Rural & Remote Speech Pathology

In general, yes. A survey conducted by the Consumer Health Forum of Australia in 2020 found that, of the 88% of patients who took up an offer for telehealth services, 68% found it better or equivalent to a face-to-face session. In our experience, clients enjoy attending telehealth sessions and will often choose it over a face-to-face offering.

Other factors influencing positive therapeutic outcomes via telehealth may include:

• more consistent attendance due to ease of access;
• improved client participation in a familiar setting;
• easier generalisation of new skills to everyday life;
• greater therapist understanding of a person’s home environment; and
• easier sharing of information with parents and carers.

Please note that telehealth is considered to be effective for most, but not all, conditions requiring speech pathology intervention. Contact us for more information.

Very young children requiring early intervention are one of the population groups most suited to telehealth, as therapy at this age centres around parent coaching. At Care Speech Pathology, we are formally trained in the Hanen - It Takes Two to Talk® program, which utilises home videos and parent feedback to carefully monitor and scaffold your child’s development. Hanen - It Takes Two to Talk® has now been specially adapted for online delivery via telehealth.

Where possible, Speech Pathology via video aims to be accessible for everybody. For people who cannot use a phone or computer:

• a parent/friend/carer may assist with the video call set-up and accompany the person throughout the session; or
• a parent/friend/carer may become the primary attendee and assist the speech pathologist in implementing and facilitating the person’s care plan.

The second of these options is a ‘consultative’ model and is widely used in the early intervention and disability sectors. This model acknowledges the expertise of the people who spend the most time with the client and welcomes collaboration at every step of the therapeutic process.

It depends. Your therapist will be able to perform a basic physical examination over telehealth and gain further information by asking you what you can see/feel or asking you to take close-up photographs. For more in-depth or high-risk examinations, a local practitioner may assess you first and then send the results to your speech pathologist for follow-up via telehealth. In some cases, telehealth may be deemed unsuitable and you will then be referred to face-to-face therapist.

This will depend on your/your child’s personal circumstances, therapy goals and health care needs. In our experience, telehealth can be particularly beneficial for people who:

• live in regional, rural, or remote areas;
• have mobility issues;
• wish to minimise travel costs;
• have busy schedules; or
• simply feel more comfortable at home.

If you or your child are unlikely to attend to the screen, the therapist may opt to provide services by working with a parent/friend/carer in a consultative manner. Your therapist will discuss this with you during the first consultation.

Yes. At Care Speech Pathology the wellbeing, privacy, and confidentiality of our clients remains our top priority. We are committed to protecting the privacy of our clients’ personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and other applicable legal and ethical obligations. You can learn more by viewing our Privacy Policy. The video conferencing platforms we use are secure, reliable, and confidential. If you have any questions or concerns regarding privacy, please contact us.