The aim of physiotherapy is to enhance quality of life by developing realistic goals with patients and those who care for them. Rehabilitation can be thought of as a process of active re-adaptation to make patient's lives as comfortable and productive as possible with a minimum level of dependency, regardless of life expectancy. This service is available to patients within the Hospice, Day Therapy Centre, Outpatients or at home. Physiotherapy sessions are given in individual or group sessions as appropriate to the patient's needs.
Our physiotherapist is, in addition to conventional physiotherapy, also specialised in acupuncture and craniosacral therapy, all of which is used to help with symptoms as they arise. Common problems that may be helped by physiotherapy are pain, fatigue and lethargy, shortness of breath, mobility, muscle weakness and neurological impairment.
Physiotherapy treatments may include:
- Mobility training where we look at ways to improve mobility, avoid falls and feel confident when moving around. This includes exercises and posture training.
- Massage to manipulate the body's soft tissues and promote health and well-being. Massage stems from a combination of Eastern and Western traditions and has evolved into a skill using a wide variety of techniques.
- Electrotherapy is a non-invasive way to combat pain by sending electrical impulses to the nerve fibres to reduce the experience of pain and trigger the release of endorphins, natural painkillers produced by the body.
- Acupuncture or acupressure involves stimulation of points on the body with find needles, heat or finger pressure. Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to stimulate the body's own healing properties and restore a more balanced state.
- Craniosacral therapy is a gentle, non-invasive, yet extremely powerful form of treatment which assists the body's natural capacity for self-repair. Patients usually lie fully clothed, while the therapist places their hands gently on the patient's head or other appropriate areas of their body. This therapy is usually experienced as deeply relaxing
- Lifestyle advice is used to enhance the benefits of your physiotherapy sessions and help you design ways of managing symptoms better.
