Benefits of Physical Therapy for Seniors
As people age, their basic bodily functions such as strength, balance, flexibility, and mobility start to deteriorate. Regularly visiting a physical therapist can assist seniors in increasing their mobility and maintain their independence. Our team at Home Advantage Rehabilitation Solutions can educate you on the benefits of physical therapy for seniors. Continue reading and contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.
Without visiting a physical therapist, seniors run the risk of numerous negative effects, many of which are very severe. These effects could have life long lasting These could include:
- Seniors face an increased likelihood of falls due to loss of strength.
- There is also a risk of ulcers and sores if the senior is not able to move much, causing them to sit in one position for a long time.
- Pain is also a major negative effect on seniors not visiting a physical therapist. This has the potential to last for the rest of their life if they do not get the injury treated.
When meeting with a physical therapist, they will go over a plan that they feel is right for your situation. Some of the things they may suggest can include:
- Regularly walking; CDC recommends 2 hours and 30 minutes per week of aerobic exercises such as walking
- Sit-to-stand consists of standing up from a sitting position without using your hands
- Single leg stands is an exercise where you put both hands out to the side and lift one leg at a time and hold it
The Benefits of Physical Therapy for Seniors
Physical therapy is an extremely personal treatment, where a physical therapist designs an entire regimine for you. They take into account your current physical fitness, past and present injuries, past and present illness, and your age. More benefits of physical therapy for seniors can include:
- Reduces negative effects due to osteoporosis, a bone disease where you lose bone mass and density
Physical therapy can benefit seniors who have recently had an injury. Visiting a physical therapist after an injury can help restore function to the site of the injury and speed up the recovery time. Common types of injuries in senior citizens include:
- Fracture of the hip
- Ankle and wrist sprains
- Rotator cuff injury
These types of injuries can severely limit a person’s range of motion. A physical therapist can develop a plan for you to help the healing process and ensure that you are able to gain as much range of motion as possible.
By not receiving physical therapy for these injuries, seniors run the risk of long term effects that can hinder their ability to be independent. These long term effects include:
- Chronic pain of injury site
- Loss of range of motion
- Increased chance of injury
Home Advantage Rehabilitation Solutions
There are many benefits of physical therapy for seniors, whether you had a previous injury or just as a preventative measure for normal aging. Seniors who have lost their ability to be independent can visit a physical therapist to try and regain some of their independence and ensure they are able to prevent future falls and injury. If you are in need of physical therapy care for yourself or someone you know, our team at Home Advantage Rehabilitation Solutions is here to help you!
Why is Exercise so Important for the Elderly?
Physical therapy and exercise are important for everyone’s overall health and both physical and mental fitness. The measuring stick of one’s health, the benefits of physical therapy for seniors are far and few between. With the right workout plan and implementation, you can live a much better quality of life.
Why is Exercise so Important for the Elderly?
Exercise can restore or increase your strength, range of motion, coordination, endurance, and reduce inflammation and pain, all things that seniors have to deal with on a more consistent basis than younger generations. Exercise helps the elderly maintain their independence, something we all strive for and crave. When we get older we have to be more reliant on those caring for us. Physical activity and exercise help you limit that reliance as much as possible.
The benefits of physical therapy for seniors can improve anything from Alzheimer’s to urinary infections. Both the mind and body will thank you for utilizing exercise properly. To have non-invasive treatment without the use of drugs and see strong results is amazing and you can be assured that the hard-working people at Home Advantage Rehab will do everything in their power to make that a reality.
What are Common Ailments Suffered by the Elderly?
Here are some of the ailments seniors have suffered and have lessened and even at times eliminated the effects due to proper physical therapy:
- Cancer
- Strokes
- Parkinsons
- Dementia
- Alzheimer’s
At home, PT can be very beneficial as you are in the comfort of your own home yet still able to put in the proper work to see optimal results. Some of the at-home conditions treated include orthopedic conditions such as:
- Joint Replacement
- Hip Replacement
- Shoulder Replacement
- Arthritis
- Fractures
Benefits of Physical Therapy for Seniors
Sleep can be difficult as you get older. As we get older we tend to have lighter and less quality sleep. Regular exercise improves your quality of sleep. With better quality sleep you achieve a better immune system and with a more robust immune system, you can get better control of your body including anxiety and stress. Energy expenditure from exercise helps make you tired and is the main reason for your deepened level of sleep.
The risk of falling is much higher in older adults. Recovery time after falls increases as your age increases. Regular exercise increases your muscle strength and flexibility, this, therefore, results in greater bone density, making it when if you do suffer from a fall the damage is not as great as it could be. The overall likelihood of suffering from a fall is also reduced because your balance and coordination are improved due to physical therapy.
Contact Home Advantage Rehabilitation Solutions Today!
There are so many reasons for seniors to be participating in exercise programs. The benefits of physical therapy for seniors are so vast that almost all aspects of one’s life can be improved if the decision is made to participate in these programs. It is important to remember that like anything physical therapy is a journey and there will be ups and downs. Realistic expectations and hard work will get you far and you truly will have a better quality of life. If you would like to learn more about the benefits of physical therapy for seniors, contact us at Home Advantage Rehabilitation Solutions today!
Common Geriatric Injuries
Want to learn the benefits of physical therapy for seniors? Our team at Home Advantage Rehabilitation Solutions is here to educate you. Contact us to learn more!
What is Geriatric Injury?
Geriatric injury mostly occurs in an elderly patient. People who face geriatric injuries must get treated because you want them to do their daily activities. Geriatric care can help families to navigate the challenges that a patient might face directly through professional care. Especially the older a person gets, the more support they need because they need the comfort to lead a healthy life with confidence. With more attention brought to the subject, it will encourage elderly individuals to seek therapies. There are many benefits of physical therapy for seniors to improve movement, manage extreme pain, avoid surgeries, and reduce medication for the elder population. The only way of treating a patient from geriatric injury is through physical therapy with Home Advantage Rehabilitation Solutions.
How Are Geriatric Patients Treated?
- Reducing background noise
- Speaking clearly
- Speaking loudly
- Getting their attention
- Screenings of injuries
Did you know there are many benefits of physical therapy for seniors who face geriatric injuries with an acute illness and trauma? Many doctors refer their patients to physical therapy because professional therapists have more knowledge about how they can treat their patients, which may lead to the benefits of physical therapy for seniors. A physical therapist will examine a patient, then create his/her recovery plan and mainly focus on reducing medications for their patients. According to Mayoclinic, the United States is in the mindset of aging, and that is why it is essential to know how to treat geriatric trauma patients.
Common Geratic Causes:
- Falls
- Motor vehicle collision
- Elder Abuse
- Dizziness
- Medicines
- Heart Disease
- Blood vessels
Contact Home Advantage Rehabilitation Solutions Today!
Geriatric injuries must get treated. Therefore, you must get your doctor’s consultant. Addressing health issues is important, and you do not want problems in the future related to your health. You must read more information about what kind of therapies we are offering on our website, which will give you more knowledge about the benefits of physical therapy for seniors. Or, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us. We will be happy to answer all your questions. There are many solutions for our older population to get the right therapy that will make them empowered. Contact us today to learn more about the benefits of physical therapy for seniors at Home Advantage Rehabilitation Solutions.
Prevention of Injuries in the Geriatric Community
As someone gets older, it comes with a lot of changes to how they live. Incidents that they could once walk off and go about their day without any issue when they were younger suddenly become life-altering when they are elderly. There are ways to make sure it’s less likely to occur, ranging from a change in footwear to organizing a living space and reaping the benefits of physical therapy for seniors. Contact Home Advantage Rehabilitation Solutions today to learn more.
The Stats of Falls Among the Elderly
The stats do not lie. There are plenty of elderly people suffering from injuries as a result of falling. From the CDC:
- A serious injury is created from one out of every five falls.
- The death rate from falls has risen every year from 2007 to 2016.
- Over three million elderly Americans a year are treated in the emergency room for fall-related injuries.
Things That Can Help Limit Chances of Injury
It might seem like it’s inevitable for the elderly to suffer injuries with one in four in the United States of America suffering from a fall every year and the rates being double for those that have already fallen. But there are ways to decrease the chances of it happening. Things like:
- Checking Your Home for Safety Hazards- From shoes to rugs to a pile of laundry, any of these can cause someone to trip and fall. To prevent them from being an issue, keep the necessities organized in spots that are out of the way and keep areas clear of messes so someone can walk through with no problem.
- Exercise- It might seem like moving around might increase the risk of injury by fall, but it’s found that exercising regularly, in particular physical activity focused on strength and balance, can lessen the chances of falling.
- Choose Your Footwear Carefully– Some footwear, like sandals and high heels, are far more likely to cause the wearer to fall than other footwear. So when it comes to picking what to wear on your foot, stick with the shoes that are easy to walk in.
- See Your Doctor- It can be hard to find the time, but make the time to see a doctor and have a discussion with them. Go over medications that you are taking and the side effects of them, talk about any falls you had in the past with as many details as you can remember, and go over any conditions you have to get a clearer picture of what you are facing and how to address it.
Benefits of Physical Therapy for Seniors
At first thought, it might seem like to receive the benefits of physical therapy for seniors that they have to be injured, but that’s not the case. As trained medical professionals, physical therapists can help their patients figure out the best ways to prevent injuries before it happens. They can inform their patients of their limits, when to progress their exercises, which types of physical activity would help them most, and more. With the help of their therapist, the patient can maintain their physical health safely.
Home Advantage Rehabilitation Solutions
If you are or a loved one is looking to experience the benefits of physical therapy for seniors, Home Advantage Rehabilitation Solutions can help with our team of professionals. We can be contacted through this link.
