Passion to help others inspires Kildare physios

WHEN Jeanette O'Meara and Conor Bolton came to live in Kilcullen in 2020, it was the availability of an apartment they could afford to rent that brought them to the town.

As physiotherapists, she was working in Naas, and he was employed in a Portlaoise practice. So, it was a reasonable commute for both. Five years later, they were looking for a house to settle down in, and they chose to stay in Kilcullen.

"We looked in other towns around, but realised that we had come to love Kilcullen," Conor said.

"I was playing GAA here and had got more involved in the community. So, it was a case of asking ourselves, did we really want to start again somewhere else? Making a new network in a new community?"

Appreciating the village character which Kilcullen still has — Jeanette was raised in Kill, while Conor is from County Clare — they eventually moved into their own home in the town in February.

In tandem with that, another life change is their business venture, the Grá Health Physiotherapy Clinic, which opened in Kilcullen's Link Business Park in March.

The realisation of a dream they'd had since they first met in college in Carlow while working towards sport science degrees, making two big decisions so close together has at times been scary, Jeanette admits.

"Wondering, could we afford the mortgage and the rent on the clinic? But having each other was really, really good. When one of us was, like, 'Oh my God!', the other was 'It'll be OK'. And vice versa."

Both Jeanette and Conor got into physiotherapy from personal experiences. A world-class competitive Irish dancer and a one-time cast member of Riverdance, Jeanette says she was always getting injured.

"At one point I was told I'd never dance again, but then I met a physio who got me right, and I wanted to be able to do the same for other people."

Conor has a sports background, and while following his sports science path, he became interested in figuring out what happens in the human body during sport. "That evolved into wanting to help people and, at the same time, make a living at it."

In the area of medicine, physiotherapy is growing rapidly.

"It's a young profession," Conor said. "If you think of it, fifty years ago there were a few physios around, but not many. Now the science behind it is growing, there's research going on in literally everything to do with it."

Jeanette agrees, saying that there are regular courses through the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists to help keep on top of it.

"We're always learning, there's never a point where you could say, 'Right, I know it all'."

Core areas in physiotherapy relate to musculoskeletal, neurological, and cardiorespiratory.

Between them, Jeanette and Conor have both the background and expertise in all aspects of these, whether dealing with sports injuries and elite sports training, therapeutic management of issues like Parkinson's, or matters relating to women's health, such as post-menopausal osteopenia.

Each has pursued postgraduate studies to expand their knowledge and capabilities, Conor in Scotland and Jeanette in UCD.

A particular growth area is the result of the ageing population demographic, and they are increasingly helping older people live more independent and healthy lives.

It's a very satisfying area, Conor says, much of which is giving them the confidence to do more than they think they can.

It is similar when helping clients with neurological issues. "Most of the time, they've managed to undershoot what they believe they can do. They think their level is way down, but their body can actually handle a lot more. We just kind of supplement them, give them that bit of confidence, a few things to maximise what they have."

Jeanette is particularly optimistic about the value of physiotherapy in dealing with osteopenia, where the protein and mineral content of bone is reduced, but not as seriously as in full-blown osteoporosis.

"It used to be that a woman would go to her GP, get some calcium. Now the doctor can also say 'go to a physio get some strength training', and we can reverse osteopenia."

She believes that physiotherapy at the right time could mean a future without osteoporosis, because it can be caught before it happens.

The new clinic is still a work in progress. A gymnasium is currently being completed for clients to be able to do specific exercises on a regular basis.

There are still rooms where they'll be spending some weekends working with paintbrushes instead of on the treatment tables, but already there's a steady and growing stream of clients.

Probably most important of all, they've set up their business in the town they have chosen to spend their lives, their commute now a short walk from their new home.

The location — R56 KW83 — is easy to reach from any part of mid-Kildare, and has the added advantage of ample free parking. Full details of all Grá Health Physiotherapy are available on grahealth.ie or phone 086 8401497.