Australian Physiotherapy Association

“… can be a very frustrating sport. There is no way around the hard work. Embrace it. You have to put in the hours because there is always something you can improve. You have to see the glass half full when it comes to practice and matches because you have to put in a lot of sacrifice and effort for sometimes little reward but you have to know that, if you put in the right effort, the reward will come. You have to believe in the long term plan you have but you need the short term goals to motivate and inspire you.” Can you guess who said this? Well, it was no other than one of the tennis greats, Roger Federer.

And isn’t this true where we are certain that this can be applied across all the work being achieved through COSA and in our own health professions! There is no way around the hard work and we witness the time, meetings, papers, advocacy wins, advocacy fails, stellar research and program achievements. For everyone who has made it through the first half of the year, Roger’s message is one we can appreciate together.

On behalf of the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA), we continue to support and partner with COSA and all other groups. It is also exciting to see strong research, programs and funding come through to support the cancer physiotherapy and wider allied health workforce in Australia. This is and always will be the result of many fails and a win along the way.

Across the physiotherapy front, the APA Cancer, Palliative Care & Lymphoedema National Group now represents 300 physiotherapists in these specialty areas, with state groups across QLD, NSW, VIC, ACT, SA and WA, within the broader APA group of 35,000 members.

The first half of 2024 saw:
- The launch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Friends of Lymphoedema Group on 20^th March at Parliamentary House in Canberra
- 15^th Australasian Lymphology Association (ALA) conference  ‘Shaping Lymphatic Health’ held 1-5 May in Adelaide

- APA supporting Palliative Care Awareness Week 2024 with a national webinar ‘Palliative Rehabilitation: Contradiction or Best Practice’ attended by more than 200 physiotherapists and a ‘5 Facts about Palliative Care in Aged Care’ publication
- APA submission to the National Optimal Cancer Care Pathways Framework consultation
- APA Journal of Physiotherapy publication of interest: Physiotherapy management of breast cancer treatment-related sequelae to find out more about how physiotherapy is a vital component of care for people with breast cancer
- Emerging evidence of high rates of pelvic floor disorders before and after hysterectomy for gynaecological cancer, and having adjuvant therapy as well as surgery was associated with higher risk of moderate to severe urinary incontinence

We have also welcomed the provision of 13 fully funded education and training placements for allied health practitioners in palliative care by Gold Coast Primary Health Network (GCPHN) and the Centre for Palliative Care Research and Education (CPCRE) and highly encourage physiotherapists who are interested to take up this opportunity.

A big thank you to COSA for the work done across all groups, our wonderful members who continue to achieve great care and break new ground for their patients through their work, APA and also other organisations they are involved in and our professional colleagues whom we work together with on many fronts to achieve the best outcome for the patient in front of us.

APA is always interested to connect with other organisations and learn more about work being achieved across groups and organisations at COSA. If your organisation has advocacy work, projects or education that physiotherapists can be aware of and support our medical, nursing and allied health colleagues in, please let us know.

Germaine Tan
Chair, Australian Physiotherapy Association Cancer, Palliative Care and Lymphoedema National Group