided Language Stimulation can be helpful by: 1. Reduce the need to ask “yes/no” questions and telling a person what to do. 2. Encourages you to make comments, so the person has more turns in the conversation. 3. Show the meaning of language, rather than saying the words alone. 4. Vary your pitch and volume to get the person’s attention. 5. Pause your communication, to allow the person to respond. 6. Be sensitive to the different ways a person may try to tell you something. 7. Give more opportunities for communication. PODDs can be paid either out of pocket or out of a client’s NDIS plan. The funding for PODDS can come out of therapist hours, or the assistive technology budget. It is just one element of the wide variety of services our clinicians offer. If you think your loved one may benefit from their own PODD book, first speak to one of our Speech and Language Pathologists, who will advise if a PODD is right for them! Carla and our therapists can then support you to create a custom made PODD to help your loved one communicate effectively with others. Contact our Allied Health team on: 1300 233 673 or email alliedhealth@afford.com.au
For more information please call 1300 233 673 or email info@afford.com.au