Tricia Maggs completed her Batchelor of Applied Science in Physiotherapy at Lincoln Institute in Melbourne. She then worked in Melbourne, England and in Germany before returning to Australia and working in the fields of Gerontology and Neurology and completing her Post Graduate Diploma in Neurology (Physiotherapy) at Melbourne University. For the last nine years Tricia has worked as the Aged Care Physiotherapy team leader at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Royal Park Campus managing the physiotherapy service to 94 Geriatric Evaluation and Management beds as well as Community Therapy Services to the Aged Care population. During her time at Royal Park, Tricia has developed, co-ordinated and presented at an annual multi-disciplinary dementia seminar day for which she was nominated for an excellence award. She has published in the Australian Physiotherapy Journal on balance and mobility outcomes for stroke, presented at the Australian Physiotherapy Association on Physiotherapists Knowledge about Dementia and had a poster at the Australian and New Zealand Sarcopenia and Frailty Research Conference on the importance of ambulation and the feasibility and efficacy of progressive resistance exercise training.
Tricia sees her role as a Gerontological Physiotherapist is to improve people’s lives through exercise. She does this by providing education about how much and what types of physical activity they should be doing as well as by finding out what the barriers are for them in achieving these ideals. Through establishing partnerships with clients and often their carers, she works with them to achieve better movement outcomes – whether that be being able to get comfortable in bed to sleep better, get out of a chair on the first attempt or walk fast enough to cross the road before the man turns red without fear of falling.
Tricia practices what she preaches and does strength training at least 2 times a week and continues to run at least 3 times a week (often with her 23 year old daughter). She loves spending time talking with her husband and two grown up children at the kitchen table over a long lunch.