Physiotherapy
Key Functions:
- To improve and maintain the health status of people with MS at the highest possible level of independence.
- provide a quality, specialised physiotherapy service for people with MS including a comprehensive objective and subjective neurological assessment.
- To identify and analyse the key issues and to differentiate from other conditions.
- provision of intensive and functional rehabilitation programs.
- To educate members by providing training, group discussions and information to promote the desire to maximise independence, participate in goal setting and develop their own particular lifestyle.
physiotherapy Goals:
- Re-educate, restore and maintain the quality of movement and function.
- Maintain joint mobility.
- Maintain and promote strength of affected and unaffected muscles.
- promote and maintain postural stability.
- Minimise abnormal postural tone.
- Maintain and promote cardiovascular fitness.
- provide an MS specific strengthening approach to maximise the outcome of exercise programs and to address functional deficits.
- Facilitate the adjustment of people with MS to the functional a mobility challenges in their lives - at home, work and socially.
- Encourage the development of self-directed programs to promote self-esteem and motivation.
- provide education to people with MS, their carers and families on the symptom management and the development of strategies to minimise problems such as fatigue, spasticity and other potential complications due to adaptive strategies.
- provide advice regarding specific equipment to facilitate people with MS to function at the highest possible level of independence.
- promote community fitness programs which are sensitive to the fatigue, balance and heat sensitivity issues of people with MS.
- promote education of allied health professionals in metropolitan and rural areas to encourage their participation in the provision of rehabilitation programs for people with MS.
Services available for Financial Members:
- Neurological assessment
- Individual exercise prescription
- Intensive and functional rehabilitation programs
- Circuit programs
- Chair exercise programs
- Hydrotherapy (currently available only at Wilson Centre)
- Home based programs
- Self managed exercise programs
- Advice on equipment to assist mobility
- Massage and reflexology
Referrals:
- Members - self referral
- MS Society health team
- Medical practitioners
- Neurologists
- External allied health professionals
physiotherapy Services available at:
For further information please contact the Manager on telephone 9365 4834.