How to keep safe and look after your health? Here are some tips from David Coles at Active Hand Therapy to keep in mind when visiting our clinics. 

So you have a Therapy appointment coming up. Should you keep it or wait and see how this plays out? The current recommendation from the Health Department is to keep up with your current rehabilitation programs. This is important to ensure that when things really get crazy you are not battling with a neglected injury. For those that are high risk categories with other respiratory issues, kidney failure, diabetes, weakened immune systems, older than 70 or very young babies - you should call your health care provider and see what they can offer. Here are some tips to keeping healthy along the way. 

Keeping Safe at Our Clinics:

• Rest assured. Our Hand Therapists treat hands. Hand washing and hand hygiene is our thing. We don't have to be 'reminded', this is inbuilt in our DNA. 
• You will have minimal interaction with other patients. We have spread our therapists out utilising all of our clinics and office spaces
• We have signs at our clinics to direct patients to maximise social distancing measures and emails sent prior to appointments with reminders of the latest requirements from Queensland Health. 
• We are providing regular cleaning of high traffic surfaces all day and after every patient our stations get wiped down. 
• Our services are appointment based and we are not accepting patients that are Covid-positive, returned from overseas or are living with someone that has returned from overseas or have cold symptoms. 
• Our therapists are expected to keep to social distancing rules in their spare time, and frankly most of us have young kids and no life anyway. 

Looking After Yourself:

• Wash your hands. One of our directors used to be the Queensland Health Hand Washing Advisor. Read our Hand Washing Guide and be confident you are doing it right. 
• Keep your distance. If you can stay 1.5m away from someone for less than 15 minutes you are 'social distancing' and massively reducing your chances of catching and spreading Coronavirus. If you need to be in the same room as a stranger, keep this to less than 2 hours. 
• Call your GP if you are worried about having any symptoms. They will know what to do. 
• Keep the stress at bay. Smiling Mind has a great free 5 minute mindfulness program called 'The Body Scan' that works wonders to reduce stress chemicals in your body. Or check out our blog about Great Mindfulness apps. 
• Keep up with your Health - whether that be a new injury or an existing medical issue - stay in touch with your health provider so nothing goes wrong. 
• Phone a friend. Aim for one everyday. Someone is always needing this too. 
• Enjoy an activity. Gold Coast Library is still offering books to download and the staff are available to help set it up. Check out Facebook 'Events' - there are lots of live concerts from home and other virtual social gatherings. Watch Suits, The Good Place, Orange Is The New Black. Go for a walk. Learn yoga from you-tube - the list is endless!
• Get food delivered. Hello Fresh offers meals, Farm to Home offers cheap delivery, Tropical Fruit World has amazing local fruit boxes or Coles can deliver to those unable to get out. 

And most importantly give our team a call if you have any questions! (07) 5526 4066