Geriatric Physiotherapy
What is Geriatric Physiotherapy
Often known as Geriatric rehabilitation, Geriatric Physiotherapy is a branch of physiotherapy that helps in managing physical issues in elderly people. With growing age, various pain-related problems start to arise. That’s when you need the help of a Geriatric Physiotherapist to work for the elderly community. Geriatric physiotherapy mainly focuses on the people in the aging process. It helps the aged people or the elderly to improve their present physical strength and balance. Geriatric physiotherapy also helps the older community to build confidence and also keep them active for a longer period of time.
With growing age, your body undergoes various degenerative issues, which will lead to loss of strength and muscle tone. It will restrict flexibility and mobility. You will experience some changes in emotional and social functioning with an increase in your age, which in turn, will affect the quality of life and well-being. Geriatric physiotherapy is vital as it involves loads of intervening and preventive measures to offer final care and support, essential for improving and managing quality of life and functional independence.
Treatment included in Geriatric Physiotherapy
The present nature of Geriatric Physiotherapy is to assess and treat, focusing on the physical nature of the person’s condition. For older adults, physical tasks are the major starting point for the treatment. Interventions must include assessment of a person’s abilities and difficulties in performing tasks like transfer on or off the chair or bed, general mobility, and more.
Assessing the older adult will help the Geriatric Physiotherapist to identify the underlying impairment impacting the task. There are few techniques that experts use, which will differ from the ones taught for all age groups. It can be a manual technique as used in a clinic setting or functional intervention in the home.
Proper care needs to be taken with special geriatric physiotherapy techniques and more time needs to be given for learning and practicing the exercises.