Physiotherapy's Role in Managing the Health of Older People: A Report

This report critically examines the role of physiotherapy in managing the health of older people, drawing on three scholarly papers. The introduction defines physiotherapy and its importance in treating chronic and acute pain, emphasizing its use of evidence-based kinesiology. The main body analyzes three key research papers. The first paper discusses cross-disciplinary care partnerships, highlighting the physiotherapist's role in fall prevention and osteoarthritis management, which are common issues in the elderly population. The second paper focuses on a feasibility study of peer support training for older adults with chronic low back pain following physiotherapy discharge. The third paper reviews the role of rehabilitation professionals in care transitions for older adults, identifying relevant theories and conceptual models. The report underscores the significance of physiotherapy in improving the quality of life for older people through various interventions and collaborative approaches.

To examine the role of physiotherapy in managing the health
of older people.

Table of Contents
Topic: “To examine the role of physiotherapy in managing the health of older people.”...............3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

Topic: “To examine the role of physiotherapy in managing the health of older people.”
INTRODUCTION
Physiotherapy also referred to as the physical therapy and is also one of the medical
health profession. It is significant in effectively treating people and maintain mobility within the
person. It is significant in effectively treating the chronic and acute pain and also use evidence
based kinesiology to provide best possible treatment to the people. This study will focus on
critically evaluating and interpreting on the three scholarly papers. The main topic of the study is
role of the physiotherapy in effectively managing the health of the older people.
MAIN BODY
Paper 1: Opportunities for cross-disciplinary care partnerships in physiotherapy.
Physiotherapy has significantly been practised effectively within the stream based
paradigm. This is linked with the assessment and the care on the frequent basis. Physiotherapists
are considered to be highly significant in improving the physiotherapy collaboration which
eventually tends to significantly exist within the health and care sector. This is significant
because it helps in mainly facilitating the key provision which in turn is mainly linked with the
holistic healthcare. It tends to mainly focus upon the whole person rather than specific health
conditions. Developing the cross-disciplinary care partnership within the area of the
osteoarthritis management and fall prevention. However, physiotherapist in turn has significantly
excelled in the main discrete field of osteoarthritis management and fall prevention.
Physiotherapist tends to act as the leader in order to effectively develop and implement the new
intervention programs. Also, it comply with the service delivery roles and also leads to the
development of the clinical practice guidelines. Osteoarthritis management and falls tends to
largely affect the older age group. However, falls is considered to be as one of the major reason
which in turn tends to cause injury and might lead to hospitalization among the older age group.
According to the 2016 data from the landmark Global Burden of the Disease study, falls tends to
mainly account for 4.4 million years lived with the disability globally (which tends to represent
4.2% of the total years lived with disability. Also, 3.6 million years of life has been lost
worldwide among the people who in turn are aged 70 years. High degree of burden related with
the fall in turn has been significantly faced by the older age group. Osteoarthritis also affects the

older group of people. It is one of the most common arthritis where the knee and hip joint are
most frequently involved.
There seems to be considerable degree of overlap between the falls risk factor within the
older population and has physical impairment which is mainly connected with the Osteoarthritis.
The physical consequence linked with the fall is is likely to impose high degree of burden upon
the family and other individual. This is because falls mainly leads to physical injuries like head
injuries, fractures and wound. There has been level one evidence linked with the meta- analysis
with the 88 randomized controlled trials which tends to involve over 19000 participants and has
well designed exercise programs which tends to incorporate balanced set of activities which
helps in decreasing the fall risk among older people. Also, the physiotherapists tends to mainly
focus on effectively providing the patient with the key relevant combination which is mainly
linked with the provision of feedback and staff training. The physiotherapists tends to mainly
focus upon the prevention of the fall linked with the main component. It is of crucial importance
to effectively focus upon the exercise, pain management and weight loss. It is considered to be of
key significance importance to screen as well as manage the fall risk with the people (Ackerman,
Soh, and Barker, 2018). There seems to be high degree of potential failure with the main
transaction which is linked with the fall prevention evidence related with the clinicians on the
frequent set of basis. High degree of greater attention has been given to the falls which leads to
the key prevention of the fall and Osteoarthritis with the shift within the professional attitude.
This is considered to be highly appropriate for the up- skilling. However, high degree of level up
evidence tends to significantly exist in order to effectively prevent the falls among the older
people. There seems to be high degree of clear set of opportunities for the physiotherapists ion
order to effect the change within the clinical practice. Also, hospital based care and community
health and private practice is considered to be of crucial importance which in turn is useful in the
prevention of the fall. However, there seems to be high degree of prevalence which is mainly
linked with the fall and Osteoarthritis. This in turn develops the great degree of capacity for the
physiotherapists. This is relevant in developing the new degree of expertise which is useful in
effectively managing the conditions on a contemporary manner.
Given both the high degree of prevalence associated with the Osteoarthritis and high
degree of fall rate will in turn tend to develop new set of expertise which is useful in effectively
managing the key conditions. The continued siloed approach for the fall prevention is considered

to be neither sustainable nor efficient as the population tends to grow in age. Nesting evidence
based falls is linked with the prevention with the Osteoarthritis management. This is one of the
key evidence based practice which in turn is considered to be useful in enhancing the
physiotherapy collaboration. This is relevant in effectively minimizing the gaps associated with
the patient care.
Paper 2: Training peers to support older people with chronic low back pain following
physiotherapy discharge: a feasibility study.
One of the key significant objective linked with this paper is to effectively determine the
acceptability as well as the high degree of feasibility related with the training programme. The
objective of the peer volunteer is to significantly support the older adults with the chronic low
back pain. For this study, feasibility study has been carried out within the community based
setting. For the present research, 17 adults who has chronic low back pain or tends to have
experience of supporting others with chronic low back pain. Also, 12 participants who in turn
has significantly completed the volunteer training.
One of the key intervention associated with this research paper is that, volunteers will be
part of the blended or face to face peer supporting training programme which in turn has been
usually based upon the mental health foundation. 17 participants who in turn has significantly
enrolled within the training programme and 12 participants has also completed the training on
the timely manner. However, the training has been evaluated in a positive manner. However, 2
participants has significantly passed the the majority of the self- efficacy scores and has also
effectively passed on the knowledge quiz. It is considered to be highly feasible to effectively
develop, evaluate and implement the peer support training programme for effectively facilitating
the chronic low back pain (Cooper and et.al. 2018). However, chronic low back pain
management among the older adults tends to effectively follow discharge from the
physiotherapy. Also, blended delivery of the training is significant because it helps in facilitating
the effective degree of recruitment from the greater number of the family support.
Supported self – management of the chronic low back pain is considered to be highly
feasible and is recommended. Exercise is considered to be as one of the key significant strategy
through which it is useful in managing the chronic low back pain and also osteoarthritis. Core of
the self- management practices helps in maintaining chronic low back pain. Hence, peer support
is one of the most promising method which in turn tends to highly facilitate chronic low back

pain self management without any sort of the additional burden linked with the health services.
This is of utmost importance because it helps in benefiting for the peers in order to support the
workers and also helps in increasing the degree of self esteem, positive feeling and confidence.
Paper 3: The Role of Rehabilitation Professionals in Care Transitions for Older Adults: A
Scoping Review.
Aim: To effectively identify the key existing set of theories as well as the conceptual
models which tends to inform care transition intervention and also mainly focuses on exploring
whether the key role associated with the rehabilitation professionals in turn has been stated
explicitly or implied in those theories as well as models.
Methods: The researcher in turn has significantly searched upon the multiple database
and tends to include the articles which has been significantly published from the year 2000 to
2018. Also, distinct mention of the care transition among older adults i.e., >65 years from the
one care setting to the another.
Results: Two theories associated with the System of care philosophy and Middle range
theory has been significantly identified (Kalu, Maximos, Sengiad and Dal Bello-Haas, 2019).
However, six conceptual models has been significantly identified which in turn mainly comprise
of 4Cs of Transitional Model, Coleman’s Model,Health Belief Model, Quality Cost Model of the
Advanced Practice Nurses Transitional Care, Ideal Transition in Care and Care Transition
Framework.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Kalu, M. E., Maximos, M., Sengiad, S., & Dal Bello-Haas, V. (2019). The Role of Rehabilitation
Professionals in Care Transitions for Older Adults: A Scoping Review. Physical &
Occupational Therapy In Geriatrics, 37(3), 123-150.
Cooper, K & et.al. (2018). Training peers to support older people with chronic low back pain
following physiotherapy discharge: a feasibility study. Physiotherapy, 104(2), 239-247.
Ackerman, I. N., Soh, S. E., & Barker, A. L. (2018). Opportunities for cross-disciplinary care
partnerships in physiotherapy. J Physiother, 64(2), 69-71.