Physiotherapy in the care of the dying

This paper examines the role of the physiotherapist in the care of patients whose conditions have reached the point at which intensive active treatment is no longer appropriate and is, therefore, replaced by palliative care directed toward the comfort and support of the patients and their families. The principles of physiotherapy in the delivery of palliative care (modified treatment aims, team approach, and acceptance of death), the possible contexts--both physical and psychological--of effective palliative care, and the attitudinal characteristics of physiotherapists best suited to the implementation of effective palliative care are discussed. The results of a survey of Canadian undergraduate training in physiotherapeutic palliative care, and the present level and method of instruction in this area, are included. The article demonstrates how the physiotherapist can play a central role in the multidisciplinary approach to terminal patient care by assisting patients to make the most of their decreasing potentials, by encouraging them to set short-term goals, and by relieving them of their discomfort.