OT’s Off the Clock #1

In today's episode, Cheri and Hannah check-in after a few months, discussing their return to work after personal breaks and addressing the significant challenges facing occupational therapists due to NDIS changes, particularly the upcoming Thriving Kids model. 

Be sure to follow us on instagram @ots_figuringitout

This podcast is brought to you by Charge Your Mind Program, WonderGlowOT and Joyful Journey OT.

We acknowledge the Wathaurong people as the traditional ownders of the land on which we work and live here in Geelong, Victoria. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

Produced by Hannah Lees

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to OTs Figuring It Out. A podcast where two occupational therapists chat about the messy, meaningful, and sometimes hilarious parts of life as OTs. We're learning, growing, and definitely still figuring it out.

Introduction

SPEAKER_01 0:25

We have created a bit of a segment which we're going to call OTs Off the Clock.

SPEAKER_00 0:31

So today we're going to chat about life updates.

SPEAKER_01 0:40

Where we've been, where we're going.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

Yes, projects we're doing. We do chat a little bit about NDS and Thriving Kids as well and what that's like as business owners.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

And some amazing new programs.

SPEAKER_00 0:56

Yeah, and some amazing new programs. So come along for our casual chat and yeah, let's jump in. We need to address the elephant in the room.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

Yes, we do.

SPEAKER_00 1:11

Which is why we haven't done an episode in quite some time.

SPEAKER_01 1:17

It has been uh a hot minute.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Yes. Not even from when we posted the episode, but even from when we last recorded it, because I think there was quite a big gap from when we recorded it to when it got posted. Yes. So for us, you and I, we last chatted 13th of March. Is when we recorded our last yeah, that's when we recorded our last episode together.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Oh wow, I didn't realize it had been that long.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

Yes, but sorry that's not that's that's reality for us though, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 1:57

It is, yeah. I think we are learning to be kind and gentle to ourselves in the seasons of life that we're in. And I think all OTs know that right now is a crazy season to be an OT.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

Yes, absolutely, and it's just you know, taking the advice we give our clients is just reduce the demands that aren't that important right now.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

Yeah, you have to prioritize.

SPEAKER_00 2:25

Yes, yeah. And you know, you and I have both had like personal stuff going on the side. Like I've had quite a few weeks off in the last couple of months as well. Um, just life and family stuff, and you've been on your baby moon, so my goodness. It's yeah, we've had our own things going on, which is yeah, can be disruptive.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

Yes, and it can feel extra disruptive when we are both very goal-oriented. We have all these plans, and then life just does what it does.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

That's right, yeah. And it's it's it's nice though that we can like we've come back and we're at the point now where we can do another episode.

SPEAKER_01 3:08

Yeah, that's a good reflection.

SPEAKER_00 3:10

Yeah, I feel very I don't I don't even know a word to describe it, but like makes me feel very content knowing that we are doing another episode today.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

Good. I'm glad.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

I hope you feel the same way.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

I don't know how I feel anymore ever. It's fine.

SPEAKER_00 3:29

You're just at the point where you're like, all right, it's the countdown to the baby.

SPEAKER_01 3:34

It is, it is, and everything's just so busy.

SPEAKER_00 3:38

Yes,

Cyclic Planning

SPEAKER_00 3:39

yeah. How did you find returning to work after your baby moon and returning into I know I don't even know how many episodes ago it was, but we spoke about like the cyclic planning, yeah, and you know, kind of the myth of the fresh start. Um, mostly about the start of the year, but also that can be returning from a holiday as well. How have you found like returning back into the rhythm of life?

SPEAKER_01 4:07

Good question. I think it was very good that I took that break. I think, yeah, we did talk about the myth of a fresh start, but when everything was so hectic and chaotic, I actually didn't think I was going to be able to relax on this break. So the fact that I could meant that it really did feel like a fresh start in the best way when I came back. I have learned trial and error. I will not be taking any more holidays at the start of a month. That's a terrible idea as a business owner. If if you are an aspiring business owner, that's my little advice. Um, so it was very busy and a crazy jump back in, but it meant I felt productive, which was also quite a nice jump back in.

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Yes, yeah. I know I've I found that I have a little bit more luxury with how I can return to work because it's only really me. So I don't have a team that relies on me like you do, but I I definitely do soft starts back into work, which is what I did the other week. And that gave me a lot of time. So like I had I didn't book extra sessions in for that first beat back at work purposely, because then it gave me time to be like, okay, I need to refresh my brain, particularly around my clients. Where where did we even get up to last time? What did we do last time and what were we planning to do? And what I actually did is I actually sent emails to everyone individually about that because one, it was helping my brain, but it also helped their brains as well. And because I have a very small case though, I've I had the luxury to do that, and I found that really helpful as well, also because like I always worry about that I'm gonna forget something. So because my ADHD is like me on like if that's not important, you're not gonna remember it. So I found that really helpful as well, and just sometimes I feel like we need our brains need a refresher of hang on, what what am I doing? Where am I going? Yes, particularly like I'm particularly talking about like business stuff. Um, not necessarily life, that's a bit too of a bigger question.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

Yeah, maybe not for today's episode.

SPEAKER_00 6:31

Yeah, but I don't think we ever have an answer with that's just life. Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

So I agree though. I have a client that I've had for I've had for five years, I think. And we've decided to do a functional capacity assessment recently, and having that too has made me go, all right, we actually need a a check-in because it's easy to just keep going and going,

Client Check-Ins

SPEAKER_01 6:57

but you learn a lot when you go, all right, hold on, let's just pause. What are we doing? Where are we going? What are the updates?

SPEAKER_00 7:06

Yeah, and I definitely feel that with clients who we know really, really well and have worked with for a long time, because we're so familiar with them and their life, we do sometimes forget to be like, oh, is there anything else going on that may not have been in the forefront of our minds?

SPEAKER_01 7:31

Yeah, you get really into whatever goal you're working on, and then you learn this new information, you're like, well, that's good to know. Thank you. Yes, yes, so maybe planning for that.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

Yes, and I find that sometimes that information that's good to know is often NDS related.

SPEAKER_01 7:52

Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

Like, oh, NIS sprang me and they're reviewing the plan, or they've given me a new plan, and you're like, oh, like especially right now, it's like, oh no, what has changed. I know that I'm very behind on checking in on my clients and like my service agreements. I'm actually really behind on that. I think half of them have their forms out of date.

SPEAKER_01 8:21

Oh no, that's why I love my admin team.

SPEAKER_00 8:24

Yes, well, I got my admin to go and flag the clients and what forms are out of date, but I haven't shown them yet how to like update it and stuff. Like I've left out me to do, but I haven't done it.

SPEAKER_01 8:38

So you just have a growing list.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

Yeah. A little bit. But it's it's all those little things, isn't it? That as business owners, you gotta find the time to do it.

SPEAKER_01 8:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:54

But also, where is that time?

SPEAKER_01 8:56

I will let you know when I figure it out. It's not within the 24 hours I get given, I'll tell you that much.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

It's hard. It's it's hard. And then trying to keep up to date with like all the NDIS changes currently.

SPEAKER_01 9:14

Yeah,

NDIS Updates

SPEAKER_01 9:15

how are you coping with that and feeling about it all?

SPEAKER_00 9:18

I'm probably so out of the loop. I'm not being keeping up to date. I'm gonna be honest and say, I just I've had so much stuff going on that aspect NDIS changes. I've just been taking in little bits and pieces that I need right now. I have not fully looked into what the changes are or proposed changes. Like I know bits and pieces. I know enough for me to let clients know if that's gonna impact them or not, essentially. Apart from that, I'm I'm not well versed in what's happening at the moment.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

I'm finding I really having to figure out the balance between keeping up to date and keeping sane. Yes. And where am I getting that information from? You know, LinkedIn is great, but it's opinions. Instagram is great, but it's terrifying.

SPEAKER_02 10:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 10:15

Obviously, the NDIS and the government are the real updates, but they're boring and unclear. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 10:24

They and I I think that's the hardest part for me is they tell you, okay, XYZ is changing, but then there's no information about it. What that entails, what does that mean for us on the ground? What do we have to do right now, or what do we have to do in the future, that those like details aren't there?

SPEAKER_02 10:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:48

And I think that's why I'm just like, oh, whatever, at the moment, because there's nothing I can do because there's no information about it right now.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

Exactly. Yeah. I can learn all of the things, but since most of it hasn't even been decided, what am I doing? Like I'm just getting stressed and I can't do anything with that.

SPEAKER_00 11:09

Yes. Like with the thriving kids, they're like, okay, it's happening in October.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 11:17

But they haven't given us much information. And I know a lot of the states at the moment are trying to work out what that's entailing. But for me as a sole trader, I can't do anything with that information. There's nothing I can do. Yep. And I feel as though there's nothing I can do to secure my business when Thriving Kids happens as a sole trader.

SPEAKER_01 11:45

I am at the point where someone asks, what is the impact going to be on Joyful Journey? My answer is just 50-50. We survive or we don't. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

Yes. Yeah. Which is kind of terrifying because I'm I'm thinking it may get to a point where I have to go back to working for someone, which I don't particularly want to do. No. Just because, you know, there's reasons why I went into working for myself, mostly for my own neurodivergent brain, working in a way that suits me and my needs. But to go back to someone else and working for someone else, yeah, I don't want that. But it might get to the point where that happens.

SPEAKER_01 12:32

Yeah. And I can remind myself all I like that you know OTs were needed before NDIS, and they'll be needed if there's an after NDIS.

unknown 12:40

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 12:41

But it doesn't make it less scary.

SPEAKER_00 12:43

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 12:44

We worked hard to get to where we are.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 12:47

I think that's okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:48

Yeah, and it kind of feels like we're going backwards, but one of the things that doesn't terrify me. I guess it more so annoys me is I really enjoy working with younger kids. And so that is the population that's been targeted for these changes. And that's what I don't like. Is that the caseload I enjoy and the type of kids I enjoy working with are going to be going into that thriving kids model where um I'm and I'm making assumptions here, as a sole trader, I can't access that. Like I can't I don't foresee I yeah, don't foresee me being able to enter that unless I work for someone else.

SPEAKER_01 13:38

Sure, yeah. And I'm frustrated too because we've seen exactly what the intervention we provide can do, and it can do amazing things.

unknown 13:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

And I just really don't know that Thriving Kids will, in the way that's being talked about, will be able to do that.

SPEAKER_00 13:56

Yes. Yes. And I'm a little I guess confused because every state's implementing it differently. I don't know if you've seen much about what other states are doing. I think is it Tasmania is doing a keyworker model?

SPEAKER_01 14:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

And is it Tasmania? I'm pretty sure. I didn't know anyone but North Wales. And I was reading um on Facebook, someone attended one of the information sessions. And the information that they gave out, like uh I'm not sure who was running it, if it's NDS or a government, another government um sector. But it was like, yes, it's gonna be keyworker, but they don't have to have any training. And that's right. What they said, and I was like, hang on, you're saying that you're going to be employing keyworkers to do thriving kids, but they don't have to have a qualification, they don't have to be a speech or an like traditionally keyworkers have a background, right? They have a qualification, a bachelor's degree in something. But this particular OT was saying they were told that they don't necessarily have to.

SPEAKER_01 15:27

Wow. Well, that's just reaffirming my fears that we're not gonna get the same outcomes.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

Exactly. Exactly. Because I I've always had issues with the keyworker model, personally.

SPEAKER_01 15:40

Yeah, yep.

SPEAKER_00 15:42

But for a person to then not be trained, what what do you hope to achieve?

SPEAKER_01 15:52

What what Yeah, just don't bother then, don't do it.

SPEAKER_00 15:57

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 15:58

No, that's probably a bit harsh.

SPEAKER_00 16:00

But I've also have you heard much about Victoria?

SPEAKER_01 16:04

What Victoria's all I know, this is so doom and gloom and political, but all I know is Victoria is the worst off financially in Australia, and I feel that means we're in the worst state possible to be in Thriving Kids. But if I could be proved wrong, I'll be so happy.

SPEAKER_00 16:23

Yes, because I've read nothing about Victoria. I've read about New South Wales, I've read about Queensland, a little bit about South Australia and Tasmania, but I've read nothing about Victoria, so I don't even know what Victoria's plans are for thriving kids. Like I literally don't know what Victoria government is planning. Well, like I was saying, there's a lot of states that are doing their kind of tendering at the moment, they're doing their meetings, they're gaining expressions of interest. But I've seen nothing for Victoria. No nothing.

SPEAKER_01 16:58

No, neither do I.

SPEAKER_00 17:05

Oh, I haven't heard that.

SPEAKER_01 17:06

Get on that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:09

Why? Tell me. Do I get money?

SPEAKER_01 17:11

Yeah, you do get money. Uh, but it means that the state has less money for things like thriving kids.

SPEAKER_00 17:17

Wouldn't it be a different bucket of money? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 17:21

I think it's all debt. But I'm not a politician. No one take my word for that.

SPEAKER_00 17:26

Yeah, I'd yeah. Money, me, money, no.

SPEAKER_01 17:30

You can give it to me. I'll take it. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 17:34

Financial stuff, I'm I'm not the greatest with. But love hate relationship with money.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

Yeah, yep, that's fair.

SPEAKER_00 17:44

Yeah, it's uh it's such a tricky time to be in as a business.

SPEAKER_01 17:51

It's hard to make plans too.

unknown 17:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:54

You gotta prepare and plan for all these future possibilities.

SPEAKER_00 17:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:59

But giving your attention to the right thing is really hard if you don't know what the right thing is.

SPEAKER_00 18:04

Yes. Absolutely. I feel like I need to be doing something now.

SPEAKER_01 18:09

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 18:10

I can't because I don't have any information about what I need to do now. Because I should be doing, or I wouldn't be recommending to anyone to be going out doing a business right now.

SPEAKER_01 18:23

No, you'd be doing a lot of work to set up for a landscape that might be different by the time you're even set up.

SPEAKER_00 18:31

Yes.

Victorian Allied Health Providers Group

SPEAKER_01 18:32

Yeah. Did you see actually they've put together the Victorian Allied Health Providers Group? It is many practices, one voice. The VAHPG is a collective of 13 established Victorian Allied Health Provider organizations, with I'm not going to list them all, a few um allied health professions. And their purpose is to ensure established allied health providers have a formal role in thriving kids.

SPEAKER_00 19:03

Are they a Facebook group?

SPEAKER_01 19:06

Uh they're on Facebook and Instagram. Instagram V-A-H-P-G dot community.

SPEAKER_00 19:12

Oh, is that what you sent me? Oh cool.

SPEAKER_01 19:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:15

I will go and follow them. And if it uploads. Well, you sent it to me, that's the main thing. Yes. Cool. Cause yeah, I think that's important. It's also hard for our families, right? Because the idea of that their entire care team is gonna have to potentially change.

SPEAKER_01 19:38

Yeah, and especially if they bring in mandatory registration, like that's very stressful for these families, our families.

SPEAKER_00 19:47

Yes. I I'm actually not too worried about that. I don't know if I'm more worried because I know OTs, like we are like registered with a peak body with our pre site. Yeah. The same body that does doctors, surgeons, psychologists. You know, it's quite um a significant body that we have to be registered with in Australia. So I'm not too worried about it in that way because we are already registered. Whereas speech pathologists aren't APRA registered, I feel about it for them because that's gonna look much different for them.

SPEAKER_01 20:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:37

Because I mean, I know I know they have to be with Spa, but even then that's not to the same degree or level as APRA. So I do feel for speeches, because I feel like they're probably a little bit more in the firing line for that type of thing. And probably other professionals as well that I I'm not 100% like maybe play therapists. I'm not sure if they're play therapists. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 21:05

And unless they're registered under the qualification of psychology, if they're a psychologist.

SPEAKER_00 21:12

Potentially. That's what I'm not sure, but I'm sure there's other professionals out in our world that don't come under ARPRA. And so I feel like there's a bit more weight for them.

SPEAKER_01 21:27

And they're very valuable, you know. We don't want to have our families losing their whole care teams that I'm sure they've worked very hard to build and worked very hard to learn and get to know each other.

SPEAKER_00 21:41

Yes. Because it's hard. Not every therapist is the right fit.

SPEAKER_02 21:47

No.

SPEAKER_00 21:48

And I feel as though thriving kids doesn't give you that freedom to choose who you work with.

SPEAKER_01 21:55

And that's how you get the outcomes.

SPEAKER_00 21:58

Yes. Had clients move on just because personality-wise, we didn't match. Me and the kid didn't gel, or me and the family didn't gel, which is more common than what people think, and that's okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:12

Yeah, hard in the moment because you know, we're all people.

SPEAKER_00 22:15

We do take it personally.

SPEAKER_01 22:16

But it's absolutely okay.

SPEAKER_00 22:19

Yes, and I yeah, it's it's hard because like NDS is meant to be like like freedom of like choice and control, and thriving kids is coming in and taking that completely away.

SPEAKER_01 22:32

Very possibly, but again, we don't even know, so we can't we can't plan.

SPEAKER_00 22:41

It's hard.

Projects

SPEAKER_01 22:44

What are you working on in at the moment? Let's do a topic change. Sick of thriving kids.

SPEAKER_00 22:48

Yeah, I know. Feels very heavy, doesn't it? What I'm working on. I am at the moment trying to update all my resources that I have in my shop and freebies to my current branding. So I I changed business names coming up to a year ago. And I still have all my old stuff on my website, and I do so apologize to everyone. But I'm in the pro and it's so good. Abby, my uh assistant that I've had come on board in the last few months, has been so helpful with being able to actually do that background stuff that I just don't get time to do. So she's been updating all the colours and all the logos to my new branding, and yeah, I'm getting there, but that's a bit of a project I'm doing at the moment and setting up I've been doing a business program with Adina Livy through Neurodivergent. No, I always get confused because I think she just changed names. It's either differently aligned or neurodivergent business. I can't remember which one her current name.

SPEAKER_01 24:05

Google it, it will come up.

SPEAKER_00 24:06

Right, Adina Adina, she's and so that's been so helpful in terms of being able to work on my business and not just in my business. Yes, which is like I never have had the opportunity to really do. So yeah, at the moment I'm just kind of future planning what where Wonder Glow OT is going, what it's going to include, and kind of expanding that as well. Uh, in terms of I've always I've had my like parent program, regulation program that I've done I don't know how many times now, like five times, six times.

SPEAKER_01 24:50

Yeah, a few times, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:51

Uh, but I will be moving that to a self-directed learning so that you can access it and it doesn't have to be live. So that's something, and then like creating some new new resources, but I'm bundling, I have so I love creating, so I have so many resources. So I'm bundling together at the moment a bunch of regulation resources into a little pack um to put in my shop as well. So I'm also doing that.

SPEAKER_01 25:21

Nice. That's a lot.

SPEAKER_00 25:24

I always have a lot going on.

SPEAKER_01 25:27

Yeah, I don't think you know what anything less is.

SPEAKER_00 25:30

Yeah. What about you? What what do you have going on?

SPEAKER_01 25:34

Well, we are we, I say, I should say I am working on getting ready for maternity leave. Yes. Which is equally, you know, it's only 12 weeks. Anything can just wait for 12 weeks. And also, that's 12 weeks.

SPEAKER_02 25:51

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 25:52

So all of the hats I wear have to go somewhere. Someone's gonna take over the clients and someone's gonna take over the finances of the business and the policies and all the things. Um, so mostly that. And then we are preparing in the background for a potential NDIS registration, even if we don't follow through on the registration part. I've been given the advice that setting it up makes your business just that much better. You know, making sure all the policies are updated and interrelate to each other.

SPEAKER_00 26:32

Yeah, all that's good. And I I think for you, because you are going on maternity leave, you don't have to be stressing about that while you're on maternity leave. Like it's good to go if it happens, like for you and your business. Yeah, like we're ready now. Yeah, you're ready when it comes to that. So it's kind of being proactive with that. So good on you for doing that.

SPEAKER_01 26:55

Thanks. But yeah, that's two big projects. Plus, you know, growing a human at the same time.

SPEAKER_00 27:02

Oh yeah, it's a heavy time to be pregnant, I think, given the space we work in with those.

SPEAKER_01 27:10

Yeah, I don't think the government took into account at all how I was feeling about this.

SPEAKER_00 27:17

I don't think they take into account anyone, to be honest, sometimes they yeah. Well, I'd like to know where they pull some of their statements from. Oh, families say that they have too much NIS funding and they don't use it all. Oh, families say that they don't need all these therapists, they just need one. I'd love to meet this bunch of families that are like that.

SPEAKER_01 27:46

Yeah, and great, they can have that. That's fine.

SPEAKER_00 27:49

Yeah, it's but the rest of us, we'll keep it as it is, please. Yes. A lot and then we also have Queensland, the OT conference, which Yeah, look, that that doesn't help my sleep.

SPEAKER_01 28:07

That coming up as fast as it is.

SPEAKER_00 28:09

I've put that to the absolute back of my mind.

SPEAKER_01 28:12

It's gonna be great. You can totally wing a conference, right? Yes, no, we'll be fine.

SPEAKER_00 28:20

We we have it planned for later today to check in with that. But yeah, that's like exciting and scary and terrifying. Yes, because I've never been to a conference before, so neither have I. I'm excited, but also I'm a little bit worried in terms of like the sensory overwhelm it's going and the social overwhelm it's gonna bring me.

SPEAKER_01 28:49

Yeah. But we'll be in it together.

SPEAKER_00 28:53

Yes, yeah. Having like someone I know like you there will be 100% helpful and yeah, like I've done that, I have I have my toolkit. Yeah, it will be the same toolkit that I used when I was overseas, which was so helpful. So I have exactly that was actually really good because I can just use that same toolkit that I had for when I was going overseas end of last year. I now have that toolkit there, I can take that with me to other things. So that's something that's nice because it's now set up. I have my strategies, I have I know what works or doesn't work, I know when I need more medical intervention versus sensory intervention.

SPEAKER_01 29:34

So beautiful.