Progressive memory disorders are organic brain diseases that leads to a condition called dementia. Due to the complexity of the disease, the care must be seen as person-centered, comprehensive, multi-professional rehabilitative care. In Finland, the diagnosis and treatment evaluation of memory disorders is centralized in multiprofessional memory clinics specializing in memory disorders. The main targets of physiotherapy are to decelerate the decline of functional capacity, maximise the potential and support the quality of life of person with memory disorder. Physiotherapy, however, still appears to be an underutilized resource in the treatment of memory disorders. The purpose of this study was to explore conceptions of the memory clinic’s multiprofessional team about the importance of physiotherapy in the comprehensive care of progressive memory disorders and to reveal the critical differences between the perceptions, which may help to understand the phenomenon more widely.

The study was conducted as a qualitative interview study, using a phenomenographic methodology. The data for the study was collected in May-August 2022 by interviewing six members of the multiprofessional team. The multiprofessional team has specialized in the diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation of progressive memory disorders. The interviewees were licensed healthcare professionals and they represented comprehensively the different professions of the multiprofessional team. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a phenomenographic analysis method. The results were divided into four hierarchically expanding descriptive categories that varied across four different themes.

The multiprofessional team perceived the importance of physiotherapy as I) a maintainer of physical function, 2) physiotherapy as a supporter of everyday life, 3) physiotherapy as a supporter of well-being and 4) physiotherapy as a companion through illness. The descriptive categories varied in the following themes: Supporting the functional capacity of a person with dementia, the importance of the physiotherapist for a person with dementia, benefit to those involved in nursing work, physiotherapist as a part of multiprofessional team. As the categories expanded, their critical differences emerged as the importance of physiotherapy changing from a method that focuses on physical characteristics towards more comprehensive support of functional capacity and well-being and accompanying during the different stages of the disease.

The results of the study expand the understanding of the importance and possibilities of physiotherapy as part of the memory disorders comprehensive care. This study shows that the importance of physiotherapy should be seen as relevant from the perspective of the person with memory disorder as well as those involved in care and multiprofessional team. The results partly confirm the results of previous studies, but comparability of the studies should be approached critically due to the differences in context and target groups.