Allied Health Professionals ' Views on Palliative Care for People with Advanced Parkinson's Disease

Mary Waldron, W George Kernohan, Felicity Hasson, Susan Foster, Barbara Cochrane, Cathy Payne

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Citations (Scopus)
806 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Aims: Allied health professionals (AHPs) have a key role in the delivery of palliative care through rehabilitation. However, evidence suggests that rehabilitation remains an area of neglect in palliative care. This study explores the views of allied health professionals in delivering rehabilitation in palliative care to people with Parkinson’s disease. Methods: Twelve allied health professionals, from both generalist and specialist settings, who had experience of working with people with advanced Parkinson’s disease and/or palliative care took part in interviews and/or focus groups.Findings: Participants viewed palliative care as holistic care; however the rehabilitation care, they provided was impeded by a number of personal, organisational and negative perceptions. Misconceptions as to the value of rehabilitation in the palliative stage and a lack of training resulted in uncertainty as to when and how it could be introduced. While the importance of early referral to AHP rehabilitation services was highlighted, organisational and administrative barriers prevented many people from accessing such care. Conclusion: Many health professionals have a role in palliative care; however, barriers prevent early referral and ongoing access to such services. There is a need to educate professionals in the principles of palliative rehabilitation, combined with targeted resources to promote shared care and responsibility.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)48-58
JournalInternational Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation Copyright IJTR
Volume18
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished (in print/issue) - Jan 2011

Bibliographical note

Copyright IJTR
Reproduced with kind permission from the International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilation.
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Keywords

  • allied health professionals
  • barriers
  • palliative care
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Qualitative Interviews

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