Mom is Wheel Chair Bound Can she still get a massage?

Yes- most therapists who work with Elderly clients are accustomed to having clients with varying degrees of mobility, in addition through the study of the musculature system the therapist will be able to work with whatever level of range of motion that she has, as well as working with the client to strengthen some muscles with both homework and resistance movements, and also help with swelling in legs and feet that are a problem for anyone with restricted movements.

Does regular Massage effect mood? Can it make one less grumpy or less lonely?

First Massage like all other forms of touch and communication helps with loneliness, for the duration of the session the client is the recipient of focused nurturing touch, there are studies that support this, but who needs a study, it is common sense.

As we age, less and less of the touch that we get is to make us feel good, especially after separation from a spouse, which happens with illness as well as from death. The touch we do get is different too, often prodding or perfunctory, Massage is different, it is focused, usually in an hour session, and it is nurturing.

Second Massage therapy releases hormones in the body, that are the same ones that are released during exercise, falling in love and other great moments. These hormones improve mood, and the effect can last up to 3 days after the massage treatment.

Will Pain be diminished?

Of course! Depending on the type of pain, muscle pain will decrease as muscle tension is released, arthritis pain is improved as increased circulation also causes swelling to go down, the perception of pain is also improved, which links back to the hormones that we talked about, when you feel good pain is just less keenly felt.

Will it help with Sleep?

Usually, massage helps sleep in two ways, one it decreases pain and stiffness, making comfortable sleep more accessible. And second, back to hormones again ( they are real -and can be really good) Massage not only releases the good hormones, but it also decreases cortisol, which is a stress hormone, and we all know that stress and sleep are not good partners, so less stress more sleep. If it works for you, why wouldn’t it work for your mom?

Will Massage Therapy help with Memory Issues

Likely not, you may see some improvement in mood and anxiety associated with memory loss, which can be helpful, but most likely massage will not improve the actual memory.

Ruth is 86 and has Arthritis, otherwise she is healthy for her age, her mind is active, she has friends and lots of interests that keep her as busy as she wants to be, at least on her good days.

On her bad days the pain is not just overwhelming, it is stressful and makes her grumpy, and keeps her inside so she feels like a trapped rat.

Ruth feels some pressure too from her family, she knows that they worry about her and that comes out of love, but the idea of moving away from the home she loves, and the neighborhood she has lived in for 60 years is really distressing.

She has decided she is not moving as long as she can help it; and so when she talks to her kids, she doesn’t want to tell them about her daily struggles, that some days cooking is almost impossible because her hands have no strength in them at all.

Not being able to talk to her kids, especially her daughter about daily struggles makes her feel alone with her problem and lonely, and when she does talk about it she thinks all she ever does is complain, and she is impatient with herself for this.

Her kids aren’t dumb and they know she is struggling, but she is so flipping touchy about it all, it is impossible to bring it up, and because it is hard to talk about it is hard to find solutions.

Her daughter in law, looking for something to give for Mother’s day stumbled on Health Span – mobile massage therapy that would come right to her home, and booked her an appointment.

Massage Therapy for Arthritis Pain and stiffness

The arthritis foundation recommends massage as studies have shown that hand massage not only decreases pain, but it also increases grip strength, and agility. And for arthritis in the knees it improves not just stiffness, range of motion and the ability to walk, but it both decreases pain, and because it improves range of motion and stiffness it also can help prevent falls.

Improves mood and anxiety

Perhaps the most important improvement that happened when Ruth decided to get weekly massage appointments, is her mood began to improve. Once a week she had someone come to her home, and listen to her vent about her pains and aches for a few minutes before she lay down on the table, and was the complete focus of nuturing, caring attention and touch. She told her daughter it was the best she felt all week.

Almost every study that has ever been done on Massage shows improvements in moods and a decreased level of all the yucky hormones that indicate stress and anxiety. And these benefits can last for several days, and are cumulative, so every week when Ruth gets her massage the benefits add up.

Is it a miracle- of course not, there are still bad days, and aging is aging. As time goes on symptoms will change and health will get worse, but Ruth knows that the studies are right, and Massage does make coping day to day easier, she is still grumpy but much less miserable, and feels way, way less lonely.