Physiotherapy

To a lot of people, physiotherapy is for bad backs or sports injuries. So why have physiotherapy in a Hospice?

Physiotherapists work in all areas of health care and our role in palliative care is to enhance a patient's quality of life. To this end there are many facets, the main one being pain relief.

No one wants to be in pain, and at Willow Wood, I work closely with the other members of our multidisciplinary team to help alleviate it. This can involve assisting with movement of joints and muscles, use of heat therapy and T.E.N.S. machines, acupunture and hydrotherapy.

It's fantastic having our own hydrotherapy pool and most days we have a queue of patients waiting to use it. The buoyancy and warmth of the water make it an excellent medium for reducing joint stiffness, easing muscle ache, strengthening and promoting relaxation. It can also be beneficial in helping to reduce lymphoedema (swelling) as part of the overall management of the condition.

It's also fun exercising in water, and you don't have to be able to swim to benefit from hydrotherapy, when using our woggles (as seen in the photos) and floats. With the help of Lynn Sams, our Physiotherapy Assistant, patients requiring more assistance can now also enjoy hydrotherapy. One in-patient, who was quite ill, reported that his session in hydro was the nicest experience he'd had in a long time. Walking and moving in bed were a struggle but he could move with minimal assistance in the pool.

Some of our patients have problems with breathlessness and we can help with breathing control and relaxation. It's also very important for patients to maintain their independence, and part of our role here is to help with specific individualised programmes, provision of mobility aids and liaising with our community colleagues for ongoing care.

The drawback is, some days are just not long enough!

Brid Hindley - Physiotherapist