Clare Austin and David Dimech, physiotherapists, enhance health care accessible throughout Australia by putting their profession on the road – literally – in a self-converted mobile home bus.
The daring pair is part of Project Physio, a mobile program that offers physiotherapy to customers in rural and distant areas, including hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions.
The idea for Project Physio arose from a desire to combine their passion for travel with professional objectives.
Australia is a big, beautiful nation, and staying in one place for a long period of time could feel like a waste.
They said that as they began to look into locum possibilities and spoke with recruiters, they saw a significant gap in the number of allied health professionals moving rural.
The aim of Project Physio is to make a difference in the country's most distant regions, but it is not without difficulties.
The duo said that the communities are thankful for the help, and the experience acquired is priceless.
They admitted that they have certainly witnessed firsthand the challenges that rural regions face when it comes to obtaining health care.
There is often a lack of knowledge of how physiotherapists may assist patients, as well as how patients can seek government financing options to lower the cost of treatment.
There has also been some resistance from rural medical clinics since we are not staying indefinitely.
They said that because the alternative for patients is often not being able to visit a physiotherapist at all, we feel that some are better than none.
The basis of functioning as a mobile physiotherapy service is an emphasis on long-term treatment.
They added that they seldom utilise physical therapy and instead concentrate on more evidence-based treatment such as exercise prescription, healthy lifestyle modifications, and education.
This makes the people who receive their service to be autonomous and independent and capable of handling their own conditions.
They ensure that their customers have individual workout regimens.
If a client needs continuing or long-term treatment, telemedicine consultations or a referral to another health practitioner in the region are possibilities.
They said that they constantly attempt to educate and find financing alternatives for their customers, such as registering with My Aged Care, the NDIS, or using Medicare rebates.
The pair's travels throughout Australia are kept occupied by a mix of temporary jobs and Project Physio.
They said that they had a lot of success with remote elderly care institutions that would otherwise have to hire a physio from the closest big metropolis.
Aside from their experience, they were able to bring facilities' resident evaluations up to date, which is critical for their continuing financing.
In addition, the two have recently joined Sonder, a rural health government organisation, to offer fitness programs.
This enabled them to design and offer two exercise group sessions per week to individuals with chronic illnesses such as osteoarthritis and heart disease, incorporating resistance circuit training and hydrotherapy.
They conduct weekly education seminars on subjects such as setting SMART goals, following fitness recommendations and comprehending osteoarthritis.
Partnering with Sonder also meant that participants didn't have to pay for one-on-one sessions to address illnesses like Parkinson's and respiratory disorders.
The program was a huge success, with many participants opting to continue with the group activities on their own.
In a short period of time, the customers increased their balance, strength, and aerobic ability.
The couple is now making their journey up to Alice Springs from South Australia's Yorke Peninsula.
They said that they are considering taking on several short-term jobs across the Northern Territory before relocating to Northern Western Australia for their next longer-term assignment.
The pair expressed their excitement to participate in FIFO employment to some distant Western Australian towns and get more experience working in a new environment.
Project Physio recommends that physiotherapists and other health professionals explore working in rural areas.
They said that the experience will be worthwhile.
WIth Project Physio, new physiotherapists won’t be strained with setting up their own practice immediately.
The program will provide a two to four-week vacation that will be something to remember.
Do it part-time and take a vacation, or acquire fresh experience in a different area of career.
There are so many choices out there, and you can tailor them to your needs.
Hopefully, with more individuals undertaking locum work, the chances of a health professional living and working permanently in the region will improve.
