Physiotherapy in palliative care– - Stockholms sjukhem

Assessment:How severe are the worries or the anxiety?The patient’s feelings of the severity of the symptoms can be estimated with a Visual analogScale – VAS before and after activities.Does the patient receive medication for his/her anxiety?Is it possible to divert the anxiety?What stage of disease is the patient in?Judging if a physiotherapeutic activity can be of help for the patient should be done afterconsulting the rest of the staff.Treatment:By affecting physical symptoms like muscle tensions, that divert the thoughts, physiotherapycan ease symptoms of milder forms of anxiety.Treatment alternatives can be relaxation exercises, massage and physical activities like walking.The choice of treatment depends on the stage of the disease the patient is in. In an earlypalliative phase physical exercises and relaxation activities can be useful. In later stages softmassage can be useful.The clinical experience of soft massage for anxiety patients is good. Patients in a late palliativestage receiving soft massage can feel satisfaction, get the feeling of confirmation and free fromillness during the massage as well as immediately after.There is a limited scientific documentation of how physical activity affects anxiety. Atemporary relief of situational anxiety can be noticed after physical activity.DepressionIt is common for the patient to feel low-spirited and sad because life is coming to an end. Whenthe low spiritedness becomes more severe the word depression is used. Depression is caused bybiological, psychological and social factors. With a severe somatic illness several factors cantrigger and affect depression.Physiotherapy in palliative care – a clinical handbook Ulla Frymark, Lilian Hallgren, Ann‐Charlotte Reisberg 13