MEDIA RELEASE
Leading NDIS therapy provider turns to health tech start-up to extend the impact and reach of therapy
One of the biggest Australian NDIS providers, Everyday Independence has partnered with Theratrak, an innovative digital platform to enable allied health therapists to extend their support and empower thousands of NDIS participants.
Founded by Occupational Therapist Laura Simmons, Theratrak is an asynchronous telehealth and therapy management platform that works to improve communication between therapists and their participants to continue to implement therapy strategies at home and reach their therapy goals sooner. The partnership will further evolve the platform and deliver inclusive digital home therapy programs that build agency and self-determination skills.
For over 20 years, Everyday Independence has been one of the largest therapy providers in Australia.
“The team at Everyday Independence are trailblazing capacity builders, with the clinical know-how to improve the lives of persons with a disability. We are always looking for evidenced-based interventions to unlock potential,” said Leanne Healey, Founder and Director, Everyday Independence
The Everyday Independence therapy team is made up of occupational therapists, speech pathologists, physiotherapists, teachers, mental health nurses, positive behaviour support practitioners and allied health assistants who support people to reduce the everyday impact of physical, psychosocial or intellectual disabilities.
Everyday Independence brings a depth of insight and disability industry knowledge to the partnership. Everyday Independence wants to reach more people, particularly those people in regional and remote communities. Growth and the use of technology are key strategies to making a difference in the lives of more people.
“Theratrak will enable us to build even closer partnerships with people and families; to connect easily and more frequently; and to build on what is working,” said Healey.
In Australia, there are over four million Aussies living with a disability and over 400,000 NDIS participants. In a year when almost half the Australian population was in lockdown at some stage, effective telehealth and digital health services are essential for the future of healthcare.
Healey, a well-respected leader in the industry and Board of Occupational Therapy Australia, spearheaded the partnership and is dedicated to upskilling therapists and encouraging the allied health industry to embrace useful technology to drive better outcomes.
Appointed in 2020, CEO of Everyday Independence Glyn Davies said his vision for the role was to continue to grow and achieve more positive business and people-centred outcomes.
“Our focus is on delivering evidence based best practice, and that extends to investing in innovation and technology to drive change and improve outcomes. By enabling participants to access their therapy program at anytime from anywhere through Theratrak, we’d be setting them up for success from the get-go,” said Davies.
The positive impact of the Theratrak platform benefits both therapy participants and their therapists. Therapy participants access individualised strategies and activities and receive notifications and prompts which are tailored for each person. For the therapist, prescribing home programs via an app creates great efficiency.
Everyday Independence occupational therapist and clinical champion, Madeline Hand has been advocating for and supporting therapists to make the best of the platform.
“I have loved working with Laura to really bring to life our vision for people with a disability and explore how we can embed principles of evidence-based practice and innovation to the way we deliver services. I have been particularly excited about the opportunity Theratrak presents to be part of a suite of tools therapists have at their fingertips to embed positive habit formation within daily routines, and work in partnership with participants and their families to accelerate outcome achievement. Theratrak has allowed our team members to really embody our values of simplify and go, champion the person and change the game. I can’t wait to see where this platform takes us in the future,” said Hand.
Laura Simmons has worked in private practice in Sydney for over 10 years and saw the prevalence first-hand of clinicians burning out and leaving the workforce.
“I knew something had to change. Disability is not episodic, so why does the treatment still revolve around episodes of care?” said Simmons.
Theratrak is a game-changer when it comes to therapy treatment support, enabling care teams to collaborate easily and effectively. The treatment planning process works with them in sessions to save them time and admin, which we know (more admin) leads to burnout. And the participant app is designed to build agency and intrinsically motivate participants to feel empowered with their support long term. Bridging the gap between face-to-face sessions and reducing backsliding between appointments.
“I could not be more excited about this partnership with Everyday Independence. The company’s mission, vision and values align so well with Theratrak’s development and company goals. I truly believe co-designing with industry experts in the disability sector has accelerated our growth and learnings about this space exponentially. We’ve heard some incredible early success stories in our pilot program with EI, and I can’t wait to hear even more stories about participants achieving their goals in the future.” said Simmons.
Want to hear about the impact Theratrak is having at Everyday Independence?
Read this story from Bently Grattan, physiotherapist and Theratrak champion.
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