Physiotherapy Support for the Elderly
Elderly people are often more physically fragile and have weaker bones with osteoporosis starting or already present. Many have less confidence with their balance and movements – some may have a fear of falling too. This means they need to be approached and treated with great gentleness and tenderness.
Kate tenderly supports the elderly with gentle physiotherapy and offers ECTT and Esoteric Massage and Esoteric Healing where required.
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Kate works with many elderly people to help them with improving their connection with their body, their balance and their overall strength.
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Treating the musculoskeletal system in elderly clients is very important, as it supports their ability to stay as mobile and active as possible in daily life. Without this support the physical health of many elderly people deteriorates and with this decline in physical mobility their other bodily functions suffer and health issues increase.
Elderly people can present with quite a chronically tired and stiff body, particularly if they have had significant muscle and or joint injuries when they were younger. In some, the stiffness is due to chronic processes like arthritis, degeneration of the spinal discs in-between the vertebra, soft tissue scarring from surgery and strokes or from neurological diseases like Parkinson's disease.
In the known normal aging process the body decreases its amount of water and there is a normal process of degeneration of the body. For example there is a hardening and thinning of the cartilage in the joints and the cartilage over the bone surfaces in the joints themselves.
It is important for the elderly to counter these physical changes with regular gentle weight bearing movements and exercises - in a way that is enjoyable and that will support their bodies. Kate supports you the client in this way by designing a specific exercise, movement and strength program for you at home as well as gentle stretches for your body after you walk, swim or do light weights at the gym. These individualised programs are always aligned to what exercises the you enjoy doing, to enhance your appreciation and relationship with your body.
How ECTT can support the elderly
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The very nature of ECTT and its tender support has assisted Kate’s more elderly clients to deeply relax and re-connect to their bodies.
Practitioners have noted that this helps to ease the tension and stiffness associated with ageing, along with the physical softening of the scarred, thickened areas of connective tissue. This allows for smoother, freer movements with less compression through the musculoskeletal system, allowing them to sit and stand straighter with a more elongated spine.
Kate has observed that the ECTT treatments have assisted elderly clients to feel more solid and confident in their bodies. Many elderly people who have had ECTT treatments have noted that they are freer in their movements and are more able to sit and stand more upright. They often feel more balanced and confident in their bodies when they walk, when they change their postures or in just doing their day to day activities.