There are really two ways to answer this question…in one sense, a lot, in another more important sense, not much.
Let me explain.
We have been getting a lot of questions from client’s including but not limited to; is Align still open? Is it OK to see chiropractors at the moment? And can people over 70 receive care?
The answer to those 3 are yes, yes, and yes they can, we have special measures in place to decrease risk for clients in higher risk categories.
I hardly need to tell you, in the last few weeks in Victoria/Australia/the world, things have been a bit different.
None of us have been immune to the effects of social distancing and shutdowns, as it appears to effect nearly all facets of our day to day life.
At Align, we have had to adapt quickly to this new set of circumstances.
As I said earlier, there HAVE been some noticeable changes at Align and I wanted to outline the steps most relevant to keeping our community safe to you below.
So…What are the changes?
1. We have adopted more stringent sanitising procedures, increased our frequency of cleaning frequently touched surfaces, hand sanitiser is now present at the front desk as well as in the adjusting areas should you want it and provided single use hand towels for the bathroom.
2. We have adopted social distancing measures within the practice by revising our booking procedures to limit the number of client’s that will need to access the building around the same time.
In addition to this, we have removed some of our waiting room furniture to allow for more distance between clients.
3. Sadly, we have had to remove some of the fun things in our beautiful waiting area that are frequently touched, like our magazines, coloured pencils, books and toys.
Fear not, the little garage WILL return, but we hope that all of our community, big and small will understand that for the moment we have to minimise risk of transmission.
4. We have had to split our fantastic team into an A team and a B team…I won’t get into the debate here as to which team is which, but as the person writing this, I can’t help but think Kieran’s team has an edge in naming rights here.
We have done this to protect our clients, minimising risk of spread, and importantly, ensure that care can continue to provide care in case Martin or myself had to self isolate.
Separating the chiropractors out like this has changed our daily booking capacity so it is possible your usual time may not always be available. We recommend booking in advance to ensure continued convenience.
So…in what way is Align staying the same?
I am glad you asked.
No matter what, Martin and myself, along with the rest of the Align team are still committed to providing chiropractic care for the people of South Melbourne, Albert Park, Port Melbourne, Melbourne city, South Yarra…anywhere the current restrictions of movement will allow to travel to our practice.
That means, that as long as allied health professionals are allowed to stay open, we will be providing care.
In Australia we have been fortunate for several obvious reasons, one of which is the fact that some types of primary contact Allied health practitioners (In this instance, Chiropractors) have been encouraged to stay open for client’s to receive care and where possible ease the burden on emergency rooms.
Martin and I know chiropractors around the world and we are unaware of any jurisdictions where practices have not been shut as part of larger more draconian lock down measures.
It has truely been an honour to get to be in practice and serve our community during this time.
As well, even though Martin and I are not practicing the same hours as before, we are still open our regular 6 days of the week.
As always, our team at Align has stepped up to this new challenge. If you or a loved one are in a higher risk category please contact our front desk, we are providing opportunities for our most vulnerable to visit the practice completely by themselves, or wait in the comfort of their own cars before entering the practice to limit time exposure.
Above all, we would like our community to know, you are not alone.
We have had a number of our clients mention that we have been their only trip outside other than the supermarket for weeks and we are humbled by your trust in us.
We do not take this responsibility lightly.
Please don’t feel like you have to tough it out or go it alone through this period, we are here to help. Please do not think that because your issues might seem insignificant compared to others that you shouldn’t address them.
This applies both physically and mentally. This is a very stressful time, for everyone. Even if you personally don’t feel you should be stressed, the very fact that everyone around you currently IS stressed, puts your nervous system on high alert too.
Do not underestimate the need to take care of yourself through this time.
Over the next few weeks I will be writing a lot about what you can be doing to ease stress levels, physical strain and make themes of this current situation.
Like you, we are looking forward to having a sense of normality return.
Personally I am looking forward to working along side the whole team in the practice again, and see the burden of this current situation lifted off our client’s shoulders.
Wishing you all the very best,
Kieran.