On 26 March, António Lopes, President of the Portuguese Association of Physiotherapists, took part as a guest in the conference "A Grande Idade em Discussão", organised by the Associação Amigos da Grande Idade and the Escola Superior de Saúde da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa.
In the morning, the theme of the debate was: After COVID, what about the institutionalisation of older people in Portugal?
In the afternoon, the debate centred on the topic: Are services for the elderly social services or health services?
In this context, the President of the Order of Physiotherapists, who had the opportunity to take the floor, valued the intervention of physiotherapists as specialists in human movement and the assessment of functionality. He also emphasised the need for physiotherapists in primary health care to intervene in the community, as well as the need for continuity of care for the elderly.
The discussion afterwards, with interventions from the public, also turned to the question of profiles and qualifications of professionals, more in the social or health area, including the management of institutions, as was the theme of the session.
The Order of Physiotherapists argues that there is a need for physiotherapists in care homes. It is therefore essential that there is support, information and training for carers to ensure the quality of care provided by health professionals specialised in their professional field.
We believe that long-term care, on the one hand, and home care, on the other, are areas of opportunity for physiotherapists.
In particular, the issue of prescribing/counselling technical aids and home adaptations, in collaboration with local authorities, should also be encouraged and this is something we will also consider for the future of Physiotherapy.