Annelise Costelow was born into a family of nurses. She learnt the importance of deep, genuine care from an early age. She learnt to see the real person, not their limitations. And she learnt that sometimes, patient-centred care meant having the courage to do things differently.
By her teenage years, Annelise knew in her bones she wanted to work in healthcare. But she also knew that nursing was not suited to her.
That’s when she discovered occupational therapy (OT). OT offered the chance to have a positive impact and the scope to be creative. She chose it in Year 10, and she’s never looked back.
Once she qualified, Annelise moved into community healthcare because “you get to build long-term relationships with clients and become part of their lives.”
As she gained experience, Annelise kept noticing two key areas of practice where she felt patients needed a higher quality of service – home modifications and assistive technology.
That’s why Enabled Designs was born. “Everyone deserves a comfortable, accessible home that meets their needs,” says Annelise. “When a home modification is done well, it makes a huge difference to someone’s independence and quality of life.”
Home modifications are often complex, though. Many OTs only do them occasionally – and that inexperience can cost the client. “When you only do this sort of work occasionally, it’s easy to get it wrong,” says Annelise. “There’s much to consider here – from building regulations to user needs.
“We’ve done hundreds of home modifications now. We’ve learnt about the construction code, liveable housing designs and Australian standards, developed a network of construction professionals and suppliers and honed our processes and systems. We understand the complexity and know how to combine the different elements to meet our patient’s needs. After all, they probably only get one chance at a major home modification. It needs to succeed.”
Annelise is only partly joking when she says this work becomes a way of life after a while. “Everywhere I go now, I see barriers, opportunities and enablers in the environment. I’ve learnt to look at every space and consider how it works for the people using it.”
Annelise takes a similarly persistent approach to assistive technology. “You really need to understand everything in the market so you can help people find what works for them.
There are thousands of wheelchair options out there, for example. We’ll create a shortlist based on thorough assessment and clinical judgement and bring some to the client’s home for them to trial.”
Enabled Designs recognises the possibilities that assistive technology offers – but is conscious of the inbuilt limitations, too. The assistive technology needs to fit the client and not vice versa. “Sometimes, it’ll get someone 60% of the way there – and that’s good as far as it goes. But we should never assume that’s all that can be done. We work really hard to help bridge the remaining gap so our clients can achieve their goals.”
So, what’s it like to work at Enabled Designs? You’d be joining an innovative, highly capable team with a big, bold vision to create independence by design.
“I really want OTs to enjoy fulfilling careers,” emphasises Annelise. “At Enabled Designs, you belong to a team, you’re supported and encouraged, and you’re given the proper training, supervision and mentoring to help you excel.”
Case conferences form a big part of Enabled Design’s success. “Each client receives the experience of the whole team, who participate in case conferences, offer solutions and refine action plans. It’s a key part of delivering the highest quality of service.”
If you’d like to be part of a values-driven team focused on changing life for people with disability, then Enabled Designs would love to hear from you. Check out the opportunities on our careers page or drop us a line at careers@enableddesigns.