OT for Stroke & Neurological Conditions

Gold Coast & Tweed

There is a point after a stroke or a brain injury where the appointments stop, the therapy team moves on, and you are at home working out how to manage. For most people that is when the hardest part starts

Our occupational therapists work with people living with the longer-term effects of neurological conditions, with a focus on daily life: getting washed and dressed, managing a household, using a weakened arm, handling fatigue, getting back to work or study, or getting out into the community again

Our Funding Partners

As occupational therapists, we know real progress happens in the places where life actually unfolds. Our therapists work alongside you in your home, school, workplace or community to build the skills, confidence and independence that make day-to-day life easier

OT for Neurological Conditions

Acute care and inpatient rehabilitation do an enormous amount in a short window, and then they finish. What follows is usually a long stretch with very little support in it. Medicare’s chronic disease management pathway covers a small number of allied health sessions a year across every discipline combined. NDIS funding covers disability supports rather than rehabilitation itself. For a lot of people the practical result is the same: you are home, you are managing, and nobody is working with you on the things that are actually hard.

That is the part we do. We are not a hospital rehabilitation service and we do not replace one. We are the ongoing, community-based occupational therapy that picks up after it, working on daily function, independence, equipment, environment and participation over months and years rather than weeks.

More than 445,000 Australians are living with the effects of stroke, and around a quarter of strokes happen to people aged 54 or younger. A lot of people are managing on their own who do not need to be.

Conditions We Work With

Neurological conditions affect people in very different ways, so occupational therapy often looks different depending on the support needs

Stroke

Rebuilding daily living skills, working on upper limb use, managing fatigue and cognitive change, adapting the home, and getting back into work and community life

Traumatic / Acquired Brain Injury

Practical strategies for memory, planning, initiation and fatigue, alongside routines and environmental supports that reduce how much a person has to hold in their head

Spinal Cord Injury

Independence in self-care and household tasks, seating and pressure care, assistive technology, and home access

Multiple Sclerosis

Fatigue and energy management, equipment as function changes, workplace adjustments, and planning for a condition that fluctuates

Parkinson's Disease

Task adaptation, falls and home safety, routines built around medication timing, and equipment for tremor and rigidity

Adult Cerebral Palsy

Ongoing independence, seating and assistive technology review, and supports for work, study and community participation

Younger Onset Dementia

Routines, environmental cueing, safety, and supports that keep participation going for as long as possible

Functional Neurology Disorder

Graded return to daily activity, symptom management strategies, and rebuilding confidence in everyday tasks

Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Rebuilding function through recovery, with equipment and adaptation as needs change

What Our Neuro OT Work Involves

Our approach works on real tasks in real environments, rather than exercises in a clinic room. What we do with any one person depends on their goals and their presentation, so we start with an assessment to understand these key elements before sessions begin

Daily living & task-specific retraining

Dressing, showering, meal preparation, household tasks and the rest of the daily routine, practised as the actual task, in the actual places you do them

Upper limb rehabilitation & splinting

Repetitive task practice, and where the presentation suits it, constraint-induced movement therapy or mirror therapy, for people who already have some active wrist and finger movement to build on

Cognitive rehabilitation

Screening and assessment of cognitive and perceptual change after neurological injury, then practical work on executive functioning, memory strategies, attention and planning

Fatigue & energy management

Post-stroke and injury fatigue can be a limiting and misunderstood consequences of neurological injury. We work on pacing, activity scheduling and realistic planning so that energy goes where it matters

Assistive technology & equipment

Assessment, trial, prescription and review, from small daily living aids through to complex prescriptions. Including complex seating, power wheelchairs, mobility equipment and more

Home environment & access

Assessment of the home and living environment for safety, access and independence, with recommendations for equipment, layout and modifications

Outdoor mobility &community access

Outdoor mobility, transport use, shopping centres and public environments, practised in those settings rather than talked about in a clinic

Work, study & role

Return to work and study planning, workplace assessment, and rebuilding the roles that matter to an individual and their loved ones

Funding Options

Neurological occupational therapy can be funded through several different pathways depending on how and when the condition occurred. If you are not sure which one applies to you, speak with our team to find out more

NDIS

Therapy Partners is a registered NDIS provider. Occupational therapy usually sits under Capacity Building, Improved Daily Living, with assistive technology supports where they apply. NDIS access requires a permanent and significant impairment and an application made before turning 65. If you were already a participant before 65, you stay on the scheme

NIISQ

We are a registered provider under the National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland, which covers people seriously injured in a Queensland motor vehicle accident from 1 July 2016. It is no-fault, it covers traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury among other serious injuries, and occupational therapy is a funded support. Support is available regardless of age

Medicare

Occupational therapy can be accessed through eligible Medicare referral pathways, including a chronic disease management plan arranged by your GP. The number of sessions available in a year is limited and shared across all allied health, so this pathway usually works best alongside another one rather than on its own

Private / Health Fund

Self-funded support needs no referral and no waiting on an approval, so it is often the fastest way to start. Some private health policies include occupational therapy under extras cover. What you can claim depends on your insurer and your level of cover, so it is worth checking with them directly

If you have had a stroke or an injury and are not yet linked to any funding, that is a very common place to be. We can talk through which pathway is likely to apply and what evidence would be needed

Why Choose Therapy Partners

Occupational Therapy Around You
Neurological OT works best in the home, the workplace and the community, not in a clinic room. Our therapists come to you, because that is where the difficulty actually is

Therapist Matching
Complex neurological work is managed by our therapists with relevant experience, based on the client presentations rather than clinician availability

Multi-Disciplinary Team
Communication and swallowing changes after stroke sit with speech pathology. Adjustment, mood and motivation often need psychology. All of it is in-house, so support is coordinated rather than scattered across providers

Meet Our OTs Supporting Neurological Conditions

Stroke and neurological work at Therapy Partners is allocated to occupational therapists with experience in this area, covering functional retraining, upper limb rehabilitation, the cognitive effects of neurological injury, and complex equipment. Get to know the team below, or start a referral and we will match you with the right therapist for the presentation

Frequently Asked Questions

Still can’t find what you’re looking for? Call us today for more information

Do you provide stroke rehabilitation?

We provide community-based occupational therapy for people living with the ongoing effects of stroke. That is different to the inpatient or day rehabilitation program run through a hospital. We usually pick up after that has finished, or alongside it where a treating team is happy for us to.

How long after a stroke or injury can occupational therapy still help?

There is no cut-off. Much of the evidence for community occupational therapy involves people well past the early recovery period, and changes in daily function are possible long after the initial event. What shifts over time is the focus, moving from early recovery towards adaptation, equipment, environment and participation.

Is there an age limit?

No. We work with younger adults after a stroke or brain injury, working-age adults and older adults, and the approach is built around functional goals rather than age. What does change with age is the funding pathway. NDIS access requires an application before turning 65, though people who were already participants before 65 stay on the scheme. NIISQ, Medicare, private health and private options are not age-restricted.

Do I need a referral?

Not for private work, and not for NDIS self-managed or plan-managed funding. Medicare and some insurer pathways do need paperwork from a GP, a treating doctor or a support planner. Tell us how you are funded and we will tell you exactly what is needed.

Do you come to my home?

Yes, and for most people that is where the work happens. Sessions can take place at home, in the community, at a workplace, in public environments like shopping centres, or at our Robina clinic where that suits better. Community-based sessions let us work on real tasks in the settings they actually happen in.

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