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Benefits of massage for seniors:
Improves relaxation and communication.
Increases range of motion and pain management for arthritis sufferers.
Triggers natural joint lubrication through increased circulation, improving mobility.
Increases coordination, strength, flexibility and posture.
Expedites healing of wounds.
Boosts energy level and mental awareness.
Stimulates respiration.
Stimulates digestion and elimination of toxins.
Prevents bedsores.
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The Benefits of Massage
The healing touch provided by massage can be beneficial for many
conditions, but is especially useful if your loved one has
limited mobility or is in a wheelchair. Lack of movement causes
the circulation to diminish and nerve function to decline. As a
result, muscles atrophy and shorten, resulting in tight joints
that can't straighten normally. Prolonged contraction of muscles
due to inactivity can be helped with massage and gentle stretching.
Massage also calms the central nervous system and reduces muscle tension,
which eases chronic pain and improves sleep patterns.
That mental well-being can often be accomplished by the simple but profound
act of gentle, soothing touch. It can provide seniors with a sense of
value not found through other forms of therapy or interaction with
people. "Our bodies are designed to be touched", says Paul Escriva,
certified massage therapist with a practice in Chicago. "Massage for
seniors, especially, is about human touch. They are not touched very
much and when they are touched, it is usually not nurturing touch. It
is catheters and needles and not about communication."
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Other practitioners find similar benefits of
using massage with their patients. Dr. Santiago Toledo,
Director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, finds that his
patients who take advantage of massage therapy are often
able to sleep better and experience less anxiety and can
sometimes decrease the amount or number of medications
taken.
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Dr. Toledo finds massage therapy especially
beneficial for his patients suffering from arthritis.
"The older population usually experiences tightness in
their back, hip flexors, hamstrings, and heel chords. A
skilled massage therapist is able to assist a patient
to relieve tension in these areas, while improving their
balance, mobility and coordination," He also likes massage
therapy because it can be done at any setting that is
convenient - in the home or at the clinic.
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Massage has also been shown to be therapeutic
for specific conditions such as Parkinson's disease and
Alzheimer's disease. A study by the Touch Research
Institute showed that adults with Parkinson's disease
who received massage therapy or progressive muscle
relaxation twice a week for five weeks performed better
in daily living activities and rated themselves as
improved in daily functioning.
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Among the many ways massage
aids those with Alzheimer's disease, perhaps its biggest
benefit is through maintaining and rebuilding the nervous
system's response to stimuli to help resist physical and
mental decline. In addition, those with Alzheimer's disease
have great potential to respond well to massage therapy as
another form of communication with those closest to them.
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