Health Professionals

This section helps you connect to a variety of important health professionals and discusses how you can get the most from your health care. Information is presented under the following topics:

• What is multidisciplinary treatment and why is it so important?
• Where do I find multidisciplinary treatment?
• How much does treatment cost?
• Medical Professionals
• Allied Health Professionals

What is multidisciplinary treatment and why is it so important?
Because Parkinson’s can affect many aspects of life, treatments need to be provided by a range of medical and allied health professionals to be most effective.

This combination of approaches is referred to as multidisciplinary care.

In the case of Parkinson’s, multidisciplinary treatment works towards the goal of ‘rehabilitation’. Rehabilitation means helping you adapt to your illness and regain maximum functioning for your lifestyle. Key tasks include helping you manage your symptoms, remain mobile and independent and maintain your quality of life.

Rehabilitative treatment plans often involve regular multidisciplinary appointments, combined with bursts of intensive specialised treatment to ‘top up’ your functioning at times when you need more help. An observant multidisciplinary treatment team can step in to prevent problems before they occur and assist families and carers to continue caring for the person at home for as long as possible.

Find out more about staying independent at home.

are continually improving to help you reduce the impact of your individual symptoms. Because Parkinson’s is a complex condition that affects everyone differently, it is important to make sure:

• You get a multidisciplinary treatment plan tailored to your individual symptoms and needs. Neurologists are best qualified to create this treatment plan, so make sure you discuss this at your next visit.
• You have an active and positive relationship with the multidisciplinary team that has been set up to help you. In other words, get involved as much as possible in decisions about your treatment plan. It’s your life!

For more information, read Victor McConvey’s article on Improving Self Management (link to Victor’s article on Improving Self Management; signpost, august 2009 ).

Resources on how to get the most from your health care:

Where do I find multidisciplinary treatment?
Based on the treatment program you get from your neurologist and GP, you can access multidisciplinary treatment from various hospital, community and private practice locations depending on your changing needs. Find links to private practitioners below or find out more about accessing multidisciplinary treatment here.

How much does treatment cost?
Treatment costs vary depending on whether you are using public, community or private services.

Find out more about treatment costs here.

Medical Professionals
A range of medical professionals can help you manage different aspects of Parkinson’s. To find out more, download our PDF on medical professionals. (PDF File 36KB)

Allied Health Professionals
Allied health professionals can provide support, advice, treatments and therapies to keep you active, safe and independent with daily living.

To find out more, download our PDF on allied health professionals. (PDF File 54KB)

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