A little fun keeps them rolling up 

We know that laughter is often the best medicine, so paediatric speech pathologist, Lisa, knew exactly what to do when she found some of her pre-school clients were having trouble engaging in online telehealth sessions.

She tapped into her imagination and now everyone is rolling up for the fun.

CEO, Amanda Murphy, said Connect Health & Community has been providing COVID-safe telehealth appointments across most services since April. 

“It is vital that we keep connected to our general health during the pandemic, so our staff quickly adapted to online or remote service options to ensure no-one’s needs were neglected at this challenging time,” she said.

“And while the overwhelming majority have found this a godsend, Lisa noticed some of the littlies were a easily distracted, so she tapped into her imagination with amazing results,” she said.

Donning a clown wig, red nose and circus tent virtual background, Lisa soon had the kiddies glued to each session.

“Finding fun and happiness in every day is important for us all in the pandemic, so when I saw that my pre-school clients were finding the remote sessions harder to engage with, I realised that all it needed was a little magic to get them on board.  It worked a trick and now they can’t wait for their next appointment,” Lisa said.

“The kiddies are engaging better with the therapy and this approach has increased their motivation, enabling them to focus longer – which is perfect for overcoming all the distractions at home,” she said.

And knowing the importance of keeping them wanting more, Lisa has a number of outfits and backgrounds to keep the fun alive, including a farmer, snow, a beach and space.

“We are making therapy a wonderful adventure that they enjoy being a part of, and you can’t ask any more than that,” she said.

Connect Health & Community has been working to support the community with all allied health services though Stage 4 restrictions.  It is also hosting a walk-up COVID testing clinic at the rear of Sandringham Hospital as part of the Sandringham Ambulatory Care Centre. 

For more information on services or to make an appointment, call 03) 9575 5333.