Exercise Physiology Services

Our tertiary qualified Exercise Physiologists are all accredited with Exercise and Sport Science Australia (ESSA) - formerly AAESS. Our Accredited Exercise Physiologists (AEPs) provide advice and exercise rehabilitation strategies to assist you in managing musculoskeletal injuries and/or chronic diseases such as Type II Diabetes, Heart Disease, Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Asthma, Cancer and Depression to name a few. Our Exercise Physiologists are trained in how to prescribe individualised exercise programs specific to your physical and functional needs. Contact us for more information on how our Accredited Exercise Physiologists can help you.

Our Exercise Physiologists are able to offer the following services and programs;

Medicare Enhanced Primary Health Care Plan Scheme

Type 2 Diabetes Group Intervention (Medicare Allied Health Group Services)

Department of Veteran Affairs Private Consultations & Group Exercise

Personal Training

Injury Rehabilitation

Group Fitness Classes

Medicare "Enhanced Primary Health Care Plan Scheme"

This scheme enables people with complex medical conditions to receive rebates for health services provided by Exercise Physiologists accredited with Exercise & Sport Science Australia (ESSA).

With the inclusion of exercise physiology services under the Medicare allied health initiative, this means the public have greater access to

professional services for physical rehabilitation and disease prevention. Our Accredited Exercise Physiologists design and prescribe exercise programs aimed to manage current chronic diseases and to prevent the development of new chronic diseases or co-morbidities appearing. Our Accredited Exercise Physiologists can improve the health of people with chronic and complex medical conditions such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and arthritis, to name a few. They can also assist clients with dementia, osteoporosis and depression, as well as people who have had a stroke.

To be eligible to receive a Medicare rebate for Exercise Physiology services, clients will need to be referred by their GP and have their health managed through an “Enhanced Primary Health Care Plan (EPHCP)”. Eligible clients will be entitled to a maximum of five (5) allied health visits per calendar year, including exercise physiology services. Each of the five visits currently attracts a Medicare rebate of $50.05.

If you comply with each of the following criteria, you may be eligible to receive exercise physiology services under the Medicare Scheme:

People that have at least one chronic medical condition and complex care needs as determined by their GP.
People that require care from a GP and at least two other health professionals or care providers.
People that are being managed by their GP through an Enhanced Primary Health Care (EPHC) Plan.

Once on an EPHC Plan your GP can refer you for up to 5 exercise physiology services per year. For more information please see your GP or visit the Medicare website (www.medicare.gov.au).

GPs & Medical Centres download the Medicare referral form here.

Medical Conditions that Exercise Physiologist's can provide advice, guidance and management for;

Cardiopulmonary - Hypertension (HT), coronary artery disease (CAD), peripheral vascular disease (PVD), myocardial infarction AMI), chronic heart failure (CHF), asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis (CF)

Metabolic - Obesity, dyslipidaemias, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), diabetes mellitus (DM)

Musculoskeletal - Arthritis (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid), osteoporosis (OP), sub-acute and chronic specific and non-specific musculoskeletal pain / injuries such as Fibromyalgia

Neurological / Neuromuscular - Stroke (CVA), spinal cord injury (SCI), acquired brain injury (ABI), Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Other - Cancers, Depression, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Department of Veteran Affairs Consultations & Group Exercise

If you are a veteran with a Repatriation Health Card – For All Conditions (Gold Card) or a veteran with a Repatriation Health Card – For Specific Conditions (White Card), you may be eligible to access our Exercise Physiology services and Group Exercise classes.

Our Accredited Exercise Physiologists can help you in the management of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, cancer and chronic muscular conditions.

To use these services, you must be referred by your Treating GP or Specialist. They can use a special referral form (D904) or a standard referral letter, as long as it states the medical condition you are to be treated for and your DVA member number.

Your first appointment with one of our Accredited Exercise Physiologist will involve a "Health Assessment" and from this they will develop your "Treatment Plan". You then have the choice in your future treatment - you can choose to have private 1 on 1 consultations with our Accredited Exercise Physiologist and/or attend our regular Group Exercise classes with other Veterans.

You will not be required to pay for any consultations or group exercise classes as we bulk-bill all appointments, therefore no out-of-pocket expense for you.

For more information about this service please speak with your treating GP or Specialist or visit the Department of Veteran Affairs website (www.dva.gov.au).

Medicare Allied Health Group Services for Type 2 Diabetes

Whether you have been newly diagnosed or need a refresher, this exciting new diabetes education program is designed to give you the tools and knowledge you need to take control of your diabetes - and take control of your life! Facilitated by accredited dieticians and exercise physiologists we offer a multidisciplinary approach to educating people with Type 2 Diabetes on how to better manage their condition through the self-management and allied health support.

Our seminar run for 2 hrs per week over a 4 week period and covers a combination of educational and practical components designed to help patients understand:

General overview of type 2 diabetes,
Nutritional principles and guidelines,
Improving blood glucose control,
Effective use of glycemic index and glycemic load,
Food labelling,
Weight management,
Physical activity guidelines,
Exercise strategies.

The program format can be modified and changed to suit the audience. We are able to design seminars specifically for indigenous, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities and other groups with specific needs (i.e. pre-diabetics/impaired glucose tolerance, Type I Diabetes or newly diagnosed with diabetes). Our group seminars may also target specific aspects of diabetes management or for different stages of the diabetes continuum (i.e. weight loss, managing CVD, insulin therapy in type 2 diabetes).

Eligibility

To be eligible for this group education program, a patient must:

Have type 2 diabetes,
Have a relevant care plan in place; and
Be referred by their GP for an assessment to determine suitability.

Patients who do not meet the above criteria are also welcome to register in the program, but they will be required to self-fund. Private health funds may provide rebates - please contact your health fund for details.

Individual Assessment

All prospective participants must be assessed before commencing a group program. This includes taking a comprehensive patient history, identifying individual goals and preparing the patient for an appropriate group program. The assessment will also determine the patient's suitability for group services.

Clients download a Medicare information sheet about this program here.

GPs & Medical centres download a Medicare information sheet about this program here.

Download our Type 2 Diabetes Education flyer here.

For more information or to discuss a referral please contact us on 1300 881 536 or info@merendi.com.au

GPs & Medical Centres download the Medicare Allied Health Group Service referral form here.

Personal Training

Your personal training session can be run as a 1 on 1 or as a private small group (up to 5 clients). Sessions are run in our private air-conditioned studio. We offer a wide range of exercise regimes including circuit training, cardiovascular training, strength training, core stability, boxing and much more! All sessions are tailored specifically to suit you and your health and fitness goals. Ask us about our package deals that are guaranteed to save you money!

Injury Rehabilitation

We provide effective and result focused injury rehabilitation services’ that prepare people physically and functionally to enable them to return to work, assist them in commencing a physically demanding job or to successfully gain vocational employment. We ensure you as the employer and/or insurer gets the required outcomes needed to return your injured employees to work faster and safely. We can also prescribe functional based exercise programs for people struggling in their current job and requiring improvement in functional tolerances to complete their daily work tasks. For more information visit our Injury Rehabilitation service page.

What is an Exercise Physiologist?

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) defines the clinical exercise physiologist as someone who:

"...works in the application of exercise and physical activity for those clinical and pathological situations where it has shown to provide therapeutic or functional benefit."

The term 'Exercise Physiologist' is not as easy to define as Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist or Chiropractor. The term 'Exercise Physiologist' is not regulated through a government body as are other health professions. Therefore the term ‘Exercise Physiologist’ can be used by anyone whether they have completed 6 weeks of training or 6 years.

If you use an Exercise & Sport Science Australia (ESSA) Accredited Exercise Physiologist you are guaranteed that you are using the most qualified exercise professionals. ESSA is the Exercise Physiologist’s Professional Body and they use strict criteria to ensure all their members have a combination of a university Human Movement Science Degree and extensive practical experience before they can become accredited.

ESSA Accredited Exercise Physiologists have advanced skills to assess clients, to develop and monitor a safe and effective exercise or rehabilitation program, regardless of the client’s medical history or present fitness levels. All of our Exercise Physiologists are ESSA accredited and are actively involved in continuing professional education.

The ESSA website (www.essa.org.au) defines an ‘Exercise Physiologist’ as a professional from within the field of exercise science who has specialised in either health and fitness or exercise rehabilitation streams.

“As knowledge in the area of physical conditioning and rehabilitation has increased, the evolution of specialists in various fields has become apparent. The development of a specialised area in the field of exercise science has only occurred in recent years."

ESSA defines the domain of an Exercise Physiologist as matching the immediate aspirations and needs of the client with appropriate exercise interventions, and developing strategies which promote and assist in interventions being undertaken regularly for a prolonged period of time. Interventions will rarely only involve physical activity and as a consequence the Exercise Physiologist does not practice in isolation but will collaborate with other recognised health practitioners.

An Exercise Physiologist is ideally suited to providing professional services in the area of exercise as a treatment strategy in physical rehabilitation, as a preventative strategy for disease prevention, and work hardening as part of establishing and sustaining functional independence”.

For more information about ESSA Accredited Exercise Physiologists please refer to: www.essa.org.au