On the podcast today we welcome our guest, Delia Weston. Delia is a passionate, determined, thoughtful (and as she describes herself, a little bit ‘cheeky’) physio. Delia started her life in the USA and through several happy accidents has found herself putting down roots in the Sunshine Coast in QLD where she and her business partner Jamine Gardener (OT) have recently started a private paediatric therapy clinic called More Than Able Therapy. 

Delia was lucky enough to grow up with her sister Amber, who had Cerebral Palsy, and from a young age she knew that she was meant to be a physiotherapist supporting children like Amber. Delia pulled on her real-life experiences growing up with a sister who had Cerebral Palsy to develop her unique therapy style and holistic approach to supporting children with complex disabilities.  

 

In this episode we chat about: 

Delia’s story as a therapist - what made her decide to get into physiotherapist, and what her experience has been as a paediatric therapist so far 

Delia’s experience growing up with her sister who had a disability 

What Delia thinks the value was that her sister needed and what she would have liked the world to have understood better 

What it was like having a lot of healthcare professionals come in and out of your house as a child  

What therapy looked like back when her sister was receiving therapy 

What could have made a difference for her family that could have helped them to be less overwhelmed in dealing with her sisters’ disability  

What is better about therapy services in the world that we're practicing in today 

How her sister’s disability has shaped Delia as the therapist that she is today

What therapists can do to improve their skills so that they are better able to read and understand their clients with more complex disabilities 

What Delia’s approach is to treating children with complex needs 

What the purpose is of therapists being involved in these children’s lives  

What the bigger picture is that therapists need to consider when they're working with these children with a complex disability and for their families

Delia’s advice to therapists on how they can give families a really positive experience based on what she knows both as a sister of a sibling with a disability and as a therapist 

 

Links: 

More Than Able Therapy Website 

More Than Able Therapy Facebook 

More Than Able Therapy Instagram 

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