Allied Health Professionals
Allied Health professionals are available to provide additional services and consultation to complement the care provided by your family doctor. Your Allied Health team may include:
- Behaviour Health Consultant
- Diabetic Educator
- Dietician
- Health Management Nurse
- Mental Health Therapist
- Clinical Pharmacist
- Certified Respiratory Educator
- Social Worker
Allied Health Position | Roles and Services |
Behavioral Health Consultant (BHC) |
- Address mental and behavioral health concerns with the goals of early identification, quick resolution, prevention, and health promotion
- Effectively facilitate lifestyle modification and understand the role of behavior as a contributor to disease
- Treat a wide variety of mental illnesses and assist in managing complex interactions where there is a medical co-morbidity
- Target functional outcomes rather than symptom elimination
|
Diabetic Educator |
- Help patients learn to manage Diabetes
- Teach insulin administration
- Adjust Diabetes medication
- Act as a resource for patients with Diabetes, their family members and care givers, as well as other Health Professionals
|
Dietitian |
- Provide evidence-based nutrition education to adult clients for a variety of medical conditions and chronic diseases
- Develop, implement and monitor nutritional care plans
- Help with setting goals and behavioural change
- Act as a resource to provide evidence-based nutrition information
|
Health Management Nurse |
- Support patients with advancing skills, knowledge and self-efficacy to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors
- Help patients self-manage their chronic and complex health conditions
- Help build care plans as part of regular follow-up and support for patients with chronic disease
- Connect patients to community/ health system resources
- Perform patient assessments, including Mini Mental State Exam
- May discuss advanced care plans
|
Clinical Pharmacist |
- Medication reconciliation and pharmacotherapy review
- Help build care plans as part of regular follow-up and support for patients with chronic disease
- Start, stop, modify and monitor drug therapy. Bloodwork is done in collaboration with the family physician
- Answer drug questions i.e. interactions, dosages, compounds, etc.
- May discuss advanced care plans
|
Certified Respiratory Educator |
- Spirometry (Breathing Test)
- Disease Specific Education for Asthma/ Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Chronic Cough
- Assessment of Asthma/COPD Control
- Assessment and Teaching of inhaled device technique
- Tobacco Reduction Counselling
- Confirming Diagnosis of Asthma/COPD
- Provide recommendations on specific treatment options for Asthma, COPD and Chronic Cough
- Recommend Referrals to other programs like Alberta Healthy Living Program/Community Accessible Rehab
- Provide Self Management Skills
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Social Worker |
- Complete Psychosocial Assessments
- Provide supportive counselling regarding mild to moderate mental health concerns
- Provide resource counselling, and link patients to community resources
- Advocate for patients when needed
- Provide application support with AISH, CPP-D, and others
- Support with various referrals such as to Home Care, the Calgary Food Bank, etc.
- Provide support and information regarding dementia care, supportive living, and caregiver issues
- Advance Care Planning including Personal Directive, Enduring Power of Attorney, Power of Attorney, Guardianship and Trusteeship
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For information on accessing an Allied Health professional, speak to your family doctor.