Geriatric Massage: Wellness and Healing for the Golden Years
Posted: Wednesday, July 27, 2005
by Melissa Stoudenheimer, LMT
Healing Therapies
The language of touch is universal and does not discriminate by age. Older people need to be touched, as we all do and geriatric massage is a wonderful way to provide this nurturing, life giving gift. It emphasizes physician consultation, flexibility regarding depth of pressure, treatment setting and techniques, and knowledge of the issues pertinent to older adults.
The health benefits of geriatric massage are many and include:
- Improved Blood Circulation
- Improved Lymph Circulation
- Increased Range of Motion for the Joints
- Injury Prevention (from falls)
- Reduction of Muscles Adhesions (knots)
- Pain Relief
When people learn of my work in geriatric massage they often have questions.
"Won't older people feel uncomfortable taking their clothes off?"
Answer: They can leave them on!
"My Dad is very frail and ill. Isn't massage dangerous for him?"
Answer: It will work wonderfully for him, as he can remain in bed, leave his pajamas on, and the pressure can be feather light, while still providing health benefits.
"My grandmother is perfectly fit and goes to the gym every day. Does she really need a special massage technique?"
Answer: No, she doesn't need special geriatric techniques.
It's interesting to note that geriatric massage recognizes three groups, only two of which need special "geriatric" techniques.
- The Robust Older Adult engages in regular vigorous activity and can be as fit or fitter than everyone else. These folks don't need special massage techniques. You might see them when you go to the gym or on a hike.
- The Age Appropriate Older Adult has the normal aches and pains that come with age and usually one or more physical issues that require special attention. This group can benefit greatly from geriatric massage.
- The Frail Older Adult has more than their share of the physical issues. They actually benefit the most from geriatric massage, which offers gentle techniques which can be custom designed to address their unique problems. Many symptoms and discomforts that "come with the territory" of various ailments can be alleviated by massage. For example, the wheelchair bound have numerous related muscular issues. Those with lung issues can benefit from spreading the muscles between the ribs and diaphragm. And on and on. These folks can have a lot of psychosocial issues, such as touch deprivation, isolation, depression and more. Massage, for them, may provide much relief:
Geriatric massage is unique because it:
- Requires physician consultation in planning treatment.
- Is flexible to suit each situation. The frail client can be clothed and can remain in bed. If it isn't possible to work on a particular area of the body, treatment can focus on other areas. For example, one nursing home study on the benefits of touch has a protocol involving only very gentle touch on acupuncture points on the arms and hands. The clients love it.
- Provides specific techniques which are appropriate for the common issues of aging.
Let's look at a common condition - arthritis. After consulting with the doctor, the therapist might work on the structures near but not on the affected joints, using gentle stretching, massage, acupressure and range of motion. The pain and stiffness of arthritis often results in compensatory postures which throw off muscular balance. The resulting "knots" can be relieved by massage, which also improves circulation of blood and lymph, releases pheromones, improves flexibility and decreases chance of injury. The depth of pressure could be exceedingly gentle, according to the patient's comfort level. Key acupressure points could be worked to increase energy, relieve pain and more. Polarity techniques may even the energetic flow. For a stroke victim, gentle massage can reduce spasticity, cranio-sacral methods to improve the flow of cerebrospinal fluid and acupressure to increase energy flow, balance the systems of the body and reduce muscle spasm.
So…massage can be a wonderful resource for the Golden Years. It is safe, effective and, to top it off, also just happens to feel darn good to people whose chances to feel great can be limited. If you or a loved one are older and have been wondering if massage is an option for you, I say…."Yes! It's never too late to benefit from healing touch!"
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