Rehabilitation and Specialist Care
For our bodies to work correctly, we need glucose for energy. When insulin is not being produced, this limits the body’s ability to convert glucose into energy. Instead, glucose stays in the blood, resulting in high blood sugar levels, which can harm the body and its organs.
Diabetes is a chronic condition where the body either cannot produce insulin or cannot properly use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a vital hormone in the body that can control the amount of glucose (sugar) in the body.
While diabetes is serious, it can be managed through early detection, optimal treatment and effective ongoing support and management.
Our diabetes services include:
- one-to-one diabetes education and ongoing management support for people with diabetes or their carers
- monthly Diabetes Support Group
- Endocrinology clinic (GP referral required)
An initial assessment will be conducted, which will involve obtaining information from your GP or Specialist to help develop a management program.
This program may include:
- A self-management plan with individual achievable goals and setting planned actions
- Education about the latest diabetes evidence-based care guidelines, as well as pre-diabetes prevention management
- review and monitoring of the self-management plan.
Our Diabetes Nurse Educators work collaboratively with other service providers, such as GPs, endocrinologists, dietitians and podiatrists, to give you the best possible chance of maintaining optimal health.
Communication between service providers, especially between a person’s GP or Specialist, is essential concerning any significant changes or planned actions.
Diabetes services are available for people of all ages with diabetes or pre-diabetes and/or their family and carers. Individuals can be referred by a GP, specialist or health practitioner or can self-refer to this service.
We provide secondary support for children with diabetes, with primary support available from Bendigo Health, Ballarat Health or the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Chronic Wound Service
If you’re aged 65 or older, you’re at a higher risk of having a chronic wound. This service is specifically for individuals who are dealing with chronic wounds—wounds that don’t progress through the stages of healing normally. They tend to heal at a much slower rate or only partially heal, and they frequently recur.
Sometimes, people assume that a wound will naturally heal, but that isn’t always the case. Chronic wounds are almost always associated with underlying chronic conditions. This means they require accurate diagnosis and special care to address the root cause and minimise the risk of recurrence.
Any acute wound you have can potentially become chronic, but the most common chronic wounds include pressure injuries (bedsores), diabetic ulcers, leg ulcers, and venous ulcers.
If you’re suffering from chronic wounds, you’re likely experiencing pain, reduced mobility, and complications such as infections. These wounds can significantly impact your quality of life, potentially leading to you being stuck at home, unable to engage in the activities you enjoy. It’s common for individuals with chronic wounds to feel isolated and more likely to experience serious mental health issues, including depression and anxiety.
Dhelkaya Health’s chronic wound service is designed to bring together existing services more cohesively, benefiting you through a unique multidisciplinary approach that combines the skills of specialists in nursing, podiatry, nutrition, occupational therapy, and physiotherapy.
The chronic wound service enables the team to understand your unique needs and deliver the support and resources that work for you.
The clinic team meets weekly to share information and develop plans to support you. They also link with the complex care (HARP) team, working with you and external services to tackle some of the medical and social challenges that can be barriers to your healing.
Neurological Rehabilitation Service
Our progressive neurological service can assist you with the physical, functional, cognitive, and emotional changes associated with your disease.
If you’re dealing with progressive degenerative neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neurone Disease, Huntington’s Disease, or other relevant diagnoses, this service offers therapy and practical solutions for a range of challenges, including:
- Mobility and balance difficulties
- Speech difficulties
- Swallowing issues
- Problems with thinking skills (including memory and planning)
- Incontinence
- Anxiety
- Independence with everyday activities
- Equipment needs, home modifications
- Driving assessments
Your treatment plan may include a variety of options, such as:
- Expert clinical assessment
- Evaluation of the impact of impairment within your home or other environments
- Education, support, and advice
- Referral to other specialist services
- Regular reviews to monitor your status and address caregiver needs as problems arise.
Whatever your needs, our team is here to support you on your journey to better neurological health.
Moving On
This program is perfect for improving your health and fitness and living independently in the community. During the six-week program, we will assess your needs and develop an exercise program to help you reach specific goals. This program is suitable if you have a condition impacting your daily life. The program can focus on strength, balance or fitness, depending on your goals. Sessions will be supervised by an exercise physiologist, with help available when needed.
To access this program, a referral from an Allied Health professional is required.
Let’s Get Physical
If you are living with cancer or undergoing treatment for cancer, this program will help you regain strength and improve your quality of life. An exercise physiologist with expertise in cancer and exercise will assist you in developing an exercise program that suits your ability, allowing you to exercise alongside others in a supervised and supportive environment.
A referral is needed from your GP, allied health professional or My Aged Care Assessor to access this service.
Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program
If you’re living with lung conditions or experiencing respiratory issues due to other conditions, this supervised program might be for you.
Here’s what you can expect:
- Exercise Training: Engage in a structured exercise routine tailored to your needs.
- Health Education: Gain valuable insights into your pulmonary condition through educational sessions.
- Breathing Techniques: Learn effective breathing techniques to manage and improve your respiratory health.
This program is specifically designed for individuals dealing with lung conditions like COPD (emphysema/chronic bronchitis), asthma, interstitial lung disease, bronchiectasis, pulmonary hypertension, and lung cancer. It’s a crucial step in enhancing your understanding of your condition, providing practical ways to manage both the physical and emotional aspects of your illness, and improving your overall fitness.
Engaging in pulmonary rehabilitation is one of the best things you can do to enhance your breathing and overall well-being. It’s particularly effective in reducing the frequency of COPD flare-ups.
As you progress through the program, you’ll notice improved exercise tolerance, making day-to-day activities such as walking, gardening, or doing household chores easier.
Led by a dedicated team of a physiotherapist and occupational therapist, the program includes weekly exercise, education, and discussion sessions tailored to individuals in the group. The program kicks off with an individual assessment and spans six weeks. Once completed, your progress is individually reviewed.
Education sessions cover essential topics such as basic lung anatomy and physiology, breathing techniques, lung diseases, stress management, relaxation, energy conservation, diet, and pulmonary medications.
The program team includes a pharmacist, dietitian, registered nurse, and medical officer, ensuring comprehensive support.
Continence Service
We offer a confidential assessment service at home or in the Community Rehabilitation Centre. Our dedicated team, composed of a continence nurse advisor and continence physiotherapist, is here to assist men, women, and children with bladder and bowel problems.
Here’s how we can help you:
- Understanding Your Issue: We’re here to help you comprehend your bladder or bowel problem and provide advice on management options.
- Treatment Options: Your treatment may include advice on managing your condition, pelvic floor muscle re-education, bladder training, and information on continence aids and purchase options.
Our continence service can assist you by:
- Improving Understanding: Helping you better understand your problem.
- Assessment and Investigation: Conducting a thorough assessment and investigation.
- Comprehensive Treatment: Offering treatment options, including pelvic floor muscle re-education, bladder retraining, and bowel management.
- Education and Advice: Providing education and advice about urinary catheter management.
Information on Continence Products: Offering information on continence pads, other aids, and appliances, with access to funding where eligible.
Professional and Community Education: Providing education for health professionals and community groups.
Our continence nurse advisor and physiotherapist are integral to the service, ensuring a confidential assessment tailored to your circumstances. We are grateful for the support of the Australian and Victorian Governments in delivering this essential service.
Cancer Rehabilitation and Survivorship Service
After cancer treatment finishes, you may have some concerns or side effects from the cancer and or its treatment. You may even feel lost and confused. It helps to know what to expect and where you can get further support.
This service assists cancer survivors and their carers to regain strength, health and quality of life using evidence-based approaches. Our team comprises nutritionists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, exercise physiologists, counsellors, podiatrists, speech pathologists, continence nurses, complex care nurses and community nurses.
The program is for people who:
- Have or have had cancer, and their carer/family
- Live in the shires of Mount Alexander, Macedon Ranges or Central Goldfields; however, referrals from other shires will also be considered.
Every person’s needs vary; therefore, the service can help people differently. For example, you may need assistance with your:
- Physical needs such as lack of energy, doing day-to-day activities, nutrition, sleep, establishing an exercise regime, pain management or continence
- Emotional wellbeing, such as sadness, anxiety or depression
- Social wellbeing such as support, sex life or relationships with your partner, family and or friends
- Practical issues such as finance, work or transport
spiritual wellbeing, such as a sense of self, connectedness and purpose.
Together with a member of the team, you will develop an individualised plan of care. It will be focused on the goals and lifestyle changes you want to achieve.
The team will help you achieve your goals in some of the following ways:
- One-to-one therapy sessions with relevant team members
- Link you in with group programs
- Regularly review your progress toward your goals
- Provide information and education to you, your carers/family
- Inform you about other services and provide a referral where needed.
Dhelkaya Health acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government.
Falls and Balance Program
This program enhances your strength and balance, reducing your risk of falling. You’ll become more aware of early warning signs associated with aging, such as a loss of mobility and strength. The program teaches practical steps to manage these issues and improve your independence.
The first step involves a comprehensive assessment with our Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist. Following that, you’ll set your goals based on what you’d like to achieve from the program.
We will then provide any necessary services you may need, including individual physiotherapy sessions for balance and mobility training, a home safety assessment by an Occupational Therapist, appointments with other allied health workers (such as a Podiatrist, Dietician, or Continence Nurse), and the option to join our Better Balance group.
You’ll need a referral from your GP, other allied health professionals or My Aged Care assessors to access this service. We’ll contact you once we receive your referral to arrange your assessment.
If your referral is not from your GP, please schedule an appointment with your GP to obtain a detailed list of your medical issues and medications so that we know of any conditions that may affect your balance and any precautions needed for your safety.
Hand and Forearm Clinic
If you’re dealing with conditions like arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome or recovering from hand surgery, our specialised hand and forearm team can help with injuries or chronic conditions affecting your arms, hands, wrists, shoulders, elbows, and forearms to help regain functionality in your hands or forearms.
We focus on preventative care, post-operational rehabilitation, and non-operative therapy.
A clinician from the Hand and Forearm team will assess you to provide an accurate diagnosis and understand your specific needs. This assessment may involve a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, or both. Your clinician will offer clear information about your condition and discuss the expected timeframe for treatment.
Following the assessment, you’ll be assigned a primary clinician who will work with you to develop and achieve your treatment goals. Specialised treatment options may include splinting/bracing, mobilisation (joint movement) or strengthening programs, edema (swelling) and scar management, assistance with hand function for daily living tasks (such as dressing and cooking), ergonomic and work-related requirements assessment, return-to-work preparation, dry needling, ultrasound, wax therapy, heat therapy, referral to other services or support as needed, and education and information.
Heart Smart
If you have had a cardiac event or cardiac issues such as high blood pressure, this program is suitable for you.
If you are a new participant you’ll be asked to complete an assessment with the Exercise Physiologist or Physiotherapist so that exercises can be tailored to your individual needs.
Your heart rate will also be monitored both before and after a class.
Lovely Legs
This program is great if you want help managing lymphoedema (chronic or edema). An exercise physiologist will develop a plan suited to your needs and help with exercises as needed. Before or after each session, an Allied Health professional can use and monitor a lymphoedema pump.Â
Compression stockings can also be assessed during these sessions.
Better Balance Group
This program is excellent if you have experienced a fall, have concerns about balance, or are experiencing increasing unsteadiness. The program runs for six weeks and includes group-based exercises run by an exercise physiologist with the support of an Allied Health assistant.
Our team will conduct an initial assessment of your balance prior to joining the group. Each week of the program, a different Allied Health professional will aim to increase your understanding of how balance can be affected by various issues and how these can be managed/improved.
A referral is needed from your GP, Allied Health professional or My Aged Care Assessor to access this service.
Hydrotherapy
If you are experiencing difficulty with range of motion of a joint or are limited by pain with land-based exercises, Hydrotherapy reduces the ‘load’ on joints. It, therefore, is beneficial in helping improve mobility and strength with reduced pain. The program is ideal if you can self-manage your condition. It consists of 2-3 sessions with an exercise physiologist to help learn the exercises and correct techniques where needed.
A Hydrotherapy assessment by an exercise physiologist/ physiotherapist will be required before accessing this program. A clearance from your GP may also be required.
Pulmonary Maintenance Program
If you’re looking to continue your journey after completing the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program, we offer the Pulmonary Maintenance Program—a 6-week course focused on maintaining and improving breathlessness, exercise tolerance, fatigue, and emotional functioning.
This is an excellent option for ongoing support and education.
Cardiac Rehabilitation Program
If you’re dealing with heart disease, this program offers specialised support and advice, helping you make the most out of your life by enhancing your overall physical and mental well-being.
This program is designed to reduce the risk of future heart problems and is suitable for you if you’ve had cardiac surgery/intervention, experienced a heart attack or unstable angina, or have chronic cardiac failure or angina.
Research indicates that those who attend cardiac rehabilitation are 35% more likely to be alive in five years compared to those who don’t. By participating in this program, you can:
- Improve your understanding of heart disease.
- Gain motivation and skills to modify heart disease risk factors.
- Enhance cardiovascular fitness to support recovery and improve overall health.
- Feel supported and encouraged to adopt or return to a physically active lifestyle.
- Manage depression and anxiety.
- Optimise energy use in daily activities.
The program runs once a week for eight weeks, with each session lasting two and a half hours. During these sessions, you’ll engage in exercise, enjoy afternoon tea, and participate in various education and discussion sessions focusing on heart health.
The program’s education segment covers essential topics such as heart disease, risk factors, diet for a healthy heart, exercise, medications, anxiety and depression management, energy conservation, stress, and relaxation.
This service will ensure you’ll receive the necessary tools and support to enhance your well-being and reduce the risk of future heart issues.
| Day | Once a week |
| Each Session | 2.5 hours |
| Location | Location |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Cost | $ |
Community Gym
Our Community Gym offers personalised exercise programs designed to help you achieve your health and fitness goals. This program is perfect if you’re already reasonably fit and active but have an injury interrupting your exercise routine. It’s also an excellent option if you’re managing a chronic condition.
Here’s what you can expect in program:
- Functional Assessment: Start by completing a functional assessment with the exercise physiologist.
- Program Overview: In the first session, the exercise physiologist will guide you through your individualised program step by step.
- Independent Exercise: Starting from the second session, you’ll be encouraged to independently complete your exercise routine, with assistance available if needed.
This program is tailored to support you in achieving your health and fitness goals.
