Physiotherapy services are named as a key component in maintaining the health and wellbeing of dementia patients in the first of a new pair of quality standards from the newly re-named National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The new title for NICE reflects the organisation’s extended remit to produce guidance and standards for the social care sector, alongside its existing duties in healthcare. It aims to support the integration of health and social care under the new NHS set-up in the UK. The two quality standards, published today focus on Supporting people with dementia to live well and The health and wellbeing of looked-after children and young people.
AGILE, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy’s professional network of chartered physiotherapists working with older people contributed to the dementia care standard, commenting on the draft version and officially endorsing the final document. It outlines 10 ‘quality statements’, including that patients be able to take part in leisure activities, and that they can access services to help maintain their physical and mental health and wellbeing – with physiotherapy listed as a service that helps achieve this.
Read about Alzheimer’s Disease in Physiopedia
Also in Physiopedia – Carers guide to dementia and Promoting Independence for Persons with Dementia; A Guide for Carers