Under our therapy supports umbrella, Therapy Care offers exercise physiology to participants who require physical therapy in their NDIS plan.
One of Therapy Care’s exercise physiologists, Chris, works with participants with varying physical abilities who live with conditions like Multiple Sclerosis (MS), stroke, and physical cognitive impairments.
Chris is passionate about improving the physical health of people with varying abilities and works with his patients to overcome physical and mental barriers to better wellbeing.
According to Chris, exercise physiology is an important part of the journey to improve cognitive function as well as fine and gross motor skills.
“In every session, we work towards physical goals, which may include improving pain management, as well as increasing strength, fitness, independence and quality of life,” says Chris.
Chris always envisioned a career that would encompass his passion for helping people and his love for exercise. Chris started out at Therapy Care as a personal trainer, and immediately became inspired by the career prospects he saw around him. This led Chris to undertake further study while at the same time working at Therapy Care as an allied health assistant, a journey that four years later has seen Chris become a qualified and exceptional exercise physiologist.
Chris explains, “I was inspired by the difference I saw exercise physiologists at Therapy Care make in the lives of people living with disability. I knew early on that supporting people living with disability and/or chronic conditions through physical movement and therapy is what I wanted to spend my life doing.”
In the four years Chris has been with Therapy Care, he has had the privilege of working with many incredible participants. One that Chris can’t help but talk about is Lee.
Lee’s story
“High-spirited Lee Prince Mollica lives with autism spectrum disorder and has a lot of energy he needs to find an outlet for. When I first started supporting then 16-year-old Lee, he wasn’t in control of how he channelled this energy, which led to a lot of shouting and jumping around during our sessions in the gym. Lee was unmotivated and unwilling to listen and follow my instructions.
“After six months of training Lee four days per week where I tried various behavioural techniques, I realised the best way to manage Lee’s behaviour, create a fun environment, build his cognitive skills and improve his fitness, was to tap into Lee’s mindset. I talked to Lee about the amazing benefits that are available through exercise and got him excited about how fun it could be. This really struck Lee, who from that day on, has been incredibly committed to each training session and consistently demonstrates good behaviour,” says Chris.
“At first, Lee’s mother Sharan Prince, spoke about the positive ways Lee’s sessions were impacting other areas of his life. He was more focused in the classroom and was gaining confidence that was enabling more independent behaviour.
“A few years into our regular training, Lee secured a spot in a selective sports school where he is becoming more independent each day,” Chris says.
Sharan says, “Lee has been able to transition from a fully supported special needs school into a support unit in a mainstream selective high school where his independence is flourishing.”
Chris says, “I’m so proud of Lee and how far he’s come. It’s unbelievably rewarding to see how our sessions and Lee’s commitment has led to the incredible opportunity to further his education and nurture his athletic talents.
“What I love the most about working at Therapy Care is our collaborative approach towards enriching lives. Each participant is supported by the expertise of a team of professionals who all work together to achieve the best outcomes for each participant’s overall health and wellbeing.”
“Witnessing the ongoing improvements in every participant and being part of a journey to enable an individual to achieve a task or partake in an activity that they’ve only ever dreamed of doing is incredibly rewarding,” Chris says.
To find out if exercise physiology would be a great service to include in your NDIS plan, get in touch with us by emailing info@therapycare.com.au or calling us at 02 9626 8119.
