Jess Cahill (nee Honner)

CURRENT ROLE:

As a Senior Occupational Therapist at Living to the Max I work with a diverse range of clients. I provide support to participants of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Lifetime Support Authority (LSA), Comprehensive Third-Party Insurance (CTP), private funding bodies and SA Housing Trust. My role primarily involves assessments for complex assistive technology, home modifications, functional capacity assessments and care needs assessments, manual handling plans and pressure injury prevention and management. My priority is to ensure that the clients I work with are supported to receive the equipment and education they require to increase their overall independence and quality of life. As a Senior clinician I also supervise junior colleagues within the Living to the Max team and also work as the SA Housing Trust Clinical Advisor.

EXPERIENCE:

I graduated with a Bachelor of Health Sciences and a Master of Occupational Therapy in 2015 from Flinders University. Since that time I have been practicing as an Occupational Therapist working in residential aged care, community aged care and adult disability (community). I commenced working with Living to the Max Occupational Therapy in 2020. I am registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and hold a Functional Independence Measure (FIM) accreditation. I have many years of experience working with adults who live with spinal cord injury, brain injury, and a vast range of other neurological or degenerative conditions.

AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE & EXPERTISE:

• Complex Assistive Technology (AT) Assessments
• FIM Accreditation for Functional Capacity and Care Needs Assessments
• Applications for specialist disability accommodation (SDA) and supported independent living (SIL) supports
• Complex Manual Handling Plans
• Home Modifications – Minor and Complex
• Activities of Daily Living (ADL) assessments
• Pressure Injury Prevention and Management
• Seating and Postural Needs Assessments
• Assessment and prescription of Vehicle Modifications
• Prescription of aids/equipment and assistive technology
• Falls assessment, prevention and education
• In-home rehabilitation
• Upper limb therapy
• Workplace assessments to support sustained economic participation
• Prescription of powered mobility aids
• Education of manual handling and client safety
• Assessment and prescription of continence needs
• Use of standardised assessment tools like MoCA, WHODAS 2.0, Care and Needs Scale, Barthel Index etc.