In-Home Occupational Therapy
Back2You Therapy provides mobile occupational therapy in the environments where everyday activities actually happen — at home, in the community and other appropriate settings.
Our occupational therapists work with NDIS participants, adults, children and older people who need support with daily activities, functional assessments, equipment, home access, fatigue, neurological disability and changing support needs.
What Do You Need Help With?
Detailed assessment of how disability affects everyday function and support needs.
Support with showering, dressing, meals, household tasks, routines and participation.
Assessment and recommendations for equipment that supports function, safety and access.
Assessment of seating, positioning and functional equipment needs where appropriate.
Assessment of environmental barriers affecting access and everyday activities.
OT for neurological and physical disabilities affecting day-to-day function.
Occupational Therapy Starts With the Activities That Are Difficult
Occupational therapy looks at the tasks a person needs or wants to complete and identifies what is getting in the way.
That may be a change in physical ability, fatigue, cognition, coordination, sensory processing, equipment, the home environment or the amount of assistance required from another person.
Rather than treating a diagnosis in isolation, the occupational therapist looks at the person, the activity and the environment together.
Personal Care
Support where showering, dressing, grooming, toileting or other self-care activities have become difficult.
Meals & Household Tasks
Assessment of cooking, meal preparation, cleaning, laundry and other activities required to manage at home.
Transfers & Access
Review of how a person moves between surfaces and accesses important areas of their home or community.
Routines & Organisation
Strategies where disability affects planning, sequencing, remembering or completing regular activities.
Community Participation
Support to identify practical barriers affecting access to appointments, activities, work, study or the community.
Equipment & Environment
Assessment of whether assistive technology, equipment or changes to the environment could make an activity safer or more manageable.
See the Task in the Environment Where It Happens
An occupational therapist at home can assess the activities and spaces that matter to you.
For many occupational therapy referrals, the home provides information that cannot be accurately recreated inside a clinic.
An occupational therapist can see:
- the height of the bed someone transfers from
- the actual shower and bathroom layout
- whether a wheelchair fits through important spaces
- how equipment is currently positioned
- where falls or transfer difficulties occur
- how much assistance another person provides
- which activities create fatigue
- where environmental barriers limit participation
This means recommendations can be based on the person’s real routine, real equipment and real environment.
Home
Assess everyday function using the spaces and equipment the person already relies on.
Community
Work on practical activities and participation outside the home where clinically relevant.
Other Settings
Appointments may also take place in other appropriate environments where the activity being assessed occurs.
Occupational Therapy for NDIS Participants
Back2You Therapy works with self-managed, plan-managed and agency-managed NDIS participants who require occupational therapy relating to their disability and functional needs.
Depending on the referral, NDIS occupational therapy may involve:
- Functional Capacity Assessments
- ongoing occupational therapy
- daily living skills
- functional assessments
- home assessments
- assistive technology
- equipment recommendations
- wheelchair and seating assessment
- pressure care
- home modifications
- fatigue management
- neurological occupational therapy
- progress reports
- functional recommendations
- communication with support coordinators and other providers
Clear Reporting
Where reporting is part of the referral, the occupational therapist can document relevant functional barriers, assessment findings, progress and clinical recommendations.
Working With Support Coordinators
With participant consent, our therapists can communicate with support coordinators regarding assessment requirements, functional changes and recommendations.
Therapy That Relates to Everyday Function
NDIS occupational therapy should have a clear connection to the functional impact of the participant’s disability and the activities they are working towards.
Understanding How Disability Affects Everyday Function
A Functional Capacity Assessment looks beyond a diagnosis and examines how a person currently manages the activities required in everyday life.
The assessment may consider areas such as:
Mobility
How the person moves within their home and community and whether assistance, equipment or environmental changes are required.
Personal Care
How the person manages activities such as showering, dressing, toileting and grooming.
Domestic Activities
The ability to prepare meals, manage household tasks and complete routine activities.
Community Participation
How disability affects accessing appointments, shopping, social activities and other parts of community life.
Cognition & Self-Management
Where relevant, the occupational therapist may consider memory, planning, organisation, decision-making and managing daily routines.
Current Supports
The assessment can consider informal assistance, paid supports, equipment and environmental factors affecting daily function.
A Functional Capacity Assessment may draw on interviews, clinical observation, relevant standardised tools and assessment of real activities depending on the individual and purpose of the report.
Occupational Therapy for Daily Living
Difficulty with an everyday activity can be caused by many different things.
Someone may have the physical ability to complete a task but become exhausted halfway through it. Another person may need different equipment. Someone else may need a different way of sequencing the task or changes to their environment.
Occupational therapy may address activities such as:
- showering
- dressing
- grooming
- toileting
- preparing meals
- eating and drinking independently
- household tasks
- managing a daily routine
- accessing work or study
- community participation
- using equipment safely
The goal is not simply to practise an activity repeatedly. The OT identifies why it is difficult and determines whether therapy, a different technique, equipment, environmental changes or support from another person may be appropriate.
Equipment Matched to the Person and the Task
The right equipment can reduce unnecessary effort, improve safety and make some everyday activities more manageable.
Our occupational therapists may assess and recommend assistive technology within their clinical scope, depending on the participant’s functional needs.
This may include:
Bathroom Equipment
Shower chairs, commodes and other equipment relating to personal care and bathroom access.
Transfer Equipment
Equipment used to support transfers between beds, chairs and other surfaces.
Daily Living Aids
Devices that assist with personal care, meal preparation and other routine activities.
Mobility-Related Equipment
Equipment that supports functional access and movement where appropriate.
Beds & Positioning Equipment
Assessment of equipment used for resting, positioning, transfers or other daily needs.
Seating Equipment
Assessment of seating requirements related to posture, function and participation.
Equipment recommendations should consider the person’s abilities, environment, support network and how the equipment will actually be used.
Assessing More Than the Wheelchair Alone
Wheelchair and seating needs can affect posture, transfers, upper-limb use, pressure management and the ability to complete everyday activities.
Where appropriate and within the assigned clinician’s scope, occupational therapy may involve assessment of:
- functional seating
- positioning
- wheelchair setup
- cushions and supporting components
- posture during everyday activities
- transfers to and from the chair
- how the wheelchair is used within the home
- changing functional needs
Our OT team includes experience in complex equipment prescription, pressure care and postural management. Meet Stephanie Long.
Positioning, Seating and Equipment Reviews
People with reduced movement, altered sensation or complex physical disability may require consideration of pressure management as part of their broader occupational therapy needs.
Depending on the referral, an OT may review:
- sitting position
- seating equipment
- cushions
- positioning
- transfer routines
- time spent in particular positions
- changes in mobility
- changes in the person’s equipment needs
Back2You’s team includes experience in pressure care and postural management, particularly within neurological and physical disability.
Pressure injuries or medical skin concerns may require involvement from medical, nursing or specialist services in addition to occupational therapy.
When the Environment Is Part of the Problem
Sometimes the difficulty is not the person or the task. It is the way the home is configured.
An occupational therapist can assess how the environment affects safety, access and daily function.
Areas we assess
- entrances
- steps and level changes
- hallways and doorways
- bathrooms
- toilets
- bedrooms
- transfer spaces
- wheelchair access
- circulation through the home
Possible modifications
- grab rails
- access rails
- ramps
- bathroom changes
- changes to fixtures
- access improvements
Recommendations may range from minor changes to more involved modification requirements depending on the person’s needs and the therapist’s scope. Our OT team includes experience in home modification assessment and recommendations. Meet Emily Monk.
Looking at How the Whole Environment Works
A home safety assessment considers more than one room or one piece of equipment.
The occupational therapist may look at how the person moves through their home and completes the activities required across a normal day.
This may include:
- falls risks
- lighting and access
- bathroom safety
- bedroom setup
- transfer surfaces
- existing equipment
- furniture placement
- mobility through narrow spaces
- support required from carers or family
- emergency access considerations where relevant
The assessment helps identify whether therapy, equipment, changes to technique or environmental modifications should be considered.
Making Important Activities More Manageable
Fatigue can make simple activities disproportionately difficult, particularly for people living with neurological conditions, chronic illness or physical disability.
Occupational therapy can help identify:
- which activities use the most energy
- when fatigue is worst
- where unnecessary effort is occurring
- whether tasks can be completed differently
- how rest can be incorporated into the day
- whether equipment could reduce physical demand
- how important activities can be prioritised
Strategies may involve pacing, task modification, changing routines, environmental adjustments and appropriate equipment.
OT for Neurological and Physical Disabilities
Neurological conditions can affect far more than movement.
Changes in fatigue, upper-limb function, cognition, coordination, sensation, communication, mobility and routines can all affect how someone manages everyday life.
Our occupational therapists may support people living with:
Fatigue management, daily activities, equipment, home access and changing functional needs.
Equipment, seating, positioning, personal care, home access and forward planning as functional needs change.
Wheelchair use, transfers, seating, pressure care, equipment, personal care and home access.
Daily activities, fatigue, routines, equipment, home safety and adapting tasks as movement changes.
Upper-limb use, personal care, household activities, cognition, equipment and returning to daily routines after stroke.
Acquired Brain Injury
Support with routines, cognition, daily activities, equipment, home access and community participation.
Daily living, equipment, seating, home access and functional participation across different stages of life.
Supporting Everyday Skills as Children Grow
Back2You Therapy also provides occupational therapy for children and adolescents.
Depending on the child’s needs, paediatric OT may address:
- self-care
- dressing
- eating
- fine motor skills
- handwriting
- sensory processing
- play
- routines
- emotional regulation
- participation at home or school
- assistive technology
- functional assessments
Occupational Therapy to Support Life at Home
For older adults, occupational therapy may focus on the activities and environmental factors that affect remaining safe and functional at home.
This can include:
- showering and dressing
- home safety
- falls risks
- bathroom access
- equipment
- transfers
- mobility around the home
- daily routines
- fatigue
- home modifications
Back2You Therapy works with eligible clients accessing occupational therapy through the Support at Home program.
It May Be Time to Speak With an Occupational Therapist If…
A person may benefit from OT when disability, illness or changing function makes everyday activities harder, less safe or more dependent on assistance.
Examples include:
- showering or dressing now requires help
- transfers are becoming more difficult
- existing equipment no longer works well
- fatigue prevents important activities being completed
- a wheelchair or seating setup needs review
- the bathroom or entrance is difficult to access
- falls or near-falls are occurring at home
- daily routines have become difficult to organise
- support needs have changed
- an NDIS Functional Capacity Assessment is required
- new assistive technology is being considered
- a progressive condition is changing function
- a child is struggling with age-appropriate daily activities
Clear Occupational Therapy Referrals and Communication
Back2You Therapy accepts referrals from NDIS participants, support coordinators, families, care managers and health professionals.
We use the referral information to match a mobile occupational therapist to the assessment or support required.
Referral Review
We review the reason for referral, requested assessment, funding, location and relevant clinical information.
Clinician Matching
The referral can be matched to an occupational therapist whose experience is appropriate to the work required.
Communication
With consent, relevant updates and recommendations can be shared with the participant’s support network.
Reports
Where reporting is part of the service, we provide clear clinical documentation addressing the purpose of the referral.
Coordinated Support
Our occupational therapists can work alongside physiotherapists, families, carers, support workers and other treating professionals where coordinated care is required.
Start With the Activity, Not a Standard Program
The first appointment is used to understand what is difficult, why it is difficult and what needs to happen next.
Discuss the Referral
Your occupational therapist reviews the reason for referral, relevant health information, current supports and priorities.
Understand the Activities That Matter
You discuss the tasks that are difficult, unsafe, tiring or currently require assistance.
Observe Relevant Function
Where appropriate, the therapist may observe activities such as transfers, mobility, personal care, equipment use or navigating the home.
Review the Environment
The OT considers whether the physical environment contributes to the difficulty.
Review Existing Equipment
Current equipment can be reviewed to determine whether it remains appropriate.
Identify Next Steps
This may involve ongoing therapy, further assessment, an equipment trial, a Functional Capacity Assessment, reporting or recommendations for other supports.
Coordinate With Your Support Team
With consent, relevant information can be communicated to family members, support coordinators and other clinicians.
When Both OT and Physiotherapy Are Involved
Some participants require input from both disciplines.
A physiotherapist may focus on areas such as movement, strength, walking, balance and physical capacity, while the occupational therapist considers how those abilities affect daily activities, equipment and the environment.
For example, a participant experiencing difficulty transferring may require:
Physiotherapy
Assessment of movement, strength and transfer technique.
Occupational Therapy
Assessment of the bed, wheelchair, bathroom setup and transfer equipment.
When both disciplines are involved, clinicians can coordinate around the same functional priorities.
Meet the Back2You OT Team
Back2You Therapy’s occupational therapists bring different areas of experience across disability, neurological conditions, functional assessment, equipment, home modifications and paediatric therapy.
Senior Occupational Therapist
Emily has more than 15 years of occupational therapy experience across home and community care, acute and inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient services and aged care. Her experience includes assistive technology, adaptive techniques, neurological rehabilitation, play-based therapy, home modification recommendations and comprehensive assessment and reporting.
Occupational Therapist
Stephanie is an AHPRA-registered OT with experience in the disability and NDIS sector. Her clinical experience includes neurological and physical disability, home modifications, complex equipment prescription, pressure care, postural management and building daily living skills with adolescents and adults.
Occupational Therapist
Paula is an AHPRA-registered occupational therapist with a background in exercise and sport science and experience primarily within disability. She has a particular interest in supporting adults living with neurological and physical disabilities.
Occupational Therapist
Mia has experience across clinic and community settings with children, adolescents and adults. Her experience includes sensory integration, play-based therapy and supporting teens and adults with functional neurological conditions.
Occupational Therapy Delivered by Registered Clinicians
Back2You Therapy’s occupational therapy services are delivered by qualified clinicians registered with AHPRA.
Across the OT team, experience includes:
- NDIS and disability
- neurological conditions
- physical disability
- Functional Capacity Assessments
- home and community therapy
- assistive technology
- complex equipment
- pressure care
- postural management
- home modifications
- paediatric OT
- sensory integration
- aged care
- inpatient and community rehabilitation
How Are Your Services Funded?
NDIS
For eligible NDIS participants requiring disability-related occupational therapy, assessment, equipment or reporting.
Support at Home
For eligible older clients accessing occupational therapy through Support at Home.
Private / Medicare / Health Fund
Private referrals are also accepted where appropriate. Medicare or health fund eligibility and rebates depend on the individual circumstances and cover.
Find Occupational Therapy in Your Area
In-home physiotherapy and occupational therapy across the northern, central and southern Gold Coast.
In-home allied health across Brisbane, including NDIS and neurological therapy.
Mobile physiotherapy and occupational therapy across Logan.
In-home allied health services across Ipswich and surrounding areas.
Mobile physiotherapy and occupational therapy across the Redlands.
Trusted by Participants and Support Teams
“Working with Emily from Back2youTherapy is life changing. She has a special way of personalising her therapy supporting our participants to grow. One thing that that stood out is how she has built trust and also popping in a side of fun with her therapy sessions. Emily is skilled in plan writing and her communication and care is second to none.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an occupational therapist do?
An occupational therapist assesses how a person manages the everyday activities they need or want to complete. They look at the person’s abilities, the activity itself and the environment, then identify whether therapy, different techniques, equipment or environmental changes may help.
What happens during an in-home occupational therapy assessment?
The OT discusses the reason for referral and observes the activities relevant to the person’s goals. Depending on the referral, they may assess transfers, personal care, mobility around the home, equipment, seating, daily routines or environmental barriers.
Who can benefit from occupational therapy?
OT may be appropriate when disability, neurological conditions, illness, injury or developmental differences affect everyday activities, safety or participation.
Does Back2You provide NDIS occupational therapy?
Yes. Back2You Therapy is a registered NDIS provider and works with self-managed, plan-managed and agency-managed participants.
Do you complete Functional Capacity Assessments?
Yes. Functional Capacity Assessments can form part of Back2You Therapy’s occupational therapy services where appropriate to the referral.
Can an occupational therapist recommend equipment?
Yes. Depending on the person’s needs and the clinician’s scope, an OT can assess and recommend assistive technology and equipment used to support everyday activities, transfers, positioning, mobility or personal care.
Can an occupational therapist assess my home?
Yes. Home assessment is particularly useful where access, bathroom setup, transfers, equipment or other environmental factors affect daily function.
Do you provide wheelchair and seating assessments?
Back2You clinicians have experience in complex equipment, seating, pressure care and postural management. Whether a particular wheelchair or seating assessment can be completed depends on the required assessment and the experience of the assigned therapist.
Can occupational therapy help with fatigue?
Yes. OT may help identify fatigue patterns and develop strategies involving pacing, routines, task modification, environmental changes and equipment.
Do you support neurological conditions?
Yes. Our occupational therapists work with people living with neurological and physical disabilities, including conditions that affect mobility, fatigue, cognition, upper-limb function, daily activities and equipment needs.
Do you provide occupational therapy for children?
Yes. Back2You provides paediatric occupational therapy addressing areas such as self-care, fine motor skills, sensory processing, routines and participation.
Can older people access occupational therapy through Support at Home?
Back2You Therapy provides in-home OT for eligible Support at Home clients, including support with daily activities, equipment, home safety and home modifications.
Which areas do you service?
Back2You Therapy provides in-home occupational therapy across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Logan, Ipswich and Redlands, with service availability depending on the required clinician and location.
Do I need a referral?
A GP referral is not required for most Back2You Therapy services. NDIS participants, families, support coordinators and other professionals can contact the team or submit an online referral.
How do I make a referral?
Complete the online referral form or contact Back2You Therapy to discuss the type of occupational therapy required.
Need Occupational Therapy at Home?
Tell us what activities are becoming difficult, what assessment or support is required and how your services are funded.
Our team can review your enquiry and determine the appropriate next step.
Prefer to talk? 1300 858 555