Building your multidisciplinary health team
Sep. 16, 2025
Throughout your Parkinson’s journey, you’ll likely work with a wide range of health professionals. Building a multidisciplinary team, made up of experts from different areas of healthcare who understand your needs and make you feel supported, can help you live well with Parkinson’s.
A multidisciplinary model of care is widely regarded as the best approach for Parkinson’s. These teams bring together health professionals from a variety of medical disciplines to provide coordinated, comprehensive care. The integration of a ParkinsonNet model of care into Australia will further support the development and management of these multidisciplinary teams.
While no two health teams will look exactly the same, many people with Parkinson’s benefit from working with certain professionals.
Neurologist
Parkinson’s is a neurological condition and as such the most appropriate person to manage your care is a neurologist.
Typically, your GP will have referred you to a neurologist to confirm your diagnosis, however it is important to remember to find a neurologist that suits your needs. Within the neurology speciality, there are doctors who have specialised interests in Parkinson’s who may be better placed to help manage your care.
Fight Parkinson’s can provide advice and support on finding a neurologist to suit your needs.
Physiotherapist
Engaging with a physiotherapist early in your Parkinson’s journey can help keep you mobile as Parkinson’s affects your physical movement. They can be useful at all stages of the condition. If you already see a physiotherapist they may be able to continue to treat you, however there are also some clinicians that specialise in movement disorders.
When you see a physiotherapist they can:
- Recommend exercises to improve muscle strength and flexibility
- Help you maintain your fitness
- Work with you to improve balance and prevent falls
- Help with pain relief
Speech pathologist
Despite their name, speech pathologists can help with all forms of communication, including facial expressions, body language, speech and fluency. They can also assist with swallowing problems. A speech pathologist will work with you to make communication easier. Their work can be both reactive and preventative, helping to try and stop new problems from developing.
When you see a speech pathologist they can:
- Suggest exercises and techniques to strengthen your voice
- Help you control your facial expression
- Help you with swallowing problems
- Suggest communication aids if talking has become very difficult for you
Occupational therapist
Occupational therapists are health professionals who can help people with Parkinson’s stay independent for longer and carry on doing the activities that are important in their lives. They do this by giving advice on how to manage a wide range of everyday tasks, life and work skills, and hobbies. They can also recommend ways to make the home and workplace safer and easier to cope with.
When you see a speech pathologist they can:
- Suggest easier ways to do tasks that are difficult for you
- Recommend changes to make your home safer, such as handrails
- Recommend mobility equipment or aids
- Help you keep up hobbies and leisure interests
- Help you find ways to continue working
Parkinson’s Nurse
A Parkinson’s nurse has specialist experience, knowledge and skills in the field of Parkinson’s. They work closely with neurologists to ensure effective medical management of symptoms related to Parkinson’s. A Parkinson’s nurse can assist with a range of symptoms such as continence and organising your medication. Sometimes you may also hear a Parkinson’s nurse called a movement disorder nurse. There are limited numbers of Parkinsons nurses available, they may be available within a specialised movement disorder service.
Pharmacist
Having a regular pharmacist can help remove some of the stress of filling prescriptions for your Parkinson’s medications. Pharmacists can be important sources of information to help manage your medications and provide information on medication which may interact with your Parkinson’s drug therapies or may worsen your Parkinson’s symptoms.
Psychologist or accredited social worker
Psychologists are mental health specialists that can support you through emotional and psychological difficulties a Parkinson’s diagnosis can bring. A large portion of people living with Parkinson’s will experience anxiety, depression and stress.
A psychologist can:
- Help you to deal with your emotional reaction to diagnosis
- Undertake assessments, and suggest strategies to manage memory and cognitive difficulties
- Teach strategies to manage anxiety and stress
- Talk with you and develop strategies to overcome depression
- Suggest strategies to help you cope with the ongoing challenges of Parkinson’s
Finding the right health team for you
Mandy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2020 and is an advocate for building a tailored health team.
Shortly after her diagnosis Mandy began working with a multidisciplinary health team to help manage her symptoms. Building strong relationships with those professionals she engages with has helped her continue to live positively. Over the years she has adjusted her health team and amended her appointment schedule to best suit her goals.
“Everybody's journey is different and having a team that suits you and your needs is incredibly important,” Mandy said.
“What works for me might not work for somebody else so having your own personalised team it just makes life so much easier.”
Mandy is also an advocate for opening communication lines between her specialists and keeping her health team informed of what complementary therapies she is accessing. By sharing this information her team has been able to offer helpful referrals and support.
She also stresses the importance of listening to your body and respecting when it needs a break.
“You don't think of speech as being exhausting but learning to talk louder and over my symptoms is exhausting and doing an hour of that is mentally exhausting,” Mandy said.
“Having Parkinson’s can really knock you down, so keeping your mental health and knowing when you need a mental health break from all appointments to say have a coffee with a friend rather than have an appointment is really important. I but don't do it very often but when I need to, I do have a break.”
Your team, your way
There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to building your health team. Take the time to find the right providers for you. The professionals listed above are just some of the many you might work with.
Positive living also extends beyond your health team. Your team could also include complementary therapy providers as well you family, friends and carers. These support networks are just as valuable in helping you live well with Parkinson’s.
You can access health care professionals using your private health insurance (extras) or by speaking with your GP about a chronic disease treatment plan which will provide up to five visits in a calendar year with a Medicare registered health care professionals. A mental health treatment plan will give you up to 10 visits with a psychologist or accredited social worker, your GP can assist with this.
Contact the Fight Parkinson’s Health Team on (03) 8809 0400 for more information about the health services and professionals located near you and for guidance on setting up your own multidisciplinary health team.