By Mikayla van Loon
A Lilydale-based physiotherapist has been named the best in Australia after receiving the Allied Health Award for Australian Physiotherapist of the Year.
Sam Suke was surprised to receive the award, outdoing fellow physios by just half a point.
“Physios are much like other health professionals, you get immediate feedback from clients or patients every day about whether we’ve done a good job for them,” he said.
“But to get recognition from peers, from fellow physios nationally is very gratifying to know that we’re improving the physiotherapy profession as a whole and the Australian health landscape.”
The Allied Health Awards are decided based on nominations from consumers, health professionals and colleagues who meet the criteria of contributing to the profession, using innovative ideas and being a part of the community to reach a total of 400 points.
Mr Suke said over the last 33 months he has helped mentor close to 100 physiotherapy students from different universities and those who were on work experience.
“It’s wonderfully surprising but also validating and indicates that we’re doing more than just getting good outcomes for clients in the Yarra Valley,” he said.
From students to the elderly, Mr Suke contributes even further to the community by helping run a falls and balances class based in Melba Park, in conjunction with the Lilydale Community House.
After the death of two of his grandparents, Mr Suke decided the fear of falling was crippling the older generation.
“My grandma was so afraid of falling over she wouldn’t get out of the house as much, she wouldn’t move her body as much and that led to a rather rapid decline in her health.
“We know that falling over is the number one reason for someone going into hospital with an injury in Australia and we also know that if someone’s not able to get off the ground by themselves, they’re not going to be able to live independently.
“We teach people to get on and off the ground, and we measure how quickly they can do that, and how safely they can do that and we also manage fear because we know it’s the fear of falling that’s actually more disabling than the fall itself.”
Approaching physiotherapy with a mind, body connection, Mr Suke said there’s three main things he focuses on.
“We exercise the mind and we educate the body because we believe the mind and body aren’t separate, they’ve never disconnected.
“So when I treat someone I don’t actually just treat their body or just treat their mind, I treat them as a whole.
“The second thing is we’re a natural based approach…and we will recommend the natural solutions such as exercise, massage and education before considering pharmaceuticals or more invasive interventions like surgeries or radiology.”
The third thing is about providing a warm and welcoming environment for clients to feel comfortable.
It was all these factors that contributed to Mr Suke’s win at the Allied Health Awards but he said Lilydale itself is a hub for excellent health professionals, a community he is proud to be part of.
