An interview with Dr. Melissa McConaghy Specialist Neurological Physiotherapist from PD Warrior 8/3/2023 by George Ackerman, Ph.D, J.D.
Biography
Dr McConaghy is a Specialist Neurological Physiotherapist and founder of PD Warrior. Melissa is a passionate advocate for the role of exercise in Parkinson’s and has educated over 5000 health professionals in the PD Warrior exercise approach as well as licensed the program in 10 countries and in four different languages.
Melissa sits on the Board of the Australian Physiotherapy Association as well as on the Executive Committee of the International Neurological Physical Therapy Association (INPA) for the World Confederation for Physical Therapy.
Melissa was awarded Australian Physiotherapist of the year in 2019, Small Business Champions Australian Entrepreneur of the Year in 2020 and HESTA Impact Award in 2022.
Please tell me a little about your background and what got you involved with awareness.
I am a physiotherapist and have worked with people with Parkinson’s for close to 20 years as part of my clinical practice, almost exclusively for the past 10. I have always had an interest in Parkinson’s as my grandfather had it.
Back in 2012, I created a program called PD Warrior. This has been the most exciting program for me professionally as I have witnessed extraordinary positive change in people, and it has helped me to appreciate how powerful exercise can be. I have been revising and evolving the content since then with my team and PD Warrior is now licensed to other physiotherapists in 10 different countries and delivered in four different languages.
Can you tell me more about your advocacy?
The advocacy I have been involved in is mostly about spreading the word about the importance of exercise in helping people to manage their Parkinson’s as well as possible. I’ve done this through local support groups, national and international conferences, and my team. I have also created an online conference, INSIGHT into PD, to provide well curated education. This has raised over $200,000 which has been donated to global Parkinson’s charities to support their work in research and advocacy.
We have also worked with health professionals directly through education and training, to help raise awareness of the role of exercise and living brave with Parkinson’s. To date we have trained over 5000 health professionals in the PD Warrior program and touched the lives of close to 40,000 people.
What is your passion and how did you get involved in Parkinson’s awareness and hope for a cure?
My passion is helping people to live their best lives with Parkinson’s until there is a cure. My patients have taught me that with the right mindset and a commitment to exercise that it is possible to live a rich and rewarding life with Parkinson’s. My goal to share what I have learnt with as many people struggling with Parkinson’s as possible.
What type of goals do individuals with Parkinson’s awareness have when working with you?
The goals I work on are more about individual achievement and daily living. They can be so varied – goals can be small or huge in the eye of someone else, but they are always significant. I’ve had people want to be able to cycle up the toughest leg of the Tour de France faster than their non-parky buddies and other people who just want to be able to make the bed again. It really depends on the individual and what will help them to live their best life.
What would you like to see as a future goal for your advocacy?
As my advocacy is for the importance of exercise, I would like to see that everyone with Parkinson’s has access to the right kind of exercise for them. This requires health and fitness professionals to be well trained, neurologists and GP’s to refer and the individuals themselves, ready and willing to engage and aware of how important exercise is.
What events do you participate in?
At a global level we run our annual online conference, INSIGHT into PD, which is now into its 6th year. We educate and train health professionals around the world and help to upskill them to provide better exercise prescription. At the local level, each licensed facility is involved in various activities ranging from information sessions to exercise tasters and support groups.
Here in Sydney, we are sponsoring a local walk at the end of July which will have 200 people come together to raise awareness and funds for Parkinson’s. Later in the year, we will bring our Parkinson’s community together for our PD Warrior Games Day to help celebrate movement, comradery and living well with Parkinson’s.
How does this also assist the caregivers?
PD Warrior is designed to help people living with Parkinson’s. Indirectly our hope is that the more empowered, independent, and physically and mentally fit the individual is, the more this can reduce any ‘burden of care’ on family and caregivers.
Through our various activities, we see many caregivers attending as well such as our monthly online support groups, INSIGHT into PD conference and at every licensed facility.
How can someone get in touch? What is your website?
For more information, please contact www.pdwarrior.com
If you had one final statement or quote you could leave for the Parkinson community, what would it be?
Live Brave. You are the driver of your live, Parkinson’s is just another passenger.