The Elderly And Therapeutic Massage

Submitted by: Matilda French

The elderly are a group of people often plagued with muscle and joint pains and deteriorating health and sicknesses that many persons are unable to relieve. For this reason, elderly massage is used to help improve the well being and health of senior citizens. Elderly therapeutic massage is simply a massage meant for the elderly. The technique used is vastly different than the one used in younger persons. Massage therapists must be aware of several issues such as the physical changes the elderly body goes through. For this reason the techniques used during therapeutic massage is different as massage therapists have to be cautious and extra sensitive in certain areas.

When persons get older they partake in less activity, which includes walking, running or just simple exercise. This reduction of physical activity contributes to the decreasing quality of life of elderly people. Therapeutic massage of the elderly has shown to manage and smoothen out the effects of ageing. Illnesses such as arthritis, aching joints, swelling and general pain can be alleviated through therapeutic massage.

The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, or NCBTMB for short, spends a lot of time promoting elderly therapeutic massage. Many people are aware that elderly massage exists but some are not knowledgeable of its many benefits.

In today s society it is very important for the elderly to partake in regular therapeutic massages. The population is ageing every day and it is important to take care of the elderly by seeking effective methods of care such as therapeutic massage. Within western society a large percentage of health care expenditure is spent on caring for the elderly. Therapeutic massage is highly beneficial to the ageing population as it helps to reduce and relieve the negative effects of getting old. This will further benefit society and possibly enable the elderly to have longer and more pain free lives. Society will thus have a happier and healthier elderly population.

There are several benefits to elderly therapeutic massage:

? It has a high calming effect to the elderly person which in turn helps them to deal with medical issues with more stride and hope.

? It greatly improves both posture and muscle tension. Many older persons experience bone loss and slouch over time. Therapeutic massage helps the elderly to relieve their muscle tension. It also helps them to receive a higher quality of rest enabling them to sleep deeper and longer and wake up fully refreshed and rejuvenated. This has a significant benefit to their general heath.

? Therapeutic massage helps to boost mental awareness and energy levels.

? It also increases muscle coordination, range of motion and overall strength.

? It assists the control of arthritic pain and also enables the elderly to manage other types of pain well.

? Lastly, according to the Touch Research Institute, therapeutic massage is a very beneficial treatment for persons with Alzheimer’s disease. It has been shown to increase communication and relaxation throughout the debilitating disease.

Therapeutic massage is a very beneficial process for the elderly and it is very important that they attend regular sessions. This is a natural solution to the effects of ageing and can help to slow down the ageing process which improves their quality of life.

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