Acknowledgement
We would like to thank Mariella Graziano, Physiotherapist, Luxembourg, for her contributions to this section.
Referral procedures depend on the country that you are living in and treatment may or may not be accessible though the national health system in your country. Your doctor or other healthcare professionals should be able to advise you how to access physiotherapy services in your local area.
In the UK, Luxembourg and Germany you will need a referral from the GP, hospital consultant or a specialist Parkinson’s disease nurse to see a National Health Service (NHS) physiotherapist. However, some countries, including Denmark, allow patients to refer themselves at the local hospital or community health clinic and visit a physiotherapist without consent from the doctor.
But if you cannot obtain state-funded treatment, you can also see a physiotherapist on a private basis – this means you have to pay for any treatment and assessment you receive.
Whatever route you take, you need to ensure that you see a physiotherapist who is professionally trained and accredited. It is always helpful to try to find a therapist who has some experience of treating people with Parkinson’s or care of the elderly.
Website: www.appde.eu
The APPDE is an association for physiotherapists, other professionals, people with Parkinson’s and their carers.
The mission of the APPDE is to facilitate a dialogue between researchers and clinicians to promote best clinical practice in physiotherapy and Parkinson’s.
Email: info@appde.eu
Website: www.csp.org.uk
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy is the professional, educational and trade union body for the country's 47,000 chartered physiotherapists, physiotherapy students and assistants. It aims to support its members and help them to provide the highest standards of patient care.
The Society is a member-led organisation, governed by the CSP Council. This is made up of elected CSP members and is supported by a system of boards, branches, committees and groups.
14 Bedford Row
London
WC1R 4ED
United Kingdom
Tel:+44 (0)20 7306 6666
Email: enquiries@csp.org.uk
Website: www.wcpt.org
The World Confederation for Physical Therapy is a non-profit organisation comprising 101 Member Organisations which, together, represent more than 300,000 physical therapists worldwide.
The Confederation works to improve global health by encouraging high standards of physical therapy research, education and practice; supporting communication and exchange of information among Regions and WCPT Member Organisations; and collaborating with national and international organisations.
To this end, WCPT undertakes a range of programmes and projects and supports international campaigns which promote the physical therapy profession and its contribution to global health. It encourages high standards of physical therapy research, education and practice and maintains official relationships and strategic alliances with government and non-government agencies worldwide, including the World Health Organisation.
Kensington Charity Centre
4th Floor, Charles House
375 Kensington High Street
London
W14 8QH
United Kingdom
Tel:+44 (0)20 7471 6765
Fax:+44 (0)20 7471 6766
Email:info@wcpt.org
The Parkinson’s association in your country may also be able to provide information based on members’ experiences. The EPDA website [www.epda.eu.com] contains the contact details for European Parkinson's disease organisations and international Parkinson’s organisations.
Your Parkinson’s association may also advise and provide information and educational opportunities for health professionals.
See also:
For information about private therapists, contact the professional association for physiotherapists in your country.
The Rescue consortium, a research collaboration between Northumbria University (United Kingdom), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) have developed a CD-Rom as a guide for therapists who want to use cueing to treat gait and gait-related activities in patients with Parkinson's disease. The RESCUE collaboration conducted a clinical trial that has confirmed the use of cueing as an effective treatment in the home situation. In preparation for this trial, an actual cueing treatment method was developed, which is presented on this CD-Rom. As well as evidence-based cueing guidelines, therapists will find cueing instructions and specific exercises, richly linked to illustrative video clips, centred around 12 therapy aims related to improving gait and gait-related activities. The CD-Rom also contains information on disease background and clinical evaluation tools.
You can read about and order the CD from the catalogue of the audiovisual service of the KULeuven:
www.avnet.kuleuven.be/en/catalogus/showArticle.php?id=122 (for English speakers)
www.avnet.kuleuven.be/catalogus/showArticle.php?id=122 (for Dutch speakers)
