Friday, September 12, 2008

Geriatric massage

Geriatric massage therapy is all about providing massage to the elderly people. As well all know that performing the massage techniques on a young person is completely different from the techniques that are used on the old people. There are few considerations that should be kept in mind while performing the Geriatric massage therapy. It might happen that the elderly person who has come for the massage is not mentally sound.

Often it is observed that they are somewhat agitated about the surroundings and this is the reason why the therapist needs to consider the methods and the patient’s mental state. If the person is mentally fit but there are certain physical problems then the Geriatric massage should be performed taking that into consideration.

Who should be given the Geriatric massage therapy?

Before you start applying the massage on an old person you need to have detailed information about the nature of his body. If he or she is very much prone to injuries then special care should be taken. Though there are certain benefits of the Geriatric depression but few limitations are there as well. The most important of them is that in case you experience some injury the insurance companies will not be there for you.

You can have a word with your doctor before getting the massage it would be great. The nursing homes often offer these sorts of massage under proper medical supervision. The Geriatric depression scale is often used to asses whether the elderly person is suffering from depression or not. This is a self-assessment which includes 30 items.

Benefits of Geriatric massage therapy

There are quite a number of benefits of the Geriatric massage therapy. This massage can help people who are suffering from various minor geriatric health problems. With the geriatric hand massage the agitation of an elderly person can be released within an hour. In fact researches have revealed the fact that the elderly people suffer from a problem of unfulfilled emotional need which is eliminated through the hand touch movements while performing the massage and it has better effects than the medications.

Often the patients of Alzheimer’s dieses have certain physical restlessness. The geriatric massage therapy can help in reducing this physically agitated situation. There is a “Carotid sinus massage” which has shown effects like lowering the blood pressure and heart rate and thus improving geriatric health of the people. The back massage plays an important role in releasing the anxiety and is considered as the crucial part of geriatric care. The other common physical improvements have also observed which improves the geriatric health significantly.

The circulation of body improves and muscles experience relaxation. The skin condition improves apart from the overall enhancement of body functions. They will reduce pain, reduce depression and agitation, increase memory and also increase the vitality of the body. They will be able to move in a better way than before. The patients who can get benefits from the geriatric massage therapy are Alzheimer’s, Parkinson's, emphysema, Sleep disorders, amputation, joint replacement, tendonitis, bursitis and arthritis.

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