You're never to old to Rock'NRoll - Hydrotherapy for seniors

Water hydrotherapy for seniors has several goals: physical, psychological, cognitive, and social.

Physical goals may be rehabilitation, preservation, or improvement. Improvement could be, when a person wants to see an improvement in endurance or muscle strength, or balance abilities. Rehabilitation following a sharp decrease in the function of a joint or muscle, such as after surgery, for example, or for other reasons. Preservation means preserving existing abilities, using muscles and using the mind in order not to lose functional abilities. The paradigm of Chinese medicine says that a person comes to the doctor not when they are sick, but when they are healthy and with the goal of keeping it that way.

Water is a very good environment for treating physical goals of seniors, because it allows physical activity at varying levels of intensity, while utilizing the resistance of the water, depending on what is needed and desired by the patient at the moment. Activity in water is physical activity under reduced weight, and therefore without strain on the joints. Older people manage to do movements in water that are impossible for them on land, and thus practice them "in the wet", and take the knowledge with them to land. In addition, water provides a safe environment against falls, and allows exercises to improve balance without fear of falling. Staying in warm water also helps relieve joint pain, and pain in general.

Psychological goals can be varied. A person suffering from depression may benefit from conversation and physical activity. A person who is the primary caregiver for a helpless person and needs that one hour a week where they can let go and not be Superman, even for a short moment. A person who needs help processing losses, personal or family. A person going through a normative life crisis when they retire from work, and their entire framework is being shaken, may benefit from guidance and support at this time. Active and passive water activities improve sleep patterns, and a good night's sleep can help anyone of any age resolve many physical and emotional distresses.

Social goals may be related to loneliness, which is one of the hardest blows to the elderly person in the modern era. An elderly person who suffers from loneliness, could need listening and an exchange of opinions, a conversation without fear and prejudice.

Cognitive goals generally include preservation of cognitive abilities, and when it comes to people recovering from a stroke, also rehabilitation and improvement of such abilities.

Water is a very good environment for treating psychological and social goals, as the treatment is conducted in a one-on-one setting, patient versus therapist, a setting that allows communication even for people with impaired vision or hearing.

Being in the water reduces pain, reduces stress, and allows for discussion of one's troubles from a position of empowerment. The touch, in the Watsu stage of the treatment, is a healing touch that enables relaxation and brings peace.

The water therapy will most often occur in three ways. The first part will be an active part, and will include muscle strengthening, improving cardiovascular abilities, working on balance, and other topics depending on what the patient needs. The second part will include passive Watsu therapy, body work while the patient is submerged, moving the joints, and massaging the muscles. In between, and in combination with both, comes a conversation that can be advisory, but most of the time it is mainly listening, accepting, and accommodating. Again, depending on the patient's needs.

I have extensive experience working with the seniors in Israel, both in the pool and on land. I have worked with the blind, the deaf, the sick, and the grieving. I think what makes me good at working with the elderly is the ability to accept reality as it is, in places where it cannot be changed, and to find ways to work around the limitations, wherever possible.