The nursing service for elders is an important part of community
health. Pain, anxiety and insomnia are common problem in older people. Recent
studies showed that various massage therapy can statistically significant
improve physiological and psychological indicators of relaxation in older
people. Harris and Richards indicated that
massage may produce relaxation by tactile stimulation in body tissues causing
complex neurohumoral responses in the hypothalamic-pituitary axis to circuit
through the central nervous system pathway. The stimulus is distributed through
the cortex, midbrain and lower brain and interpreted as a relaxation response.
Researches in different settings support that back massage and hand
massage can effectively promote relaxation in older people. Hands and feet are the most massaged places on a senior and
are the most popular in elder people due to the calming and relieving nature of
it. Massage also can reduce the
using of the medical and pharmacological intervention in nursing home to
release the back pain and anxiety in seniors.
Remedial massage therapy is also used in treat dysfunction in older
people. There is growing demands
of massage therapy for older people. More and more long term care facilities
are seeing the value of massage for frail elders who suffer dementia and the
dying. Eldercare and retirement communities are discovering the value of
massage therapy. Massage is recommended as a skilled intervention and is
providing an additional level of comfort and allows one-on-one focused
attention with the resident.
A variety of modalities and methods have been performed in older
people with chronic dysfunctions such as Parkinsons disease. Chaitow reported that myofascial release, position-release techniques can significant
increase the stride length, cadence and maximum velocities of upper and lower
extremities in older people with Pakinson’s disease after a single massage
therapy. It in important to choose
appropriate and safe techniques and modalities when providing massage therapy
for elder people. Meanwhile, special care must also be taken with the elders
due to their range of motion, mobility.
No comments:
Post a Comment