Working with Allied Health Assistants (AHAs)
The role of an AHA is to provide intensive, consistent and frequent services across a range of environments in a way that a therapist may not have the capacity to offer. When we consider how an AHA could fill this gap in intensity, we open up lots of opportunities for frequent and consistent support for a range of clients, varying in complexity and goal type. To best support this wide range of clients, we need specific and measurable AHA goals as this is the best way to encourage repeated practice of a skill to encourage the most progress.
Please refer to the following PROCESS documents:
AHA Processes - Processes for all therapists to follow that explains the process from onboarding a client to the AHA service, monitoring progress and reviewing goals.
AHA Responsibility Delegation - A document for Therapists, Support Team and AHA's to refer to to understand their role in the AHA service. This is probably the most important document for everyone to be familiar with as it embodies all of the ideas to reframe our thinking and addresses everyone's feedback/ queries.
AHA Handout for Families - This is a document that can be given to families when discussing all things AHA (provides a description of the service and costings)
Task delegation - clinically relevant tasks like creating resources can be delegated to an AHA to save costs for families. On the PracSuite landing page, there is a link to the AHA task request template. When making a resource request, please ensure you use this template and provide sufficient information for the AHA to accurately create the requested resource.
Please also refer to the available TEMPLATE documents:
AHA Program Template - this template must be completed by therapists for all clients being handed over to AHAs. It includes background information, goals and activities. There is also a notes template that is required for each AHA plan to support our AHAs’ efficiency when writing notes and to ensure there are clear expectations around the content required in clinician notes. There are a range of SP/OT/PT note templates available for common goals that you can use as a starting point. However, please ensure these are adapted to reflect your client’s specific goals and plan.
AHA Program Template Example - speech
If you have a client who you feel would be appropriate for an AHA program, express your interest by emailing the AHA coordinator.
RESOURCES FOR AHAs:
Boardmaker tutorials - step by step processes for creating new projects on Boardmaker
AHA resource templates - folder with resource templates and examples (social stories, chat books, visual schedules etc.)