Team

Executive Director of The Hospital Research Foundation Group – Parkinson’s

Olivia’s role is to ensure all services, activities and projects maximise choice, independence and wellbeing for people living with Parkinson’s and other movement and neurological conditions.

Olivia manages and supports the entire team in addition to pursuing training and development opportunities that continuously enhance the quality of support and services on offer. Olivia also advocates for individuals who are pursuing NDIS appeals and other issues at state and federal level.

She was instrumental in obtaining government funding and establishing the Young Onset Parkinson’s Exchange (YOP-X) App which provides information specifically for people under the age of 65 living with Parkinson’s and related conditions. YOP-X removes current barriers for clients and health professionals seeking high quality education and information.

She represents THRF Group – Parkinson’s and was also the founder of Brain x Body Fitness Studio (BBFS) at Unley with plans to progress and open a second facility at Woodville in the future.

Olivia sits on the board of Parkinson’s Australia and is also Executive Director of THRF Group – Stroke and a member of the THRF Group’s Senior Executive Team.

Simone is responsible for the maintenance and development of group programs that support people with Parkinson’s and other movement disorders and their family/carers. She also works closely with other members of the client services team providing an integrated response to the group.

The coordination and management of quality standards and accreditation is also part of Simone’s role, ensuring adherence to Aged Care Quality Standards and best practice in Australian Service Excellence Standards – Parkinson’s currently holds Award Level Certification.

Simone maintains relationships between support group facilitators and Parkinson’s, hosting training and updating sessions annually as well organising relevant topics and speakers for support groups. Simone also identifies opportunities for new regional and metropolitan support groups to meet community needs.

Simone also coordinates the recreational support groups and facilitates the Brushlines Art Group and Wordsflow Writers Groups.

As the Wellbeing Team Leader, Christian provides clinical and operational leadership to the Wellbeing team at THRFG – Parkinson’s. As an Occupational Therapist, Christian also engages with clients in a range of complex and comprehensive assessments of needs, and specialised interventions to support the achievement of client goals. Christian is passionate about developing and delivering as service which maximises choice, independence and wellbeing for people affected by Parkinson’s and other neurological/movement disorders through education, support, and advocacy. Christian has gained an abundance of experience assisting clients with navigating the NDIS. He is particularly interested in the role that assistive technology and environmental adaptation has to play in assisting his clients, and empowering his clients to develop skills which will enhance their quality of life.

Outside of work, Christian plays soccer to blow off some steam, as well as doing some coaching. Christian spends lots of time with his wife Natalie and Cavoodle puppy Archie, who needs lots of play and cuddles!

Tayla is an accredited exercise physiologist and manages the day-to-day operations of the Brain x Body Fitness studio. Tayla’s primary role is assessing and prescribing evidence-based exercise programs to studio clients.

Tayla also supervises group exercise classes, conducts specialised sessions and manages administration and promotions. Tayla is also involved in running education sessions at support groups, regional tours and for flinders university students.

Jo supports people and their families living with Parkinson’s and Neuro and Movement disorders by optimising their knowledge and understanding of treatments, services and support available.

A detailed holistic assessment is carried out on the first visit and provides the basis for ongoing care. It is an important time to identify concerns and issues but also to discuss questions and identify next steps and solutions. During this appointment, an individualised care plan is developed and provided to clients.

The plan is also the foundation for ongoing care with the clinical nurse working closely with other members of the multi-disciplinary team and in partnership with Neurologists, Geriatricians and GPs to ensure early access to health services that improve the person’s quality of life and help them reach their goals.

Charlie holds a Bachelor of Health and Medical Science from the University of Adelaide. Working alongside Simone (Client & Community Engagement Manager), he plans to deliver comprehensive support to new & existing Parkinson’s/ Stroke clients. In this role, Charlie will be the first point of contact on the phones and at the front desk for all clients. Additionally, Charlie will be helping facilitate support groups such as the Men with Parkinson’s group. Through his study and previous work experience, Charlie has highly developed communication and people skills which he hopes to translate to this brand-new position.

Outside the office, Charlie loves his golf and is a member of Tea Tree Gully golf club as well as an avid footy player for the Hectorville Hounds. He’s a very social person and likes to spend time being active as much as possible, whether that’s on the course or the field.

As a member of the wellbeing team, Hannah is qualified as an Occupational Therapist, having prior experience within the inpatient and community setting working with stroke and paediatric clients. Hannah provides a range of comprehensive assessments and specialised interventions, including Complex Home Modifications to support her clients to remain independent in the home and community, provide choice and control with their services and enhance their well-being. Hannah is passionate about working with those affected by neurological conditions, including but not limited to Parkinson’s Disease and Stroke.

Hannah is a qualified NDIS Complex Home Modifications Assessor.

Hannah is very heavily involved with her sporting commitments, both playing and volunteering for her local football club and coaching basketball within the school district. Hannah is passionate about working in the field of animal therapy and is currently working towards accreditation with her puppy, Sunny the bor-sheepadoodle.

As a member of the wellbeing team, Kate is qualified as an Occupational Therapist having prior experience working with adults, families, adolescents and children within an outpatient and community setting. Kate engages with clients to provide a range of comprehensive assessments and individualised interventions to support the achievement of client goals. Kate is passionate to support her clients to remain independent in the home and community, by maximising choice and wellbeing for people affected by Parkinson’s and other neurological/movement disorders through education, support, and advocacy. She has a particular interest in assisting her clients explore social connection, assistive technology and environmental adaptations to enhance their quality of life.

Outside of work, Kate enjoys spending her time with family and friends, undertaking various outdoor activities such as spending time at the beach, playing football, water skiing or camping with friends and family.

Narelle Completed the Bachelor of Applied Science in Disability Studies in 2010 and has worked across a variety of roles in the disability sector including direct support, support coordination, Day program development and management, regional coordinator for a disability provider and after-hours escalation management.

She had considerable experience with the NDIS and how to gain positive outcomes from the system. She is passionate about education and how information and understanding can assist a person to make informed choices and improve their quality of their life.

As a wellbeing officer, Narelle is responsible for the education and support of people with Parkinson’s and other movement disorders and their family/carers. She can assist people to better manage their condition and support them in accessing appropriate support through referrals and connections with available services. Her experience with working with the NDIS will support people to better understand their funding and how it can be utilised.

When not working with us Narelle enjoys dancing and the performing arts, usually working backstage managing the costumes. She loves spending time with her grandchildren and travelling, exploring different cultures and gaining new life experiences.

Tamika holds a Bachelor of Behavioural Science, Graduate Certificate in Counselling and Psychotherapy, a Master of Social Work and a PhD in Organisational Sociology. She has worked across a variety of non-for-profit sectors, including child mental health, residential care, crisis support, community development, disability and drug and alcohol counselling.

Tamika utilises a strengths-based, person-centred and systemic approach to deliver wellbeing support that considers the whole person. Specifically, she draws from humanistic therapeutic approaches to provide collaborative and tailored interventions that focus on cognition, value systems and meaning making.

As one of the team’s client wellbeing officers, Tamika is responsible for providing education, support and advocacy for people living with Parkinson’s and other movement disorders, as well as working collaboratively with their family and carers. Tamika can assist with the often invisible but equally important non-motor symptoms that can be associated with Parkinson’s and other movement disorders, such as depression, apathy, anxiety and existential grief.

Sophie is an accredited exercise physiologist who assesses and prescribes exercise programs, specialised classes and supervises group programs within the studio. Sophie’s role involves optimising member satisfaction and administration involved with the daily tasks of the studio, including exercise program reviews and physical outcome testing.

Talita is an accredited exercise physiologist who completed her Bachelor of Exercise Science and Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology combined degrees at Flinders University. Talita’s primary role is assessing and prescribing evidence-based exercise programs to the members at the Brain x Body Fitness Studio (BBFS). Talita also supervises group programs and delivers specialised exercise classes including mat Pilates within the studio.

Katie is the Project Manager for the Young Onset Parkinson’s Exchange App (YOP-X). The application and website offer an information destination for people needing support with young onset Parkinson’s and provides a valuable workforce tool for NDIS staff.

Developed as a living lab model, the experiences, ideas, knowledge and daily needs of people with young onset Parkinson’s are key features of these unique resources, with more than one hundred individual stories and experiences shared on these platforms. YOP-X is also a quick and easy tool for people with young onset Parkinson’s to collect and collate information relevant to their NDIS applications.

Amelia has been involved with The Hospital Research Foundation Group – Parkinson’s for almost ten years. She reached out to the organisation after her Grandmother, Ida, was diagnosed with the condition and wanted to help raise the profile of the organisation. Sadly, Ida passed away in 2019 but was honoured when Amelia’s daughter was born named Grace Ida, after her two great-grandmothers. Amelia’s interest is in the exciting research being conducted here in SA that could change the lives of people living with Parkinson’s.  

As a former AFL player for the Crows and coach, Mark is respected within the AFL community. Following his own diagnosis with Parkinson’s, Mark has used his profile to raise awareness about the condition and the many support services offered by The Hospital Research Foundation Group – Parkinson’s. Mark is also a proud ambassador of the Brain x Body Fitness Studio and frequently promotes how supervised and specialised exercise at BBFS has helped manage his symptoms and positively impacts his mental health.