Geriatric Massage: A Great Way to Alleviate Age-Related Illness
Massage therapy is an industry that is ever-evolving. Massage therapists must learn a vast amount of different techniques in order to properly service not only various health ailments, but the diverse demographic. One specific demographic is senior citizens.
Geriatric massage is a type of therapy which caters specifically to the elderly. It involves using massage to manipulate soft tissue in order to improve blood circulation, relieve pain and increase range of motion.
According to Massage Today, massage is great way to alleviate many age-related illnesses.
“Massage is a non-invasive, enjoyable way to help alleviate the symptoms of many age-related diseases and improve a person's quality of life,” writes author Sharon Puszko, PhD, LMT, owner/director/educator for Day-Break Geriatric Massage Institute. “With thousands of baby boomers now retiring every day, learning how to safely work with elderly clients is something every practitioner should consider. Your clients will not only benefit from massage, but you will as well, by making yourself more marketable and reaping the rewards of working with this very special group of people.”
The benefits of geriatric massage consist of:
- Improvement of the patient's quality of life and self-esteem.
- Improvement in length and quality of sleep.
- Relief of stress, anxiety, depression and loneliness.
- Alleviation of headaches and pain.
- Speeding up of healing from injury and illness.
- Partial restoration of mobility lost due to Parkinson's disease, arthritis, etc.
- Mental and physical relaxation.
- Improvement in lymphatic flow which increases the excretion of toxic substances from the body.
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(Source: massagetoday.com)
