EDITORIAL

To be Seventy years young is sometimes more cheerful 
and hopeful than to be forty years old

Oliver Wendell Holmes 1809-1894
In January 1992 a group of experts in the field of 

physiotherapy in ageing, met in Malta as a follow up to the 
recommendations made in the joint WHO: WCPT report of 
1989, “The Role of Physical Therapy in the Care of Elderly 
People”. Many long hours were devoted to the planning of a 
pilot course which would focus on physical therapy for older 
persons. The expert group also prepared a draft statement 
setting out some of the problems associated with ageing and 
emphasizing the need for all physiotherapists to be aware of 
the role that they will have to play both now and in the future. 
In the WCPT press release, the pilot course to be held in 
Malta next year is presented together with the draft position 
statement. A list of principles are given and member organi­
sations of WCPT are urged to ensure that their country’s 
legislative and regulatory bodies incorporate these principles 
in their national health plans and that physiotherapists are 
involved in the planning.

Once again South African physiotherapists are reminded 
to consider the implications of the escalation of the number 
of elderly persons in the country. Although the percentage of 
elderly in South Africa only accounts for 4% of the total 
population at present, by 2030 the number will have trebled 
while the number of adults below 64 years of age will decrease. 
This will throw a tremendous burden on the bread winner age 
group and health workers will need to make a determined 
effort to maintain the elderly in optimal health and as func­
tionally active for as long as possible.

It is a sobering thought to realise that nearly 50% of all 
people throughout history who have lived to the age of 

60 years are alive today.

One of the ways to prepare for this increase in the number 
of elderly persons is to form an Interest Group of Physiother­
apists concerned with the elderly. This idea was mooted a 
couple of years ago without much interest expressed, but time 
is running out and we can no longer afford to be complacent 
regarding the number of elderly who will require our expertise 
in both the promotive and curative fields of health care.

The problem of pain and its treatment is continued in this 
journal. In part 2 of Myofascial Pain, S Pullen discusses the 
aetiology and various aspects of fibromyalgia as compared to 
myofascial pain and presents various modalities which may be 
used to treat this type of pain.

J Mitchell et al describe a comparative study of two pain 
rating scales which were used for determining the severity of 
low back pain in pregnancy. At the last WCPT Congress held 
in London a number of papers were presented regarding the 
evaluation of pain. These included the use of questionnaires, 
visual analogue scales and scales to measure sensory, affective 
and cognitive aspects of pain. Papers also described the meas­
urement of muscle strength and joint range to evaluate pain 
as well as the assessment of the physical and psychological 
resources of the patient to cope with the pain. Accurate 
assessment of the patient’s behaviour towards his pain and 
how it affects his functional ability is as important to establish 
as is his perceived severity of pain in order to plan a holistic 
treatment programme.

In the third article by J Fourie et al a simple method of 
relieving pain in patients with fractures of the pelvis is de­
scribed. The main aim of this study was to find a way to 
facilitate bed pan use with the least amount of discomfort and 
pain to the patient.

J C Beenhakker

OBITUARY

Professor James Craig 
died 2 July 1992

Professor Craig served as President of our Society 
from 1975 to 1979, and in 1981 he became an 
Honorary Life President. His involvement with 
physiotherapy spanned the whole of his professional 
life. He married Hilda Burton, a physiotherapist, and 
his daughter Pauline became a physiotherapist.

Jimmy Craig devoted himself to the care of cerebral 
palsied children and people with neuro-orthopaedic 
problems. In so doing, he worked indefatigably for 
the establishment of multi-disciplinary rehabilitation 
services. He encouraged and assisted the first 
physiotherapists to study neurodevelopmental 
therapy and became the doyen of orthopaedic 
surgeons treating patient with neuromuscular

conditions. In every instance he accorded the 
physiotherapists in the field respect and 
acknowledgement as colleagues, whilst promoting 
our profession in every way.

He inspired all who worked with him by his 
dedication to the physical and emotional well-being 
of disabled people; by his humility and readiness to 
learn with others; by his approachability and 
generosity with time, his compassion and care, 
strength and courage.

All his patients loved him.

He worked and taught until the week of his death. It 
is a tribute to him that young and old grieve for the 
loss of a much-loved friend and mentor.

Bladsy32 Fisioterapie, Augustus 1992, deel 48 no 3

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