Your senior’s doctor might have recommended physical therapy to relieve specific issues. Is it really worth the time, though? It turns out that physical therapy is very important for aging family members in a variety of ways. These are only a few of the many ways that physical therapy can become an important part of your elderly family member’s overall treatment plan.
Possibly Alleviating Pain
Chronic health conditions, like arthritis, often bring with them pain. There are lots of different options your senior might try for reducing pain, like medication, hot and cold therapy, and more. Strengthening the muscles around the affected joints can help to reduce pain. Also, stretching properly can warm up arthritic joints, reducing pain. Keeping your senior moving in ways that are safe for her to move can be a huge help.
Reducing the Risk of Injury
Whether your elderly family member has experienced injuries in the past or not, reducing the risk that she’ll be injured now and in the future is important. Physical therapy can help your elderly family member to become more aware of where her body is and how her movements affect her ability to avoid injury. She can learn techniques to help her to conserve her energy, too, which allows her avoid becoming too tired to move properly.
Reducing Fall Risk
Falls can be deadly for older adults. Physical therapy can help your elderly family member to be more mobile, which by default can reduce her fall risk. And just as with pain relief, proper stretching and moving in specific ways can strengthen your senior’s muscles and help her with flexibility. All of that combines to help your senior to be as aware of fall prevention as possible.
Helping Your Senior to Maintain Independence
Maintaining independence as much as possible might be something that your senior has been trying to do as a part of her larger goal of aging in place. When your elderly family member reduces her fall risk, lowers her likelihood of becoming injured, and is able to do something concrete about reducing pain levels, that makes a huge difference in her overall quality of life.
Mobile physical therapy can come to your elderly family member, ensuring that she doesn’t miss any sessions. The benefits of physical therapy build on each other with every session, meaning that the more that she attends sessions and the more that she does her exercises at home, the more likely it will be that she’ll meet her goals.
Considering help for a senior in Ventura County? Learn more about physical therapy in Camarillo, CA. Call us! 1-805-385-4180.
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