Australia New Zealand Tour 2023 - Travel Blog

10. 8 May 2023

Location: Westmead Hospital, Australia

Meeting the dedicated ICU team at Westmead Hospital has been one of the highlights of my trip. They currently have 4 Sydney GoFlat chairs in their units and we're delighted to be working closely with Cadi Fanning, David Russell and the wider team there on a research study measuring the impact on critically ill patients. This is a truly committed team and it was a pleasure to deliver a training session within their unit.

9. 6 May 2023

Location: Melbourne, Australia

We often talk about long haul flights in relation to Seating Matters but this week made a long haul flight very worthwhile. We attended and had the privilege to sponsor the Better Rehab Inspiring Leadership conference in Melbourne. Better Rehab is an excellent company of clinicians led by Rachel Brimblecombe, an inspirational Occupational Therapist and leader. It was great to experience the Leadership, Values and Culture of this amazing company. The culture is amazing and it is obvious the values are lived and the leadership is driven from the top.

I'd like to thank Rachel, Chris Doroudgar, Elaine Lee and all of the organising team for including Seating Matters Australia in your incredible conference and for inviting me to present. It has been a privilege for us to be a part of it.

8. 4 May 2023

Location: Sydney ---> Melbourne, Australia

Today we flew from Sydney to Melbourne in preparation for an incredibly exciting private event which I'm honoured to have been invited to speak at. As I write we're just about to board a bus to a welcome dinner in a surprise location... we can't wait to see where we're headed!

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Update! Jonathan shares the surprise dinner location in this video. Stay tuned for more from Melbourne!

7. 3 May 2023

Location: Newcastle, NSW, Australia

We spent the day at Rydges Norwest Sydney for the sold-out day 2 of our 'Seating For Life' educational roadshow. With 100 delegates there was a wealth of experience in the room and some great conversations in the room long after the seminar was over. I presented some clinical sessions while Adrian Cominotto from Seating Matters Australia presented the benefits of each of the chairs in our range.

• Posture Can Kill - how improper posture can lead to pressure injuries and other fatal complications
• Seating clients with complex postures and advanced conditions
• Why quality of seating equals quality of life
• 24 Hour positioning and pressure care - why alternative seating alongside a wheelchair is vital
• Living with Dementia - how therapeutic seating can help reduce agitation
• It's not just about the cushion - why you need to address all 4 principles of pressure care seating
• Bariatric seating - not just a bigger chair
• The newest innovations in Seating Matters chairs, designed to help your most complex clients

Attendee Feedback from 'Seating for Life' Newcastle

We were delighted to read this post from Coast Rehab, a leading Central Coast provider of therapy services for people with disabilities including spinal cord injury, brain injury and progressive neurological disorders.

"Ilne Lombard from our northern team attended the Seating Matters Australia's Clinical Seating Training in Newcastle today and was lucky enough to meet the world renowned Occupational Therapist, founder and Global Clinical Director of Seating Matters, Martina Tierney.👩‍🦼 Thank you for such an informative and engaging day!

Here at Coast Rehab we believe that investing in our therapists ultimately benefits our clients, which is why we're committed to providing ongoing training and networking opportunities. We couldn't do this without community support and amazing companies like Seating Matters who provide the training and resources."

6. 2 May 2023

Location: Thornton, NSW, Australia

'Seating For Life,' the Australian leg of our 2023 Educational Roadshow is officially underway. Today we held our training event at the very impressive Neuro Alliance Rehabilitation Centre - what a place! The facilities along with the care and attention given to clients has been amazing to see.

5. 1 May 2023

Location: Sydney, Australia

It has been a few years since Jonathan and I got to spent time at the headquarters of our Australian distributor, Seating Matters Australia - but it's great to be back! It's hard to believe the growth in the team and facilities they have here. As the team has grown, I took them through some clinical seating training and shared the 'Why' behind Seating Matters. For many the training was a refresher but people always tell me that taking time to refocus on the theory always helps with the practical. And that goes across the team, whether it's assessing a patient for seating, prescribing a specific chair to meet client needs, providing customer support or technical advice.

In the evening we had a really lovely team dinner and then early to bed to get ready for day 1 of our 'Seating For Life' training programme starting tomorrow.

4. 30 April 2023

Location: Sydney, Australia

I feel very lucky to have spent a lovely weekend in Sydney. I loved being a tourist with family and friends where we visited the Sydney Opera House, Manly Beach and saw the city from the water!

3. 28 April 2023

Location: Auckland, NZ ---> Sydney, Australia

I ended the New Zealand part of my trip today with a visit to some healthcare facilities before flying to Sydney this evening.

I've often heard people say what an incredible place New Zealand is. Now I can agree wholeheartedly! We've been shown excellent hospitality, everyone is so friendly and welcoming, and the scenery is truly beautiful. I have really loved this part of the trip.

This photo is from our visit to Middlemore Hospital, which is the largest hospital operated by Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand. They offer hospital and specialist care alongside a selected range of community and domiciliary services for those in the area stretching from Otahuhu to Port Waikato.

Middlemore hospital is also well known internationally for their work in orthopaedics and spinal injury rehabilitation, as well as being the site of the National Burns Centre. We're thankful to everyone who made our visit today so memorable.

I've landed in Sydney where I will meet up with Jonathan Tierney and some friends over the weekend before a very busy week of speaking engagements starting on Monday morning. Have a nice weekend everyone and thanks for reading!

2. 27 April 2023

Location: Auckland, New Zealand

I spent the Anzac Day long weekend being a tourist around Auckland. I loved visiting Waitakere Ranges Regional Park and went on the “Wilderness Experience" to Cornwallis and Huia which is a little to the South of Piha. The surroundings were stunning!

Today though, it was back to work. I was joined by Adrian Cominotto from Seating Matters Australia and together we presented to an audience of around 40 local clinicians on the benefits of seating, why it really matters and the Seating Matters chair range.

We were hosted by the team at Arjo New Zealand and received a very warm welcome at their offices. I loved connecting with the attendees, hearing about their experiences of postural support and helping advise on possible seating solutions for clients with complex conditions - thank you all for coming.

Presenting to New Zealand clinicians on the benefits of seating

1. 25 April 2023

In my career (so far), I have worn several different hats. First and foremost, I am an Occupational Therapist and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to help so many people in my work in the community, long term and acute care environments.

15 Years ago I became founder of Seating Matters, a company created to provide therapeutic seating designed to change people’s lives.

At Seating Matters, evidence is at the heart of everything we do and evidence-based practice has allowed us to really understand people’s needs and the profound positive impact that seating and postural support can have. My role as Clinical Director at Seating Matters has allowed me to study the world of seating, carry out trials and share research findings.

These passions for seating and evidence led to me author the ‘Clinician’s Seating Handbook’ and to become a clinical educator. I feel incredibly lucky to have been invited to speak at conferences all over the world where I have trained (and learned from) so many inspiring healthcare professionals.

During this trip I have a busy schedule with speaking events, training days and customer meetings in Auckland, Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong and Melbourne. I’m excited to be back visiting the region and would like to thank the team at Seating Matters Australia for preparing an excellent schedule to allow me to make the most of my time here. I am really looking forward to reconnecting with familiar faces and hopefully meeting lots of new ones!

I’ve included an outline of my schedule, including links to register (where available) if you’d like to attend. Alternatively you can email the team info@seatingmatters.com.au or connect with me on Twitter (@tierne13) or Linkedin (@Martina Tierney) and drop me a message. I’d love to connect!

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Our 'Seating for Life' clinical training conferences are full and half days aimed at Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Neuro-rehab teams and those who work in critical care or long term care facilities.

The conference days will be a series of talks, discussions and demonstrations on the many benefits of clinical, therapeutic seating and my aim is that they will inspire attendees to have more confidence in assessing for and prescribing the correct postural solution for clients.

During the training events, delegates will get:

• Practical training and insights on how to assess and select the right seating for patients
• Opportunities to discuss individual cases, share experiences, and receive advice about specific patient situations
• An insight into the latest guidelines, research and developments in the field of clinical, therapeutic seating
• A chance to improve your knowledge and skills in clinical seating and improve the quality of care you provide to your patients
• Excellent networking opportunities

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New Zealand | Thurs 27 – Fri 28 April

Sydney | Mon 1 May

Sydney – Thornton | Tues 2 May | Get tickets

Sydney | Weds 3 May | Get tickets

Private event | Thu 4 – Sat 6 May

Sydney | Sat 6 – Mon 8 May

Sydney – Wollongong | Tues 9 May | Get tickets